Rob Henderson is one of my favorite up-and-coming writers. I like him because he's one of those people who doesn't fit into a category. He's a Ph.D. candidate in psychology, but I met him in a book club about technological stagnation. He's spent years in the academy, first at Yale and now at Cambridge, but most of his influence comes from his online writing. Most of all, he's interested in human nature. In particular, psychology, status, and social class. Those interests come from his background. During his childhood, he bounced around between foster homes in California. After working as a busboy, a dishwasher, and a supermarket bagger, he joined the Air Force at the age of 17. After his enlistment, he ended up at Yale and now, Cambridge. Please enjoy my conversation with Rob Henderson.

Rob Henderson is one of my favorite up-and-coming writers. I like him because he's one of those people who doesn't fit into a category. He's a Ph.D. candidate in psychology, but I met him in a book club about technological stagnation. He's spent years in the academy, first at Yale and now at Cambridge, but most of his influence comes from his online writing. Most of all, he's interested in human nature. In particular, psychology, status, and social class. Those interests come from his background. During his childhood, he bounced around between foster homes in California. After working as a busboy, a dishwasher, and a supermarket bagger, he joined the Air Force at the age of 17. After his enlistment, he ended up at Yale and now, Cambridge. Please enjoy my conversation with Rob Henderson.

Rob Henderson: An Internet Academic

Ana Lorena Fabrega

Chrisman Frank

This week, I have two guests. Both are affiliated with Synthesis, a new kind of online school where kids learn through games and simulations. One is Chrisman Frank, the CEO of Synthesis. The other is Ana Lorena Fabrega, who is their Chief Evangelist. Here's the backstory: A few years ago, Elon Musk asked the co-founder to start an experimental school with him at Space X. The goal was to develop students who are enthralled by complexity and solving for the unknown. Synthesis was the most innovative learning experience from that school and spun off into its own company. In full transparency, I'm an investor. This episode presents a vision for the future of childhood education, enabled by the Internet. Please enjoy my conversation with Ana Lorena Fabrega and Chrisman Frank.

This week, I have two guests. Both are affiliated with Synthesis, a new kind of online school where kids learn through games and simulations. One is Chrisman Frank, the CEO of Synthesis. The other is Ana Lorena Fabrega, who is their Chief Evangelist. Here's the backstory: A few years ago, Elon Musk asked the co-founder to start an experimental school with him at Space X. The goal was to develop students who are enthralled by complexity and solving for the unknown. Synthesis was the most innovative learning experience from that school and spun off into its own company. In full transparency, I'm an investor. This episode presents a vision for the future of childhood education, enabled by the Internet. Please enjoy my conversation with Ana Lorena Fabrega and Chrisman Frank.

Chrisman Frank and Ana Lorena Fabrega: How Childhood Education Will Change

Ash Fontana

Ash Fontana is an entrepreneur, investor, and author. As an entrepreneur, he was only of the early employees at an online investing platform called AngelList. From there, he became the Managing Director at Zetta, the first investment fund focused on artificial intelligence. Now, he's the author of the AI-First Company. This conversation is about that book. Ash says that AI-First companies are the only trillion-dollar companies, and soon they will dominate even more industries, more definitively than ever before. But we don't just talk about the book. We also talk about health, continental philosophy, and Ash's obsession with bicycling. Please enjoy my conversation with Ash Fontana.

Ash Fontana is an entrepreneur, investor, and author. As an entrepreneur, he was only of the early employees at an online investing platform called AngelList. From there, he became the Managing Director at Zetta, the first investment fund focused on artificial intelligence. Now, he's the author of the AI-First Company. This conversation is about that book. Ash says that AI-First companies are the only trillion-dollar companies, and soon they will dominate even more industries, more definitively than ever before. But we don't just talk about the book. We also talk about health, continental philosophy, and Ash's obsession with bicycling. Please enjoy my conversation with Ash Fontana.

Ash Fontana: Building Artificial Intelligence

My guest today is Li Jin, the founder and managing partner at an early-stage venture capital firm called Atelier. She's known for her extensive writings about the Passion Economy. Her essays explore how people can make a living from their passions and creative skills. All of her writing is filtered through the lens of consumer startups and the technology industry. In this episode, we explore Li's perspective on the future of the creator economy. We talk about what it'll take to build a middle class for creators and how platforms should enable creator monetization. But then we venture beyond the world of work and discuss the novels of Jane Austen, what Li learned by growing up in Pittsburgh, and why she thinks social media and content creation are valuable pursuits. Please enjoy my conversation with Li Jin.  Show Notes:  2:37 - How do content creators get users to migrate platforms and engage in unfamiliar apps? 5:44 - Why is some digital content more consumable than others? 13:07 - What is the driving force behind Li’s background in English literature? 17:34 - Why Jane Austen is so incredibly important to the world of modern creatives 21:56 - What has contributed to the alienation of gig workers in modern economy? 24:57 - Where does Li Jin’s technological optimism stem from? 28:32 - What is an “Angel Investor”, and how do they influence the modern world of content creation? 32:55 - What is the difference between an artist and a creator? 37:44 - How has the modern market created space for content creators? 42:19 - What causes creative burnout in the world of content creators? 50:01 - What are the implications of viral fame in the modern world of content creators? 57:46 - Which aspects of traditional and non-traditional education were most impactful on Li Jin? 1:08:55 - What are some things that both successful and aspiring content creators often misunderstand about the industry 1:14:20 - What are some of the parallels between the worlds of writing and investing? 1:18:08 - How Li Jin embodies the spirit of a malleable fate

My guest today is Li Jin, the founder and managing partner at an early-stage venture capital firm called Atelier. She's known for her extensive writings about the Passion Economy. Her essays explore how people can make a living from their passions and creative skills. All of her writing is filtered through the lens of consumer startups and the technology industry. In this episode, we explore Li's perspective on the future of the creator economy. We talk about what it'll take to build a middle class for creators and how platforms should enable creator monetization. But then we venture beyond the world of work and discuss the novels of Jane Austen, what Li learned by growing up in Pittsburgh, and why she thinks social media and content creation are valuable pursuits. Please enjoy my conversation with Li Jin. Show Notes: 2:37 - How do content creators get users to migrate platforms and engage in unfamiliar apps? 5:44 - Why is some digital content more consumable than others? 13:07 - What is the driving force behind Li’s background in English literature? 17:34 - Why Jane Austen is so incredibly important to the world of modern creatives 21:56 - What has contributed to the alienation of gig workers in modern economy? 24:57 - Where does Li Jin’s technological optimism stem from? 28:32 - What is an “Angel Investor”, and how do they influence the modern world of content creation? 32:55 - What is the difference between an artist and a creator? 37:44 - How has the modern market created space for content creators? 42:19 - What causes creative burnout in the world of content creators? 50:01 - What are the implications of viral fame in the modern world of content creators? 57:46 - Which aspects of traditional and non-traditional education were most impactful on Li Jin? 1:08:55 - What are some things that both successful and aspiring content creators often misunderstand about the industry 1:14:20 - What are some of the parallels between the worlds of writing and investing? 1:18:08 - How Li Jin embodies the spirit of a malleable fate

Li Jin: Creating the Creator Economy

My guest today is Zena Hitz, a tutor at St John’s and the author of an excellent book called Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life. Her book explores the meaning and the value of learning for its own sake, through images and stories of bookworms, philosophers, scientists, and other learners, both fictional and historical. That’s the jumping-off point for this episode. We also talked about the relationship between religion and the Liberal Arts, why studying the Liberal Arts has become so unfashionable among average people, and how an essay about Oedipus Rex inspired her to become an intellectual. ____ Show Notes 1:37 - What about Oedipus Rex grabbed Zena's attention and inspired her to pursue intellectualism. 7:05 - What Zena sees as a "good" question in an intellectual frame, and why good materials can get you to them more easily. 9:55 - Why the most profound questions won't show up at the beginning of your inquiry, and how the common person's depth of inquiry has seemed to dwindle since the past. 13:19 - How Zena maintains her attention reading books when it is so easy to be distracted. 17:00 - Why it is decadent, complacent, and undermining to ourselves and our community to pursue education only in what will get us work. 23:53 - How people pursued lifelong learning in the past and why it's even more viable of an option today. 28:07 - What Zena hopes to give to the world at large through her work. 33:51 - How the monumental shifts in wealth and inequality have hindered people's ability to contemplate ideas they deem important. 36:20 - The differences in solitary and communal efforts to contemplate intellectual topics. 39:40 - Why we shouldn't be consuming books, but rather engaging directly with them. 44:03 - Why Zena believes that the idea of a patriarchal or caucasian canon is a myth. 49:02 - How education is a means of training your mind while simultaneously freeing it. 53:04 - The affinity between the liberal arts and religion. 55:11 - Where Zena learned how to write and why she has trouble writing if she doesn't have an audience. 58:42 - How to use writing to improve your thinking. 1:01:30 - Why St. John's has deliberately set itself apart from research universities. 1:05:33 - The crisis in Zena's life that kicked off her political thinking and essays, and why she believes that our current institutions are becoming increasingly disconnected from our humanity. 1:13:23 - What brought Zena to religion when there is a historic amount of people leaving it.

My guest today is Zena Hitz, a tutor at St John’s and the author of an excellent book called <a href="https://amzn.to/3talb55" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life</a>. Her book explores the meaning and the value of learning for its own sake, through images and stories of bookworms, philosophers, scientists, and other learners, both fictional and historical. That’s the jumping-off point for this episode. We also talked about the relationship between religion and the Liberal Arts, why studying the Liberal Arts has become so unfashionable among average people, and how an essay about Oedipus Rex inspired her to become an intellectual. ____ Show Notes 1:37 - What about Oedipus Rex grabbed Zena's attention and inspired her to pursue intellectualism. 7:05 - What Zena sees as a "good" question in an intellectual frame, and why good materials can get you to them more easily. 9:55 - Why the most profound questions won't show up at the beginning of your inquiry, and how the common person's depth of inquiry has seemed to dwindle since the past. 13:19 - How Zena maintains her attention reading books when it is so easy to be distracted. 17:00 - Why it is decadent, complacent, and undermining to ourselves and our community to pursue education only in what will get us work. 23:53 - How people pursued lifelong learning in the past and why it's even more viable of an option today. 28:07 - What Zena hopes to give to the world at large through her work. 33:51 - How the monumental shifts in wealth and inequality have hindered people's ability to contemplate ideas they deem important. 36:20 - The differences in solitary and communal efforts to contemplate intellectual topics. 39:40 - Why we shouldn't be consuming books, but rather engaging directly with them. 44:03 - Why Zena believes that the idea of a patriarchal or caucasian canon is a myth. 49:02 - How education is a means of training your mind while simultaneously freeing it. 53:04 - The affinity between the liberal arts and religion. 55:11 - Where Zena learned how to write and why she has trouble writing if she doesn't have an audience. 58:42 - How to use writing to improve your thinking. 1:01:30 - Why St. John's has deliberately set itself apart from research universities. 1:05:33 - The crisis in Zena's life that kicked off her political thinking and essays, and why she believes that our current institutions are becoming increasingly disconnected from our humanity. 1:13:23 - What brought Zena to religion when there is a historic amount of people leaving it.

Zena Hitz: Liberal Arts Thinking

I have two guests today: Tiago Forte and Will Mannon. Tiago is my business partner and the creator of an online course called Building a Second Brain. The two of us record a podcast like this every year to reflect on what we’ve learned about the online education industry. And this time, we invited our Director of Student Experience: Will Mannon. Will oversees all aspects of the student experience with the exception of curriculum design. He’s at the frontier of thinking about live online learning, from how assignments should be delivered to how live sessions should be structured. ____ Show Notes 3:21 - Why hiring your first employee is one of the most important steps you'll take in your business. 5:38 - How sharing a workforce and resources with another business or entrepreneur can help fast-track personal and professional growth. 11:00 - How running an online course is like organizing a music tour. 13:30 - The role of the alumni mentors in Tiago's courses, and how they have changed from his first to his most recent cohort. 17:16 - What different mentors can bring to the table and why the differences between them all brings strength to the program. 21:03 - Why giving as many people as possible the ability to lead allows much more effective learning for everyone. 25:04 - The nature of burnout and why creatives are so prone to experiencing it. 31:04 - Discovering the right size for a cohort and how to scale effectively. 37:13 - How to help students find each other and make meaningful and lifelong connections with each other. 40:28 - The "beer mode" and "coffee mode" of productivity. 44:32 - How to increase your focus by never giving yourself enough time. 51:02 - Why David and Will organize Write of Passage to have attendees "come for the ideas and stay for the people". 56:23 - Why running a course should be about empowering leadership in students, not in building dependence on the teacher. 1:02:33 - Why the element of shock is so fundamental to deep learning. 1:06:43 - How friendship can come so readily out of hardship and pain. 1:11:33 - The unusual growth of David and Tiago's online brand this year and what sparked it. 1:14:45 - Why writing a book summary for Tiago is so integral in internalizing the information and the message contained within it. 1:24:22 - What hands-on education and perseverance in the face of extreme difficulty can teach us that traditional education never can. 1:32:30 - What we can learn about education from businesses and markets outside of the educational sphere. 1:36:33 - Why success in a new business should not be focusing on competition, but on radical differentiation. 1:39:23 - The importance of finding your community online and curating it to inspire and inform you.

I have two guests today: Tiago Forte and Will Mannon. Tiago is my business partner and the creator of an online course called Building a Second Brain. The two of us record a podcast like this every year to reflect on what we’ve learned about the online education industry. And this time, we invited our Director of Student Experience: Will Mannon. Will oversees all aspects of the student experience with the exception of curriculum design. He’s at the frontier of thinking about live online learning, from how assignments should be delivered to how live sessions should be structured. ____ Show Notes 3:21 - Why hiring your first employee is one of the most important steps you'll take in your business. 5:38 - How sharing a workforce and resources with another business or entrepreneur can help fast-track personal and professional growth. 11:00 - How running an online course is like organizing a music tour. 13:30 - The role of the alumni mentors in Tiago's courses, and how they have changed from his first to his most recent cohort. 17:16 - What different mentors can bring to the table and why the differences between them all brings strength to the program. 21:03 - Why giving as many people as possible the ability to lead allows much more effective learning for everyone. 25:04 - The nature of burnout and why creatives are so prone to experiencing it. 31:04 - Discovering the right size for a cohort and how to scale effectively. 37:13 - How to help students find each other and make meaningful and lifelong connections with each other. 40:28 - The "beer mode" and "coffee mode" of productivity. 44:32 - How to increase your focus by never giving yourself enough time. 51:02 - Why David and Will organize Write of Passage to have attendees "come for the ideas and stay for the people". 56:23 - Why running a course should be about empowering leadership in students, not in building dependence on the teacher. 1:02:33 - Why the element of shock is so fundamental to deep learning. 1:06:43 - How friendship can come so readily out of hardship and pain. 1:11:33 - The unusual growth of David and Tiago's online brand this year and what sparked it. 1:14:45 - Why writing a book summary for Tiago is so integral in internalizing the information and the message contained within it. 1:24:22 - What hands-on education and perseverance in the face of extreme difficulty can teach us that traditional education never can. 1:32:30 - What we can learn about education from businesses and markets outside of the educational sphere. 1:36:33 - Why success in a new business should not be focusing on competition, but on radical differentiation. 1:39:23 - The importance of finding your community online and curating it to inspire and inform you.

Tiago Forte and Will Mannon: Building Cohort-Based Courses

Gagan Biyani

My guest today is Gagan Biyani, the current CEO of an education startup (where I’m both an investor and an advisor) that helps teachers run Cohort-Based Courses on the Internet and has students from around the world. Gagan also founded a multi-billion dollar online education platform called Udemy. Afterward, he founded Sprig, a food delivery platform that grew to a nine-digit valuation but eventually failed. So today, he has the distinct pleasure of being both the founder of a unicorn and the founder of a massive failure. In this conversation, we talk about what he’s learned playing the Silicon Valley startup game. Then, we talk about our visions for the future of the online education industry, and how he's learned so much about cooking and restaurant operations. Please enjoy my conversation with Gagan Biyani. ____ Show Notes 2:11 - How Gagan comes up with and develops his startup ideas. 7:38 - Why Gagan believes that the market is the best thing we have, but that it is still deeply random and flawed. 10:14 - The lessons we should be learning from Silicon Valley and what people in Silicon Valley need to learn themselves. 14:51 - The dogma and necessities of startups that Gagan has seen in Silicon Valley that are proven to be untrue. 21:17 - How the duality of total rationalization and going with your guy fits together. 25:18 - How the "soul" plays into optimizing our lives and why Gagan sees the future of human connection. 30:50 - What inspired Gagan to become fascinated and so knowledgeable about food. 35:58 - What changes when making food at scale and why recipes don't multiply easily. 43:01 - What Gagan looks for in determining whether a restaurant is worth going to. 47:41 - How lifelong learning changes the way you see the world. 52:22 - Why the way a company does one thing will show you how it does everything. 56:17 - Why knowledge should be something that is shared, not something that pushes people away. 1:02:54 - How the classical cohort-based learning model has evolved on the internet. 1:09:35 - How colleges and traditional institutions are adapting to the new learning paradigm. 1:11:03 - What Gagan envisions in an ideal future-thinking educational company. 1:22:45 - How cohort-based courses can be improved and where Gagan saw these flaws in his own and in other courses. 1:26:17 - What in Gagan's early life made him so driven and motivated to do what he wanted to do. 1:36:51 - Gagan's trip to the Amazon, and what he learned from the indigenous tribes that he visited. 1:43:01 - The infantilization of different ways of life, and why it is a more ethically dense topic than people realize.

My guest today is Gagan Biyani, the current CEO of an education startup (where I’m both an investor and an advisor) that helps teachers run Cohort-Based Courses on the Internet and has students from around the world. Gagan also founded a multi-billion dollar online education platform called Udemy. Afterward, he founded Sprig, a food delivery platform that grew to a nine-digit valuation but eventually failed. So today, he has the distinct pleasure of being both the founder of a unicorn and the founder of a massive failure. In this conversation, we talk about what he’s learned playing the Silicon Valley startup game. Then, we talk about our visions for the future of the online education industry, and how he's learned so much about cooking and restaurant operations. Please enjoy my conversation with Gagan Biyani. ____ Show Notes 2:11 - How Gagan comes up with and develops his startup ideas. 7:38 - Why Gagan believes that the market is the best thing we have, but that it is still deeply random and flawed. 10:14 - The lessons we should be learning from Silicon Valley and what people in Silicon Valley need to learn themselves. 14:51 - The dogma and necessities of startups that Gagan has seen in Silicon Valley that are proven to be untrue. 21:17 - How the duality of total rationalization and going with your guy fits together. 25:18 - How the "soul" plays into optimizing our lives and why Gagan sees the future of human connection. 30:50 - What inspired Gagan to become fascinated and so knowledgeable about food. 35:58 - What changes when making food at scale and why recipes don't multiply easily. 43:01 - What Gagan looks for in determining whether a restaurant is worth going to. 47:41 - How lifelong learning changes the way you see the world. 52:22 - Why the way a company does one thing will show you how it does everything. 56:17 - Why knowledge should be something that is shared, not something that pushes people away. 1:02:54 - How the classical cohort-based learning model has evolved on the internet. 1:09:35 - How colleges and traditional institutions are adapting to the new learning paradigm. 1:11:03 - What Gagan envisions in an ideal future-thinking educational company. 1:22:45 - How cohort-based courses can be improved and where Gagan saw these flaws in his own and in other courses. 1:26:17 - What in Gagan's early life made him so driven and motivated to do what he wanted to do. 1:36:51 - Gagan's trip to the Amazon, and what he learned from the indigenous tribes that he visited. 1:43:01 - The infantilization of different ways of life, and why it is a more ethically dense topic than people realize.

Gagan Biyani: Building Silicon Valley Startups

Trevor Bauer

My guest today is Trevor Bauer, who is arguably the very best pitcher in Major League Baseball. In 2020, he had the lowest Earned Run Average of any pitcher and won the National League Cy Young Award, which goes to the top pitcher in the game. I wanted to interview Trevor not only because he's an excellent pitcher, but because he takes a radical approach to the game. He's a physicist and a scientist. A scholar and an entrepreneur. And you don't find that combination very often. Furthermore, he might be the most polarizing figure in baseball. Some people love him; some people hate him. But every fan has an opinion on him. Off the field, he's the founder of Momentum, athlete-driven media company that uses storytelling to connect athletes and fans. To build it, he started a podcast and a YouTube vlog where he talks about pitching mechanics and what it's like to play professional baseball. Personally, this was one of the coolest episodes I've ever recorded. I grew up as an avid San Francisco Giants fan, and I still remember getting to the field early to get autographs and catch baseballs during batting practice. This interview would have made little 8-year old David proud, and I'm lucky to share it with you today. Please enjoy my conversation with Trevor Bauer. ____ Show Notes 2:18 - How Trevor would change the way baseball is marketed and to whom it should be pitched. 5:45 - Why updating the game for a modern audience would be difficult, despite what Trevor believes would be a successful move. 11:23 - Why there aren't many unique fields like in San Francisco or Boston. 15:10 - How baseball is not being evangelized well by the people who could be doing it most easily. 19:51 - How general scientific literacy can and should be improved through sports. 23:28 - What it takes for Trevor to scientifically design his pitches and then implement them in a game. 31:00 - The business of baseball, and how Trevor has learned to maneuver its quirks and difficulties. 37:13 - If could choose anybody, who else in the sports world and beyond Trevor would want to talk to. 42:15 - How Trevor looks into the future to superpower his game. 48:07 - The dangers of getting too in-depth in analyzing your game, and how it can hurt you. 54:43 - Why you should practice analytically and perform intuitively. 56:13 - What breathing techniques Trevor employs in his game. 58:18 - The different aspects of building a business and how Trevor is handling each element differently. 1:07:30 - Why Trevor's actual goals in his work and his game aren't covered by the media. 1:10:44 - How his father helped Trevor succeed in baseball by giving him the tools he needed to work hard.

My guest today is Trevor Bauer, who is arguably the very best pitcher in Major League Baseball. In 2020, he had the lowest Earned Run Average of any pitcher and won the National League Cy Young Award, which goes to the top pitcher in the game. I wanted to interview Trevor not only because he's an excellent pitcher, but because he takes a radical approach to the game. He's a physicist and a scientist. A scholar and an entrepreneur. And you don't find that combination very often. Furthermore, he might be the most polarizing figure in baseball. Some people love him; some people hate him. But every fan has an opinion on him. Off the field, he's the founder of Momentum, athlete-driven media company that uses storytelling to connect athletes and fans. To build it, he started a podcast and a YouTube vlog where he talks about pitching mechanics and what it's like to play professional baseball. Personally, this was one of the coolest episodes I've ever recorded. I grew up as an avid San Francisco Giants fan, and I still remember getting to the field early to get autographs and catch baseballs during batting practice. This interview would have made little 8-year old David proud, and I'm lucky to share it with you today. Please enjoy my conversation with Trevor Bauer. ____ Show Notes 2:18 - How Trevor would change the way baseball is marketed and to whom it should be pitched. 5:45 - Why updating the game for a modern audience would be difficult, despite what Trevor believes would be a successful move. 11:23 - Why there aren't many unique fields like in San Francisco or Boston. 15:10 - How baseball is not being evangelized well by the people who could be doing it most easily. 19:51 - How general scientific literacy can and should be improved through sports. 23:28 - What it takes for Trevor to scientifically design his pitches and then implement them in a game. 31:00 - The business of baseball, and how Trevor has learned to maneuver its quirks and difficulties. 37:13 - If could choose anybody, who else in the sports world and beyond Trevor would want to talk to. 42:15 - How Trevor looks into the future to superpower his game. 48:07 - The dangers of getting too in-depth in analyzing your game, and how it can hurt you. 54:43 - Why you should practice analytically and perform intuitively. 56:13 - What breathing techniques Trevor employs in his game. 58:18 - The different aspects of building a business and how Trevor is handling each element differently. 1:07:30 - Why Trevor's actual goals in his work and his game aren't covered by the media. 1:10:44 - How his father helped Trevor succeed in baseball by giving him the tools he needed to work hard.

Trevor Bauer: Playing Professional Baseball

Nik Sharma

My guest today is Nik Sharma, the founder of Sharma Brands and an advisor to companies like Judy and Cha Cha Matcha. Nik is one of my very best friends and my go-to person for all things commerce. Since we first met, we've spent hours exploring the future of marketing and commerce together and recorded this podcast to give you a window into what our conversations are like. We started with Nik's philosophy of launching Direct-to-Consumer brands. I particularly liked Nik's idea of "The Brag Bar" on landing pages, where you can use social proof to sell your products. We also spoke about managing relationships with influencers and finding the supply and demand equilibrium at launch. Towards the end, Nik and I talked about our process for turning conversations into articles, and the time he cold emailed Mark Cuban. Please enjoy my conversation with Nik Sharma. ____ Show Notes 2:21 - Why Nik has the "world's craziest fridge" and how it helps keep him in the know on DTC brands. 6:29 - What marketing strategies Nik has found most successful for DTC brands. 13:31 - How brands can differentiate themselves in a world of emerging brands in already burgeoning markets. 19:25 - Nik's approach to launching a successful DTC brand and when to concentrate your advertising versus diversify. 30:19 - The role of A/B testing in building a brand. 35:43 - How influencers play into the big picture of marketing and why the "shaky video" effect is so successful. 42:12 - The selection and audition process of influencers in Nik's campaigns and how he chooses those he sees as the best for his brands. 45:52 - The costs and benefits of starting your brand through heavy promotion via influencers. 49:56 - How the process of rebranding Hint Water's bottle was performed and the qualitative process that got them to the bottle you see today. 57:27 - The metrics and methods Nik uses in his development of marketing strategies with his brands. 1:05:19 - What Nik looks for in a great landing page, and why all landing pages should be easy to read for everybody from a 12-year-old to a drunk person. 1:10:07 - What UGC is and why Nik thinks it is so underrated by marketing teams. 1:13:31 - The different marketing funnels and when you should use each one. 1:17:09 - Why Nik creates landing pages for fake products and makes them live on the internet. 1:22:56 - The importance of having great merch for your brand. 1:26:22 - What about internet culture makes collaborations so successful and popular. 1:34:05 - How somebody can convert a large personal following into sponsorships and meaningful collaborations. 1:35:46 - How new brands should position themselves when huge players like Amazon are in the same space. 1:44:01 - What happened when Nik cold emailed Mark Cuban and how he got an almost instant response. 1:50:46 - How David and Nik collaborate to develop, write, and publish the articles they make. 1:56:14 - Why Nik doesn't sweat the details of his personal brand that much.

My guest today is Nik Sharma, the founder of Sharma Brands and an advisor to companies like Judy and Cha Cha Matcha. Nik is one of my very best friends and my go-to person for all things commerce. Since we first met, we've spent hours exploring the future of marketing and commerce together and recorded this podcast to give you a window into what our conversations are like. We started with Nik's philosophy of launching Direct-to-Consumer brands. I particularly liked Nik's idea of "The Brag Bar" on landing pages, where you can use social proof to sell your products. We also spoke about managing relationships with influencers and finding the supply and demand equilibrium at launch. Towards the end, Nik and I talked about our process for turning conversations into articles, and the time he cold emailed Mark Cuban. Please enjoy my conversation with Nik Sharma. ____ Show Notes 2:21 - Why Nik has the "world's craziest fridge" and how it helps keep him in the know on DTC brands. 6:29 - What marketing strategies Nik has found most successful for DTC brands. 13:31 - How brands can differentiate themselves in a world of emerging brands in already burgeoning markets. 19:25 - Nik's approach to launching a successful DTC brand and when to concentrate your advertising versus diversify. 30:19 - The role of A/B testing in building a brand. 35:43 - How influencers play into the big picture of marketing and why the "shaky video" effect is so successful. 42:12 - The selection and audition process of influencers in Nik's campaigns and how he chooses those he sees as the best for his brands. 45:52 - The costs and benefits of starting your brand through heavy promotion via influencers. 49:56 - How the process of rebranding Hint Water's bottle was performed and the qualitative process that got them to the bottle you see today. 57:27 - The metrics and methods Nik uses in his development of marketing strategies with his brands. 1:05:19 - What Nik looks for in a great landing page, and why all landing pages should be easy to read for everybody from a 12-year-old to a drunk person. 1:10:07 - What UGC is and why Nik thinks it is so underrated by marketing teams. 1:13:31 - The different marketing funnels and when you should use each one. 1:17:09 - Why Nik creates landing pages for fake products and makes them live on the internet. 1:22:56 - The importance of having great merch for your brand. 1:26:22 - What about internet culture makes collaborations so successful and popular. 1:34:05 - How somebody can convert a large personal following into sponsorships and meaningful collaborations. 1:35:46 - How new brands should position themselves when huge players like Amazon are in the same space. 1:44:01 - What happened when Nik cold emailed Mark Cuban and how he got an almost instant response. 1:50:46 - How David and Nik collaborate to develop, write, and publish the articles they make. 1:56:14 - Why Nik doesn't sweat the details of his personal brand that much.

Nik Sharma: Building DTC Companies

Kevin Kelly

My guest today is Kevin Kelly, who co-founded Wired Magazine in 1993 and served as its Executive Editor for the first seven years. As one of the most important futurists of our generation, he's published a number of books including The Inevitable, What Technology Wants, and New Rules for the New Economy which is my favorite one. Coolest of all, he's also a founding member of the board of the Long Now Foundation, a non-profit devoted to encouraging long-term thinking. We discussed the Long Now Foundation at the end of this episode in a conversation about what it means to be a good ancestor for future generations. A couple of things stood out from this conversation. First, I like how Kevin focuses on clarity above all else whenever he writes. He sees himself as a great editor, and writing is the process by which he discovers what he's thinking. Second, we build off the ideas of Marshall McLuhan who was the founding saint of Wired Magazine. Through McLuhan, we explored Kevin's Christianity, how screens are shaping consciousness, and how our technologies have a gravitational life of their own. Please enjoy my conversation with Kevin Kelly. ____ Show Notes 2:22 - Exotropic energy and how Kevin uses it to explain the negative entropy we see throughout the universe. 6:24 - Why California has become the world hub of extropy. 10:33 - The transition from the written word to text and screens and how it affects our psyche. 15:27 - What made Marshall McLuhan's writing so paradoxical and engaging. 18:34 - How science fiction has usurped religious teachings as the modern leader of theological thought. 24:06 - Why our limitation as seeing the future only "through the rearview mirror" is driven by a disease Kevin calls "thinkism". 31:25 - How the Amish have utilized an evidence-based method in their adoption of new technologies. 44:46 - Why technology that we create will always be weaponized in the end. 49:01 - Why Kevin believes that the evidence shows the increase of accessibility of and power in technology has not correlated with our ability to harm. 53:15 - How moral progress is a natural byproduct of technological progress. 57:26 - Why Kevin sees a fundamental transformation in how Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is thought about and utilized in people's lives. 1:05:25 - Why Kevin's futurology is much closer to simply noticing the present that it is divination. 1:15:20 - How moving away from improving everything's efficiency is against the very things we desire as humans. 1:23:35 - Why writing for Kevin is nothing but a means to an end to discovering his thoughts. 1:29:43 - How thinking with 'the long now' can help us become better ancestors and leave a better world for the future.

My guest today is Kevin Kelly, who co-founded Wired Magazine in 1993 and served as its Executive Editor for the first seven years. As one of the most important futurists of our generation, he's published a number of books including The Inevitable, What Technology Wants, and New Rules for the New Economy which is my favorite one. Coolest of all, he's also a founding member of the board of the Long Now Foundation, a non-profit devoted to encouraging long-term thinking. We discussed the Long Now Foundation at the end of this episode in a conversation about what it means to be a good ancestor for future generations. A couple of things stood out from this conversation. First, I like how Kevin focuses on clarity above all else whenever he writes. He sees himself as a great editor, and writing is the process by which he discovers what he's thinking. Second, we build off the ideas of Marshall McLuhan who was the founding saint of Wired Magazine. Through McLuhan, we explored Kevin's Christianity, how screens are shaping consciousness, and how our technologies have a gravitational life of their own. Please enjoy my conversation with Kevin Kelly. ____ Show Notes 2:22 - Exotropic energy and how Kevin uses it to explain the negative entropy we see throughout the universe. 6:24 - Why California has become the world hub of extropy. 10:33 - The transition from the written word to text and screens and how it affects our psyche. 15:27 - What made Marshall McLuhan's writing so paradoxical and engaging. 18:34 - How science fiction has usurped religious teachings as the modern leader of theological thought. 24:06 - Why our limitation as seeing the future only "through the rearview mirror" is driven by a disease Kevin calls "thinkism". 31:25 - How the Amish have utilized an evidence-based method in their adoption of new technologies. 44:46 - Why technology that we create will always be weaponized in the end. 49:01 - Why Kevin believes that the evidence shows the increase of accessibility of and power in technology has not correlated with our ability to harm. 53:15 - How moral progress is a natural byproduct of technological progress. 57:26 - Why Kevin sees a fundamental transformation in how Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is thought about and utilized in people's lives. 1:05:25 - Why Kevin's futurology is much closer to simply noticing the present that it is divination. 1:15:20 - How moving away from improving everything's efficiency is against the very things we desire as humans. 1:23:35 - Why writing for Kevin is nothing but a means to an end to discovering his thoughts. 1:29:43 - How thinking with 'the long now' can help us become better ancestors and leave a better world for the future.

Kevin Kelly: Seeing the Future

A deep dive into the stories, habits, ideas, strategies and methods that drive fulfilled people and create enormous success for them. The guests are diverse, but they share profound similarities. They’re guided by purpose, live with intense joy, learn passionately, and see the world with a unique lens. Each episode lets us soak in their hard-earned wisdom and apply it to our lives. Guests include Neil deGrasse Tyson, Seth Godin, and Tyler Cowen.

The North Star podcast, and host, David Perrell, are so insightful. David brings such a unique perspective and asks really thought-provoking questions during conversations that have me thinking long after the episodes are over. He’s building something unique with stories of the past, smart thinkers and executors of the present, and discussions of the future. David is well-researched and his guests are some of the best and brightest. Also, I’m trying to become a better writer and he is helping, so Thank YOU, David.

David has become a must-listen

I wish there was a way to automatically skip when David starts talking. Just ask the questions. Don’t pontificate. I’m listening to the podcast for your guest, not you.

David is thoughtless and irritating

North Star Podcast

Keith Rabois

My guest today is Keith Rabois, the Managing Director at Khosla Ventures. At Khosla, Keith focuses on the consumer internet, education, enterprise, financial services, and digital health.    Keith has had a front-seat to Silicon Valley history. He’s had five bosses in his career: Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, Reid Hoffman, Jack Dorsey, and Vinod Khosla.    In this episode, we talk about the lessons of sports from the San Francisco 49ers to the Oakland A’s. Keith shares a story from his first week at PayPal, where he went on a run with Peter Thiel, which sparked his hiring philosophy. Then, we talk about the future of education, how to find undiscovered talent in society, the power of accumulating advantages, and how to raise the level of ambition in society. Keith has built more billion dollar companies than just about anybody on Planet Earth, and all that wisdom shines through in our conversation.       SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.   LINKS:   Find Keith online:  Twitter Linkedin Khosla Ventures page Wiki page    People mentioned:  Peter Thiel Max Levchin Reed Hoffman Jack Dorsey Vinod Khosla  Bill Walsh Blake Masters Elon Musk Erik Torenberg Bill Thompson William Safire Pat Riley Jerry Garcia    Books mentioned:   The Score Takes Care of Itself Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History  The Winner Within    Other mentions:    Khosla Ventures     Square Stripe Opendoor Zillow Stratechery Aggregation Theory    SHOW TOPICS   1:32 - Outlining the book, The Score Takes Care of Itself and its significance for entrepreneurs. “Rather than focusing on the score, focus on the process and the rest takes care of itself.” Also detailing Bill Walsh, the underlying infrastructure that he built, and the philosophy that successful companies like Square and Apple have used.   4:41 - Leadership lessons that can be learned from sports and the insights that Keith learned from Peter Thiel in the past on evaluating people and on building great companies. Pairing yourself with people that cover your blind spots and weaknesses.     9:20 - Emulating companies like Apple, Amazon, and Tesla rather than companies like Google or Facebook. The problem with people choosing the easier path in building companies and detailing building things from the ground up rather than inheriting other companies infrastructures.   12:28 - Thoughts on people who are naive about markets doing better than those who have more experience and know the markets. Hiring people who have expertise to jump the learning curve that comes with starting successful companies.   15:43 - Ways to accelerate learning and jump learning curves. Reading (primarily books and printed materials), find experts and constantly inquire, and using experts to find the right path to take. How Keith began venturing into real estate and him detailing his journey with it.   21:28 - Keith on using Twitter and his experience with finding a specific thread on China, then meeting the author of the thread. Examples of writing insightful things online and the potential in doing so. Finding people and breaking through to clutter with original content.   26:07 - Detailing accumulating advantages with companies and the effects of them. A few examples of what accumulating advantages may be within companies. A bit on accumulating advantage at the individual level, as well.   32:08 - What Keith has learned from being a bit of a Silicon Valley historian and why conference room names are predominantly Silicon Valley names. Also, a bit on why you would want to understand the history of Silicon Valley and the history of successful companies. Reading less short-form content and long-form content. Being a voracious reader.   36:35 - A musical example of being aware of things in the past and learning from tradition. Mixing original sparks with tradition. Learning more so you can better interpret information. For example, artists seeing ten-times more in a museum than an average person would.   42:47 - Keith describing the process of speech-writing and comparing it with coding. Also detailing what makes certain speeches stand out from others. William Safire’s book on great speeches, Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History.   45:30 - Creating ambition and the fluctuation of ambition over time. Discussing ambition more, spending time with the five most ambitious people you know, and believing that things are possible. Keith’s experience with ambition while growing up and his experiences with moving into tech. Specializing in your strengths and surrounding yourself with complimentary people.   52:28 - Becoming the only person in the world that does what you do and detailing this concept. Where he learned the concept and how Keith describes this for himself.   56:22 - What Keith has learned about organization and productivity that scales down to an individual level. Allocation of time and under-valuing your time. Detailing how the number one predictor of success is knowing how to efficiently allocate your time and how to get the most output out of that time. SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.

My guest today is Keith Rabois, the Managing Director at Khosla Ventures. At Khosla, Keith focuses on the consumer internet, education, enterprise, financial services, and digital health.    Keith has had a front-seat to Silicon Valley history. He’s had five bosses in his career: Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, Reid Hoffman, Jack Dorsey, and Vinod Khosla.    In this episode, we talk about the lessons of sports from the San Francisco 49ers to the Oakland A’s. Keith shares a story from his first week at PayPal, where he went on a run with Peter Thiel, which sparked his hiring philosophy. Then, we talk about the future of education, how to find undiscovered talent in society, the power of accumulating advantages, and how to raise the level of ambition in society. Keith has built more billion dollar companies than just about anybody on Planet Earth, and all that wisdom shines through in our conversation.     <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a> LINKS: Find Keith online: <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/rabois?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Linkedin</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.khoslaventures.com/team/keith-rabois" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Khosla Ventures page</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Rabois" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wiki page</a></li> </ul> People mentioned: <ul> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peter Thiel</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Levchin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Max Levchin</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_Hoffman" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reed Hoffman</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Dorsey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jack Dorsey</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinod_Khosla" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vinod Khosla</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Walsh_(American_football_coach)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Bill Walsh</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakemasters" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blake Masters</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Elon Musk</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eriktorenberg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Erik Torenberg</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Thompson_(technology_writer)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bill Thompson</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Safire" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">William Safire</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Riley" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pat Riley</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Garcia" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jerry Garcia</a></li> </ul> Books mentioned: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Score-Takes-Care-Itself-Philosophy/dp/1591843472" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Score Takes Care of Itself</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lend-Me-Your-Ears-Speeches/dp/0393059316" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Winner-Within-Life-Plan-Players/dp/0425141756" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Winner Within</a></li> </ul> Other mentions: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.khoslaventures.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Khosla Ventures</a></li> </ul> <ul> <li><a href="https://squareup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Square</a></li> <li><a href="https://stripe.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stripe</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.opendoor.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Opendoor</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.zillow.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zillow</a></li> <li><a href="https://stratechery.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stratechery</a></li> <li><a href="https://stratechery.com/concept/aggregation-theory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Aggregation Theory</a></li> </ul> SHOW TOPICS 1:32 - Outlining the book, The Score Takes Care of Itself and its significance for entrepreneurs. “Rather than focusing on the score, focus on the process and the rest takes care of itself.” Also detailing Bill Walsh, the underlying infrastructure that he built, and the philosophy that successful companies like Square and Apple have used. 4:41 - Leadership lessons that can be learned from sports and the insights that Keith learned from Peter Thiel in the past on evaluating people and on building great companies. Pairing yourself with people that cover your blind spots and weaknesses.   9:20 - Emulating companies like Apple, Amazon, and Tesla rather than companies like Google or Facebook. The problem with people choosing the easier path in building companies and detailing building things from the ground up rather than inheriting other companies infrastructures. 12:28 - Thoughts on people who are naive about markets doing better than those who have more experience and know the markets. Hiring people who have expertise to jump the learning curve that comes with starting successful companies. 15:43 - Ways to accelerate learning and jump learning curves. Reading (primarily books and printed materials), find experts and constantly inquire, and using experts to find the right path to take. How Keith began venturing into real estate and him detailing his journey with it. 21:28 - Keith on using Twitter and his experience with finding a specific thread on China, then meeting the author of the thread. Examples of writing insightful things online and the potential in doing so. Finding people and breaking through to clutter with original content. 26:07 - Detailing accumulating advantages with companies and the effects of them. A few examples of what accumulating advantages may be within companies. A bit on accumulating advantage at the individual level, as well. 32:08 - What Keith has learned from being a bit of a Silicon Valley historian and why conference room names are predominantly Silicon Valley names. Also, a bit on why you would want to understand the history of Silicon Valley and the history of successful companies. Reading less short-form content and long-form content. Being a voracious reader. 36:35 - A musical example of being aware of things in the past and learning from tradition. Mixing original sparks with tradition. Learning more so you can better interpret information. For example, artists seeing ten-times more in a museum than an average person would. 42:47 - Keith describing the process of speech-writing and comparing it with coding. Also detailing what makes certain speeches stand out from others. William Safire’s book on great speeches, Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History. 45:30 - Creating ambition and the fluctuation of ambition over time. Discussing ambition more, spending time with the five most ambitious people you know, and believing that things are possible. Keith’s experience with ambition while growing up and his experiences with moving into tech. Specializing in your strengths and surrounding yourself with complimentary people. 52:28 - Becoming the only person in the world that does what you do and detailing this concept. Where he learned the concept and how Keith describes this for himself. 56:22 - What Keith has learned about organization and productivity that scales down to an individual level. Allocation of time and under-valuing your time. Detailing how the number one predictor of success is knowing how to efficiently allocate your time and how to get the most output out of that time. <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a>

Keith Rabois: Accumulating Advantages

Eugene Wei

Listen Here:  iTunes | Overcast Today’s guest is Eugene Wei, who's spent his career working at some of the world’s best technology companies including Amazon, Hulu, and Facebook. He joined Amazon in 1997 after graduating from Stanford and it was at Amazon that he watched Jeff Bezos turn a small little internet bookstore into “The Everything Store” that were all so familiar with. After leaving Amazon, Eugene moved to New York to become a film editor before moving to Los Angeles to become a director. That summer he joined the company that would become Hulu, leading the product, design, editorial, and marketing teams. And since then, he founded and sold a startup called Erly, and worked as the head of product for Flipboard before joining the Facebook as the head of video at Oculus. In this conversation, we talk about the spiritual significance of the second law of thermodynamics and its impact on movies, company building, and personal growth. We talk about the principles of communication and draw lessons from Jeff Bezos on how to communicate clearly and memorably. And finally, we take lessons from Eugene’s time living in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley and explore the ever-fascinating intersection of media and technology. And before we begin, you can find links to his blog, Remains of the Day, along with my favorite posts below.  Links: Find Eugene online:   His blog   Eugene’s most popular posts   Linkedin   Mentioned in the show:   Amazon [0:38]   Hulu [0:38]   Facebook [0:38]   Erly [1:10]   Oculus [1:17]   Eugene’s Iliad discussion [9:35] (couldn’t find this one)    Eugene’s Second Law of Thermodynamics discussion [9:35]   UCLA Film School [22:17]   Reddit [36:57]   Twitch [58:02]   Tree of Life film [1:06:53]   Interstellar [1:08:15]     Books mentioned:   Born to Rebel [14:15]    The Complacent Class [48:55]   The Rise of Superman [59:14]   The Iliad [1:02:27]   The Odyssey [1:02:27]   The Sound and the Fury [1:06:27]     People mentioned:   Jeff Bezos [1:32]   Daniel Day-Lewis [16:55]   Mike Tyson [47:24]   Tyler Cowen [48:52] (podcast episode with Tyler)   Gary Vaynerchuk [53:19]   Malcolm Gladwell [1:03:07]   Neil Degrasse Tyson [1:03:30] (podcast episode with Neil)   William Faulkner [1:05:54]   Virginia Wolf [1:05:54]   Terrence Malick [1:06:51]   Christopher Nolan [1:08:22]   Show Topics 0:32  - Some information on the episode guest, Eugene Wei and a bit of background on his career.   1:58 - Introduction to Eugene, what life was like for him early on, and what he got into as a kid. Also, a bit on how he got into the filmmaking scene.   3:32 - Eugene on some of the biases from his parents that he faced regarding a career choice, and a bit on him convincing them to move out west and away from Chicago.   4:56 - What Stanford was like back when Eugene was growing up, how his parents felt about his choice to go there, what things he ended up exploring while there, and what he majored in.   6:55 - How learning with both sides of the brain influenced Eugene after college and how it has been useful for him in the professional context. “I think the general idea of following your interests so that you have an inherent sort of motivator for learning is just super-critical.”   7:54 - Thoughts on underestimating the advantages of a somewhat generalist education compared to an education in a specific field. How having a broad set of skills and a general education has helped him more than if he were to specialize in one field.   9:50 - Eugene on the importance of being deeply intellectually interested in his work.   10:32 - Eugene’s journey towards receiving a job with Amazon in 1997, the choices he made regarding college, and him realizing the growing wave that was the internet back then.   14:11 - Eugene discussing Born to Rebel, an influential book that he read while in high school, and how this impacted him. Also, Eugene discussing fighting the conformist nature that comes with being an older sibling, and some discussion on how the younger sibling likely has a rebellious nature.   15:40 - Further discussion on challenging the conformist nature, pushing yourself into new and challenging areas to grow, and Eugene talking about his decision to leave Amazon and go to film school. “To start over and be a student again forces you into a different frame of mind.”   17:35 - How leaving Amazon to start over and go to film school taught Eugene valuable lessons and positively impacted him.   18:28 - What the second law of thermodynamics is and how it played a role in Eugene’s journey. Some more on him pushing out of equilibrium for growth, as well.   22:01 - What Eugene did for work when he first got into filmmaking and some more thoughts on what the journey did for him. Also, a bit on his next job, which was working for the company that eventually became Hulu.   24:18 - Eugene’s thoughts about the different streaming platforms around that time that he began working for the company that eventually became Hulu.   25:45 - What Eugene learned about how the media and technology industries operate and where they intersect. Some thoughts on media and tech companies in general and thoughts on their futures, as well.   30:16 - Eugene describing the free agent model and its contrast with vertical integration. A bit more on how various media companies have changed and some of the strategies that they use. “In 2013, 18 of the top 25 films were sequels, prequels, or extensions of existing stories or popular streams.” “In box office earnings, sequels make 8 times as much as originals.”   35:10 - The self-perpetuating platforms that a majority of movies are now and a bit on how media companies look to buy story optionality to promote future stories.   37:49 - What it was like working for Amazon in 1997 and working close to Jeff Bezos. Also, what it was like watching a company like that grow and why Amazon originally started with selling books.   41:40 - What Eugene learned from Jeff Bezos himself and a bit of insight on how Jeff worked. Also, the importance of thinking based on first principles, and some guidelines necessary for developing these first principles. “To derive first principles, you need access to raw data or you'll forever be getting secondhand principles from other people.”   43:33 - Eugene further discussing developing first principles, accessing raw data necessary for developing them, and the necessity for failure.   44:58 - The unique ways that meetings are run at Amazon, why Jeff banned the usage of Powerpoint, how Powerpoint distorts people’s thinking, and some more things that Jeff did to improve various aspects of the company and its employees.   49:47 - Eugene on what you should do as a CEO once your company grows larger and more successful, and some thoughts on a few things that make successful and effective companies.   52:04 - How language is encoded in various media, the immense communicative aspects of visual media compared to literal, and some thoughts on us being visual learners. Also, how watching someone do their job is much more effective compared to reading about how to do that job.   1:02:08 - Story and narrative being a very powerful way to encode information in addition to media, and some more thoughts on visual and narrative mediums being the most effective ways to learn.   1:04:12 - The positive benefits that countries gain from gaining widespread TV for the first time and some thoughts on how TV can be beneficial to us.   1:05:49 - What Eugene’s favorite writers have in common and why they are his favorites. Also, a bit on the different style of directing by Terrence Malick. How Terrence uses the visual medium in unique ways to get closer to consciousness and what it’s actually like to perceive the world.   You can support the North Star Podcast by leaving a review on  iTunes. Or you can share the podcast on Twitter or Facebook. To listen to other episodes or learn more about the North Star, you can connect with me directly at perell.com and you can always reach out on Twitter at david_perell. And if you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like the episode with Tyler Cowen, an economist at George Mason with deep interests in food, music, art, and travel.

Listen Here: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/eugene-wei-compress-to-impress/id1170914572?i=1000399327632&amp;mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> iTunes</a> | <a href="https://overcast.fm/+Hgwu3emKQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Overcast</a> Today’s guest is Eugene Wei, who's spent his career working at some of the world’s best technology companies including <a href="https://www.amazon.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.hulu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hulu</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. He joined Amazon in 1997 after graduating from Stanford and it was at Amazon that he watched Jeff Bezos turn a small little internet bookstore into “The Everything Store” that were all so familiar with. After leaving Amazon, Eugene moved to New York to become a film editor before moving to Los Angeles to become a director. That summer he joined the company that would become Hulu, leading the product, design, editorial, and marketing teams. And since then, he founded and sold a startup called Erly, and worked as the head of product for <a href="https://flipboard.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Flipboard</a> before joining the Facebook as the head of video at <a href="https://www.oculus.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oculus</a>. In this conversation, we talk about the spiritual significance of the second law of thermodynamics and its impact on movies, company building, and personal growth. We talk about the principles of communication and draw lessons from Jeff Bezos on how to communicate clearly and memorably. And finally, we take lessons from Eugene’s time living in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley and explore the ever-fascinating intersection of media and technology. And before we begin, you can find links to his blog, <a href="http://www.eugenewei.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Remains of the Day</a>, along with my favorite posts below.  Links: Find Eugene online: <ul> <li> <a href="http://www.eugenewei.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">His blog</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2017/6/7/my-most-popular-posts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eugene’s most popular posts</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenewei/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Linkedin</a> </li> </ul> Mentioned in the show: <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon</a> [0:38] </li> <li> <a href="https://www.hulu.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hulu</a> [0:38] </li> <li> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> [0:38] </li> <li> <a href="http://www.erly.nl/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Erly</a> [1:10] </li> <li> <a href="https://www.oculus.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oculus</a> [1:17] </li> <li> Eugene’s Iliad discussion [9:35] (couldn’t find this one) </li> <li> <a href="http://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2017/2/2/the-second-law-of-thermodynamics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Eugene’s Second Law of Thermodynamics discussion</a> [9:35] </li> <li> <a href="http://www.tft.ucla.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">UCLA Film School</a> [22:17] </li> <li> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reddit</a> [36:57] </li> <li> <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitch</a> [58:02] </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tree_of_Life_(film)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tree of Life film</a> [1:06:53] </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_(film)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Interstellar</a> [1:08:15] </li> </ul> Books mentioned: <ul> <li> <a href="http://amzn.to/2GNB7Cd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Born to Rebel</a> [14:15]  </li> <li> <a href="http://amzn.to/2s8BrIH" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Complacent Class</a> [48:55] </li> <li> <a href="http://amzn.to/2EKdppV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Rise of Superman</a> [59:14] </li> <li> <a href="http://amzn.to/2ELGaTi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Iliad</a> [1:02:27] </li> <li> <a href="http://amzn.to/2GSXian" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Odyssey</a> [1:02:27] </li> <li> <a href="http://amzn.to/2sbRwgA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sound and the Fury</a> [1:06:27] </li> </ul> People mentioned: <ul> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Bezos" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jeff Bezos</a> [1:32] </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Day-Lewis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Daniel Day-Lewis</a> [16:55] </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Tyson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mike Tyson</a> [47:24] </li> <li> <a href="http://marginalrevolution.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tyler Cowen</a> [48:52] (<a href="http://www.perell.com/podcast/tyler" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcast episode with Tyler</a>) </li> <li> <a href="https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gary Vaynerchuk</a> [53:19] </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Gladwell" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Malcolm Gladwell</a> [1:03:07] </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_deGrasse_Tyson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Neil Degrasse Tyson</a> [1:03:30] (<a href="http://www.perell.com/podcast/neil-degrasse-tyson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcast episode with Neil</a>) </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">William Faulkner</a> [1:05:54] </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Virginia Wolf</a> [1:05:54] </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrence_Malick" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Terrence Malick</a> [1:06:51] </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Nolan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christopher Nolan</a> [1:08:22] </li> </ul> Show Topics 0:32  - Some information on the episode guest, Eugene Wei and a bit of background on his career. 1:58 - Introduction to Eugene, what life was like for him early on, and what he got into as a kid. Also, a bit on how he got into the filmmaking scene. 3:32 - Eugene on some of the biases from his parents that he faced regarding a career choice, and a bit on him convincing them to move out west and away from Chicago. 4:56 - What Stanford was like back when Eugene was growing up, how his parents felt about his choice to go there, what things he ended up exploring while there, and what he majored in. 6:55 - How learning with both sides of the brain influenced Eugene after college and how it has been useful for him in the professional context. “I think the general idea of following your interests so that you have an inherent sort of motivator for learning is just super-critical.” 7:54 - Thoughts on underestimating the advantages of a somewhat generalist education compared to an education in a specific field. How having a broad set of skills and a general education has helped him more than if he were to specialize in one field. 9:50 - Eugene on the importance of being deeply intellectually interested in his work. 10:32 - Eugene’s journey towards receiving a job with Amazon in 1997, the choices he made regarding college, and him realizing the growing wave that was the internet back then. 14:11 - Eugene discussing Born to Rebel, an influential book that he read while in high school, and how this impacted him. Also, Eugene discussing fighting the conformist nature that comes with being an older sibling, and some discussion on how the younger sibling likely has a rebellious nature. 15:40 - Further discussion on challenging the conformist nature, pushing yourself into new and challenging areas to grow, and Eugene talking about his decision to leave Amazon and go to film school. “To start over and be a student again forces you into a different frame of mind.” 17:35 - How leaving Amazon to start over and go to film school taught Eugene valuable lessons and positively impacted him. 18:28 - What the second law of thermodynamics is and how it played a role in Eugene’s journey. Some more on him pushing out of equilibrium for growth, as well. 22:01 - What Eugene did for work when he first got into filmmaking and some more thoughts on what the journey did for him. Also, a bit on his next job, which was working for the company that eventually became Hulu. 24:18 - Eugene’s thoughts about the different streaming platforms around that time that he began working for the company that eventually became Hulu. 25:45 - What Eugene learned about how the media and technology industries operate and where they intersect. Some thoughts on media and tech companies in general and thoughts on their futures, as well. 30:16 - Eugene describing the free agent model and its contrast with vertical integration. A bit more on how various media companies have changed and some of the strategies that they use. “In 2013, 18 of the top 25 films were sequels, prequels, or extensions of existing stories or popular streams.” “In box office earnings, sequels make 8 times as much as originals.” 35:10 - The self-perpetuating platforms that a majority of movies are now and a bit on how media companies look to buy story optionality to promote future stories. 37:49 - What it was like working for Amazon in 1997 and working close to Jeff Bezos. Also, what it was like watching a company like that grow and why Amazon originally started with selling books. 41:40 - What Eugene learned from Jeff Bezos himself and a bit of insight on how Jeff worked. Also, the importance of thinking based on first principles, and some guidelines necessary for developing these first principles. “To derive first principles, you need access to raw data or you'll forever be getting secondhand principles from other people.” 43:33 - Eugene further discussing developing first principles, accessing raw data necessary for developing them, and the necessity for failure. 44:58 - The unique ways that meetings are run at Amazon, why Jeff banned the usage of Powerpoint, how Powerpoint distorts people’s thinking, and some more things that Jeff did to improve various aspects of the company and its employees. 49:47 - Eugene on what you should do as a CEO once your company grows larger and more successful, and some thoughts on a few things that make successful and effective companies. 52:04 - How language is encoded in various media, the immense communicative aspects of visual media compared to literal, and some thoughts on us being visual learners. Also, how watching someone do their job is much more effective compared to reading about how to do that job. 1:02:08 - Story and narrative being a very powerful way to encode information in addition to media, and some more thoughts on visual and narrative mediums being the most effective ways to learn. 1:04:12 - The positive benefits that countries gain from gaining widespread TV for the first time and some thoughts on how TV can be beneficial to us. 1:05:49 - What Eugene’s favorite writers have in common and why they are his favorites. Also, a bit on the different style of directing by Terrence Malick. How Terrence uses the visual medium in unique ways to get closer to consciousness and what it’s actually like to perceive the world. You can support the North Star Podcast by leaving a review on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/north-star-podcast/id1170914572?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> iTunes</a>. Or you can share the podcast on <a href="https://twitter.com/?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. To listen to other episodes or learn more about the North Star, you can connect with me directly at <a href="http://perell.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">perell.com</a> and you can always reach out on <a href="https://twitter.com/david_perell?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter at david_perell</a>. And if you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like the <a href="http://www.perell.com/podcast/tyler" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">episode with Tyler Cowen</a>, an economist at <a href="https://www2.gmu.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">George Mason</a> with deep interests in food, music, art, and travel.

Eugene Wei: Compress to Impress

Andy Matuschak

My guest today is software engineer, designer, and researcher Andy Matuschak. He’s focused on Tools for Thought — which is a fancy way of saying that he works on technologies that expand what people can think and do. Before working as a researcher, he helped build iOS at Apple, focusing on foundations like multitouch, animation, and inter-app coordination. Then, he worked at Khan Academy where he led and co-founded the Research &amp; Development group. In this conversation, we talk about the structure of online education, how to take notes, strategies for developing new ideas over time, secrets of creative partnerships, and what it means to do creative work. This conversation begins with a discussion of my online writing course, Write of Passage. I hope you enjoy this conversation.

My guest today is software engineer, designer, and researcher <a href="https://andymatuschak.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Andy Matuschak</a>. He’s focused on Tools for Thought — which is a fancy way of saying that he works on technologies that expand what people can think and do. Before working as a researcher, he helped build iOS at Apple, focusing on foundations like multitouch, animation, and inter-app coordination. Then, he worked at Khan Academy where he led and co-founded the Research &amp; Development group. In this conversation, we talk about the structure of online education, how to take notes, strategies for developing new ideas over time, secrets of creative partnerships, and what it means to do creative work. This conversation begins with a discussion of my online writing course, <a href="https://writeofpassage.school/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Write of Passage</a>. I hope you enjoy this conversation.

Andy Matuschak: Designing Education

Shane Parrish

LISTEN HERE:  ITUNES | OVERCAST | PLAYERFM Shane Parrish is a partner at Syrus Partners and the mind behind one of my favorite blogs, Farnam Street. The blog is devoted to helping you develop an understanding of how the world really works, make better decisions, and live a better life. Shane writes about mental models, decision making, learning, reading, and the art of living. He draws from both the sciences and the humanities, expanding the intellectual horizons of his readers, helping them connect ideas, think in multidisciplinary ways, and cultivate meaning in their lives.  I first discovered the blog in college and credit Shane for so much of my intellectual curiosity. He writes a weekly newsletter called Brain Food that covers all that he’s learned in the week beforehand. To help you cut through the noise, he includes his favorite books and articles with a high signal-to-noise ratio. He also hosts a podcast called The Knowledge Project. I recommend this episode with  Rory Sutherland.  In this episode, Shane reveals counterintuitive secrets to learning history through the lens of his recent trip to France. We also dissected one of my favorite mental models — why the map is not the territory. It’s a fascinating one that changed the way I see the world. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.  Links:   Farnam Street Syrus Partners The Knowledge Project The Map is Not the Territory  Connect with Shane:   Twitter Farnam Street  Connect with David:   Twitter Website 

LISTEN HERE: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/shane-parrish-brain-food/id1170914572?i=1000391666062&amp;mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> ITUNES</a> | <a href="https://overcast.fm/+Hgwt5ocCE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OVERCAST</a> | <a href="https://player.fm/series/1299902/185911646" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PLAYERFM</a> Shane Parrish is a partner at <a href="https://syruspartners.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Syrus Partners</a> and the mind behind one of my favorite blogs, <a href="https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Farnam Street</a>. The blog is devoted to helping you develop an understanding of how the world really works, make better decisions, and live a better life. Shane writes about mental models, decision making, learning, reading, and the art of living. He draws from both the sciences and the humanities, expanding the intellectual horizons of his readers, helping them connect ideas, think in multidisciplinary ways, and cultivate meaning in their lives.  I first discovered the blog in college and credit Shane for so much of my intellectual curiosity. He writes a weekly newsletter called <a href="https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/newsletter/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brain Food</a> that covers all that he’s learned in the week beforehand. To help you cut through the noise, he includes his favorite books and articles with a high signal-to-noise ratio. He also hosts a podcast called <a href="https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/the-knowledge-project/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Knowledge Project</a>. I recommend this episode with <a href="https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2017/06/rory-sutherland-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Rory Sutherland</a>.  In this episode, Shane reveals counterintuitive secrets to learning history through the lens of his recent trip to France. We also dissected one of my favorite mental models — why the <a href="https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2015/11/map-and-territory" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">map is not the territory</a>. It’s a fascinating one that changed the way I see the world. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.  Links:  <ul> <li><a href="https://www.farnamstreetblog.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Farnam Street</a></li> <li><a href="https://syruspartners.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Syrus Partners</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/the-knowledge-project/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Knowledge Project</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2015/11/map-and-territory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Map is Not the Territory</a></li> </ul> Connect with Shane:  <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/farnamstreet" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/about/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Farnam Street</a></li> </ul> Connect with David:  <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/david_perell" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.perell.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a></li> </ul>

Shane Parrish: Brain Food

James Clear

Listen Here: iTunes | Overcast My guest today is James Clear, a writer focused on how we can create better habits, make better decisions, and live better lives. He recently published a new book called Atomic Habits and after reading it, I just had to interview him. In this episode, we explore the nooks and crannies of habit formation. We discuss habits through a series of conversations about James’ favorite activities: baseball, travel, weightlifting, marketing, and writing. A former ESPN academic All-American college baseball player, James has an uncanny knack for taking important ideas and making them simple and easy to implement. There’s so much actionable wisdom in this episode, so find a pen, grab a piece of paper, and press play. I hope you enjoy this episode. SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST. ﻿ Links James Clear’s Website James Clear’s Twitter Atomic Habits by James Clear Show Topics 1:45 David shares his thoughts on “The Power Broker” and what makes it such an informative and impressive book. 5:50 James describes his reading habits and reading structure; specifically diving into where and what mediums he finds to be the most information rich and accessible.  9:20 – James discusses the dilemma of prioritizing “classic” books that have stood the test of time, compared to the new ideas that are innovative and have built on previous knowledge; but have not yet been tested by time. 10:35- David and James begin to delve into habits, specifically in regards to fitness and the personal responsibility that’s required. 13:45 – Sports habits; how the lessons of sports ,when applied well, can have major impacts on our habits and success in life.  18:00 - David and James continue to examine various sports and the habits and lessons they have learned from them.  27:59 - All behaviors produce multiple outcomes across time.” – James goes in depth explaining this fascinating insight about the broad influence our actions can have on our immediate and distant futures.     34:30 David descries how he structures some of the rules he has set for himself in order to make a positive effect on his goals. 35:30 – James expands on how David’s habits and structure help develop freedom and spontaneity. 38:50 – Examples from Lebron James and Brett Favre serve as case studies that explore some of the incredible feats of awareness and “one step ahead” kind of thinking that result from years of habit development. 41:44  - James shares his thoughts on compounding habits and the potential long-term gratification.  44:55 - The importance of starting small when it comes to habit forming, rather than becoming fed up with failure when overreaching.  45:55 – David questions James on  “How do habits effect or influence ones identity.” 50:53 – Tips and advice on building habits by starting small and working your way up. 53:46 – “A habit must be established before it can be improved.” James explains the importance of establishing a habit and building on it.   56:15 – How our environment and surrounding influence us and open up new opportunities.  1:00:30 – James shares his thoughts and advice on keeping up habits when on the road or traveling.  1:04:00 – James shares how his love for photography was kindled and developed. 1:07:10 – David and James continue to discuss the art and unique interpretations of photography 1:11:45 – James shares some of his writing habits and strategies used as he built up his website and articles.   1:22:10 – James goes down the rabbit hole with a question that has been on his mind: “Does conscious arise from language”  Mentions 1:45 – The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro 8:30 - The Lessons of History 9:18 - Origin of Species by Charles Darwin 21:20 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitszkin 38:07 - Cleaning the Glass﻿ Hey again, it’s David here one more time.  If you love to learn, you can sign up for my weekly newsletter, the Monday Musings, where I share the coolest things I learn every week, along with links to new articles and podcasts.

Listen Here: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/north-star-podcast/id1170914572?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="https://overcast.fm/itunes1170914572/north-star-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Overcast</a> My guest today is James Clear, a writer focused on how we can create better habits, make better decisions, and live better lives. He recently published a new book called Atomic Habits and after reading it, I just had to interview him. In this episode, we explore the nooks and crannies of habit formation. We discuss habits through a series of conversations about James’ favorite activities: baseball, travel, weightlifting, marketing, and writing. A former ESPN academic All-American college baseball player, James has an uncanny knack for taking important ideas and making them simple and easy to implement. There’s so much actionable wisdom in this episode, so find a pen, grab a piece of paper, and press play. I hope you enjoy this episode. <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a> ﻿ Links <a href="https://jamesclear.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">James Clear’s Website</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/@JamesClear" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">James Clear’s Twitter</a> <a href="https://amzn.to/2JHsFGL" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Atomic Habits by James Clear</a> Show Topics 1:45 David shares his thoughts on “The Power Broker” and what makes it such an informative and impressive book. 5:50 James describes his reading habits and reading structure; specifically diving into where and what mediums he finds to be the most information rich and accessible.  9:20 – James discusses the dilemma of prioritizing “classic” books that have stood the test of time, compared to the new ideas that are innovative and have built on previous knowledge; but have not yet been tested by time. 10:35- David and James begin to delve into habits, specifically in regards to fitness and the personal responsibility that’s required. 13:45 – Sports habits; how the lessons of sports ,when applied well, can have major impacts on our habits and success in life.  18:00 - David and James continue to examine various sports and the habits and lessons they have learned from them.  27:59 - All behaviors produce multiple outcomes across time.” – James goes in depth explaining this fascinating insight about the broad influence our actions can have on our immediate and distant futures.     34:30 David descries how he structures some of the rules he has set for himself in order to make a positive effect on his goals. 35:30 – James expands on how David’s habits and structure help develop freedom and spontaneity. 38:50 – Examples from Lebron James and Brett Favre serve as case studies that explore some of the incredible feats of awareness and “one step ahead” kind of thinking that result from years of habit development. 41:44  - James shares his thoughts on compounding habits and the potential long-term gratification.  44:55 - The importance of starting small when it comes to habit forming, rather than becoming fed up with failure when overreaching.  45:55 – David questions James on  “How do habits effect or influence ones identity.” 50:53 – Tips and advice on building habits by starting small and working your way up. 53:46 – “A habit must be established before it can be improved.” James explains the importance of establishing a habit and building on it.   56:15 – How our environment and surrounding influence us and open up new opportunities.  1:00:30 – James shares his thoughts and advice on keeping up habits when on the road or traveling.  1:04:00 – James shares how his love for photography was kindled and developed. 1:07:10 – David and James continue to discuss the art and unique interpretations of photography 1:11:45 – James shares some of his writing habits and strategies used as he built up his website and articles.   1:22:10 – James goes down the rabbit hole with a question that has been on his mind: “Does conscious arise from language”  Mentions 1:45 – <a href="https://amzn.to/2qvabR2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro</a> 8:30 - <a href="https://amzn.to/2PM00Ww" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Lessons of History</a> 9:18 - <a href="https://amzn.to/2QhoYKk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Origin of Species by Charles Darwin</a> 21:20 - <a href="https://amzn.to/2JJN1PG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Art of Learning by Josh Waitszkin</a> 38:07 - <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cleaning the Glass</a>﻿ Hey again, it’s David here one more time.  If you love to learn, you can <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sign up for my weekly newsletter</a>, the Monday Musings, where I share the coolest things I learn every week, along with links to new articles and podcasts.

James Clear: Building Better Habits

Alex Danco

SHOW NOTES LINKS: Find Alex online:   Twitter   Social Capital: Snippets   People mentioned:   Steve Yegge   Clay Christensen   Travis Kalanick   Dan Doctoroff   Dr. J. Craig Venter   Eric Reis   Chamath Palihapitiya   Other mentions:   Steve's Google Platforms rant   Social Capital   Y Combinator   Andreessen Horowitz   Cloud Kitchens   Sidewalk Labs   100 Resilient Cities   The Organization Man by William Whyte   The Lean Startup   SHOW TOPICS 2:11 Amazon's Organizational Structure 4:09 Steve's Google Platform Rant 12:42 AWS &amp; The Government 22:53 Disruption as rearrangement 30:47 Thesis-driven Discovery Team @ Social Capital 38:52 The role of transportation in shaping cities 45:47 Suburban vs Urban life 53:13 Sidewalk Labs in Toronto 1:00:11 Chief Resilience Officers in Cities 1:03:03 Alex &amp; his interest in Biology 1:11:28 The Organization Man 1:18:58 What has Alex learned from Chamath Palihapitiya 1:22:05 Alex's writing advice 1:25:02 Ways to Think About Water SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.

SHOW NOTES LINKS: Find Alex online: <ul> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/alex_danco?lang=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.socialcapital.com/snippets/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Social Capital: Snippets</a> </li> </ul> People mentioned: <ul> <li> <a href="https://medium.com/@steve.yegge" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Steve Yegge</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/claychristensen?lang=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Clay Christensen</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/travisk?lang=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Travis Kalanick</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/dandoctoroff?lang=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dan Doctoroff</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/jcventer?lang=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. J. Craig Venter</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/ericries?lang=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Eric Reis</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/chamath?lang=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Chamath Palihapitiya</a> </li> </ul> Other mentions: <ul> <li> <a href="https://gist.github.com/chitchcock/1281611" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Steve's Google Platforms rant</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.socialcapital.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Social Capital</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.ycombinator.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Y Combinator</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://a16z.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Andreessen Horowitz</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.cloudkitchens.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Cloud Kitchens</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.sidewalklabs.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Sidewalk Labs</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.100resilientcities.org/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">100 Resilient Cities</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Organization-Man-William-H-Whyte/dp/0812218191" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Organization Man</a> by William Whyte </li> <li> <a href="http://theleanstartup.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Lean Startup</a> </li> </ul> SHOW TOPICS 2:11 Amazon's Organizational Structure 4:09 Steve's Google Platform Rant 12:42 AWS &amp; The Government 22:53 Disruption as rearrangement 30:47 Thesis-driven Discovery Team @ Social Capital 38:52 The role of transportation in shaping cities 45:47 Suburban vs Urban life 53:13 Sidewalk Labs in Toronto 1:00:11 Chief Resilience Officers in Cities 1:03:03 Alex &amp; his interest in Biology 1:11:28 The Organization Man 1:18:58 What has Alex learned from Chamath Palihapitiya 1:22:05 Alex's writing advice 1:25:02 Ways to Think About Water <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a>

Alex Danco: Amazon, Cities, and Disruption

Ryan Holiday

My guest today is Ryan Holiday. He’s a writer, media strategist, and the author of ten books. He dropped out of college at 19 years old to apprentice under Ryan Greene, author of Mastery and The 48 Laws of Power. He worked at American Apparel and founded an agency called Brass Check. We begin this episode talking about two stories from Ryan’s book, Stillness is the Key. One is about Michael Jordan and the other is about Winston Churchill. Then we transition into new topics. We talk about the philosophy of stoicism, the benefits and drawbacks of anger, and what Ryan has learned from Peter Thiel. Please enjoy my conversation with Ryan Holiday. -- --               1:32 Winston Churchill – the busiest man in the 20th century: saw the last British Calvary charge, writes 10 million words, holds office for 65 years, elected Prime Minister twice, painted 500 paintings etc.  7:06 Can a change of location effect your relationship to time?   12:37 Writing as zero-to-one and the importance of getting something down in order to gain momentum.  17:02 Michael Jordan’s Hall-of-Fame Speech where we learned how importance anger as fuel and making a career of hanging onto slights was to him. Could Michael Jordan have been Michael Jordan without these characteristics?  20:30 How widespread is anger as fuel to success? Is it the best method and how much correlation is there to someone’s success?  27:20 Anger as a “purity” in our current political landscape.  29:08 Taking a look at the history of change and how the News may not be the best way to stay informed. Is the current understanding of “being informed” is a vice rather than a virtue?   36:20 To be “informed” need to have basis of understanding before interacting with News sources in order to contextualize and not come at news with hubris. Problem of the twitter approach to news: a profession, reporting, that was once about thoughtfulness, nuance, and the long-form has been boiled down to 280 characters.   41:19 Stillness is the Key as part of a trilogy involving Ego is the Key and The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph. This trilogy was what Ryan had always intended to write but had to go through his other books to get where he is now.  46:35 Truly integrating stoicism into his everyday life.   53:18 Peter Thiel’s brain is in a perpetual Mexican standoff where two competing ideas are constantly in opposition. Thiel seems to have a great ability to frame subjects correctly. Eric Weinstein's idea that Thiel is the world's wealthiest applied philosopher.  58:00 Extending Thiel’s First Principles Movement by simply reading different things than what everyone else is reading, gathering different materials.  1:00:02 Is there a danger where reading history becomes the same thing as watching the news? Ryan’s interest in reading personalized experiences of history wherein you can learn through other people’s unique experiences, and more importantly, mistakes.   1:02:25 Ryan’s writing success is owed to him taking the words of smarter people them him, re-arraigning them and repackaging them into a unique system. Does writing always have to be original?    1:05:19 What is it about daily things that is so important to Ryan?   1:10:42 The idea of looking at data that shows what artists believe is their best work and what others believe to be their best work.   1:16:11 How do you know when something is interesting?    1:20:32 How is Ryan such a prolific writer?

My guest today is Ryan Holiday. He’s a writer, media strategist, and the author of ten books. He dropped out of college at 19 years old to apprentice under Ryan Greene, author of Mastery and The 48 Laws of Power. He worked at American Apparel and founded an agency called Brass Check. We begin this episode talking about two stories from Ryan’s book, Stillness is the Key. One is about Michael Jordan and the other is about Winston Churchill. Then we transition into new topics. We talk about the philosophy of stoicism, the benefits and drawbacks of anger, and what Ryan has learned from <a href="https://www.perell.com/blog/peter-thiel" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peter Thiel</a>. Please enjoy my conversation with Ryan Holiday. -- --  1:32 Winston Churchill – the busiest man in the 20th century: saw the last British Calvary charge, writes 10 million words, holds office for 65 years, elected Prime Minister twice, painted 500 paintings etc. 7:06 Can a change of location effect your relationship to time?   12:37 Writing as zero-to-one and the importance of getting something down in order to gain momentum. 17:02 Michael Jordan’s Hall-of-Fame Speech where we learned how importance anger as fuel and making a career of hanging onto slights was to him. Could Michael Jordan have been Michael Jordan without these characteristics? 20:30 How widespread is anger as fuel to success? Is it the best method and how much correlation is there to someone’s success? 27:20 Anger as a “purity” in our current political landscape. 29:08 Taking a look at the history of change and how the News may not be the best way to stay informed. Is the current understanding of “being informed” is a vice rather than a virtue?   36:20 To be “informed” need to have basis of understanding before interacting with News sources in order to contextualize and not come at news with hubris. Problem of the twitter approach to news: a profession, reporting, that was once about thoughtfulness, nuance, and the long-form has been boiled down to 280 characters.   41:19 <a href="https://amzn.to/2Pi9t72" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stillness is the Key</a> as part of a trilogy involving <a href="https://amzn.to/2p9myF2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ego is the Key</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/2Pkgswj" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph</a>. This trilogy was what Ryan had always intended to write but had to go through his other books to get where he is now. 46:35 Truly integrating stoicism into his everyday life.   53:18 <a href="https://www.perell.com/blog/peter-thiel" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peter Thiel’s</a> brain is in a perpetual Mexican standoff where two competing ideas are constantly in opposition. Thiel seems to have a great ability to frame subjects correctly. Eric Weinstein's idea that Thiel is the world's wealthiest applied philosopher. 58:00 Extending Thiel’s First Principles Movement by simply reading different things than what everyone else is reading, gathering different materials. 1:00:02 Is there a danger where reading history becomes the same thing as watching the news? Ryan’s interest in reading personalized experiences of history wherein you can learn through other people’s unique experiences, and more importantly, mistakes.   1:02:25 Ryan’s writing success is owed to him taking the words of smarter people them him, re-arraigning them and repackaging them into a unique system. Does writing always have to be original?    1:05:19 What is it about daily things that is so important to Ryan?   1:10:42 The idea of looking at data that shows what artists believe is their best work and what others believe to be their best work.   1:16:11 How do you know when something is interesting?    1:20:32 How is Ryan such a prolific writer?

Ryan Holiday: Timeless Lessons From History

My guest today is Tiago Forte, who runs an online course called Building a Second Brain.   This episode is different than most of my podcasts. It’s less of an interview and more of a conversation.   Tiago and I have collaborated closely for the past year. In February, we worked together to film and produce my online writing course called Write of Passage. And throughout the year, we’ve teamed up to improve every aspect of the student experience.   We recorded this episode from Arizona where we were hosting our Creative Process Workshop, which offers a radical new approach to writing in the Information Age, just like Write of Passage.    In this conversation, we reflect on the time we’ve spent working together, explore the key trends in online education, and talk about what we’ve learned by teaching more than 1,000 students combined.   Please enjoy my conversation with Tiago Forte.     -- --    2:15 – the shifting bottleneck of online education   10:53 – discovering how much our own identities/how we perceive ourselves impact our actions   13:30 – changing identity on scale through online schooling   25:04 – the audio revolution and returning to Marshall McLuhan   28:20 – origin story of Write of Passage   35:23 – how feedback loops exponentially increases your output   41:50 – it’s easier than ever to create, so what has gotten harder   48:20 – the evolution of note taking   54:38 – C.R.I.B.S.   58:55 – to create takes courage OR the internet just magnifies humanity   1:04:49 – if you can easily describe what you are doing it’s probably not ambitious enough   1:13:05 – everything is “figureoutable”   1:19:20 – reaching quality through quantity   1:28:19 – Michigan and Ford factory visit   1:35:41 – the power of a weakness   1:41:40 – you cannot change your own identity without growth   1:44:52 – importance of constraints   1:50:40 – what’s the experience of playing with constraints and an example of an outcome?   1:56:32 – writing as thinking and re-writing as re-thinking   2:00:52 – “freedom to make a bad painting”   2:04:32 – the paradox of specificity: the more specific what you are known for is, the more opportunities you’ll attract

My guest today is Tiago Forte, who runs an online course called Building a Second Brain.   This episode is different than most of my podcasts. It’s less of an interview and more of a conversation.   Tiago and I have collaborated closely for the past year. In February, we worked together to film and produce my online writing course called <a href="https://www.writeofpassage.school" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Write of Passage.</a> And throughout the year, we’ve teamed up to improve every aspect of the student experience.   We recorded this episode from Arizona where we were hosting our Creative Process Workshop, which offers a radical new approach to writing in the Information Age, just like Write of Passage.    In this conversation, we reflect on the time we’ve spent working together, explore the key trends in online education, and talk about what we’ve learned by teaching more than 1,000 students combined.   Please enjoy my conversation with Tiago Forte.     -- --    2:15 – the shifting bottleneck of online education   10:53 – discovering how much our own identities/how we perceive ourselves impact our actions   13:30 – changing identity on scale through online schooling   25:04 – the audio revolution and returning to Marshall McLuhan   28:20 – origin story of <a href="https://www.perell.com/write-of-passage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Write of Passage</a>   35:23 – how feedback loops exponentially increases your output   41:50 – it’s easier than ever to create, so what has gotten harder   48:20 – the evolution of note taking   54:38 – C.R.I.B.S.   58:55 – to create takes courage OR the internet just magnifies humanity   1:04:49 – if you can easily describe what you are doing it’s probably not ambitious enough   1:13:05 – everything is “figureoutable”   1:19:20 – reaching quality through quantity   1:28:19 – Michigan and Ford factory visit   1:35:41 – the power of a weakness   1:41:40 – you cannot change your own identity without growth   1:44:52 – importance of constraints   1:50:40 – what’s the experience of playing with constraints and an example of an outcome?   1:56:32 – writing as thinking and re-writing as re-thinking   2:00:52 – “freedom to make a bad painting”   2:04:32 – the paradox of specificity: the more specific what you are known for is, the more opportunities you’ll attract

Tiago Forte: The Future of Education

Tren Griffin

My guest today is Tren Griffin, a Senior Director at Microsoft and the man behind an excellent blog called 25IQ. Tren is one of the most prolific writers I know. He’s written books about negotiation, entrepreneurship, and Charlie Munger. He published an article every week for almost six years, and because of all that hard work, he’s now posted more than 1.3 million words online. We start the conversation by talking about his writing process. Then, we talk about distribution in the cellular business, Software-as-a-Service business models, and lessons from his legendary entrepreneur Craig McCaw. After an afternoon with Tren, I feel like he gets more excited about ideas than anybody I’ve ever met. Tren loves life, loves people, and in this conversation, you’ll see just how much he loves ideas.    SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST. LINKS: Find Tren online:   Twitter   25iq   Other links:   Bill Gurley    Benchmark Capital   Craig McCaw   Santa Fe Institute   Patrick Collison   Richard Zeckhauser   Charlie Munger   Ed Thorpe   Lil Wayne   Nassim Taleb   John Malone   SHOW NOTES 1:46 How did Tren get started with writing, why he is so disciplined about the writing process, and   9:44 What Tren told data scientists during his talk on complex adaptive systems, how to calibrate yourself to business cycles, and trusting the process 21:21 Acquiring judgment through seeing smart people make decisions and what Tren learned from Craig McCaw 33:25 The genesis of the software in the box business model, what the future of the book is going to look like, and the importance of curated marketplaces 41:02 The influence of the Santa Fe Institute, why distribution is so hard, and the key elements of defensibility of companies 54:03 Patrick Collison on raising the intellectual bar at Stripe, what Tren has learned from Richard Zeckhauser, and the importance of first party stories 1:05:02 Demand side economies of sale and what Tren has learn from Charlie Munger, Ed Thorpe, and Lil Wayne 1:17:48 How Tren got into hip hop, Nassim Taleb, and John Malone 1:29:53 What Tren has learned from Bill Gurley

My guest today is <a href="https://twitter.com/trengriffin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tren Griffin</a>, a Senior Director at Microsoft and the man behind an excellent blog called <a href="https://25iq.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">25IQ</a>. Tren is one of the most prolific writers I know. He’s written books about negotiation, entrepreneurship, and Charlie Munger. He published an article every week for almost six years, and because of all that hard work, he’s now posted more than 1.3 million words online. We start the conversation by talking about his writing process. Then, we talk about distribution in the cellular business, Software-as-a-Service business models, and lessons from his legendary entrepreneur Craig McCaw. After an afternoon with Tren, I feel like he gets more excited about ideas than anybody I’ve ever met. Tren loves life, loves people, and in this conversation, you’ll see just how much he loves ideas.   <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a> LINKS: Find Tren online: <ul> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/trengriffin" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://25iq.com" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">25iq</a> </li> </ul> Other links: <ul> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/bgurley" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Bill Gurley</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.benchmark.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Benchmark Capital</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_McCaw" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Craig McCaw</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.santafe.edu/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Santa Fe Institute</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/patrickc?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patrick Collison</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty/richard-zeckhauser" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Richard Zeckhauser</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Munger" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Charlie Munger</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.edwardothorp.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Ed Thorpe</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lil_Wayne" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Lil Wayne</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/nntaleb?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Nassim Taleb</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Malone" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">John Malone</a> </li> </ul> SHOW NOTES 1:46 How did Tren get started with writing, why he is so disciplined about the writing process, and   9:44 What Tren told data scientists during his talk on complex adaptive systems, how to calibrate yourself to business cycles, and trusting the process 21:21 Acquiring judgment through seeing smart people make decisions and what Tren learned from Craig McCaw 33:25 The genesis of the software in the box business model, what the future of the book is going to look like, and the importance of curated marketplaces 41:02 The influence of the Santa Fe Institute, why distribution is so hard, and the key elements of defensibility of companies 54:03 Patrick Collison on raising the intellectual bar at Stripe, what Tren has learned from Richard Zeckhauser, and the importance of first party stories 1:05:02 Demand side economies of sale and what Tren has learn from Charlie Munger, Ed Thorpe, and Lil Wayne 1:17:48 How Tren got into hip hop, Nassim Taleb, and John Malone 1:29:53 What Tren has learned from Bill Gurley

Tren Griffin: The Love of Learning

Jason Zweig

My guest today is Jason Zweig, a personal finance columnist for The Wall Street Journal. He's also the author of the revised edition of Benjamin Graham's The Intelligent Investor, which Warren Buffett has described as "by far the best book about investing ever written." We begin the episode by discussing the evening Jason spent with Charlie Munger at his home in Southern California. Then we talked about Jason's collaboration with Daniel Kahneman, the Nobel Prize winning behavioral economist. We discuss Jason's time growing up on a small farm in upstate New York, and why Jason's Wall Street Journal columns are intended to save investors from themselves. Then we had a conversation talking about the power of small details and communication, and why writing demands fresh language. And nearly every single part of this conversation applies to my online writing course called Write of Passage, where I teach students to launch a personal website, build their writing habits, and attract an online audience. SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST. SHOW TOPICS LINKS: Find Jason online:   Twitter   Website   WSJ’s The Intelligent Investor   Other mentions:   Charlie Munger, Unplugged by Jason Zweig (Paywall)   The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham   Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman   Look Homeward Angel by Thomas Wolf   The Years of LBJ by Robert Caro   SHOW NOTES 1:38 What Jason learned from his six-hour long conversation with Charlie Munger, delivering the same information in different and entertaining ways, why you should bet on regression to the mean instead of being procyclical when it comes investing. 8:00 What are the similarities between Charlie Munger and Daniel Kahneman, why you have to be ready to kill your darlings when it comes to writing, and what does Jason’s information diet looks like. 24:10 How Jason thinks about the idea of “saving investors from themselves”, the role of entertainment in Jason’s writings, why clichés are a symptom of lazy thinking, and inflection points in Jason’s career 42:10 How growing up in rural New York fueled Jason’s intellectual curiosity, how Jason would approach building a writing career if he was just starting out, and why you should treat words like 45 pound dumbbells. 55:44 Pivotal moments that influenced Jason’s writing process, the importance of being able to take criticism well, and how Jason uses collective intelligence to improve his thinking 1:08:17 The dangers of learning too narrow a lesson, how Jason was as a young college student, and why overconfidence might a positive influence for young writers SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.

My guest today is <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonzweigwsj" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Jason Zweig</a>, a personal finance columnist for The Wall Street Journal. He's also the author of the revised edition of Benjamin Graham's The Intelligent Investor, which Warren Buffett has described as "by far the best book about investing ever written." We begin the episode by discussing the evening Jason spent with Charlie Munger at his home in Southern California. Then we talked about Jason's collaboration with Daniel Kahneman, the Nobel Prize winning behavioral economist. We discuss Jason's time growing up on a small farm in upstate New York, and why Jason's Wall Street Journal columns are intended to save investors from themselves. Then we had a conversation talking about the power of small details and communication, and why writing demands fresh language. And nearly every single part of this conversation applies to my online writing course called <a href="https://writeofpassage.school" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Write of Passage</a>, where I teach students to launch a personal website, build their writing habits, and attract an online audience. <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a> SHOW TOPICS LINKS: Find Jason online: <ul> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonzweigwsj" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://jasonzweig.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/news/author/jason-zweig" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">WSJ’s The Intelligent Investor</a> </li> </ul> Other mentions: <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/charlie-munger-unplugged-11556935195" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Charlie Munger, Unplugged</a> by Jason Zweig (Paywall) </li> <li> The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham </li> <li> Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman </li> <li> Look Homeward Angel by Thomas Wolf </li> <li> The Years of LBJ by Robert Caro </li> </ul> SHOW NOTES 1:38 What Jason learned from his six-hour long conversation with Charlie Munger, delivering the same information in different and entertaining ways, why you should bet on regression to the mean instead of being procyclical when it comes investing. 8:00 What are the similarities between Charlie Munger and Daniel Kahneman, why you have to be ready to kill your darlings when it comes to writing, and what does Jason’s information diet looks like. 24:10 How Jason thinks about the idea of “saving investors from themselves”, the role of entertainment in Jason’s writings, why clichés are a symptom of lazy thinking, and inflection points in Jason’s career 42:10 How growing up in rural New York fueled Jason’s intellectual curiosity, how Jason would approach building a writing career if he was just starting out, and why you should treat words like 45 pound dumbbells. 55:44 Pivotal moments that influenced Jason’s writing process, the importance of being able to take criticism well, and how Jason uses collective intelligence to improve his thinking 1:08:17 The dangers of learning too narrow a lesson, how Jason was as a young college student, and why overconfidence might a positive influence for young writers <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a>

Jason Zweig: Saving Investors from themselves

Nick Kokonas

My guest today is Nick Kokonas, the Co-founder of The Alinea Group of restaurants. His restaurant Alinea has been named the best restaurant in America and also the best restaurant in the World. Nick is also the Co-founder and CEO of Tock incorporated, a reservations and CRM system for restaurants with clients in more than 20 countries. In this episode, we dive deep into the restaurant industry. Nick and I begin by discussing how he applies behavioral economics to his bars and restaurants. Then we talk about the design of Next bar, the Aviary, and how he's thinking about the upcoming redesign. We explore many aspects of the restaurant industry. From menu design, to branding, to reservations, to designing experiences. We talked about why golf is the greatest sport in the world, how to increase throughput at a bar or restaurant, and the virtues of dynamic pricing. We also compare and contrast high end restaurants around the world from New York to Argentina. SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST. Show Notes LINKS: Find Nick online:   Twitter   Tock   The Alinea Group   People mentioned:   Grant Achatz   Richard Thaler   Steve Stallard   Bryson deChambeau   Other mentions:   Misbehaving by Richard Thaler   Tegui   Contra   Publican   Moto   Cypress Point   Crosby Street Hotel   SHOW TOPICS 1:49 How Nick came to meet Noble Prize winning Economist Richard Thaler, how he applies behavioral economics to the restaurant business, and how small behavioral cues can lead to big changes in results 7:05 Why does Nick care about metrics like revenue per minute per seat instead of average check size, the importance of throughout, and the new Flex AI tool offered by Tock 11:22 Why has the restaurant industry not adopted dynamic pricing? 14:34 Is fine-dining around the world becoming all the same due to Instagram? How has shifts in information created a new kind of chef who mixes art and science at a very early age? 21:44 How does Nick look at food costs and why are truffles so expensive? 25:50 How does the Alinea group manage the trade-off between hospitality and efficiency, and the thought-process behind the new re-design. 31:06 How Chicago’s West Loop become such a hotspot for good restaurants, parallels with New York’s Meatpacking district of Chelsea, and the importance of real estate in the restaurant business 35:31 Importance of giving false choices in parenting and in restaurants 39:02 The origin story of Tock and how it delivers a superior experience for restaurants and customers 51:10 Why Nick becomes every business plan with the experience of going to the place, what’s wrong with most business plans for restaurants, and behind-the-scenes drama at high-end restaurants 58:17 Why are Half Mezcal Margaritas Nick’s favorite drink? 1:00:30 Why Nick enjoys playing golf, David’s story about sneaking into Cypress Point, and how Bryson deChambeau is changing golf 1:07:30 What does Nick think about effective business writing, the importance of editing, being ok with saying “I don’t know” and Trump’s ability to distill ideas into simple rhetoric. 1:13:00 Why did Nick called everyone into work on Chicago’s Polar Vortex day and willingness to do things that others don’t. 1:17:30 How is Nick prepping for the macro environment slowdown given that restaurants are one of the least recession proof industry? 1:18:57 Why people don’t like to make decisions, and why Nick will never work with anyone who can’t make decisions – even if they are the wrong ones. 1:20:36 Nick’s requirements for hospital hotel and why he likes the Crosby Street Hotel in NYC. 1:23:49 How Nick and Grant studied the dew point of water to avoid condensation at the tables in Alinea. SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.

My guest today is <a href="https://twitter.com/nickkokonas" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Nick Kokonas</a>, the Co-founder of <a href="https://www.thealineagroup.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Alinea Group</a> of restaurants. His restaurant Alinea has been named the best restaurant in America and also the best restaurant in the World. Nick is also the Co-founder and CEO of Tock incorporated, a reservations and CRM system for restaurants with clients in more than 20 countries. In this episode, we dive deep into the restaurant industry. Nick and I begin by discussing how he applies behavioral economics to his bars and restaurants. Then we talk about the design of Next bar, the Aviary, and how he's thinking about the upcoming redesign. We explore many aspects of the restaurant industry. From menu design, to branding, to reservations, to designing experiences. We talked about why golf is the greatest sport in the world, how to increase throughput at a bar or restaurant, and the virtues of dynamic pricing. We also compare and contrast high end restaurants around the world from New York to Argentina. <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a> Show Notes LINKS: Find Nick online: <ul> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/nickkokonas" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.exploretock.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Tock</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.thealineagroup.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Alinea Group</a> </li> </ul> People mentioned: <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/grant_achatz/?hl=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Grant Achatz</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/r_thaler?lang=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Richard Thaler</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://blisgourmet.com/pages/about-us" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Steve Stallard</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.pgatour.com/players/player.47959.bryson-dechambeau.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Bryson deChambeau</a> </li> </ul> Other mentions: <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Misbehaving-Behavioral-Economics-Richard-Thaler-ebook/dp/B00NUB4GFQ" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Misbehaving</a> by Richard Thaler </li> <li> <a href="http://www.tegui.com.ar/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Tegui</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.contranyc.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Contra</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.thepublicanrestaurant.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Publican</a> </li> <li> Moto </li> <li> <a href="http://www.montereypeninsulagolf.com/Cypress-Point-Club" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Cypress Point</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.firmdalehotels.com/hotels/new-york/crosby-street-hotel/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Crosby Street Hotel</a> </li> </ul> SHOW TOPICS 1:49 How Nick came to meet Noble Prize winning Economist Richard Thaler, how he applies behavioral economics to the restaurant business, and how small behavioral cues can lead to big changes in results 7:05 Why does Nick care about metrics like revenue per minute per seat instead of average check size, the importance of throughout, and the new Flex AI tool offered by Tock 11:22 Why has the restaurant industry not adopted dynamic pricing? 14:34 Is fine-dining around the world becoming all the same due to Instagram? How has shifts in information created a new kind of chef who mixes art and science at a very early age? 21:44 How does Nick look at food costs and why are truffles so expensive? 25:50 How does the Alinea group manage the trade-off between hospitality and efficiency, and the thought-process behind the new re-design. 31:06 How Chicago’s West Loop become such a hotspot for good restaurants, parallels with New York’s Meatpacking district of Chelsea, and the importance of real estate in the restaurant business 35:31 Importance of giving false choices in parenting and in restaurants 39:02 The origin story of Tock and how it delivers a superior experience for restaurants and customers 51:10 Why Nick becomes every business plan with the experience of going to the place, what’s wrong with most business plans for restaurants, and behind-the-scenes drama at high-end restaurants 58:17 Why are Half Mezcal Margaritas Nick’s favorite drink? 1:00:30 Why Nick enjoys playing golf, David’s story about sneaking into Cypress Point, and how Bryson deChambeau is changing golf 1:07:30 What does Nick think about effective business writing, the importance of editing, being ok with saying “I don’t know” and Trump’s ability to distill ideas into simple rhetoric. 1:13:00 Why did Nick called everyone into work on Chicago’s Polar Vortex day and willingness to do things that others don’t. 1:17:30 How is Nick prepping for the macro environment slowdown given that restaurants are one of the least recession proof industry? 1:18:57 Why people don’t like to make decisions, and why Nick will never work with anyone who can’t make decisions – even if they are the wrong ones. 1:20:36 Nick’s requirements for hospital hotel and why he likes the Crosby Street Hotel in NYC. 1:23:49 How Nick and Grant studied the dew point of water to avoid condensation at the tables in Alinea. <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a>

Nick Kokonas: Tock, Truffles, and Thaler

Erika Nardini

My guest today is Erika Nardini, the CEO of Barstool Sports. Barstool was started by Dave Portnoy in 2004. And Erica first learned about the company when she was living in Boston and she immediately became a fan. Now if you don't know about Barstool Sports, they are one of a kind. They cover sports and pop culture through a uniquely Barstool lens and they produce blogs, videos, and podcasts. They are part-media company, part-subscription service, part e-commerce company, and Barstool is responsible for many of the memes I grew up with. They are all over the place. For example, Barstool has an amateur boxing league with pay per view events called Rough and Rowdy. And some of their other shows include Chicks in the Office, Pardon My Take, Spittin Chiclets, and Schnitt Talk. In this conversation we explore every aspect of Barstool – from personalities like Big Cat, Uncle Chaps and El Presidente. We talked about the future of advertising, how Barstool things about its future, and how memes on social media become e-commerce products. Then we talked about Barstool's hiring philosophy, and how being an internet native impacts ad reads and content strategy. I hope you enjoy this episode. SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST. SHOW TOPICS LINKS: Find Erika online:   Twitter   Barstool Sports   People mentioned:   Dave Portnoy (El Presidente)   Jon Bellion   Ellie Schnitt   Dan Katz   Keith Markovich   Kevin Clancy   Caleb Pressley   Other mentions:   Pizza Reviews by El Presidente   Chicks in the Office   SHOW TOPICS 1:47 How Erika thinks about Barstool as a company and the future of media companies 5:41 The different personalities at Barstool and what Erika thinks makes them unique and authentic, the meaning of “being from the internet”, why Pizza Reviews are a premium format 14:03 Erika’s view of relationships that personalities have with their fans on the Internet, how that’s evolved over time, and all things Jon Bellion 18:09 Why the music industry has had such a tough time getting disrupted from within 20:52 The future of sports, what Erika thinks about sports rights in different leagues, and the idea of company orientation deciding end product experience 29:03 How sponsored content can be used effectively by brands, creative freedom for influencers, and how Erika found Barstool 33:16 David finding out about Barstool memes like “Saturdays are for the boys”, how that turns into an e-commerce product, and the balance between creative freedom and monetization 36:57 How Erika thinks about hiring at Barstool and the Barstool “it” factor 40:06 How is Barstool using data to influence decision-making, how people move through the Barstool brand, how internships turn into jobs for self-starters 47:17 Ecommerce at Barstool, switch from industries to media companies, which sports league would Erika bet for a 10-year time frame? 51:10 How have video games impacted Barstool, golf personalities, people stealing the Barstool way of doing things and why ultimately that doesn’t help them 1:00:10 Why did Erika choose to spend her career in the intersection of content and technology and monetization?

My guest today is <a href="https://twitter.com/EKANardini" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Erika Nardini</a>, the CEO of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/barstoolsports/?hl=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Barstool Sports</a>. Barstool was started by Dave Portnoy in 2004. And Erica first learned about the company when she was living in Boston and she immediately became a fan. Now if you don't know about Barstool Sports, they are one of a kind. They cover sports and pop culture through a uniquely Barstool lens and they produce blogs, videos, and podcasts. They are part-media company, part-subscription service, part e-commerce company, and Barstool is responsible for many of the memes I grew up with. They are all over the place. For example, Barstool has an amateur boxing league with pay per view events called Rough and Rowdy. And some of their other shows include Chicks in the Office, Pardon My Take, Spittin Chiclets, and Schnitt Talk. In this conversation we explore every aspect of Barstool – from personalities like Big Cat, Uncle Chaps and El Presidente. We talked about the future of advertising, how Barstool things about its future, and how memes on social media become e-commerce products. Then we talked about Barstool's hiring philosophy, and how being an internet native impacts ad reads and content strategy. I hope you enjoy this episode. <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a> SHOW TOPICS LINKS: Find Erika online: <ul> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/nickkokonas" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/barstoolsports/?hl=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Barstool Sports</a> </li> </ul> People mentioned: <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stoolpresidente/?hl=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dave Portnoy (El Presidente)</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/jonbellion" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Jon Bellion</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ellie_schnitt/?hl=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Ellie Schnitt</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/BarstoolBigCat" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dan Katz</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/Kmarkobarstool?lang=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Keith Markovich</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kfcbarstool/?hl=en" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Kevin Clancy</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/calebpressleyxo" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Caleb Pressley</a> </li> </ul> Other mentions: <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.barstoolsports.com/shows/pizza-reviews" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Pizza Reviews</a> by El Presidente </li> <li> <a href="https://www.barstoolsports.com/shows/chicks-in-the-office" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Chicks in the Office</a> </li> </ul> SHOW TOPICS 1:47 How Erika thinks about Barstool as a company and the future of media companies 5:41 The different personalities at Barstool and what Erika thinks makes them unique and authentic, the meaning of “being from the internet”, why Pizza Reviews are a premium format 14:03 Erika’s view of relationships that personalities have with their fans on the Internet, how that’s evolved over time, and all things Jon Bellion 18:09 Why the music industry has had such a tough time getting disrupted from within 20:52 The future of sports, what Erika thinks about sports rights in different leagues, and the idea of company orientation deciding end product experience 29:03 How sponsored content can be used effectively by brands, creative freedom for influencers, and how Erika found Barstool 33:16 David finding out about Barstool memes like “Saturdays are for the boys”, how that turns into an e-commerce product, and the balance between creative freedom and monetization 36:57 How Erika thinks about hiring at Barstool and the Barstool “it” factor 40:06 How is Barstool using data to influence decision-making, how people move through the Barstool brand, how internships turn into jobs for self-starters 47:17 Ecommerce at Barstool, switch from industries to media companies, which sports league would Erika bet for a 10-year time frame? 51:10 How have video games impacted Barstool, golf personalities, people stealing the Barstool way of doing things and why ultimately that doesn’t help them 1:00:10 Why did Erika choose to spend her career in the intersection of content and technology and monetization?

Erika Nardini: Authenticity, Media, and Memes

Daniel Gross

Listen Here: iTunes | Overcast Subscribe to my Monday Musings Newsletter to Keep Up with the Podcast My guest today is Daniel Gross, a partner at Y Combinator, the world’s best startup studio. Daniel focuses on artificial intelligence at Y Combinator and recently founded AI Grant, a distributed AI Research Lab.  Daniel was born in Jerusalem, Israel and was accepted into the Y Combinator Program in 2010. At the time, Daniel was the youngest founder ever accepted. In 2013, Cue was acquired by Apple. At 22, Daniel was leading several search and AI efforts across the company spanning iOS, OS X and Apple Watch.  In 2017, Daniel joined Y-Combinator as a Partner. He launched YC AI, Y-Combinator’s first vertical dedicated to investing in AI companies. In 2018, Daniel founded Pioneer. Pioneer is a search engine for the millions of “Lost Einstein’s” — extraordinarily creative people around the world who have the talent, but lack opportunity. Once identified, Pioneer and makes small investments to support whatever project they’re working on. In this episode, Daniel talks about the experience of coming to America and starting a company with Y Combinator. He talks about the power of seeing life like a video game with levels, and fast, continuous feedback. Daniel also shares lessons from John D. Rockefeller on business, decision making, and company building. Finally, Daniel talks about Israel and shares his insights on why the country is so innovative. Purchase the Transcript SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP with THE PODCAST.﻿ Show Notes 5:40- Daniel talks about some of things he became fascinated with early on in life. 8:20 How Daniel took an early interest in coding through video games and reverse engineering. 8:50 The “gamifacation” strategy Daniel uses to set goals and motivate himself. 9:20 “Everything in life is some form of a video game”  Daniel explains how life can be similar to a video game in terms of seeing stages of life as levels, and setting goals and strategies to progress one from level to the next. 11:22 Daniel delves into what motivates people and specifically how our need for approval is not necessarily something to be ashamed of. 14:00 Daniel talks about YC’s earlier years and his first encounter with Steve Jobs. 16:00 Daniel describes his initial vision to create a “personal” search engine capable of sorting through your own personal data. 17:10 Daniel explains a variety of features and functions that AI and his coding have on iOS and OS devices  18:15 How will we interact with artificial intelligence in the future? 21:00 The pitfalls of trying to superimpose the current futuristic thinking rather than expecting the unexpected.  22:56 New tech often seems like a toy or novelty at first, up until it becomes mainstream.   23:27- Daniels offers his perspective on the bottlenecks we have on scientific progress and the current lack of diversity in terms of ideas.  26:00 Entry barriers most start ups have to face and overcome when entering AI development. 27:32 Daniel speaks about Assembly A.I., a start up that YC worked with. 29:30 Daniel explains the benefits of reevaluating a strategy when stuck on a challenging “level.” 34:45 David suggests the first steps to perusing progress is surrounding yourself with great people or ideas. 35:09 Reverse engineering your vision, into a plan. How to set “levels” as goals when playing the game of life.   37:39 How vital of a role our environment plays in our development and pursuit of  of progress. 38:15 Optimizing for a city versus a small group and the importance of one’s surroundings when pursuing a goal or idea. 39:38 Social/professional groups and their validity while shifting to a digital format. How strong are our online relationships when it comes to motivating us? 43:06 What makes Israel so different and innovative? 45:20 Daniel describes the first and second Intifada in Israel and the resulting send of community that was cultivated during the shared suffering.  47:46 “Scarcity creates greatness” How Israel innovates out of necessity rather than experimentally.  51:30 The “harsh” culture of Israel and its contribution to the deterrence of pursuing potentially good or risky ideas.  53:45 How optimism can be both a positive outlook for growth, but can also lead to false or unrealistic expectations   57:00 Daniel on how we can learn from history when looking at it from a cyclical point of view. 1:00.24 – How ‘stupid little ideas” can turn out to be some of the most innovative endeavors when pursued. 1:01.38 “Fitness as a ticket of admission to the world” and how it enables us to better experience more aspects of life. Purchase the Transcript SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.﻿

Listen Here: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/north-star-podcast/id1170914572?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">iTunes</a> | <a href="https://overcast.fm/+Hgwu4wO54" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Overcast</a> <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Subscribe to my Monday Musings Newsletter to Keep Up with the Podcast</a> My guest today is Daniel Gross, a partner at Y Combinator, the world’s best startup studio. Daniel focuses on artificial intelligence at Y Combinator and recently founded AI Grant, a distributed AI Research Lab.  Daniel was born in Jerusalem, Israel and was accepted into the Y Combinator Program in 2010. At the time, Daniel was the youngest founder ever accepted. In 2013, Cue was acquired by Apple. At 22, Daniel was leading several search and AI efforts across the company spanning iOS, OS X and Apple Watch.  In 2017, Daniel joined Y-Combinator as a Partner. He launched <a href="https://ycombinator.com/ai" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YC AI</a>, Y-Combinator’s first vertical dedicated to investing in AI companies. In 2018, Daniel founded <a href="https://pioneer.app" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pioneer</a>. Pioneer is a search engine for the millions of “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/technology/talent-opportunity-gap-pioneer-fund.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lost Einstein’s</a>” — extraordinarily creative people around the world who have the talent, but lack opportunity. Once identified, Pioneer and makes small investments to support whatever project they’re working on. In this episode, Daniel talks about the experience of coming to America and starting a company with Y Combinator. He talks about the power of seeing life like a video game with levels, and fast, continuous feedback. Daniel also shares lessons from John D. Rockefeller on business, decision making, and company building. Finally, Daniel talks about Israel and shares his insights on why the country is so innovative. <a href="https://gum.co/danielgross" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Purchase the Transcript</a> <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP with THE PODCAST.</a>﻿ Show Notes 5:40- Daniel talks about some of things he became fascinated with early on in life. 8:20 How Daniel took an early interest in coding through video games and reverse engineering. 8:50 The “gamifacation” strategy Daniel uses to set goals and motivate himself. 9:20 “Everything in life is some form of a video game”  Daniel explains how life can be similar to a video game in terms of seeing stages of life as levels, and setting goals and strategies to progress one from level to the next. 11:22 Daniel delves into what motivates people and specifically how our need for approval is not necessarily something to be ashamed of. 14:00 Daniel talks about YC’s earlier years and his first encounter with Steve Jobs. 16:00 Daniel describes his initial vision to create a “personal” search engine capable of sorting through your own personal data. 17:10 Daniel explains a variety of features and functions that AI and his coding have on iOS and OS devices  18:15 How will we interact with artificial intelligence in the future? 21:00 The pitfalls of trying to superimpose the current futuristic thinking rather than expecting the unexpected.  22:56 New tech often seems like a toy or novelty at first, up until it becomes mainstream.   23:27- Daniels offers his perspective on the bottlenecks we have on scientific progress and the current lack of diversity in terms of ideas.  26:00 Entry barriers most start ups have to face and overcome when entering AI development. 27:32 Daniel speaks about Assembly A.I., a start up that YC worked with. 29:30 Daniel explains the benefits of reevaluating a strategy when stuck on a challenging “level.” 34:45 David suggests the first steps to perusing progress is surrounding yourself with great people or ideas. 35:09 Reverse engineering your vision, into a plan. How to set “levels” as goals when playing the game of life.   37:39 How vital of a role our environment plays in our development and pursuit of  of progress. 38:15 Optimizing for a city versus a small group and the importance of one’s surroundings when pursuing a goal or idea. 39:38 Social/professional groups and their validity while shifting to a digital format. How strong are our online relationships when it comes to motivating us? 43:06 What makes Israel so different and innovative? 45:20 Daniel describes the first and second Intifada in Israel and the resulting send of community that was cultivated during the shared suffering.  47:46 “Scarcity creates greatness” How Israel innovates out of necessity rather than experimentally.  51:30 The “harsh” culture of Israel and its contribution to the deterrence of pursuing potentially good or risky ideas.  53:45 How optimism can be both a positive outlook for growth, but can also lead to false or unrealistic expectations   57:00 Daniel on how we can learn from history when looking at it from a cyclical point of view. 1:00.24 – How ‘stupid little ideas” can turn out to be some of the most innovative endeavors when pursued. 1:01.38 “Fitness as a ticket of admission to the world” and how it enables us to better experience more aspects of life. <a href="https://gum.co/iiuur?wanted=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Purchase the Transcript</a> <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a>﻿

Daniel Gross: Dreams and Determination

Jeff Morris Jr

My guest today is Jeff Morris Jr., the Director of Revenue at Tinder. We begin this episode talking about the future of education. Jeff recently completed an MBA at UCLA and wrote his thesis on the future of Lambda School, the San Francisco based education startup. We talked about the transition from marketing funnels to marketing loops and how Tinder is growing its average revenue per user. We also explore Hollywood's transition from movies to television, and the letter Jeff received from legendary UCLA college basketball coach John Wooden. We also explore some career strategies for sparking serendipity. I hope you enjoy our conversation. SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST. Where to find Jeff online:  Twitter Website Tinder  Other links:  Ryan Holdaway Lambda School K-factor by Andrew Chen  Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari RigUp Brian Nogard  Show Notes: 1:18 What Jeff learned from working with Lambda school on their Outcomes team, why the incentive structure for traditional colleges is broken, and why Jeff got an MBA despite believing in the future of education looking like Lambda school? 7:43 How Jeff had to scale himself up by becoming a lot more quantitative as the Director of Revenue at Twitter, how marketing at startups has changed from funnels to loops, and the cultural power of the Tinder swipe. 12:54 How average revenue per use has come up at Tinder over the last two years, how to build a successful social product that is low in the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and how Tinder balances perceived coolness and utility. 18:11 The historic geographical limitations of dating, the evergreen trends in dating, and what has Jeff learned about compatibility between people through his time at Tinder 23:17 How Jeff thinks about inequality in the Tinder ecosystem, how movies and TV have set up a false idea of how people meet, and what Jeff learned about romance from film school. 30:08 The switch from Hollywood to TV for film school graduates, why TV is uniquely suited to the subscription model, and why David thinks that exporting cool is LA’s core competency 44:34 Retraining in the Lambda school era, high growth jobs that are easy to retrain for, and dynamics of proving competence and expertise 52:26 Why Jeff sent a letter to John Wooden and other celebrities, what he learned about outbound emails, and how to find the ‘underpriced assets’ when it comes to talent 1:00:55 How Jeff got a job at Zaarly ahead of hundreds of other candidates, how that experience expanded his worldview, and what you can do to set yourself apart in the job search process 1:04:47 David and Jeff give the listeners a challenge, what Jeff learned from Brian Norgard about products, and how Jeff thinks about disruption 1:17:17 The verticalization of LinkedIn and other incumbents, and why Jeff thinks being on Twitter is the reason for his high growth career SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.

My guest today is <a href="https://twitter.com/jmj" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Jeff Morris Jr.</a>, the Director of Revenue at <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tinder/id547702041" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Tinder</a>. We begin this episode talking about the future of education. Jeff recently completed an MBA at UCLA and wrote his thesis on the future of Lambda School, the San Francisco based education startup. We talked about the transition from marketing funnels to marketing loops and how Tinder is growing its average revenue per user. We also explore Hollywood's transition from movies to television, and the letter Jeff received from legendary UCLA college basketball coach John Wooden. We also explore some career strategies for sparking serendipity. I hope you enjoy our conversation. <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a> Where to find Jeff online: <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/jmj" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.jeffmorrisjr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a></li> <li><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tinder/id547702041" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tinder</a></li> </ul> Other links: <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/Ryan_Holdaway" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ryan Holdaway</a></li> <li><a href="https://lambdaschool.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lambda School</a></li> <li><a href="https://andrewchen.co/retention-is-king/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">K-factor</a> by Andrew Chen </li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Romance-Aziz-Ansari/dp/0143109251" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Romance</a> by Aziz Ansari</li> <li><a href="https://www.rigup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RigUp</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/BrianNorgard" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brian Nogard</a></li> </ul> Show Notes: 1:18 What Jeff learned from working with Lambda school on their Outcomes team, why the incentive structure for traditional colleges is broken, and why Jeff got an MBA despite believing in the future of education looking like Lambda school? 7:43 How Jeff had to scale himself up by becoming a lot more quantitative as the Director of Revenue at Twitter, how marketing at startups has changed from funnels to loops, and the cultural power of the Tinder swipe. 12:54 How average revenue per use has come up at Tinder over the last two years, how to build a successful social product that is low in the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and how Tinder balances perceived coolness and utility. 18:11 The historic geographical limitations of dating, the evergreen trends in dating, and what has Jeff learned about compatibility between people through his time at Tinder 23:17 How Jeff thinks about inequality in the Tinder ecosystem, how movies and TV have set up a false idea of how people meet, and what Jeff learned about romance from film school. 30:08 The switch from Hollywood to TV for film school graduates, why TV is uniquely suited to the subscription model, and why David thinks that exporting cool is LA’s core competency 44:34 Retraining in the Lambda school era, high growth jobs that are easy to retrain for, and dynamics of proving competence and expertise 52:26 Why Jeff sent a letter to John Wooden and other celebrities, what he learned about outbound emails, and how to find the ‘underpriced assets’ when it comes to talent 1:00:55 How Jeff got a job at Zaarly ahead of hundreds of other candidates, how that experience expanded his worldview, and what you can do to set yourself apart in the job search process 1:04:47 David and Jeff give the listeners a challenge, what Jeff learned from Brian Norgard about products, and how Jeff thinks about disruption 1:17:17 The verticalization of LinkedIn and other incumbents, and why Jeff thinks being on Twitter is the reason for his high growth career <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a>

Jeff Morris Jr.: Building a flexible mindset

Adam Robinson

In December, I went to a live taping of the Tim Ferriss Podcast at the famous 92nd Street Y in New York City. There was a surprise guest at the event named Adam Robinson, and after hearing him speak, I tapped my friend on the shoulder and told him I’d find a way to get him on the podcast.  Adam Robinson cracked the SAT before co-founding the Princeton Review. He also wrote the only test preparation book to ever become a New York Times bestseller. He attended The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as an undergrad before studying law at Oxford University in England.  He’s a rated chess master with a Life Title and as a teenager was personally mentored by Bobby Fischer—considered by many experts to be the greatest chess player of all time—as he prepared for the world championship.  Today, he applies his unique philosophy and methodology as an independent global investment advisor to the heads of some of the world's largest hedge funds.  After this conversation, I can confidently say that nobody thinks like Adam Robinson.

In December, I went to a live taping of the <a href="http://t.sidekickopen61.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XZs4XHqqvW8q-qqP8qm2c4W63RzZn56dNSxf2hfsHC02?t=http%3A%2F%2Ftim.blog%2F2017%2F02%2F02%2Flessons-from-warren-buffett-bobby-fischer-and-other-outliers%2F&amp;si=5152279357292544&amp;pi=daec5c33-c849-4517-e638-b6e851a1c38a" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Tim Ferriss Podcast</a> at the famous 92nd Street Y in New York City. There was a surprise guest at the event named Adam Robinson, and after hearing him speak, I tapped my friend on the shoulder and told him I’d find a way to get him on the podcast.  Adam Robinson cracked the SAT before co-founding the Princeton Review. He also wrote the only test preparation book to ever become a New York Times bestseller. He attended The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as an undergrad before studying law at Oxford University in England.  He’s a rated chess master with a Life Title and as a teenager was personally mentored by Bobby Fischer—considered by many experts to be the greatest chess player of all time—as he prepared for the world championship.  Today, he applies his unique philosophy and methodology as an independent global investment advisor to the heads of some of the world's largest hedge funds.  After this conversation, I can confidently say that nobody thinks like Adam Robinson.

Adam Robinson: Searching for Secrets

Andy McCune

My guest today is Andy McCune, an entrepreneur and creative who co-founded Unfold, a mobile design tool kit for storytellers that was acquired by Squarespace. He also runs an Instagram account called Earth (@earth on Instagram) with 1.1 million followers. Andy is one of the very most talented people I know. And he has a more intuitive, make-it-and-test-it way of working than most of the people on this podcast. I’ve built a friendship with him as he’s flown under the radar for years. I remember talking to Andy about Unfold back when it was just a small side project, and it’s been a joy to watch Andy grow and scale the business. Please enjoy my conversation with Andy McCune.

My guest today is Andy McCune, an entrepreneur and creative who co-founded Unfold, a mobile design tool kit for storytellers that was acquired by Squarespace. He also runs an Instagram account called Earth (@earth on Instagram) with 1.1 million followers. Andy is one of the very most talented people I know. And he has a more intuitive, make-it-and-test-it way of working than most of the people on this podcast. I’ve built a friendship with him as he’s flown under the radar for years. I remember talking to Andy about Unfold back when it was just a small side project, and it’s been a joy to watch Andy grow and scale the business. Please enjoy my conversation with Andy McCune.

Andy McCune: How Products Go Viral

Jason Fried

My guest today is Jason Fried, the Co-Founder and President of Basecamp, a Chicago based company that builds web based productivity tools. Jason is famous for his contrarian approach to work and his blog Signal vs. Noise. On this episode, we talked about both of them. We recorded this conversation at Basecamp's headquarters in Chicago. In this conversation, we discussed Jason's new book, It Doesn't Have To Be Crazy at Work. We also discuss Jason's philosophy of work and dive deep into how Jason was able to maintain control of Basecamp and build a business that mirrored his beliefs. We talk about the history of Chicago architecture, why Jason values time in nature so much, and how designers should balance the trade offs between elegance and utility. SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST. SHOW TOPICS LINKS: Find Jason online:   Twitter   Basecamp   Signal vs. Noise  ReWork Podcast  People mentioned:   David Heinemeier Hansson   Brian Eno   Other mentions:   Great Chicago Fire   Equinox   SHOW TOPICS 1:30 What was the “ah-ha” moment when Jason realized that the way we work is broken, the measures at Basecamp that he cares about, and how the entire business is structured around how they work 5:15 Keeping things intentionally small, why “hustle porn” is overrated, how management pushes people towards made-up, unnecessary expectations 11:03 How Jason thinks about moments vs hours mode of working, how to build a profitable business from day one, creative vs hard work 16:03 How good habits can form the backbone of a good workplace, how Jason structures his days, how projects are structured at Basecamp 23:50 How the end goal determines how you work, how Basecamp is able to sponsor $5000 vacations every year for all its employees, how scratching your own itch can lead to a really good business, the origin story of Basecamp 33:45 Basecamp’s “content” strategy and why Jason doesn’t call it that, why failure is overrated in the software industry, why focusing on the fundamentals is the key to sustainable business  41:10 Growing your business like an oak tree, Jason’s favorite buildings in Chicago, how the Great Chicago Fire shaped the cities architectural landscape 53:10 Why aesthetics are not important, optimizing for the right things, Brian Eno, and why being able to articulate how you’re thinking is a powerful tool 1:04:10 Equinox and how high friction can lead to better experiences, how Jason thinks about pricing, and why softwares don’t need to give away a large part of their product 1:11:35 Why Basecamp doesn’t have any salespeople, why Basecamp is what Jason chooses to spend his time on, and what was the moment when he realized that Basecamp could be his life’s work SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.

My guest today is <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonfried" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Jason Fried</a>, the Co-Founder and President of <a href="https://basecamp.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Basecamp</a>, a Chicago based company that builds web based productivity tools. Jason is famous for his contrarian approach to work and his blog <a href="https://m.signalvnoise.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Signal vs. Noise</a>. On this episode, we talked about both of them. We recorded this conversation at Basecamp's headquarters in Chicago. In this conversation, we discussed Jason's new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Doesnt-Have-Be-Crazy-Work/dp/0062874780" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">It Doesn't Have To Be Crazy at Work</a>. We also discuss Jason's philosophy of work and dive deep into how Jason was able to maintain control of Basecamp and build a business that mirrored his beliefs. We talk about the history of Chicago architecture, why Jason values time in nature so much, and how designers should balance the trade offs between elegance and utility. <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a> SHOW TOPICS LINKS: Find Jason online: <ul> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonfried" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://basecamp.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Basecamp</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://m.signalvnoise.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Signal vs. Noise</a> </li> <li><a href="https://rework.fm/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ReWork Podcast</a></li> </ul> People mentioned: <ul> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/dhh" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">David Heinemeier Hansson</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.brian-eno.net/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Brian Eno</a> </li> </ul> Other mentions: <ul> <li> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chicago_Fire" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Great Chicago Fire</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.equinox.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Equinox</a> </li> </ul> SHOW TOPICS 1:30 What was the “ah-ha” moment when Jason realized that the way we work is broken, the measures at Basecamp that he cares about, and how the entire business is structured around how they work 5:15 Keeping things intentionally small, why “hustle porn” is overrated, how management pushes people towards made-up, unnecessary expectations 11:03 How Jason thinks about moments vs hours mode of working, how to build a profitable business from day one, creative vs hard work 16:03 How good habits can form the backbone of a good workplace, how Jason structures his days, how projects are structured at Basecamp 23:50 How the end goal determines how you work, how Basecamp is able to sponsor $5000 vacations every year for all its employees, how scratching your own itch can lead to a really good business, the origin story of Basecamp 33:45 Basecamp’s “content” strategy and why Jason doesn’t call it that, why failure is overrated in the software industry, why focusing on the fundamentals is the key to sustainable business  41:10 Growing your business like an oak tree, Jason’s favorite buildings in Chicago, how the Great Chicago Fire shaped the cities architectural landscape 53:10 Why aesthetics are not important, optimizing for the right things, Brian Eno, and why being able to articulate how you’re thinking is a powerful tool 1:04:10 Equinox and how high friction can lead to better experiences, how Jason thinks about pricing, and why softwares don’t need to give away a large part of their product 1:11:35 Why Basecamp doesn’t have any salespeople, why Basecamp is what Jason chooses to spend his time on, and what was the moment when he realized that Basecamp could be his life’s work <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a>

Jason Fried: Non-Serial Entrepreneur

Mason Hartman

My guest today is Mason Hartman. For years, I’ve admired Mason's perspectives on the culture, childhood, and the education system. I teach an online writing course called Write of Passage. So education –  and especially writing education – is a subject that's close to my heart. We recorded this episode in Los Angeles, where Mason works at a school for gifted children and does most of her research. In this episode, we chat about all things education early childhood development, the road to college, and why childhood has become a full time job. Then we close the episode with lessons from two of Mason's favorite people, David Deutsch and Patrick Collison. I hope you enjoy this episode. SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST. LINKS: Find Mason online:   Twitter   Other links:   The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Heidt and Greg Lukianoff   How Schools Work by Arne Duncan     Michael Nielsen   Patrick Collison   David Deutsch   SHOW NOTES 1:17 How to move away from the Overton window, why David’s most creative podcast guests grew up in rural environments, and why it’s important to let kids take a few bruises in a relatively safe environment 5:15 The Coddling of the American Mind, how to design schools that don’t coddle kids, and why teenage sleep deprivation leads to more accidents than drunk driving 14:05 Why standardized testing are antithetical to the underlying skills they are trying to measure, how to evaluate people when real stakes are involved, and Mason’s thoughts on the recent college admissions scandal 21:26 The binding thread that ties together Mason’s intellectual interests, how gifted kids identify each other’s strengths, and why is obsession so important to develop mastery  30:36 How obsession can equate to imagination and resilience, Masons’ thoughts on the professionalization of young kids, and the standardized expectations for kindergartners 39:44 Unbounded and bounded learning environments, how to use remixing as a way to deal with blank page syndrome, and what Mason thinks about homeschooling 52:44 What Mason thinks are the best ways to raising other’s expectations of themselves, how middle class kids are forced to pursue uncreative paths, and how exclusive colleges exploit low acceptance rates 1:01:37 The commodification of kids, the balance between rationality and intuition, and how to raise the status of obsession 1:11:47 Why you shouldn’t work on projects that you can get a grant for, how risk taking leads to progress, and what Mason learned from David Deutsch 1:23:31 Why is Mason inspired by Patrick Collison, how to ask a poignant and precise question, and why the most curious people are good at listening SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.

My guest today is <a href="https://twitter.com/webdevMason" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Mason Hartman</a>. For years, I’ve admired Mason's perspectives on the culture, childhood, and the education system. I teach an online writing course called <a href="https://writeofpassage.school" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Write of Passage</a>. So education –  and especially writing education – is a subject that's close to my heart. We recorded this episode in Los Angeles, where Mason works at a school for gifted children and does most of her research. In this episode, we chat about all things education early childhood development, the road to college, and why childhood has become a full time job. Then we close the episode with lessons from two of Mason's favorite people, <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidDeutschOxf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">David Deutsch</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/patrickc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patrick Collison</a>. I hope you enjoy this episode. <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a> LINKS: Find Mason online: <ul> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/webdevMason" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </li> </ul> Other links: <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Coddling-American-Mind-Intentions-Generation/dp/0735224897/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2Q9005EA9X8FD&amp;keywords=coddling+of+the+american+mind&amp;qid=1562593524&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=coddling+%2Cstripbooks%2C142&amp;sr=1-3" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Coddling of the American Mind</a> by Jonathan Heidt and Greg Lukianoff </li> <li> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Schools-Work-Longest-Serving-Secretaries/dp/1508267898" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">How Schools Work</a> by Arne Duncan   </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/michael_nielsen" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Michael Nielsen</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/patrickc" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patrick Collison</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidDeutschOxf" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">David Deutsch</a> </li> </ul> SHOW NOTES 1:17 How to move away from the Overton window, why David’s most creative podcast guests grew up in rural environments, and why it’s important to let kids take a few bruises in a relatively safe environment 5:15 The Coddling of the American Mind, how to design schools that don’t coddle kids, and why teenage sleep deprivation leads to more accidents than drunk driving 14:05 Why standardized testing are antithetical to the underlying skills they are trying to measure, how to evaluate people when real stakes are involved, and Mason’s thoughts on the recent college admissions scandal 21:26 The binding thread that ties together Mason’s intellectual interests, how gifted kids identify each other’s strengths, and why is obsession so important to develop mastery  30:36 How obsession can equate to imagination and resilience, Masons’ thoughts on the professionalization of young kids, and the standardized expectations for kindergartners 39:44 Unbounded and bounded learning environments, how to use remixing as a way to deal with blank page syndrome, and what Mason thinks about homeschooling 52:44 What Mason thinks are the best ways to raising other’s expectations of themselves, how middle class kids are forced to pursue uncreative paths, and how exclusive colleges exploit low acceptance rates 1:01:37 The commodification of kids, the balance between rationality and intuition, and how to raise the status of obsession 1:11:47 Why you shouldn’t work on projects that you can get a grant for, how risk taking leads to progress, and what Mason learned from David Deutsch 1:23:31 Why is Mason inspired by Patrick Collison, how to ask a poignant and precise question, and why the most curious people are good at listening <a href="http://perell.com/join" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.</a>

Mason Hartman: Building a Creative Society 

Scott Belsky

LISTEN HERE: ITUNES | OVERCAST “The holy grail of design is small things that make a big difference.”  Scott Belsky helps creative people, teams, and networks make ideas happen.  In this episode, we talk about how Scott has merged the worlds of business, technology, and design. Scott shares insights on how to reinvent yourself throughout your career, and discusses the future of media and technology. I love what Scott had to say about design, where he draws from numerous trips to Japan where he was awestruck by the culture, their attention to detail and the care they bring to their craft.  Today, Scott is Adobe’s Chief Product Officer and the Executive Vice President of Creative Cloud. He’s a product design and consumer behavior obsessive and founded Behance to organize the creative world and connect creatives with lucrative opportunities, before Adobe acquired the company in 2012. He's a Venture Partner at Benchmark - a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, an early-stage investor, a Product Strategy Advisor to Adobe and Twitter's video efforts, and is co-founder and Executive Chairman of Prefer, a platform that empowers the careers of service professionals and enables people to find professionals they need from people they know. He’s also invested in many of my favorite companies including Sweetgreen, Uber, and Warby Parker.  Links:   Scott Belsky: Website Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky Tribe by Sebastian Junger Scott Belsky on Twitter Scott Belsky Newsletter Cooper Hewitt Design Museum Seth Godin John Maeda Hyper-Reality Building a Second Brain  Connect with Me (I love meeting new people):  Twitter Website Email: david@perell.com  Please leave an honest review on  iTunes. It helps people discover the podcast. 

LISTEN HERE: ITUNES | OVERCAST “The holy grail of design is small things that make a big difference.”  Scott Belsky helps creative people, teams, and networks make ideas happen.  In this episode, we talk about how Scott has merged the worlds of business, technology, and design. Scott shares insights on how to reinvent yourself throughout your career, and discusses the future of media and technology. I love what Scott had to say about design, where he draws from numerous trips to Japan where he was awestruck by the culture, their attention to detail and the care they bring to their craft.  Today, Scott is Adobe’s Chief Product Officer and the Executive Vice President of Creative Cloud. He’s a product design and consumer behavior obsessive and founded Behance to organize the creative world and connect creatives with lucrative opportunities, before Adobe acquired the company in 2012. He's a Venture Partner at Benchmark - a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, an early-stage investor, a Product Strategy Advisor to Adobe and Twitter's video efforts, and is co-founder and Executive Chairman of Prefer, a platform that empowers the careers of service professionals and enables people to find professionals they need from people they know. He’s also invested in many of my favorite companies including Sweetgreen, Uber, and Warby Parker.  Links:  <ul> <li><a href="http://www.scottbelsky.com/bio-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scott Belsky: Website</a></li> <li><a href="http://amzn.to/2iHuZAM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Making Ideas Happen</a> by Scott Belsky</li> <li><a href="http://amzn.to/2Bhoyzv" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tribe</a> by Sebastian Junger</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/scottbelsky" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scott Belsky on Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="http://digest.scottbelsky.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scott Belsky Newsletter</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cooperhewitt.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cooper Hewitt Design Museum</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.sethgodin.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Seth Godin</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maeda" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John Maeda</a></li> <li><a href="https://vimeo.com/166807261" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hyper-Reality</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.buildingasecondbrain.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Building</a> <a href="https://www.buildingasecondbrain.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a</a> <a href="https://www.buildingasecondbrain.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Second Brain</a></li> </ul> Connect with Me (I love meeting new people): <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/david_perell" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="http://perell.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a></li> <li>Email: david@perell.com</li> </ul> Please leave an honest review on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/north-star-podcast/id1170914572?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> iTunes</a>. It helps people discover the podcast.

Scott Belsky: Creativity Begins at the Edge of Reason

Albert Wenger

Listen Here:  iTunes | Overcast Albert Wenger is a partner at Union Square Ventures. Before joining USV, Albert was the president of del.icio.us through the company’s sale to Yahoo and an angel investor in Etsy and Tumblr. He previously founded or co-founded several companies, including a management consulting firm and an early hosted data analytics company. Albert graduated from Harvard College, where he studied economics and computer science and holds a Ph.D. in Information Technology from MIT.  In this episode, we talk about what it was like to grow up in Germany, where Albert received an Apple II at a young age. As a teenager, Albert visited America for the first time when he stayed with a family in Rochester, Minnesota — the most impactful travel experience of his life.  We talk about how technological progress has shifted scarcity for humanity. When we were foragers, food was scarce. During the agrarian age, it was land. Following the industrial revolution, capital became scarce. With digital technologies, scarcity is shifting once more. We need to figure out how to live in a World After Capital — the title of Albert’s new book — where the only scarcity is our attention.  Links:   World After Capital  Future of the Nation State Decentralization and the Knowledge Age Albert Wenger Twitter  Books:   Grit Three Body Problem Thinking, Fast &amp; Slow Antifragile Seveneves Beginning of Infinity  Please leave an honest review on  iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one

Listen Here: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/north-star-podcast/id1170914572?mt=2#episodeGuid=55576406e4b02e4679105dc2%3A5814e6a96b8f5b0e59aed181%3A59d8bd47a803bb45f40e8db1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> iTunes</a> | <a href="https://overcast.fm/+Hgwu8Ox88" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Overcast</a> Albert Wenger is a partner at Union Square Ventures. Before joining USV, Albert was the president of <a href="http://del.icio.us/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">del.icio.us</a> through the company’s sale to Yahoo and an angel investor in Etsy and Tumblr. He previously founded or co-founded several companies, including a management consulting firm and an early hosted data analytics company. Albert graduated from Harvard College, where he studied economics and computer science and holds a Ph.D. in Information Technology from MIT.  In this episode, we talk about what it was like to grow up in Germany, where Albert received an Apple II at a young age. As a teenager, Albert visited America for the first time when he stayed with a family in Rochester, Minnesota — the most impactful travel experience of his life.  We talk about how technological progress has shifted scarcity for humanity. When we were foragers, food was scarce. During the agrarian age, it was land. Following the industrial revolution, capital became scarce. With digital technologies, scarcity is shifting once more. We need to figure out how to live in a World After Capital — the title of Albert’s new book — where the only scarcity is our attention.  Links:  <ul> <li><a href="http://worldaftercapital.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">World After Capital</a></li> <li><a href="http://continuations.com/post/161938064520/getting-past-the-dominance-of-the-nation-state" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Future of the Nation State</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&amp;v=LgQT874KHuw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Decentralization and the Knowledge Age</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/albertwenger" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Albert Wenger Twitter</a></li> </ul> Books:  <ul> <li><a href="http://amzn.to/2kweUkX" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grit</a></li> <li><a href="http://amzn.to/2xnXBsv" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Three Body Problem</a></li> <li><a href="http://amzn.to/2yw1UC6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thinking, Fast &amp; Slow</a></li> <li><a href="http://amzn.to/2xoFnHx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Antifragile</a></li> <li><a href="http://amzn.to/2xpb1zD" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Seveneves</a></li> <li><a href="http://amzn.to/2ksQQj0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beginning of Infinity</a></li> </ul> Please leave an honest review on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/north-star-podcast/id1170914572?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> iTunes</a>. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one

Albert Wenger: World After Capital

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