Joe Lu: From Meta Layoff to HeyMax, Rebuilding Value, Miles & the Future of Consumer AI – E644

Joe Lu, Co-Founder of HeyMax, joins Jeremy Au to unpack how layoffs, timing, and conviction turned a setback into a startup opportunity. They trace Joe’s journey from Shanghai to Michigan to Facebook Singapore, and how getting laid off in 2022 pushed him to co-found HeyMax. The conversation explores his reflections on building a consumer-first fintech, understanding mindshare arbitrage, and predicting how AI will reshape loyalty and value distribution between businesses and consumers. Joe also shares how fatherhood, risk-taking, and curiosity shaped his path as a founder.

00:45 From Shanghai to Silicon Valley engineer: Joe recounts growing up in China, studying in the U.S., and joining Expedia and Facebook during the golden age of software engineering.

06:27 Building Facebook Singapore’s tech office: He helped establish one of Facebook’s first Asia engineering hubs, seeing firsthand how global tech scales into the region.

12:17 Meta layoffs spark a new beginning: Losing his job in 2022 became the catalyst to start HeyMax with three co-founders instead of returning to corporate life.

19:15 Pivoting from AI-for-money to credit card tools: The team experimented with finance bots before hitting traction with a merchant category search tool that drew thousands of users.

23:50 Discovering the miles community: Joe realized that while few people care about miles, those who do care deeply, creating a niche with high engagement and clear demand.

30:37 Building a consumer-first value model: Joe envisions a future where AI helps people capture their own value directly from brands instead of intermediaries taking the largest cut.

46:42 Being brave as a founder and father: Joe shares how starting a company during a funding drought with two young kids taught him resilience, balance, and optimism.

Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/joe-lu-money-meets-ai

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