Diaspora.nz
Diaspora.nz
Podcast Description
Around 20% of New Zealanders live outside of New Zealand. This is our “Diaspora” — and it’s one of the world’s largest, per capita.
Not only is it large, it's insanely talented… early in their lives and careers, many of New Zealand’s most ambitious individuals realise— if they want to make a dent in the universe, they need to get out there… to study abroad, get the experience, build relationships to help them win on a global stage.
Today, those estimated ~1M expats include some of our finest talent. They are founders, top operators/execs at industry leading companies. They are scientists and researchers working at the frontiers of science: artificial intelligence, synthetic biology; global leaders in business, culture, and society… entrenched in all corners of the world, walks of live… largely “heads down”, doing their thing. https://www.diaspora.nz
Disapora is part of the Day One network. Day One helps founders & operators make better business decisions more often.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers a diverse range of themes including entrepreneurship, innovation, cultural commentary, and the challenges of the diaspora experience, with episodes exploring topics such as scaling global startups, the impact of tech and AI on various industries, and cultural dynamics faced by Kiwis living overseas.
Around 20% of New Zealanders live outside of New Zealand. This is our “Diaspora” — and it’s one of the world’s largest, per capita.
Not only is it large, it’s insanely talented… early in their lives and careers, many of New Zealand’s most ambitious individuals realise— if they want to make a dent in the universe, they need to get out there… to study abroad, get the experience, build relationships to help them win on a global stage.
Today, those estimated ~1M expats include some of our finest talent. They are founders, top operators/execs at industry leading companies. They are scientists and researchers working at the frontiers of science: artificial intelligence, synthetic biology; global leaders in business, culture, and society… entrenched in all corners of the world, walks of live… largely “heads down”, doing their thing. https://www.diaspora.nz
Disapora is part of the Day One network. Day One helps founders & operators make better business decisions more often.
Episode Summary
Adrian Macneil grew up packing kiwifruit in rural New Zealand, now he’s building the core infrastructure powering the future of robotics. After leading engineering teams at Cruise and Coinbase, Adrian co-founded Foxglove, a developer platform used by robotics companies worldwide, from autonomous tractors to warehouse bots.
In this episode, Adrian shares how Foxglove emerged from an internal Cruise demo, why robotics is finally having its “PC moment,” and what it really takes to build a startup that lasts. We cover:
• How Cruise helped pioneer self-driving cars (and what went wrong post-acquisition)
• Why developer tools are the missing layer holding robotics back
• Lessons from Coinbase, Cruise, and scaling teams from 30 to 1,200
• The case for Kiwi founders to leave New Zealand, at least for a while
• What robotics startups can learn from the rise of SaaS
• The value of building boring robots that just move rice
We also dive into Adrian’s early days hacking e-commerce in Thailand, how government jobs don’t prepare you for startups, and why he believes the robotics industry will 100x in the next decade.
Time Stamps
03:30 When an internal tool became a startup idea
07:42 Cruise vs GM: Startup chaos inside a legacy giant
12:47 Foxglove’s customer base: From tractors to warehouses
16:15 Why Foxglove won’t build robots — and what they’re building instead
21:54 The “1980s PC” moment for robotics
27:41 If not Foxglove — what robotics startup would Adrian build?
30:15 From kiwifruit packhouses to automation inspiration
36:35 Why ambitious builders still need to go to Silicon Valley
41:36 The 10-year mindset needed to build a real company
47:50 How the Kiwi diaspora can supercharge the next generation
Resources
🧠 Adrian Macneil’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianmacneil/
🛠️ Foxglove – Developer tools for robotics: https://foxglove.dev
Diaspora.nz is part of Day One.
Day One helps founders and startup operators make better business decisions more often.
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