From Airbnb to Linear: How Karri Saarinen Redefined Product Design
From Grit by Kleiner Perkins
April 20, 2026 · 1h 17m · Episode 283
About this episode
Karri Saarinen discusses how Linear is redefining product design and software development.
In a market that hadn’t changed in decades, Linear didn’t win by being faster. They won by being more thoughtful. Karri Saarinen helped shape design at Airbnb and Coinbase before building Linear around small teams and high standards. On Grit, he shares how Linear is building for a new era of software development. Guest: Karri Saarinen, co-founder and CEO of Linear Connect with Karri Saarinen X LinkedIn Connect with Josh Coyne: X LinkedIn Connect with Joubin: X LinkedIn Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com Follow on LinkedIn Follow on X Learn more about Kleiner Perkins
People in this episode
Guest: Karri Saarinen
Topics covered
- product design
- software development
- team dynamics
- technology innovation
- business strategy
Keywords
- Linear
- Karri Saarinen
- Airbnb
- Coinbase
- product design
- software development
- business strategy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Airbnb, Coinbase, Linear
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