Hadi Partovi

CEO, Payam Music.
Founder #HourOfCode, @Codeorg: 100M students.
Early investor: FB, Dropbox, airbnb, Uber, SpaceX.
Board of Directors: Axon.

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

I have a big career announcement:

I’m taking my experience teaching computer science to hundreds of millions and connecting it to my lifelong love of piano.

Announcing Payam Music: the first nationwide piano school, with a new way of teaching—the Payam Method—endorsed by Hans Zimmer and showcased on 60 MINUTES and USA TODAY.

With Payam Music, students learn faster, they outperform traditional methods, and they even learn to write their own music. Every year our students rank nationally for their composition and creativity.

If you’re worried about kids’ obsession with screens and social media, the solution is to give them a new obsession: piano. ❤️🎹❤️

Proven over 10 years, the learning outcomes of the Payam Method are extraordinary, and so is the team behind it. Besides Hans Zimmer, we’re announcing the support of iconic business leaders including Mark Cuban, Dara Khosrowshahi, Michelle Zatlyn, Drew Houston, and many others.

Payam Music is available in cities around the US and expanding rapidly. Our schools teach 1-on-1 lessons, in person and even online. We have limited spots, so if you or your child want to learn piano, sign up now! And if we don’t have a school near you, join our wait list, we’re growing fast.

Fall in Love with Piano
https://t.co/HeAhbLIldn

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

@Vanquan_titans @425Magazine On average our students take only 3.5 years of lessons to play songs as difficult as Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement, or Chopin Fantasie Impromptu. Most piano lessons take 10-12 years to get there.

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

Thank you to @425Magazine for covering the story of Payam Music!

Learn piano with a new and engaging method as endorsed by Hans Zimmer on 60 Minutes - in person and online!

https://t.co/kPBIYoEiBY

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

This is one of the most inspirational interviews I've watched. @luanalopeslara has such incredible positivity in the face of near absolute defeat. Total superstar.

[Neo @neo]

🎙️ Watch now: podcast available on all platforms.

Episode 3: Luana Lopes Lara on “Confession with Ali Partovi”

– A $1B valuation, yet she put Kalshi’s odds of failure above 90%.
– “I'm supposed to be the optimistic one”: hiding fears from her co-founder.
– “I’m betting the company”: suing Kalshi’s regulator despite board objections.

… and much more with @Kalshi co-founder & COO @luanalopeslara.

(0:00) “Took three years. It was awful”: getting Kalshi regulated
(1:58) Growing up in Brazil and training as a ballerina
(6:01) Choosing MIT despite being told she shouldn’t
(8:03) “Ballet was never a hobby to me” and giving it up
(9:46) “Even when we were worth a billion dollars”: fearing Kalshi would fail
(22:12) Employees leaving, layoffs, and offering severance
(23:38) “You’re gonna kill me”: telling Tarek they should sue the government
(32:17) “Tarek was right and I was wrong”: the fallout from suing their regulator
(33:16) “I just feel lighter”: winning in court
(36:44) “I am gonna have to bluff”: convincing Tarek to follow through
(40:11) “You can psych yourself out of doing anything”: overthinking risk

[CodeAI @codeorg]

At #MITAI2026, @hadip made the case that students don’t just need to use AI. They need to learn how it works and how to master it, while keeping their critical thinking and cognitive agency.

In the #AgeOfAgency, the agency that matters most is the student’s own.

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

I worked with Brad and JG at my first startup, Tellme Networks. Both of them are thought leaders in their respective industries. What a treat to listen to this conversation.

[Brad Porter @BradPorter_]

“In 2012, I would not have predicted ChatGPT”

John Giannandrea didn't need to. His team was building deep learning for language to make Google search better. Pick the job, not the forecast.

Deployed EP16 is live: https://t.co/2zzVMaW0g7

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

Speaking at the MIT AI conference about education and governance in the age of AI.

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

Here’s a glimmer of hope in the quest to figure out how to prevent AI from going rogue.
https://t.co/QfGyR71xUd

The short summary: we can increasingly look inside AI models and understand the “thoughts” clearly enough to perhaps catch problematic ones.

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

Every time you sit down at the piano, your brain is learning, adapting, and building new connections. 🧠🎹
ㅤ
This is called neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to reorganize and strengthen neural pathways through learning and experience.
ㅤ
When you practice piano, you’re engaging multiple areas of your brain responsible for movement, memory, coordination, hearing, and attention. With repetition, these neural pathways can become stronger and more efficient.
ㅤ
So while you’re mastering a new song or coordinating both hands, you’re doing more than making music. You’re helping shape your brain.
ㅤ
That’s the power of neuroplasticity. That's the science behind practice.

Ready to give piano a try? We’d love to welcome you for a free introductory lesson at Payam Music! https://t.co/HeAhbLIldn

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

@apartovi @neo Wow. From the accelerator to $250M in 6 months!

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

Love @satyanadella and @apartovi retelling how Microsoft “lost the Internet” to Google, and their own failings when they were the only ones at Microsoft who saw the future of search, yet failed to capitalize on it.

Satya privately called this “the biggest mistake of my career.”

[Neo @neo]

🎙️ Watch now: debut podcast available on all platforms.

Episode 1. Satya Nadella on “Confession with Ali Partovi”

– The interview question he still thinks about decades later
–"We won the browser war, only to lose the web"
– His son Zain and how his empathy journey began

… and much more with Microsoft CEO @satyanadella.

(0:00) “You need more empathy”: a job interview gone bad
(0:27) Welcome to Confession
(1:06) Growing up in India
(4:13) “See the world through his eyes”: the birth of his son Zain
(11:27) “I didn’t care. I didn’t listen”: failing as a manager
(16:07) “It haunts me”: lacking the courage to speak up
(19:50) “We didn’t understand that the economic value is all in search”
(26:19) Ali: “I was essentially fired… I’ve never told anyone”

[Ali Partovi @apartovi]

I knew Satya Nadella long before he became Microsoft CEO. He was my boss after Microsoft bought my startup in 1998.

In the debut of my podcast, "Confession," Satya shares lessons about empathy, courage, and taking on risk as a leader. And I make a confession of my own. Enjoy!

[Ali Partovi @apartovi]

In "Confession" episode 2, Dara Khosrowshahi reveals a mistake from years ago that still bugs him. He opens up about hitting rock bottom as Uber CEO.

Dara and I are cousins and share many stories from growing up together. I love his candor and humility. Enjoy!

[Ali Partovi @apartovi]

Long-term pro rata rights are on the wrong side of history, and can lead to conflict between startup founders and their earliest backers.

We at @Neo decided to ditch long-term pro rata rights: 👇

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

When the #1 seed stage VC firm does this, it will force the entire market to change its approach.

[connor ling @conconconling]

https://t.co/C4qSCsGV7F

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

@joshim5 @chaidiscovery @GSK Amazing!!

[SpaceX @SpaceX]

We announced an agreement to acquire a nationwide low-band spectrum license portfolio that will pave the way for @Starlink to become a major mobile carrier in the US.

With this new spectrum and our Gen2 constellation, Starlink Mobile can ensure Americans have access to high-speed mobile broadband no matter where they are → https://t.co/1Uaf48v5pm

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

Another @neo 🚀. Congrats @apartovi 👏

[Josh @joshavata]

Today @MeckaAI is announcing a $60M Series B from @sequoia to accelerate the advent of general purpose robotics

This brings our total funding to over $120M to become the data and deployment layer for physical AI

Read more below 🧵

[CodeAI @codeorg]

Start building with Hour of AI 2026! This annual global event invites classrooms around the world start building digital fluency — the ability to understand, direct, question, and create with technology around us. Get your toolkit today: https://t.co/CcyHd66ehk #HourOfAI

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

Data from US parents: only 1% want a total ban on screens in schools. The vast majority want AI — and especially AI safety — taught in schools. Full data: https://t.co/xA9FQ5I0iM

[Hadi Partovi @hadip]

@apartovi Can’t wait!!!