The Meme Is The Message: Gregory Kennedy on Vibes. Attention, and Building a Business After Silicon Valley

AI makes it easier to create content. Getting people to care is still the hard part.On this episode of Signal & Noise, host Rio Longacre and guest host Krish Raja sit down with Gregory Kennedy, founder of Vibe Your SaaS, for a candid conversation about memes, founder-led marketing, creative talent, and building an independent business in the AI era.Gregory traces his path from New York’s design scene and an award-winning website he built in 1997 to two decades in Silicon Valley and a move to Seattle. He explains how a founder-coaching idea grew into Vibe Your SaaS—a business combining content and go-to-market consulting, a newsletter, and startup pitch competitions—and why his Bay Area network remains central to his work.Along the way, the conversation tackles what it takes to build an audience, develop a recognizable voice, and turn attention into an opportunity to do business.In this episode:• The anatomy of a meme: How recognizable moments, humor, and an unexpected twist make an idea travel—and why Gregory thinks the Drake meme needs to retire.• Building an audience from zero: The posting, replies, persistence, and personal commitment behind Gregory’s presence on X, plus why your platform should fit your strengths and personality.• Founder-led marketing with a point of view: How Gregory uses his voice to attract the right clients, why controversy carries real risks, and how he advises founders to stay in a lane they understand and can defend.• Taste, brand, and AI-generated content: Why Gregory believes taste has always mattered, how consistent quality builds recognition, and why cheaper content doesn’t make attention easier to earn.• “Become inevitable”: The connection between founder conviction, a real customer need, a clear market story, and building an audience before you launch.• Silicon Valley, Seattle, and startup culture: Gregory’s case for the Bay Area’s concentration of talent and ambition, and his perspective on how Seattle’s business policies have affected his own plans.• AI and the human side of sales: Why automating outreach doesn’t automatically win customers—and the value of a founder’s ability to make decisions on the spot.• Talent, careers, and smaller teams: A debate about leaning into your strengths, valuing individual contributors, and using AI to build more with fewer resources.Plus, Gregory makes his pick between taste and distribution, questions the return on in-person B2B events, and shares why he’s optimistic about the opportunities opening up for solo founders and small teams.For founders, marketers, and creators trying to earn attention in a crowded feed, this is a conversation about finding what you’re good at, showing up consistently, and giving people a reason to remember you.Connect with Gregory:Vibe Your SaaSXLinkedInSubscribe to Signal & Noise on YouTube or follow on Spotify for more conversations on marketing, technology, and the people building what comes next.#SignalAndNoise #GregoryKennedy #VibeYourSaaS #B2BMarketing #FounderLedMarketing #Memes #AI #Startups #GoToMarket