Meeting Title: Robert and Billy Catch-up Date: 2026-04-13 Meeting participants: Robert Tseng, Billy Cheng
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1 00:00:57.650 ⇒ 00:00:59.310 Billy Cheng: Hello!
2 00:01:01.810 ⇒ 00:01:02.840 Robert Tseng: Hey, Billy!
3 00:01:03.070 ⇒ 00:01:05.440 Billy Cheng: Hello, how are you?
4 00:01:05.860 ⇒ 00:01:07.019 Robert Tseng: Good, how are you?
5 00:01:07.320 ⇒ 00:01:18.460 Billy Cheng: Yeah, not too bad. I have just recently moved to… well, when I say recent, I meant this past weekend. I’ve just recently moved to a new flat.
6 00:01:18.930 ⇒ 00:01:19.850 Robert Tseng: Oh, okay.
7 00:01:19.850 ⇒ 00:01:27.450 Billy Cheng: London, so there’s quite a lot of moving, and it makes me question why I bought so many things, or I brought so many things from Hong Kong.
8 00:01:27.450 ⇒ 00:01:28.710 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
9 00:01:30.190 ⇒ 00:01:31.980 Billy Cheng: Yeah, how about you?
10 00:01:33.000 ⇒ 00:01:36.509 Robert Tseng: Good. You were… you took some time off, too, right?
11 00:01:36.840 ⇒ 00:01:38.590 Billy Cheng: Yeah, you in Panama?
12 00:01:38.830 ⇒ 00:01:44.940 Robert Tseng: I was. That was in, like, March. Yeah, I took a… Wait.
13 00:01:45.600 ⇒ 00:01:48.470 Robert Tseng: Last time we talked, I was in Texas.
14 00:01:49.080 ⇒ 00:01:53.149 Robert Tseng: Going to a wedding, yes. Oh, yeah. And then I went to Panama.
15 00:01:53.310 ⇒ 00:01:56.139 Robert Tseng: Oh, wow, so a month has already gone by. Yeah, yeah.
16 00:01:56.140 ⇒ 00:02:04.739 Billy Cheng: Such a businessman, you’ve just gone to all these cool places. Well, Panama sounds a bit shady, but…
17 00:02:05.180 ⇒ 00:02:20.410 Robert Tseng: Yeah, no, Panama’s great. I think I came back with a lot of, oh wow, yeah, I think a lot has changed since… like, I’m making some decisions since the Panama thing. Yeah, I mean, I don’t know if I told you, but I have a college roommate that lives on a boat in Panama.
18 00:02:21.250 ⇒ 00:02:22.340 Billy Cheng: Wow.
19 00:02:22.590 ⇒ 00:02:23.350 Billy Cheng: Yeah.
20 00:02:23.350 ⇒ 00:02:30.319 Robert Tseng: So that’s why, that’s why I went there, to go visit him. I usually see him, like, once a year, or something like that.
21 00:02:30.320 ⇒ 00:02:32.910 Billy Cheng: college roommate is in USC?
22 00:02:32.910 ⇒ 00:02:34.270 Robert Tseng: Yeah, USC.
23 00:02:34.270 ⇒ 00:02:36.549 Billy Cheng: Oh, wow, rich kids!
24 00:02:37.590 ⇒ 00:02:46.549 Robert Tseng: Yeah, well, yeah, he does come from a wealthy family, but I think his… he lives, like, a pretty alternative lifestyle, and I’d actually find it to be…
25 00:02:46.790 ⇒ 00:02:50.559 Robert Tseng: Quite similar to running a business.
26 00:02:51.090 ⇒ 00:02:59.279 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I mean, like, long story short, we don’t have… we don’t have the same faith background or anything, but I think his… I think we have a lot of similar values in terms of, like.
27 00:02:59.960 ⇒ 00:03:06.670 Robert Tseng: I mean, his dream is to, like, sail around the world, and, like, I mean, he’s, like, an ambitious person, but, like.
28 00:03:06.940 ⇒ 00:03:17.020 Robert Tseng: As… when he… as he pursues his goal, like, I think he… he cares a lot about, like, the… the people that come along with him on the journey.
29 00:03:17.150 ⇒ 00:03:30.019 Robert Tseng: So, yeah, and also living, like, as a sailor, like, it’s pretty different from living in New York City, so, he’s, like, very anti, like, tech and whatever, so,
30 00:03:30.440 ⇒ 00:03:35.150 Robert Tseng: It’s… it’s a… I view it like going on a retreat when I go and see him.
31 00:03:35.150 ⇒ 00:03:36.070 Billy Cheng: I see.
32 00:03:36.140 ⇒ 00:03:41.629 Robert Tseng: And, yeah, I feel like we get to talk a lot about, like.
33 00:03:41.820 ⇒ 00:03:46.630 Robert Tseng: Team culture, and, like, just kind of reflections on, like.
34 00:03:46.960 ⇒ 00:03:56.279 Robert Tseng: what’s, like, what’s changing in society and, like, how we respond to it. So, like, it’s actually quite a very… I feel like it’s a very spiritual experience for me.
35 00:03:56.280 ⇒ 00:03:58.199 Billy Cheng: No, I shouldn’t, you guys should.
36 00:03:58.350 ⇒ 00:04:02.230 Billy Cheng: Different perspective on life compared to other people.
37 00:04:02.230 ⇒ 00:04:02.810 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
38 00:04:03.140 ⇒ 00:04:05.650 Billy Cheng: Yep. No, that’s really cool.
39 00:04:05.800 ⇒ 00:04:10.640 Billy Cheng: I still haven’t been to that side of the world, I guess.
40 00:04:11.020 ⇒ 00:04:14.529 Robert Tseng: Oh, yeah, well, the Caribbean is… is nice.
41 00:04:14.750 ⇒ 00:04:18.000 Robert Tseng: yeah, I could just… everything slows down, and…
42 00:04:18.110 ⇒ 00:04:24.850 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I think, like, a couple cultural things that they value there, like, I mean…
43 00:04:25.060 ⇒ 00:04:37.169 Robert Tseng: maybe in the big cities, people would say they don’t really work very hard, but I think they just have a more well-rounded life, you know, like, the sun goes down, everybody just comes out, and, like, it’s called liming, but it’s basically just hanging out.
44 00:04:37.310 ⇒ 00:04:51.000 Robert Tseng: So people, like, you know, they’re just drinking beers on the… hanging out on the beach, just talking to people. But yeah, I don’t know, kind of feel like it’s… it’s important to… I mean, we have, like, the modern equivalent of, like, oh, doing happy hours at work, or, like.
45 00:04:51.000 ⇒ 00:04:52.160 Billy Cheng: It’s going to get.
46 00:04:52.160 ⇒ 00:04:58.559 Robert Tseng: get a meal at a restaurant or something, but, like, I don’t know, this one’s… their version is a lot more, I feel like, community.
47 00:04:58.670 ⇒ 00:04:59.870 Robert Tseng: centric, like.
48 00:05:00.410 ⇒ 00:05:14.109 Robert Tseng: people don’t… they… they don’t, like, go to commercial places. Like, it’s… it’s, yeah, it’s, like, home-cooked meals, like, I mean, yeah, people are, like, bringing their drinks, it’s like potluck… it’s basically like a potluck every day, you know? Oh, wow.
49 00:05:14.110 ⇒ 00:05:15.650 Billy Cheng: Yeah. Sounds good.
50 00:05:15.650 ⇒ 00:05:17.030 Robert Tseng: So,
51 00:05:17.030 ⇒ 00:05:18.380 Billy Cheng: Thanksgiving.
52 00:05:18.380 ⇒ 00:05:21.729 Robert Tseng: Yeah, it’s like Thanksgiving every day, you know? Like, it’s…
53 00:05:21.730 ⇒ 00:05:22.059 Billy Cheng: Go ahead.
54 00:05:22.060 ⇒ 00:05:33.539 Robert Tseng: Well, like, Monday through Friday, but on the weekends, they don’t really, they don’t really practice that, but, but yeah, so it’s like, there’s certain, like, life rhythms there that I appreciate. Yeah, so…
55 00:05:34.450 ⇒ 00:05:40.779 Billy Cheng: So you said you make some life decisions, like, what’s that? Like, you leaving New York?
56 00:05:41.170 ⇒ 00:05:54.530 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I think leaving New York… I don’t know if I told you that I was considering it, but yeah, going to… I don’t think I was really considering it. Going… coming back from Panama, I was like, I think… I think maybe we should pray about leaving New York, so… Well, I see.
57 00:05:54.890 ⇒ 00:05:56.310 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I think…
58 00:05:56.930 ⇒ 00:06:02.050 Robert Tseng: Especially with the team… yeah, I think we’re… we’re… now we’re considering moving back to LA, next year.
59 00:06:02.050 ⇒ 00:06:02.420 Billy Cheng: do the same.
60 00:06:02.420 ⇒ 00:06:05.110 Robert Tseng: May, like, actually be made this week.
61 00:06:05.300 ⇒ 00:06:06.320 Robert Tseng: So…
62 00:06:06.320 ⇒ 00:06:07.920 Billy Cheng: Oh, wow. Yeah.
63 00:06:08.080 ⇒ 00:06:10.340 Robert Tseng: Yeah, like, I already…
64 00:06:11.320 ⇒ 00:06:16.160 Robert Tseng: I… I may open an office in LA. I have 7 people there right now.
65 00:06:16.500 ⇒ 00:06:23.569 Robert Tseng: So, like, the goal is to move to LA and to open an office and, like, invest in an in-person culture there.
66 00:06:24.310 ⇒ 00:06:25.460 Billy Cheng: Oh, I see.
67 00:06:25.460 ⇒ 00:06:26.940 Robert Tseng: Yeah, and then…
68 00:06:27.330 ⇒ 00:06:34.429 Robert Tseng: Yeah, so I think it’s mostly for kind of the business, but I was thinking, you know, I spend most of my time with
69 00:06:34.800 ⇒ 00:06:36.460 Robert Tseng: These people that…
70 00:06:36.460 ⇒ 00:06:37.090 Billy Cheng: Cool.
71 00:06:37.370 ⇒ 00:06:56.720 Robert Tseng: for whatever reason, like, the team is in LA, like, it’s not in New York. I mean, the two hubs are LA and Austin. Austin is where my business partner is, so, yeah, we’re thinking about pushing everybody to only be in those two cities, moving forward, at least the U.S.-based employees.
72 00:06:56.790 ⇒ 00:07:00.629 Robert Tseng: So yeah, I think that’s… that’s a big… that’s a big.
73 00:07:00.630 ⇒ 00:07:06.090 Billy Cheng: At the moment, your setup is more online, yeah.
74 00:07:06.090 ⇒ 00:07:08.009 Robert Tseng: Yeah, it’s fully remote. Yeah, I’ve been working remote.
75 00:07:08.010 ⇒ 00:07:13.499 Billy Cheng: But right now, you want to push to an actual office location, both in LA and Austin.
76 00:07:13.780 ⇒ 00:07:23.080 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I don’t think it’ll be so formal, like, in LA, at least this particular opportunity, it’s, it’s like a house, so it’s like, I will live…
77 00:07:23.080 ⇒ 00:07:23.430 Billy Cheng: You’re welcome!
78 00:07:23.430 ⇒ 00:07:23.980 Robert Tseng: also have…
79 00:07:23.980 ⇒ 00:07:24.799 Billy Cheng: And have people.
80 00:07:24.800 ⇒ 00:07:30.639 Robert Tseng: Yeah, yeah, it’ll be my house, and have people come over to work at my house, so…
81 00:07:30.640 ⇒ 00:07:37.259 Billy Cheng: No, that’s good too! Like, I mean, if it grows to a certain size, you can always do rework or something, I don’t know.
82 00:07:37.260 ⇒ 00:07:37.940 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
83 00:07:38.870 ⇒ 00:07:46.030 Robert Tseng: Yeah, but I think just, like, having… having my own space, being able to have people come over, and, like…
84 00:07:46.350 ⇒ 00:07:58.240 Robert Tseng: yeah, like, to… to do the happy… like, do team dinners and, like, have more of a collaborative space in person, like, my bet is that it will be good for the company, but .
85 00:07:58.690 ⇒ 00:07:59.070 Billy Cheng: Yeah.
86 00:07:59.070 ⇒ 00:08:00.570 Robert Tseng: I think that’s… that’s.
87 00:08:00.890 ⇒ 00:08:05.989 Billy Cheng: I’m just thinking of, main style, like, people meet in the house.
88 00:08:06.280 ⇒ 00:08:09.089 Robert Tseng: Yeah, maybe, maybe, like, part of me, like, reflected.
89 00:08:09.090 ⇒ 00:08:09.689 Billy Cheng: Click your mind.
90 00:08:09.690 ⇒ 00:08:10.460 Robert Tseng: I see AJ.
91 00:08:10.460 ⇒ 00:08:11.180 Billy Cheng: Well…
92 00:08:11.360 ⇒ 00:08:12.409 Robert Tseng: Yeah, and I was like…
93 00:08:12.410 ⇒ 00:08:14.670 Billy Cheng: I see startup culture.
94 00:08:14.670 ⇒ 00:08:22.749 Robert Tseng: Yeah, I think ICA did a lot of good things, and I think, like, my fondest memories are living with the brothers, I mean.
95 00:08:22.750 ⇒ 00:08:23.090 Billy Cheng: Yeah.
96 00:08:23.090 ⇒ 00:08:31.120 Robert Tseng: I think we could do it a lot more comfortably than cramming, like, 8 dudes into a 2-bedroom apartment or whatever.
97 00:08:31.480 ⇒ 00:08:32.690 Robert Tseng: But.
98 00:08:32.690 ⇒ 00:08:34.520 Billy Cheng: Fuck that, so…
99 00:08:34.520 ⇒ 00:08:41.750 Robert Tseng: Yeah, with bunk beds and everything, so I think maybe this is just, like, another iteration on top of that, I guess.
100 00:08:42.179 ⇒ 00:08:42.689 Billy Cheng: Hmm.
101 00:08:43.210 ⇒ 00:08:49.760 Billy Cheng: So that’s quite exciting, like, at least you’re going back to… you have a lot more friends in LA, I assume?
102 00:08:50.000 ⇒ 00:08:50.640 Billy Cheng: Correct.
103 00:08:50.640 ⇒ 00:09:10.470 Robert Tseng: We’re definitely more established in LA than here, but yeah, I think it would… there’s still a lot that needs to happen. My… I’m having my… my… I have a couple colleagues that are scoping out two houses in LA tomorrow, and then, yeah, I mean, we’ve already kind of… it’s like the last check. I just need to do the… do an inspection, and…
104 00:09:10.680 ⇒ 00:09:24.810 Robert Tseng: Make sure that everything kind of is what I think it is. And then, yeah, I mean, my wife Rachel would have to quit her job here, and we would have to move, and, like, we would be moving in June. I would break my lease here, and then leave, so…
105 00:09:24.810 ⇒ 00:09:25.990 Billy Cheng: Oh, wow.
106 00:09:25.990 ⇒ 00:09:26.710 Robert Tseng: Yeah.
107 00:09:26.710 ⇒ 00:09:27.750 Billy Cheng: So, that shape.
108 00:09:27.750 ⇒ 00:09:28.930 Robert Tseng: Yeah, it feels like it’s, you know.