Episode
20VC: Applovin: $160BN Market Cap, $5.48BN Revenue, $10M EBITDA Per Head | Why the Best Do Not Need Mentorship | Why Founders Should Not Angel Invest | Why Kindness in Business Will Slow You Down with Adam Foroughi
- Published
- Apr 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4846
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Summary
Adam Foroughi is the Co-Founder and CEO @ Applovin, one of the most underdiscussed but incredible businesses. Applovin has a market cap of $160BN, the company does $5.48BN in revenue and has an astonishing $10M EBITDA per head. The margins; 80%+. There is almost no other business in the world like it. AGENDA: 00:00 – Why Winning (Not Fear) Drives the Best Founders 04:30 – When Money Stops Mattering: The Real Founder Motivation 07:15 – $83M CEO Payday: The Truth Behind the Headlines 10:45 – The Hidden Cost of Being a CEO: What No One Tells You 13:00 – Down 92%: How Do You Not Lose Your Mind? 17:00 – Layoffs: AI Revolution or COVID Hangover? Will the Layoffs Work? 24:30 – Why Most Companies Can't Build a Culture of A-Players 29:30 – What % of Applovin Code is AI? What Will it Be in 5 Years Time? 33:30 – Building on OpenAI: Opportunity or Existential Risk? 40:00 – The Dark Side of Short Sellers & Market Manipulation 50:00 – Do Great Founders Doubt Themselves? 52:00 – TikTok, Meta & The Future of Recommendation Engines 53:30 – The Path to a $1 Trillion Company: What Needs to Happen? 56:00 – Stock Buybacks: How to Do Them and When They Go Wrong? 59:00 – Is the SaaS Model Breaking? What Happens Now?