Go Direct: Did Palantir and Asana Just Kill the IPO? Plus, VMware Hugs Nvidia, PagerDuty CEO Reflects, the Woman Who Got You Your Sports Fix + More

Let's cut to the chase: The theme of the week is Go Direct.

Two tech companies going public this week were notable not for their size so much as their methods. Palantir, co-founded by Peter Thiel (previously of PayPal); and Asana, co-founded by Dustin Moskovitz (previously of Facebook), both came to market with unconventional direct listings instead of traditional IPOs. Meanwhile, among the already public, enterprise software powerhouse VMware and chip giant Nvidia announced a partnership in A.I. And how about some inspiration? I've spoken with leaders, entrepreneurs and investors about how they do it, and here you can hear from them ... directly.

Direct Listing: Is the Traditional IPO Dead? On the Other Hand

Now that we've seen big direct listings from Palantir and Asana, is the traditional IPO dead? I tackle that in the latest installment. (I said Epic when I meant Unity here, and later corrected myself.)

Direct Partnership: VMware and Nvidia Team on AI

It's a marriage of consonants: VMWare and Nvidia. VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger joined me on Squawk Alley just before opening his VMworld conference and shared news about an artificial intelligence partnership with Nvidia:

Direct Response: Jennifer Tejada, PagerDuty CEO 1:1

When Jennifer Tejada was 23 and a relatively new college graduate working for Proctor & Gamble, her father died in a tragic accident. Tejada, now CEO of PagerDuty, told me this week how she responded, and how her father's memory helps her put life in perspective:

If you've got some time, this is the link to our full conversation.

I also talked to the co-founder and CEO of Gusto, Josh Reeves. More from him in next week's newsletter. But if you can't wait, here's our full conversation, at this link.

Direct TV: Kay Koplovitz Got Us Our Sports Fix

As the NBA Finals kick off this week, consider a time when there were hardly any sports on TV. That was before Kay Koplovitz started USA Network and revolutionized broadcasting. In this Fortt Knox archive conversation she told me how she got it done:

Direct Connection: Taking Stock of the 'PayPal Mafia'

In a unique moment at the beginning of the web era, PayPal was born. Before it existed in its current incarnation, post-eBay spinoff, it had a rare collection of game-changing talent including Elon Musk, Reid Hoffman, Peter Thiel (who took Palantir public this week) and Max Levchin:

Direct Investment: Jason Calacanis on His Early Uber Bet

You can't make deals you can't see. When Jason Calacanis was getting started as an angel investor, he relied partly on contacts he made as a journalist covering technology in New York and Silicon Valley. One of them, Travis Kalanick, had an idea for solving San Francisco's notorious taxi problem with the iPhone's new GPS feature and an innovative payment mechanism. That idea became Uber, and Calacanis's small-dollar investment became, well, big. He told me about it in this Fortt Knox archive conversation:

Today (Friday, 10/2), just a few hours after I press send on this newsletter, I'll chat with LivePerson CEO Rob LoCascio. It's right here on LinkedIn and it's live. So click here to see it. And bring your comments and questions; as always, I'm game to pull you right into the conversation.

Again, I'm cheating a bit on this one; as I mentioned up higher, great live conversation with Josh Reeves, Gusto CEO. But I couldn't cut the video in time, so you'll get the highlight in next week's newsletter.

Finally, CNBC's @Work Summit is next Tuesday, 10/6. If you're a C-level exec, don't miss it. I'll be interviewing James Manyika, Chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute with James Suzman, anthropologist and author of “WORK: From the Stone Age to the Age of Robots;” Donna Morris, EVP and Chief People Officer at Walmart with Sandra Rivera, EVP and Chief People Officer at Intel; and Chuck Robbins, Chairman and CEO at Cisco with Francine Katsoudas, Cisco's Chief People Officer. (Wait, can that be right? That seems like a lot of interviews in one summit. Haha.) Again, if you're a C-level exec or know one, register here.

Finally, on a personal note, I've started a newsletter exploring cross-cultural understanding in the Christian church. It's aptly called ... Cross Cultural. Completely different subject matter, but all are welcome. If that sounds intriguing to you, please check it out a sample of the content here; and if you find it thought provoking, subscribe and share.