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Artwork for Subversive

Subversive

Phil Carter
Revenuecat
Honeydew
Subscription Apps
Consumer Subscription Apps
App Retention
Chess.com
Telehealth
Tiktok
Monetization Strategies
Duolingo
Acne
AI In Healthcare
Product Market Fit
Tinder
Ladder
AI In Apps
User Experience
Ai-Powered Features
Headspace
Mental Health

Subversive is a podcast dedicated to sharing stories from the best consumer subscription apps in the world. We'll bring you lessons for how to grow your consumer subscription business, including insights and inflection points that led to exponential growth from leaders at category-defining companies and innovative startups.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes39Foundeda year ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Business

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Artwork for Subversive

Latest Episodes

Sam Chaudhary is the cofounder and CEO of ClassDojo, an education platform used in roughly 95% of US K-8 schools and by tens of millions of children across 180 countries around the world. Born in the UK and raised in Wales and Abu Dhabi, he studied e... more

Esan Durrani is the cofounder and CEO of StudyFetch, an AI-native learning platform used by more than 7 million students worldwide. Esan launched StudyFetch in 2023 with his cofounder and childhood friend Ryan Trattner to build an AI tutor that helps... more

Eugenia Kuyda is the founder and CEO of Wabi, an AI-powered personal software platform that lets anyone create, share, and remix mini apps in minutes. Before Wabi, Eugenia founded Replika, one of the world’s first AI companion apps, which she grew to... more

Daniel Heintzman is Head of Product at Cal AI, an AI-powered calorie tracking app that grew to over $50M ARR in under two years before being acquired by MyFitnessPal in December 2025. Before Cal AI, Daniel was a product designer with stints at Facebo... more

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Recent Guests

Eugenia Kuyda
Founder and CEO of Wabi
Wabi
Episode: How Wabi is Building “YouTube for Software” with a Platform for Creating Mini Apps
Daniel Heintzman
Head of Product at Cal AI
Cal AI
Episode: How Cal AI Hit $50M ARR in 2 Years by Nailing Product/Channel Fit on TikTok
Francesco Polizzi
Former head of core experience at Discord
Discord
Episode: How Discord Completely Redesigned its Mobile Apps
Jack McDermott
Leads mobile growth at ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs
Episode: How ElevenLabs is Building Consumer Apps on its $11B Voice AI Platform
Rik Haandrikman
VP of Growth at RevenueCat
RevenueCat
Episode: Insights from RevenueCat’s 2026 State of Subscription Apps Report
Casey Winters
Co-founder and CEO of SuperMe; growth leader with prior roles at Eventbrite, Pinterest, and GrubHub
SuperMe
Episode: How SuperMe is Building the Professional Network for the AI Era
Sameer Ahuja
President of GameChanger
GameChanger (Dick's Sporting Goods portfolio)
Episode: How GameChanger Became the World’s #1 Youth Sports App
Connor Zwick
Co-founder and CEO of Speak
Speak
Episode: How Speak Built a $1B AI Language Learning App
Paul Warren
Founder and CEO of Margins reading app
Margins
Episode: How Margins Built a Viral Reading App

Host

Phil
Host of Subversive

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 43 ratings
  • Must-listen for consumer SaaS operators

    Phil does an awesome job with Subversive. He finds top-tier consumer SaaS operators and actually asks the questions founders care about. Every time I catch myself wondering something mid-episode, he asks it. No fluff, no wasted time, just sharp conversations that get to the core of how these companies really grow.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Philip Pages
    United Statesa year ago
  • Actionable Insights and Tangible Strategies

    Phil Carter's "Subversive" has become an absolutely essential listen for me. This podcast is a masterclass in growth for anyone in the subscription app world. What sets it apart is that it's not just high-level theory; it's packed with actionable insights and tangible strategies from the leaders of the most successful apps out there. Highly recommended!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    EJC1753
    United Statesa year ago
  • 3D Chess

    As a lowly senior software engineer 🙃, hearing these stories is really helpful. I frequently wish I were given more time to follow best practices and clean up existing tech debt. Those concerns do have long term strategic value. But they have to be weighed against all the Product and Marketing concerns that more directly grow the company. This podcast is a great way for engineers like me to build a greater appreciation for those concerns.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    lowlyengineer
    United Statesa year ago
  • Love it!

    Absolutely loving this podcast! The first three episodes have been awesome—thank you so much! I’ve been looking for more content dedicated to subscription apps, and this show is a fantastic addition. RevenueCat’s podcast was the only one I knew of before, so I’m thrilled to have another go-to source now.

    The sound quality is top-notch, which makes such a big difference. Poor audio can be a dealbreaker for me, but here it’s clear, crisp, and easy to listen to.

    I also really appreciate the depth... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Hanna Grevelius
    Swedena year ago
  • Valuable insights

    I appreciate the combination of great storytelling and actionable insights that I can apply to my own work

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ALSC_Reviews
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Strong, actionable takeaways and sharp questions from founders.
Great for listeners seeking practical lessons to apply to their own products.
High-signal conversations focused on growth for consumer SaaS and subscription apps.
Sound quality and depth of discussion are consistently praised.

Top Business Podcasts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

How Wabi is Building “YouTube for Software” with a Platform for Creating Mini Apps
Q: What does Wabi really mean, and why is now the right time for a platform like this?
Wabi is a platform that lets people discover, create, and remix mini apps that live on a single platform, enabling personalized and interconnected experiences without the overhead of traditional app deployment. The timing is right due to advancements in AI that make instant app creation feasible, the desire for more personal and social software, and the need to escape the constraints and dark patterns of conventional app stores.
How Cal AI Hit $50M ARR in 2 Years by Nailing Product/Channel Fit on TikTok
Q: Why design the product to be legible in a 10-second TikTok video?
To ensure that the hook is instantly clear in short-form video formats, allowing viewers to understand the value proposition quickly and be inspired to download, share, and engage with the app without friction.
How Cal AI Hit $50M ARR in 2 Years by Nailing Product/Channel Fit on TikTok
Q: How did Cal AI get traction so quickly after launch?
By shipping a minimal, easy-to-understand product and promoting it through a creator-first approach on TikTok, where influencers could demonstrate the core capability within seconds, which built rapid organic distribution before scaling with paid ads.
How Discord Completely Redesigned its Mobile Apps
Q: What did Discord's mobile app look like when you joined in 2021 and what triggered the overhaul?
The app was functional but cluttered with terminology and usability gaps; the team identified a need to redefine the user experience to broaden appeal beyond gamers, which led to a six-month, company-wide redesign rooted in a new information architecture and a focus on both quality and speed.
How OpenArt is Using AI to Reinvent Content Creation
Q: How important is go-to-market relative to product in OpenArt's growth, and what growth loops did you rely on early on?
The host emphasizes that go-to-market can be more important than product; Coco notes SEO, programmatic SEO, and community-driven growth as flywheels, with early viral traction from a niche community (e.g., tabletop games).

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Subversive

What is Subversive about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers on rapid-growth consumer subscription apps, exploring growth flywheels, product design, monetization, and go-to-market strategies from founders, growth leaders, and product chiefs. Episodes frequently dissect platform dynamics, AI-enabled products, onboarding, and scale—often with practical takeaways for building sustainable subscription businesses. Notable strengths include founder-focused stories, data-driven insights, and a clear emphasis on growth mechanics that apply across consumer SaaS, marketplaces, and AI-native networks. It's especially useful for listeners who want actionable lessons from category-defining apps and emerging platforms, with a consistent focus on how to achieve scale without sacrificing product qu... more

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How many episodes of Subversive are there?

Subversive launched a year ago and published 39 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Subversive?

Recent guests on Subversive include:

1. Eugenia Kuyda
2. Daniel Heintzman
3. Francesco Polizzi
4. Jack McDermott
5. Rik Haandrikman
6. Casey Winters
7. Sameer Ahuja
8. Connor Zwick

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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