About this episode
The episode features a discussion with Canva's CEO Melanie Perkins about the company's transition to an AI platform and the implications for the design industry.
Alex and Ellis talk about why they are getting less hyped on OpenClaw, the Social Network sequel that might actually be great, and why recent attacks on Sam Altman signal a real reputational crisis for the AI industry. Then they're joined by Melanie Perkins, co-founder and CEO of Canva, fresh off the company's biggest product announcement in over a decade. They discuss Canva's shift from design platform to AI platform and what 9 years of profitability actually buys you. They also get into how Canva trained its own AI model, why every app on your computer is changing with AI, and why so many of Ellis's clients want to disrupt Canva. Follow ACCESS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accesspodcast/ Follow Alex: https://sources.news/ https://x.com/alexeheath/ Follow Ellis: https://meaning.company/ https://x.com/hamburger ACCESS is produced in partnership with the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People in this episode
Hosts: Alex, Ellis
Guest: Melanie Perkins
Topics covered
- AI in design
- Canva's product announcement
- profitability in tech
- reputational crisis in AI
- disruption in design platforms
Keywords
- Canva
- AI design
- Melanie Perkins
- OpenClaw
- profitability
- disruption
- tech industry
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Canva, OpenClaw, AI industry, Vox Media
More episodes of ACCESS
- A top iPhone app developer reacts to Apple's new Siri · June 12, 2026 · 1h 6m
- AI is turning sketches into real-world products · June 4, 2026 · 1h 3m
- Is Polsia AI slop or the future of startups? · May 28, 2026 · 1h 8m
- Substack’s CEO on AI slop, free speech, and taking on YouTube · May 22, 2026 · 1h 15m
- Anthropic’s hunt for the next Claude Code · May 14, 2026 · 1h 21m
- 'AI Coachella' Stanford prof on data center backlash · May 7, 2026 · 1h 4m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the ACCESS podcast page.