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The ERic RIES Show
Curated conversations
At the Long-Term Stock Exchange, we are dedicated to creating a world where businesses are empowered to achieve lasting impact and long-term prosperity.
To foster meaningful conversations, we curate conversations from an ecosystem of leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries.
The Eric Ries Show, a podcast produced by Founder and Chair of LTSE Services, Eric Ries, reflects our mission.
The show features thought-provoking conversations with world-class technologists, thought leaders, executives, and others who are working to create a new ecosystem of organizations committed to growth with purpose.
To foster meaningful conversations, we curate conversations from an ecosystem of leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries.
The Eric Ries Show, a podcast produced by Founder and Chair of LTSE Services, Eric Ries, reflects our mission.
The show features thought-provoking conversations with world-class technologists, thought leaders, executives, and others who are working to create a new ecosystem of organizations committed to growth with purpose.
Disclaimer: Information contained in this podcast was obtained in part from publicly available sources (including the Eric Ries Show) and not independently verified. The Long-Term Stock Exchange and its affiliated companies do not make any representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information and do not sponsor, approve, or endorse any of the content herein, all of which is presented solely for informational and educational purposes. Nothing herein constitutes an offer to sell, a solicitation to buy any security, or a recommendation of any security or trading practice.
Some portions of the podcast may have been edited for the purpose of length or clarity.
From the Eric Ries Show:
AI Will Break the Internet” — Cloudflare CEO’s Big Prediction
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What if your company’s mission turned out to be bigger than you imagined?
In this episode of The Eric Ries Show, Eric Ries speaks with Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, now a $70 billion company defending 20% of all internet traffic. They trace how Cloudflare’s mission wasn’t declared at the start, but discovered through a series of principled decisions, from protecting journalists and activists to making encryption free for everyone.
They also explore today’s urgent challenges: how AI’s shift from search engines to answer engines threatens the web’s business model, why creators must be compensated, and what a sustainable, human-centered internet could look like.
This is a conversation about technology, power, and what it means to build with principle.
—
Where to find Mathew Prince:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mprince/
—
Where to find Eric:
• Newsletter:https://ericries.carrd.co/
• Podcast:https://ericriesshow.com/
—
In This Episode We Cover:
(00:00) Intro
(02:44) Cloudflare’s history of blogging
(08:06) How Cloudflare got involved in safeguarding democracy
(14:30) How Matthew learned Cloudflare would make enemies
(16:42) Why Cloudflare stopped charging for encryption
(18:36) How a series of principled decisions led to Cloudflare’s mission
(26:24) Why a clear mission makes recruiting and building a company easier
(32:00) Cloudflare’s culture of psychological safety around failure
(34:18) Lessons from Cloudflare’s mission and scrappy early team
(44:27) Why scale and valuation didn’t shake Cloudflare’s mission
(50:12) How the shift from search to answers is reshaping the internet
(1:01:00) Why we need a new business model to compensate content makers
(1:03:48) Matthew’s vision for a sustainable future of creators and AI
(1:06:26) How supporting creators sustains both the internet and Cloudflare’s mission
(1:09:57) Lessons from Spotify on supporting creators
(1:12:26) How Cloudflare handles its civic responsibility with transparency
—
Referenced:
- Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/
- The Cloudflare blog: https://blog.cloudflare.com/
- Largest DDoS attack hit PopVote, Hong Kong Democracy voting site: https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com/largest-ddos-attack-hit-popvote/
- Cloudflare named in 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Security Service Edge: https://blog.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-sse-gartner-magic-quadrant-2025/
- Cloudflare: The Invisible Shield Protecting 20% of the Web: https://technologymagazine.com/articles/cloudflare-the-invisible-shield-protecting-20-of-the-web
- Why Google Went Offline Today and a Bit about How the Internet Works: https://blog.cloudflare.com/why-google-went-offline-today-and-a-bit-about/
- Project Galileo: https://www.cloudflare.com/galileo/
- Mozilla: https://www.mozilla.org
- Ray Rathrock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-rothrock-75b9403/
- Michelle Zatlyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellezatlyn/
- The Steve Ballmer Interview: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/the-steve-ballmer-interview
- Don’t be evil: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_be_evil
- Clayton Christensen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_Christensen
- The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business: https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma-Revolutionary-Change-Business/dp/0062060244
- Jobs at Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/careers/jobs/
- OpenAI: https://openai.com/
- Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/
- Anthropic: anthropic.com
- Ben Smith: https://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith
- Black Mirror: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mirror
- Peter Thiel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel
- Eric Schmidt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Schmidt
- Daniel Ek on X: https://x.com/eldsjal
—
Production and marketing by Pen Name.
Eric may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Show Notes
What if your company’s mission turned out to be bigger than you imagined?
In this episode of The Eric Ries Show, Eric Ries speaks with Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, now a $70 billion company defending 20% of all internet traffic. They trace how Cloudflare’s mission wasn’t declared at the start, but discovered through a series of principled decisions, from protecting journalists and activists to making encryption free for everyone.
They also explore today’s urgent challenges: how AI’s shift from search engines to answer engines threatens the web’s business model, why creators must be compensated, and what a sustainable, human-centered internet could look like.
This is a conversation about technology, power, and what it means to build with principle.
—
Where to find Mathew Prince:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mprince/
—
Where to find Eric:
• Newsletter:https://ericries.carrd.co/
• Podcast:https://ericriesshow.com/
—
In This Episode We Cover:
(00:00) Intro
(02:44) Cloudflare’s history of blogging
(08:06) How Cloudflare got involved in safeguarding democracy
(14:30) How Matthew learned Cloudflare would make enemies
(16:42) Why Cloudflare stopped charging for encryption
(18:36) How a series of principled decisions led to Cloudflare’s mission
(26:24) Why a clear mission makes recruiting and building a company easier
(32:00) Cloudflare’s culture of psychological safety around failure
(34:18) Lessons from Cloudflare’s mission and scrappy early team
(44:27) Why scale and valuation didn’t shake Cloudflare’s mission
(50:12) How the shift from search to answers is reshaping the internet
(1:01:00) Why we need a new business model to compensate content makers
(1:03:48) Matthew’s vision for a sustainable future of creators and AI
(1:06:26) How supporting creators sustains both the internet and Cloudflare’s mission
(1:09:57) Lessons from Spotify on supporting creators
(1:12:26) How Cloudflare handles its civic responsibility with transparency
—
Referenced:
- Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/
- The Cloudflare blog: https://blog.cloudflare.com/
- Largest DDoS attack hit PopVote, Hong Kong Democracy voting site: https://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com/largest-ddos-attack-hit-popvote/
- Cloudflare named in 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Security Service Edge: https://blog.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-sse-gartner-magic-quadrant-2025/
- Cloudflare: The Invisible Shield Protecting 20% of the Web: https://technologymagazine.com/articles/cloudflare-the-invisible-shield-protecting-20-of-the-web
- Why Google Went Offline Today and a Bit about How the Internet Works: https://blog.cloudflare.com/why-google-went-offline-today-and-a-bit-about/
- Project Galileo: https://www.cloudflare.com/galileo/
- Mozilla: https://www.mozilla.org
- Ray Rathrock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-rothrock-75b9403/
- Michelle Zatlyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellezatlyn/
- The Steve Ballmer Interview: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/the-steve-ballmer-interview
- Don’t be evil: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_be_evil
- Clayton Christensen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_Christensen
- The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business: https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma-Revolutionary-Change-Business/dp/0062060244
- Jobs at Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/careers/jobs/
- OpenAI: https://openai.com/
- Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/
- Anthropic: anthropic.com
- Ben Smith: https://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith
- Black Mirror: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mirror
- Peter Thiel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel
- Eric Schmidt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Schmidt
- Daniel Ek on X: https://x.com/eldsjal
—
Production and marketing by Pen Name.
Eric may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Disclaimer
The information is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice, either on behalf of a particular security or an overall investment strategy. Information about the company is provided by the company, or comes from the companies’ public filings and is not independently verified by LTSE. Neither LTSE nor any of its affiliates makes any recommendation to buy or sell any security or any representation about the financial condition of any company. Statements regarding LTSE-listed companies are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investors should undertake their own due diligence and carefully evaluate companies before investing. Advice from a securities professional is strongly advised.
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