Michael Ovitz

I thought that it was shaming his firm and told him. And told him I was going to tell everybody else that too, because I thought what he was doing, what his associate was doing to this man was not only inappropriate, there was no legal ground for it. And it was 30 years ago. So yeah, am I world's worst enemy, best friend? Yeah, I think so. And I'm proud of it.

Been friends with him, just had dinner with him. We were laughing about how long we've known each other. Met him in the early 90s. I don't know what happened. He's one of those guys. He was number four at the NFL when Paul Tagliabue was there. He had something very special. He fits in that list. He had something very special. He was really smart.

Been friends with him, just had dinner with him. We were laughing about how long we've known each other. Met him in the early 90s. I don't know what happened. He's one of those guys. He was number four at the NFL when Paul Tagliabue was there. He had something very special. He fits in that list. He had something very special. He was really smart.

He had the best bedside manner of anyone I ever met in sports. Anyone I met anywhere. He was fun to be around, knew the game cold, knew his stuff. It's kind of like, you know, Andreessen or Horwitz knows their stuff. I remember sitting with Mark and Ben at a Y Combinator day and every presentation, Mark would go, yep, 19 so-and-so, saw that, been there, done that.

He had the best bedside manner of anyone I ever met in sports. Anyone I met anywhere. He was fun to be around, knew the game cold, knew his stuff. It's kind of like, you know, Andreessen or Horwitz knows their stuff. I remember sitting with Mark and Ben at a Y Combinator day and every presentation, Mark would go, yep, 19 so-and-so, saw that, been there, done that.

And Ben would say, yep, that didn't work. And the frame of reference is, and the memory is frightening. And Roger just knew the game, knew everything. Couldn't have been more accommodating to the things we were trying to, I was trying to buy a team for LA at the time. And just, we got to be good friends and it never stopped. It's now,

And Ben would say, yep, that didn't work. And the frame of reference is, and the memory is frightening. And Roger just knew the game, knew everything. Couldn't have been more accommodating to the things we were trying to, I was trying to buy a team for LA at the time. And just, we got to be good friends and it never stopped. It's now,

I don't know, 40 years later, and I think I got into a mega, mega argument with his wife at dinner last week, which he's going to kill me for saying this, but I can't help myself. I said, you know, you actually should be president of the United States. I said, you've run a business that's humongous. You've grown it 20x. All the owners have made a fortune. There's nobody losing money.

I don't know, 40 years later, and I think I got into a mega, mega argument with his wife at dinner last week, which he's going to kill me for saying this, but I can't help myself. I said, you know, you actually should be president of the United States. I said, you've run a business that's humongous. You've grown it 20x. All the owners have made a fortune. There's nobody losing money.

I said, you should run for some public. You should do some good for somebody aside from the 32 owners. I said, run for senator, do something. I thought Jane Skinner, his wife, was going to leap the table and throttle me. But you never met a guy with so much integrity, so much creativity, so much ability to communicate, so much the blind lady of justice between players and owners.

I said, you should run for some public. You should do some good for somebody aside from the 32 owners. I said, run for senator, do something. I thought Jane Skinner, his wife, was going to leap the table and throttle me. But you never met a guy with so much integrity, so much creativity, so much ability to communicate, so much the blind lady of justice between players and owners.

Absolutely fearless taking an order to task. Fearless. Been this way since I met him. He didn't grow into that. If he doesn't agree with him, he just says it. They respect it. And on top of it, his dad was a senator. was a Senator who took a position against his party. And Roger has something to prove and has proven it a hundred times over. And you want to talk about a loyal friend, he's up there.

Absolutely fearless taking an order to task. Fearless. Been this way since I met him. He didn't grow into that. If he doesn't agree with him, he just says it. They respect it. And on top of it, his dad was a senator. was a Senator who took a position against his party. And Roger has something to prove and has proven it a hundred times over. And you want to talk about a loyal friend, he's up there.

He makes me look like an amateur.

He makes me look like an amateur.

You know, it's a great question. I got asked this a couple of weeks ago at a dinner I was speaking at. And Mark Andreessen and Ben Horowitz said to me in the early 2000s, you know, you're wasting your time. doing all the stuff you're doing, because what you do is exactly what we do. There's no difference.

You know, it's a great question. I got asked this a couple of weeks ago at a dinner I was speaking at. And Mark Andreessen and Ben Horowitz said to me in the early 2000s, you know, you're wasting your time. doing all the stuff you're doing, because what you do is exactly what we do. There's no difference.

You find an idea or a young person, so that could be a director or an actor or an idea from Michael Crichton, and then you develop it, and then you finance it. You get it money. Then you help them shape the business or the package. Then you cast it, and then you get a distribution, and you market it. So that's the definition of a startup.

You find an idea or a young person, so that could be a director or an actor or an idea from Michael Crichton, and then you develop it, and then you finance it. You get it money. Then you help them shape the business or the package. Then you cast it, and then you get a distribution, and you market it. So that's the definition of a startup.

And there's not one thing in my day today that I'm doing different than I did in 1974. There's not one thing different. It's just the numbers are a little different. But it's the same blocking and tackling, same fundamentals. At the end of the day, for me, I have a very cultural bias on how I invest. I invest very different than everyone else.