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Kevin Aluwi is the co-founder and former CEO of Gojek. With over 2.7 million drivers and over 3 billion orders completed, Gojek is the biggest startup in Indonesia and all of Southeast Asia. In today\u2019s podcast, Kevin shares the story of how Gojek overcame endless obstacles\u2014including being underfunded, being unable to send drivers payment, and the local motorcycle mafia coming after their drivers. We cover the importance of brand, the value of doing the hard things, how to be super-scrappy, and helpful tips on building a tech company outside of Silicon Valley.

Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/taxi-mafias-cash-vaults-and-100-mom

Where to find Kevin Aluwi:

\u2022 Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaluwi

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaluwi/

Where to find Lenny:

\u2022 Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

\u2022 Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

Referenced:

\u2022 Gojek: https://www.gojek.com/en-id/

\u2022 WeChat: https://www.wechat.com/

\u2022 Sequoia: https://www.sequoiacap.com/

\u2022 eFishery: https://efishery.com/en/

\u2022 What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture: https://www.amazon.com/What-You-Do-Who-Are/dp/0062871331

\u2022 How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don\u2019t Know: https://www.amazon.com/How-Brands-Grow-What-Marketers/dp/0195573560/

\u2022 The Menu on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/movies/the-menu

\u2022 Cyberpunk Edgerunners on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81054853

\u2022 Arc: https://arc.net/

\u2022 Steam Deck: https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Kevin\u2019s background

(05:00) How Gojek got started and the current scale

(08:35) Some of the services that Gojek currently offers or has offered

(09:37) Kevin\u2019s thoughts on super-apps

(15:36) The importance of brand

(23:08) How to create branding with consistency across copy and design

(26:53) Challenges Gojek had in the early days that required scrappiness

(33:03) Why Kevin doesn\u2019t believe in moats as a durable solution, and the value of doing hard things

(37:30) How Gojek hired private security to keep their drivers safe

(39:38) The value of founders doing and understanding multiple roles within the company

(44:12) How Kevin\u2019s failed finance career led him to take a bet on building tech in Indonesia

(47:30) Tips on building a tech company outside of Silicon Valley\xa0

(52:09) What the market is like in Indonesia\xa0

(55:42) What\u2019s next for Kevin

(57:41) Lightning round

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.