@Suhaib asks:
How do you define a Zapier expert? How can i know if i'm a Zapier expert?
If you’re interested in joining the Zapier Experts Program, the first thing to do is to complete the application form: https://airtable.com/shrSPBcmOBuxBCZCz?utm_source=zapier.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zapier
At the top of the form, you’ll find the prerequisites for applying. If you meet those conditions, then you’ll be enrolled in the Experts certification. If you have any questions about the Experts Program, drop an email to experts@zapier.com and Jesse or Danvers will be able to help you.
@ChrisP asks:
1. The past year has seen many web apps increasing prices fairly aggressively, making a full app stack costly for small businesses. This could push customers towards apps that offer more native integrations and also one-stop shops like Zoho. Do you see this as a threat to Zapier's future?
No. There is such a massive explosion of apps on the market. And over the history of SaaS, web apps raise prices and if they go higher in the market a new entrant will emerge to fill the bottom of the market's needs. If the bottom of the market can't sustain a business it will raise prices over time too. This creates a loop of more and more apps which is great for Zapier.
2. Is an IPO one day in the future a remote possibility?
Never say never. But our mission has never been to be a public company. Our mission has been about democratizing automation. If being a public company helps with that, then we'll consider it, but it's not why we do what we do.
@AndrewJDavison_Luhhu asked:
1. What's your most career defining moment to date that isn't starting Zapier?
Tough one since everything in my career pales in comparison to Zapier. I'd probably have to say the first time I ever got paid for anything was in 9th grade when I was invited to play with a saxophone quartet at the Governor's Mansion in Missouri.
2. Do you have a particular leadership style? Have you studied any or had any sort of 'CEO-mentoring'?
I'm not sure. I certainly have a style but I'm not sure what to call it. It's my own style.
I certainly spend a lot of time working to be a better leader. I have a CEO coach, I read constantly, and I try to learn from anyone I come in contact with.
3. How do you feel about competitor products like Integromat and Tray. Are there things you think they're doing well that you'd like Zapier to be doing?
Competitive products are good for the space. They create more awareness and keep us on our toes.
There are certainly things they are doing that I think are smart and interesting. Though I'm not sure which ones would be best for us to emulate. Ultimately are goal is to pay attention to our customers needs and the markets needs and solve those issues. Getting into a copy-cat battle isn't typically a winning strategy.
This was a blast folks! Looking forward to seeing this community grow and blossom.
My chance now to ask y'all a question? Did you like this AMA? Would you want to see more? If so, who would you love to see do an AMA from the Zapier ecosystem? Happy to try and get founders, CEOs, or other leaders to come answer questions.
Hi Wade! By chance, will Zapier ever hold a conference or summit in the states (outside of the retreats that you do for your staff)? I know that it would be epic!
This was excellent! Thank you very much for taking the time to answer all of these questions. After casually using Zapier for the past two years, we recently ramped things up to where Zapier is now a critical part of our business processes, and your answers make me a lot more comfortable with that decision.
I would love to see this become a regular thing.
Thanks so much for answering everything @wadefoster - was an absolute joy reading through everything!
I would absolutely like to see more AMA's - I think some of us here are super technical and interested in the code side of things, so having an AMA with Bryan would be super cool!
I do also hope that you come back and do more AMA's in the future. There are quite a few more questions that I and others have. For example, now that I know you have a CEO coach, I am interested to hear more about the coaching side of things. I have seen that those with the most success in their business often attribute having a business coach as an important piece of the puzzle.
- Curious how you found your coach?
- When you knew it was time to get one (or did you more-so fall into it)?
- In what way they help point you in the right direction?
- How much should you typically expect to pay a coach? (Or is that all relative)
Just curious what that relationship looks like as it is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. (Not necessarily requesting you answer those right now, just more of, now that we have some initial context, there are other areas that I and others are likely interested in following-up on).
Thanks for your time Wade and thank you so much for believing in the community piece and for putting resources behind it. A community especially for remote/distributed teams like many of us is crucial and there is no better company fit for the job than Zapier 
Cheers!
Thanks @wadefoster - they were thorough and thoughtful answers - just what we all wanted, I'm sure! 
I appreciate you taking the time... and wonder whether it might be the world's first ever AMA from the sky?
I second the @alex's vote to get Bryan in here for an AMA, and I'm also curious to know more about the business coaching thing. I read an NYT article about it way back - and it was fascinating. I'm glad I asked you that question.
Re: the name. I've actually picked up a few easy projects on Upwork by searching "Zappier" instead of "Zapier" - at least once or twice a month people post jobs with this spelling error... and those jobs get far less bids! 
@Amber_SOP_Evolution stepping in for Wade here! No plans for a conference/summit just yet but I do believe it's on our list of things to explore for the future. We'll be sure to keep the community posted when the time is right. :)
I'd love to do an AMA with anyone from Zapier on the topic of Async (Zapier's internal tool) or around how the staff at zapier use automation to facilitate their job etc.
@AndrewJDavison_Luhhu asked:
1. What's your most career defining moment to date that isn't starting Zapier?
Tough one since everything in my career pales in comparison to Zapier. I'd probably have to say the first time I ever got paid for anything was in 9th grade when I was invited to play with a saxophone quartet at the Governor's Mansion in Missouri.
2. Do you have a particular leadership style? Have you studied any or had any sort of 'CEO-mentoring'?
I'm not sure. I certainly have a style but I'm not sure what to call it. It's my own style.
I certainly spend a lot of time working to be a better leader. I have a CEO coach, I read constantly, and I try to learn from anyone I come in contact with.
3. How do you feel about competitor products like Integromat and Tray. Are there things you think they're doing well that you'd like Zapier to be doing?
Competitive products are good for the space. They create more awareness and keep us on our toes.
There are certainly things they are doing that I think are smart and interesting. Though I'm not sure which ones would be best for us to emulate. Ultimately are goal is to pay attention to our customers needs and the markets needs and solve those issues. Getting into a copy-cat battle isn't typically a winning strategy.
@AndrewJDavison_Luhhu asked:
1. What's your most career defining moment to date that isn't starting Zapier?
Tough one since everything in my career pales in comparison to Zapier. I'd probably have to say the first time I ever got paid for anything was in 9th grade when I was invited to play with a saxophone quartet at the Governor's Mansion in Missouri.
2. Do you have a particular leadership style? Have you studied any or had any sort of 'CEO-mentoring'?
I'm not sure. I certainly have a style but I'm not sure what to call it. It's my own style.
I certainly spend a lot of time working to be a better leader. I have a CEO coach, I read constantly, and I try to learn from anyone I come in contact with.
3. How do you feel about competitor products like Integromat and Tray. Are there things you think they're doing well that you'd like Zapier to be doing?
Competitive products are good for the space. They create more awareness and keep us on our toes.
There are certainly things they are doing that I think are smart and interesting. Though I'm not sure which ones would be best for us to emulate. Ultimately are goal is to pay attention to our customers needs and the markets needs and solve those issues. Getting into a copy-cat battle isn't typically a winning strategy.
