What if the software shaping our buildings was still stuck in the 90s? 🏗️ Amar Hanspal @amarhanspal , former Autodesk executive and now co-founder of @BuildWithMotif , believes it’s time for a total reboot. In our latest episode, Amar shares how he helped lead Autodesk through its massive cloud transformation—and why he’s now tackling one of the hardest challenges in tech: rebuilding the AEC (Architecture, Engineering & Construction) software stack for the AI age. Chapters: 00:01 — Early hustle: empathy learned through 100 customer calls a day 00:27 — Discovering CAD on a microVAX and joining Autodesk’s early wave 02:57 — From listening to choosing: the evolution of product judgment 04:50 — First startup lessons: timing, humility, and asking customers to pay 05:19 — Rejoining Autodesk and learning to scale leadership 07:00 — Dot-com detour: building, raising, and shutting down a venture 07:31 — Leading Autodesk’s cloud transformation and move into construction 08:45 — Why computer vision led to Bright Machines 10:46 — The birth of Motif: designing for carbon, complexity, and collaboration 12:49 — Tackling the hardest problems first: scale and real-time teamwork 15:00 — Starting with architects: where Motif begins 15:40 — Product #1: a collaborative 3D workspace for context sharing 16:44 — Embrace, then replace: winning users from legacy tools 18:07 — “Figma meets Cursor” — AI as a co-designer for buildings 19:26 — GTM strategy: human-in-the-loop now, product-led later 21:29 — Founder vs. executive mindset: execution, resilience, and team 24:57 — Real AI value: automating the boring, not the brilliant 27:46 — Why Motif starts from a clean sheet (not geometry-first) 30:40 — Measuring speed-ups and early user feedback 31:37 — Defining success: love from users before scale 32:50 — Lessons for AEC founders: problem-first, tech-second 33:19 — Mythbusting BIM: it doesn’t have to be painful 33:37 — Pride point: leading Autodesk’s cloud shift 34:27 — Adobe vs. Autodesk: two paths to reinvention 35:26 — Regrets and reflections: taking bigger swings sooner 👂🎧 Watch, listen, and follow on your favorite platform: tr.ee/S2ayrbx_fL 🙏 Join the conversation on your favorite social network: linktr.ee/theignitepodcast #IgniteStartups #AI #Architecture #AEC #DesignSoftware #Innovation #Leadership #StartupFounders #ProductStrategy #DigitalTransformation