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Uncapped #31 | Dylan Field from Figma

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

Uncapped #31 | Dylan Field from Figma

Uncapped with Jack Altman

Nov 05
Uncapped with Jack Altman

Uncapped with Jack Altman

Nov 05
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

Dylan Field is the co-founder and CEO of Figma, a design software company that went public in July 2025. Founded in 2012, Figma transformed how people design, prototype, and build products together. After a $20 billion acquisition attempt by Adobe collapsed in 2022 because of regulators, Dylan helped Figma rebound stronger than ever. Just three years later, Figma listed its shares at nearly $20 billion and its stock price more than tripled on its first trading day. A few highlights: Expanding a sleepy market Merging of designers and product roles Counter-narrative to polarizing CEOs If models get better, we have to Remembering Brat Summer --- Timestamps: (0:00) Intro (0:37) The first 5 years of Figma (5:14) Slow build vs AI gold rush (13:01) The role of the human designer (18:55) Small companies with $1B in revenue (21:28) Expanding a sleepy market (27:49) Leading with empathy as CEO (32:51) Connecting with young people (41:37) Getting stronger despite Adobe (48:43) AI impacting Figma’s roadmap (52:02) Final bastion of human designers --- More on Dylan: https://www.figma.com/ https://x.com/zoink More on Jack: https://www.altcap.com/ https://x.com/jaltma --- https://linktr.ee/uncappedpod Email: friends@uncappedpod.com

Highlights

In a tech landscape often driven by hype and rapid scaling, Dylan Field's journey with Figma stands out as a testament to the power of patience, empathy, and purposeful innovation. Rather than chasing short-term trends, Figma’s growth was rooted in solving real design challenges through collaboration and long-term vision.
00:38
Building a complex product like Figma takes years, similar to Airtable and email.
08:08
Not all fast-growing AI companies will achieve long-term defensibility
16:08
Design is non-deterministic, unlike math and code
19:01
AI makes some roles more efficient but also creates more work
24:21
Founders should pursue their passions to avoid burnout
30:55
Building Figma is a way to understand oneself and work through personal issues.
40:25
Figma grew stronger after the failed Adobe acquisition.
41:50
The team felt relieved when the Adobe deal fell through, allowing a fresh start.
48:43
Weave enables using generative models across modalities and node-based workflows for multimedia creation.
52:05
AI helps designers eliminate repetitive tasks, leading to more holistic thinking and a creative explosion

Chapters

Intro
00:00
The first 5 years of Figma
00:37
Slow build vs AI gold rush
05:14
The role of the human designer
13:01
Small companies with $1B in revenue
18:55
Expanding a sleepy market
21:28
Leading with empathy as CEO
27:49
Connecting with young people
32:51
Getting stronger despite Adobe
41:37
AI impacting Figma’s roadmap
48:43
Final bastion of human designers
52:02

Transcript

Dylan Field: We're going to get to a world, we're already kind of there, where good enough is not enough. Good enough is going to be mediocre. And you're going to need to differentiate through design, through craft, through point of view, through brand, th...