StartUp Podcast: #15 Married To Your Business

October 23, 2015 8:09 AM

We return to the offices of Gimlet for the start of a new mini-season. It's been a year since the company launched and things are changing... fast. In this episode, Alex and his wife, Nazanin, wrestle with a huge decision that has implications for both the company and their family.
posted by Tevin (10 comments total)

I would not be sad if Startup just became six episodes a year about what was happening in Gimlet. This one episode was more affecting than the entirety of season two, I feel.
posted by Tevin at 9:10 AM on October 23, 2015 [4 favorites]

I agree, even though I enjoyed the second season. This episode reminded me of why I like the first season so much more, Alex is just so much more open emotionally, then the people from the dating ring. You really feel the doubt and worry in him. In season two, the subjects were rightly worried about projecting confidence and attracting investors, they did a decent job of getting beyond that a little bit, but not to the point where I felt like we really got any serious insight into how they were feeling. I think since gimlet can ultimately cut or include whatever it wants, that gives Alex much greater freedom to be candid in his recordings.
posted by skewed at 10:27 AM on October 23, 2015

I really enjoyed this episode as well. Much more than the Dating Ring season, for sure.
posted by radioamy at 7:13 PM on October 23, 2015

I skipped out on the last season because early on, I realized that I didn't care what happened to these people. OTOH, I am totally emotionally invested in Gimlet.

Loved this episode. I wonder if Gimlet will see a difference in downloads for this mini-season versus season 2.
posted by maudlin at 9:02 PM on October 23, 2015

This is the Nth time they've played Nazinin laughing at "Orello" (it's a great moment), but I still think that's a much better name than Gimlet.
posted by Emanuel at 5:37 AM on October 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Yes, yes, yes, this was such a good episode. It might be because the subject matter (co-working with your spouse) is particularly relevant to me, but I felt like this was as good or better than all the season two episodes. The immediacy of having the microphone there at the moment of decision (or reaction, or questioning, or whatever) is so great, filtered through their team's strong editorial/storytelling chops. More please.
posted by Zephyrial at 1:41 PM on October 24, 2015

Yes the Nazanin laughing at Orello is such a great piece of tape!

One thing that made this episode interesting is that now that Gimlet has been around for a year (well, more, but we've been aware of it for a year), I feel like I "know" many of the employees. I felt quite invested in the outcome of Nazanin working at Gimlet because I feel invested in the success of Gimlet and by extension the happiness of its employees. I want PJ and Alex and Lisa and Lisa and Starlee (especially Starlee) to be comfortable with her working there.
posted by radioamy at 8:34 PM on October 26, 2015

I've said before that Naz is one of the smartest voices I've heard on the show, and I'm glad that Gimlet has her on board.
posted by sparklemotion at 9:45 AM on October 27, 2015

This was a fascinating episode. Especially the discussion of gender roles in parenting. Nazanin's comments line up perfectly with my own experience hanging out with progressive, feminist, academic, mixed-gender couples; roles are never genuinely equal, and the woman always does more of the family work. They seem to have found a solution that actually forces the man to do a larger than equal share of the housekeeping; it's a shame to give that up. (Not having children is another great solution, but I realize it doesn't satisfy everyone.)

It probably says a lot more about my biases and assumptions than the world itself, but I couldn't help cringing on behalf of Alex and Nazanin and hoping they'd decide against the idea of working together. That nobody spoke out against it seems incredible. I love my spouse. I love my job. I love working on things with my spouse. I spend most of my waking hours at work. But I'd rather cut off my own foot than work closely with a spouse in a professional setting. And I'd give you both feet and a hand before I'd accept a supervisory position over a spouse. It seems inconceivable that one could maintain professional relationships in that context. (Work friendships are hard enough to handle; but impossible to avoid.) I literally cannot imagine someone who isn't facing starvation making that choice. But, I sure hope it works out for them, 'cause they produce engaging radio.
posted by eotvos at 6:58 PM on November 2, 2015

eotvos - I agree, I'd never want to work with my spouse! But it seems to work for a lot of people including successful people in media. It will be interesting to see how it goes. PJ and Alex have worked with Nazanin and they really like her and were encouraging her to work there, so that is a plus.
posted by radioamy at 8:54 PM on November 2, 2015