Maor Shlomo: uncertainty

Transcript context

…Yeah. Obviously Wix is an incredible product for building websites, but a different approach from LLMs. It's now definitely getting there. And so I got there. The management team, Wix's management team is so friendly and such great guys. And I remember sitting there and I think the first sentence, the first thing that Avishai the CEO told me is like, "Hey, everybody's been saying that we should buy you. Maybe it's least worth the talk and we're here to help." And I think early on we explored, at least in my mind it's like, "Yeah, it seems like that's a great team to work with. They're definitely in the same space. There's a lot I can benefit from partnering up together." So it wasn't clearly an acquisition on the acquisition path. And Avishai, the CEO is a very seasoned, very experienced and helped a lot of entrepreneurs in the B2C space and specifically in Israel to go and succeed. And so I remember meeting him for a few nights of just eating some steaks and just chatting about how to grow Base44 and just literally just getting there to get an advice. And so at some point we saw first that we have great chemistry both with him and with the rest of the team, which I think is really, really crucial, especially if they're buying a solo... This is a very unique case, but especially if they're buying a small team, I think it's crucial for the buyer to make sure or to feel like they're going to have really good connection and chemistry with the founders, with the key people because eventually it's like I remember one of the key reasons where we were debating together whether I should join Wix or not. One of the key things that we've put on the table is, "Oh, yeah, and it's going to be a lot of fun working together." And I think also being a person that's going to be fun to work with is a key, especially if you are not a 500 people company that someone's buying. They feel like a big company and it doesn't really matter. You're buying the operations, you're buying the product. If you're a small company, they're just starting out and getting some great momentum, you have to be a person that people would love to... Want to work with for the next few years. And so this was critical. I think the best place, and this is not easy to get to, to this position, but the best position to negotiate such a deal or even to get there is to be also very fine with the other path of not getting acquired. In some ways it's weird, but it's like in dating. When you're in the first couple of dates, you don't want to show too much interest because then it's... I think also I was in a position that I was saying, "Hey, if it works out, it's going to be amazing. And if not, it's going to be amazing. It's going to be either way fun." Obviously I wanted it to work out. Yeah. I was in a position that I was saying, "Hey, if it works out, it's going to be amazing. And if not, it's going to be amazing. It's going to be either way fun." Obviously I wanted it to work out. Yeah. And the last thing they think is, I don't know if it's suitable for everyone, but I'm very happy with the structure of the deal with the Airnote piece because I feel like it's still, I show up every day to work and it's been only two weeks, but feel like it's going to be like that for years. And like I have a personal investment in the business and its success. So it's really, I feel like it's better than just selling the business and just spending the next few years and wanting to disappear. I love that part of the deal. You could be a billionaire if it does well enough. I don't know the deals, but in theory. Let me ask, so I know a part of the story also is that when you were signing the deal, the war with Iran basically broke out. Tell that story.…

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