ElevenLabs CEO: Why Voice is the Next AI Interface

Organizational Structure & Team Dynamics

ElevenLabs has evolved from a 3-person infrastructure team to having 11 people on infrastructure alone, maintaining their connection to the "lucky number 11" theme. The company now operates with approximately 20 product teams, each consisting of 5-10 people.

Key Organizational Principles:

1. Full Team Independence - Each product team has complete autonomy to ship products
2. High Ownership Culture - Teams know delivery and shipping success depends entirely on them
3. Rapid Execution Focus - Small team structure enables extremely quick movement and decision-making

Trade-offs of This Structure:

• Positive Impact: Extremely high ownership and rapid shipping capabilities
• Challenges: Occasional duplicative work and varying team speeds
• Net Result: Speed and ownership benefits outweigh coordination costs

Product Organization:

• Creative Platform: Narrations, voiceovers, and dubbing for media and entertainment
• Agent Platform: Voice agent experiences and conversational agents for customer experience and immersive media

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The Three-Month Rule

ElevenLabs has developed a practical framework for balancing research innovation with product delivery needs.

Decision Framework:

1. Research Timeline Assessment - Internal research team provides quarterly and long-term initiative timelines
2. Three-Month Threshold - If research work will take more than 3 months, product teams can proceed with alternative solutions
3. Flexible Implementation - Product teams can add other models, extensions, or workarounds for long-term research gaps

Real-World Example:

The Speed Slider Dilemma: Users requested variable speed controls for voice generation. The team initially resisted, wanting to solve this through research rather than adding UI sliders like "previous generation editing suites." After 9 months of unsuccessful research attempts, they implemented the simple product solution that satisfied all users.

Strategic Approach:

• Research-First Preference - Always attempt to solve problems at the model/research level first
• Pragmatic Fallback - Use product solutions when research timelines exceed practical limits
• Continuous Innovation - Long-term research continues while product needs are met

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The Polish Dubbing Problem

ElevenLabs' global approach stems from a specific cultural problem that inspired the company's creation.

The Founding Insight:

In Poland, foreign movies are dubbed using one single narrator for all characters - male, female, regardless of the original performance. This monotone, emotionless approach creates a terrible viewing experience but remains the standard due to cost considerations in the post-communist economy.

Geographic Necessity:

• European Origins: Co-founders started between Warsaw and London
• Cultural Context: The Polish dubbing problem wouldn't be understood or prioritized by Silicon Valley teams
• Talent Strategy: Meeting the best people where they are, rather than requiring relocation

Global Expansion Strategy:

ElevenLabs now operates centers in:

• London - Original European hub
• Warsaw - Founding location and cultural insight source
• San Francisco - US market presence
• New York - Additional US operations
• Other locations - Continued global talent acquisition

Core Philosophy:

"ElevenLabs wouldn't have existed if we weren't starting from Europe" - The specific cultural problem that needed solving required local understanding and global talent to address properly.

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Expanding the Audio Universe

ElevenLabs has evolved from a voice-focused company into a comprehensive audio AI platform with multiple breakthrough capabilities.

Current Product Portfolio:

1. Voice Technology - Original text-to-speech and voice cloning capabilities
2. Voice Agents - Orchestration platform for building conversational AI experiences
3. Fully Licensed Music Model - AI-generated music production (demonstrated with the walkcom music at the event)
4. Sound Effects - Additional audio generation capabilities

Voice Marketplace Success:

• Creator Economy: Platform where users create and share voices for monetization
• Financial Impact: $10 million paid back to community creators
• Scale: Nearly 10,000 voices available on the platform
• Use Cases: Supports diverse applications across different languages, accents, and styles

Technical Innovation:

The original breakthrough was creating the first text-to-speech model that could:

• Understand Context - Interpret meaning beyond just words
• Generate Emotion and Intonation - Convey appropriate feeling and rhythm
• Capture Voice Characteristics - Maintain consistent style, age, gender, and dialect

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The Co-Founder Partnership

Mati Staniszewski credits his co-founder Piotr as "the smartest person I got to know" and the research brain behind ElevenLabs' technological innovations.

Piotr's Contributions:

• Model Creation - Developed many of the core AI models powering ElevenLabs
• Research Leadership - Assembled what the company considers the most incredible researchers in the voice space
• Technical Foundation - Created the first text-to-speech model with advanced contextual understanding

Research Team Evolution:

• Initial Focus - Text-to-speech with emotion and intonation capabilities
• Voice Characteristics - Technology to capture and reproduce specific voice qualities (style, age, gender, dialect)
• Expansion Areas - Research now covers speech-to-text, music generation, and other audio applications

Team Building Philosophy:

The company has successfully recruited top-tier researchers specifically in the voice AI space, building on Piotr's initial technical vision and research capabilities.

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Essential Insights:

1. Small Team Structure - ElevenLabs operates 20 independent product teams of 5-10 people each, enabling rapid shipping through high ownership culture
2. Research-Product Balance - The company uses a three-month rule: if research takes longer than 3 months, product teams implement alternative solutions
3. Global-First Strategy - Starting in Europe was essential due to the Polish dubbing problem that inspired the company, leading to a distributed talent approach

Actionable Insights:

• Team Autonomy - Full independence for small teams creates higher ownership and faster execution despite some coordination challenges
• Pragmatic Innovation - Balance research ambitions with practical product needs using clear timeline thresholds
• Cultural Problem-Solving - Sometimes the best solutions come from understanding local cultural problems that global teams might miss
• Talent Geography - Meet exceptional people where they are rather than requiring relocation to traditional tech hubs

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Global Talent Acquisition Strategy

ElevenLabs adopted a fully remote-first approach from the beginning, recognizing that exceptional AI talent exists worldwide rather than being concentrated in traditional tech hubs.

Unconventional Hiring Philosophy:

1. Geographic Flexibility - Actively recruit across Europe, Asia, and beyond rather than limiting to San Francisco or West Coast
2. Skills Over Credentials - Reject traditional LinkedIn-based hiring in favor of identifying actual capabilities
3. Open Source Focus - Seek contributors with proven track records in relevant technologies

Notable Success Stories:

• Researcher Discovery: Hired a brilliant contributor who had created an incredible open-source text-to-speech model while working in a call center to make ends meet
• Current Impact: This unconventional hire became one of their most valuable researchers, handling all data processing
• Pattern Recognition: Similar success stories followed this approach across the organization

Hybrid Evolution (Post-30 Employees):

Hub Strategy:

• London, Warsaw, San Francisco - Physical spaces for collaboration and culture immersion
• Early Career Focus - New graduates benefit from in-person mentorship and cultural integration
• Veteran Flexibility - Experienced remote workers can choose their preferred work style
• Optional Integration - Remote workers can visit hubs when desired

Cross-Cultural Insights:

• US Work Culture - High enthusiasm for work-related discussions even in social settings
• European Approach - More work-life separation culturally, but hidden pockets of highly motivated individuals
• Untapped Potential - European talent often lacks companies that match their ambition and drive
• Team Quality - European team members represent some of the most motivated and passionate contributors

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Flat Structure Philosophy

ElevenLabs eliminated traditional job titles a year ago to create a more dynamic, merit-based organization that prioritizes impact over hierarchy.

Core Organizational Principles:

1. Small Autonomous Teams - Groups of 5-10 people with clear 6-month proof periods
2. Immediate Impact Potential - New hires can influence the company from day one regardless of tenure
3. Merit-Based Advancement - Intelligence, speed, and passion determine position, not years of experience

Industry Context:

• AI Company Trend - Many AI companies use similar approaches (e.g., "Member of Technical Staff" for engineering)
• Go-to-Market Simplification - Teams identified by function rather than hierarchical titles
• External Clarity - Partners and customers know they're working with the best people, not just senior titles

Structural Implementation:

Leadership Layer:

• Subdivision Leads - Research, creative work, agents, go-to-market, sales, and operations
• Context Switching Ability - Leads must handle complexity and facilitate cross-team collaboration
• Strategic Coordination - Identify valuable opportunities between different teams

Team Management:

• Focused Execution - Individual contributors concentrate on their specific domains
• Controlled Information Flow - Limited Slack channel access prevents distraction from excessive transparency
• Attention Management - Deliberate access restrictions force focus on relevant work

Practical Benefits:

• Rapid Promotion - Smart, passionate individuals can elevate quickly without traditional barriers
• Conference Representation - Any team member can represent the company at events based on expertise
• Customer Confidence - External partners trust they're getting top talent regardless of formal titles

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Creative Industry Transformation Strategy

The creative industry initially showed significant resistance to AI tools, but ElevenLabs successfully navigated this challenge through direct engagement and collaborative partnerships.

Industry Engagement Approach:

1. Direct Collaboration - Spend substantial time with industry professionals to understand their priorities and incentives
2. Production Process Analysis - Learn which parts of creative workflows benefit from AI versus areas that should remain human-controlled
3. Partnership Learning - Work with established creators to identify where AI adds genuine value

Notable Partnerships:

• High-Profile Collaboration - Worked directly with Jared (referenced creator) on incredible projects
• Process Optimization - Learned specific production stages where AI enhances rather than replaces creativity
• Industry Validation - Gained credibility through successful partnerships with respected creators

Market Evolution Observation:

• Initial Resistance - Creative professionals were skeptical and opposed to generative AI tools
• Gradual Adoption - Industry slowly began welcoming AI audio and other generative technologies
• Current Acceptance - Significant shift toward embracing AI as a creative enhancement tool

Strategic Foundation:

The company recognized early that success required finding ways to work with the creative industry rather than disrupting it, leading to their marketplace model and creator-focused approach.

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Voice Marketplace Success Metrics

ElevenLabs created a revolutionary platform where voice actors can monetize their vocal talents through AI technology, generating substantial income for the creative community.

Platform Scale and Impact:

• Voice Library - Nearly 10,000 unique voices available across the marketplace
• Creator Payouts - $10 million paid back to community contributors
• Revenue Sharing - Voice creators earn money every time their voice is used

Technology Advantage:

Multilingual Capabilities:

• Language Expansion - Voices work across 70+ different languages (originally 30)
• Same Voice, Multiple Languages - Original vocal characteristics preserved across all supported languages
• Global Accessibility - Single voice creation unlocks worldwide market potential

Success Story Example:

Spanish Voice Case Study:

• Initial Challenge - Deep Spanish voice didn't gain traction in Spain market
• Unexpected Success - Same voice became popular in English-speaking countries
• Cross-Cultural Appeal - Demonstrated how AI voice technology transcends traditional geographic limitations
• Market Discovery - Revealed new opportunities for voice actors beyond their native language markets

Strategic Benefits:

1. Creator Empowerment - Voice actors can reach global audiences without language barriers
2. Diverse Voice Library - Access to different languages, accents, and styles for various use cases
3. Sustainable Ecosystem - Revenue sharing model incentivizes high-quality voice contributions
4. Market Expansion - Creators discover unexpected demand in international markets

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Essential Insights:

1. Global Talent Strategy - ElevenLabs hired exceptional AI talent worldwide through unconventional methods, discovering brilliant researchers in unexpected places like call centers
2. Flat Organization Benefits - Removing job titles and creating small autonomous teams allows merit-based advancement and immediate impact for new hires
3. Creative Industry Partnership - Success came from collaborating directly with creators to understand their needs rather than disrupting their workflows

Actionable Insights:

• Hire for Skills Over Credentials - Look beyond traditional backgrounds and LinkedIn profiles to find exceptional talent with proven capabilities
• Implement Hub Strategy - Combine remote flexibility with physical spaces for early-career employees and cultural integration
• Create Revenue-Sharing Models - Build sustainable ecosystems where creators earn money while contributing to platform growth, as demonstrated by the $10M in marketplace payouts

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Music Industry Partnerships & Licensing Strategy

ElevenLabs has successfully partnered with major music industry players to create a fully licensed AI music generation platform that provides commercial rights protection for users.

Partnership Achievements:

1. Major Label Collaborations - Successfully partnered with Merlin, Cobalt, and four major record labels
2. Licensed Music Generation - Users can now generate music with full commercial rights protection
3. Voice Marketplace Integration - Top three voices from their marketplace are now available for all use cases

The 18-Month Negotiation Process:

• Complex Agreement Structure - Required extensive negotiations to find mutually beneficial terms
• Forcing Functions Strategy - Implemented strategic deadlines and trigger points to create urgency
• Collaborative Approach - Focused on "disrupting together" rather than disrupting the industry alone

Building Industry Trust:

• Direct Artist Engagement - Spent significant time working with label members and artists
• Technology Education - Demonstrated AI capabilities through detailed examples and explanations
• Overcoming Initial Resistance - Successfully addressed the "AI is bad" knee-jerk reaction through transparent communication

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Strategic Hiring for Unknown Territories

ElevenLabs employs a hybrid approach combining full-time expertise with specialized consulting to navigate complex new business areas like legal and music licensing.

Core Hiring Strategy:

1. Domain Expertise Foundation - Hire 1-2 full-time people with direct experience in the target space
2. Consulting Support Network - Supplement with multiple specialized consultants for specific conversations
3. Industry Bridge-Building - Leverage consultants who know all key players and can facilitate communication

Music Industry Example:

• Specialized Music Lawyers - Worked closely with multiple music law consultants
• Industry Knowledge - Consultants provided crucial understanding of all major players
• Language Translation - Helped both sides communicate effectively in industry-specific terms

Risk-Tolerant Talent Requirements:

• Commercial Understanding - Ability to identify business opportunities within complex domains
• Risk Assessment Skills - Balance risk awareness with practical business decision-making
• Startup Adaptability - Experience navigating uncertainty and rapid change

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The Legal Hiring Journey: From Risk-Averse to Strategic Partner

ElevenLabs experienced significant challenges finding the right legal counsel, ultimately learning that startup legal needs require a fundamentally different approach than traditional corporate legal work.

Initial Hiring Struggles:

1. Knowledge Gap Challenge - Hiring into a domain the founders knew little about
2. Multiple Failed Attempts - First two legal hires were clearly not the right fit
3. Corporate vs. Startup Mismatch - Third hire came from Fortune 500 companies with no startup or venture experience

The Risk-Averse Problem:

• Everything Was Risky - Every business decision was met with extensive risk warnings
• No Strategic Guidance - Received risk identification without practical advice on where to draw lines
• Decision Paralysis - Risk-heavy approach made it difficult to move forward on any initiatives

Finding the Right Fit:

• Startup Experience Essential - Current legal counsel has experience with venture-backed companies
• True Thought Partnership - Provides both risk assessment and strategic business guidance
• Balanced Perspective - Understands what other companies do and offers practical recommendations
• Tremendous Transformation - Complete change in how legal function supports business growth

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Navigating the Creator-to-Enterprise Evolution

ElevenLabs successfully transitioned from a creator-focused brand to enterprise adoption by learning from early sales mistakes and building comprehensive orchestration solutions.

Early Enterprise Interest:

1. Immediate Inbound Demand - Received significant enterprise interest from launch through PLG approach
2. Initial Sales Philosophy - Wanted to remain an engineering company without traditional salespeople
3. Experimental Hiring - Hired one traditional salesperson and one engineer to "do sales"

Learning from Sales Mistakes:

• Failed Experiment - The engineer-as-salesperson approach didn't work as expected
• Strategic Pivot - Now invest in 80% sales, 20% engineering combination
• Customer Understanding - Sales function crucial for understanding customer needs and feedback loops

Enterprise Product Evolution:

• Beyond Single Models - Shifted from foundational model to orchestrated solutions
• Complete Integration Stack - Combined speech-to-text, LLM, and text-to-speech orchestration
• Production-Ready Solutions - Built deployment capabilities with telephony providers like Twilio

Healthcare Use Case Example:

• Hypocratic Partnership - Early customer creating AI agents for hospital appointment scheduling
• Multi-Function Agents - Agents handle inbound calls, outbound patient reminders, and medication alerts
• Repeated Pattern - Similar orchestration needs across multiple enterprise customers

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Complete Enterprise Orchestration Platform

ElevenLabs has evolved beyond simple text-to-speech to provide comprehensive enterprise infrastructure for production AI voice applications.

Core Orchestration Components:

1. Multi-Model Integration - Seamlessly combines speech-to-text, LLM, and text-to-speech models
2. Knowledge Base Systems - Built-in knowledge management for enterprise applications
3. Telephony Integration - Native deployment with providers like Twilio and SIP trunking

Production-Ready Infrastructure:

• Templated Deployment - Simplified setup processes for complex integrations
• Version Control Systems - Proper versioning and change management capabilities
• Testing Frameworks - Comprehensive testing tools for voice applications

Monitoring and Optimization:

• Performance Evaluation - Built-in monitoring and assessment tools
• Fine-Tuning Capabilities - Continuous improvement based on usage results
• Security and Compliance - Enterprise-grade security foundation for reliable customer service

The Demo-to-Production Gap:

• Common Enterprise Challenge - Easy to demonstrate but difficult to build for production
• ElevenLabs Solution - Complete infrastructure to bridge the gap between proof-of-concept and live deployment
• Ongoing Support - Continuous monitoring, evaluation, and optimization tools

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Essential Insights:

1. Strategic Industry Partnerships - ElevenLabs invested 18 months negotiating with major music labels, using forcing functions and direct artist engagement to build trust and create fully licensed AI music generation
2. Hybrid Hiring for Complex Domains - Successfully navigates unknown territories by combining 1-2 full-time domain experts with specialized consultants who understand industry players and can bridge communication gaps
3. Enterprise Evolution Strategy - Transitioned from creator brand to enterprise success by learning from early sales mistakes, building comprehensive orchestration solutions, and providing complete production infrastructure

Actionable Insights:

• Use forcing functions and strategic deadlines to create urgency in complex negotiations with established industries
• When hiring for unfamiliar domains, prioritize candidates with startup experience and risk-tolerance over traditional corporate backgrounds
• Bridge the demo-to-production gap by building complete orchestration platforms rather than just foundational models
• Invest in proper sales functions (80% sales, 20% engineering) to understand customer needs and drive enterprise adoption

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Balancing Speed and Reliability in Enterprise Growth

Product Structure Strategy:

1. Clear Alpha Delineation - Explicitly label what's alpha vs. stable to set customer expectations
2. Customer Choice Model - Let enterprise clients decide if they want early access to experimental features
3. Transparent Risk Communication - Show alpha products clearly as potentially unstable

Team Structure Evolution:

• Pre-Product Market Fit Teams: Mission is to ship rapidly until PMF is achieved
• Post-Product Market Fit Teams: Focus on long-term stability, extensive testing before deployment
• Six-Month Evaluation Cycles: Teams get 6 months to prove product potential or face elimination

Enterprise Innovation Examples:

• Deutsche Telecom Partnership: Creating new podcast experiences using early text-to-podcast models
• Voice Selection Features: German and English speaking voices for localized content
• Notebook LM Style Integration: Converting text into conversational podcast formats

Cultural Challenge Management:

The biggest hurdle was managing internal skepticism from PLG-focused team members who were uncomfortable with 6-12 month enterprise sales cycles. Leadership had to shield these teams from enterprise timeline pressures while building trust in the strategy.

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From Passion-Driven to Incentive-Structured Operations

The 350-Person Company Realization:

• Early Days: Everyone operated on passion, doing what they believed was best for the company
• Current Reality: Go-to-market team growth requires structured incentive systems
• Key Insight: Incentive structures drive behaviors that may differ from leadership intentions

Commission vs. Strategy Alignment:

1. Commissions as Lagging Indicators - They reflect past strategy decisions
2. Strategy as Leading Indicators - They predict future company direction
3. Resolution Requirement - Must minimize disparity between commission structure and strategic goals

Practical Solutions Implemented:

• Open Communication Policy: Sales teams encouraged to question deals that seem wrong despite commission incentives
• Commission Protection: Team members can still earn commission even when deals are killed for strategic reasons
• Clear Competitive Policies: Explicit rules against selling to foundational model competitors

Real-World Example:

A foundational competitor approached ElevenLabs wanting to license models for demos. Despite commission incentives suggesting the sale should proceed, the deal was killed strategically. The sales team member still received their commission, and this scenario is now codified in company policy.

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Essential Insights:

1. Dual Product Strategy - ElevenLabs maintains separate approaches for pre and post-PMF products, allowing rapid iteration while ensuring enterprise reliability
2. Incentive Structure Evolution - As companies scale beyond 350 people, commission structures become behavior drivers that must align with strategic goals
3. Cultural Bridge Building - Successfully managing the transition from PLG to enterprise requires shielding product teams from sales cycle anxiety while building trust

Actionable Insights:

• Implement clear alpha/stable product labeling to manage enterprise customer expectations
• Create explicit policies for competitive situations that override standard commission incentives
• Establish open communication channels where sales teams can question deals without financial penalty
• Delineate team structures based on product maturity rather than functional silos
• Use 6-month evaluation cycles to maintain startup velocity while scaling

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