Cameron Adams is the co-founder and chief product officer of Canva. Canva is one of the world’s most valuable private software companies, used by 95% of Fortune 500 companies. Since its launch in 2013, Canva has grown to over 150 million monthly users in more than 190 countries, generating $2.3 billion in annual revenue. Prior to Canva, Cameron ran a design consultancy, worked at Google on Google Wave, and founded the email startup Fluent. He is also an author of five web design books and a regular speaker at global conferences. In our conversation, we discuss:
• Why they spent a year building their minimum viable product (MVP) before launch
• Why Canva has no managers, and their unique approach to coaching and performance reviews
• Why they encourage employees to “give away their Legos”
• Insights into Canva’s SEO growth strategy
• Their three-pillar framework for integrating AI into their product
• Stories from the early days
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Find the transcript at: <a href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-canva-with-cameron-adams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-canva-with-cameron-adams</a>
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Where to find Cameron Adams:
• X: <a href="https://twitter.com/themaninblue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://twitter.com/themaninblue</a>
• LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/themaninblue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.linkedin.com/in/themaninblue</a>
• Website: <a href="https://themaninblue.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://themaninblue.com/</a>
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: <a href="https://www.lennysnewsletter.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.lennysnewsletter.com</a>
• X: <a href="https://twitter.com/lennysan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://twitter.com/lennysan</a>
• LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/</a>
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Cameron’s background
(02:00) Reflecting on the success of Canva
(04:50) Reflecting on hard times
(10:01) Canva’s product-obsessed culture
(12:02) Why they prioritize internal promotions and hires
(13:56) What makes Canva unique
(16:31) The concept of giving away your Legos
(21:44) Why Canva has no managers
(24:29) Product management at Canva
(27:56) Reflections on working with a married couple
(30:37) Why they spent a year building their MVP before launch
(33:49) Advice for building an MVP
(41:23) Canva’s onboarding transformation
(44:25) Canva’s SEO strategy
(50:37) The success of Canva’s freemium strategy
(54:24) Integrating AI into Canva’s product
(01:01:50) Where to find Cameron
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Referenced:
• Canva: <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.canva.com/</a>
• Melanie Perkins on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieperkins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieperkins</a>
• Cliff Obrecht on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliff-obrecht-79ba9920/?originalSubdomain=au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliff-obrecht-79ba9920</a>
• Jennie Rogerson, Head of People, LinkedIn post about “season opener” events: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jennierogerson_season-opener-is-one-of-my-favourite-events-activity-7006815614556135424-73bD/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jennierogerson_season-opener-is-one-of-my-favourite-events-activity-7006815614556135424-73bD/</a>
• Game of Thrones on HBO: <a href="https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones</a>
• Woodstock: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock</a>
• ‘Give Away Your Legos’ and Other Commandments for Scaling Startups: <a href="https://review.firstround.com/give-away-your-legos-and-other-commandments-for-scaling-startups/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://review.firstround.com/give-away-your-legos-and-other-commandments-for-scaling-startups/</a>
• Minimum viable product (MVP): <a href="https://www.productboard.com/glossary/minimum-viable-product-mvp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.productboard.com/glossary/minimum-viable-product-mvp</a>
• Canva’s SEO Strategy Is Elite: <a href="https://thegrowthplaybook.substack.com/p/canvas-seo-strategy-is-elite" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://thegrowthplaybook.substack.com/p/canvas-seo-strategy-is-elite</a>
• The SEO Strategy That Led Canva to a $40 Billion Valuation: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INyGKt6LAqM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INyGKt6LAqM</a>
• Andrianes Pinantoan on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrianes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrianes/</a>
• Canva Create: <a href="https://www.canva.com/canva-create/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.canva.com/canva-create/</a>
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Lenny Rachitsky

Inside Canva: Coaches not managers, giving away your Legos, and running profitably | Cameron Adams (co-founder and CPO)

Canva

Cameron Adams is the co-founder and chief product officer of Canva. Canva is one of the world’s most valuable private software companies, used by 95% of Fortune 500 companies. Since its launch in 2013, Canva has grown to over 150 million monthly users in more than 190 countries, generating $2.3 billion in annual revenue. Prior to [&hellip;]