Founders

#414 How SpaceX Works

08 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

SpaceX is one of the most dominant companies on the planet and their performance gap just keeps getting bigger. In 2025, SpaceX launched more mass to ...

#413 How To Run Down A Dream

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Running Down A Dream: How to Succeed and Thrive in a Career You Love by Bill Gurley has been one of the most valuable talks I've heard. For years I ha...

#412 How Roger Federer Works

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer by Chris Clarey. Episode sponsors: Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

#411 Tortured Into Greatness: The Life of Andre Agassi

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Andre Agassi's autobiography is a brutally honest story about a tennis legend who hated the game that made him famous. Agassi traces his journey from ...

#410 Excellent Advice for Living

25 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On his 68th birthday, Kevin Kelly began to write down for his young adult children some things he had learned about life that he wished he had known e...

The Singular Life of Rick Rubin

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

There's no one like Rick Rubin. He's a legendary music producer known for his minimalist approach and relentless pursuit of greatness. This episode is...

#409 The Creative Genius of Rick Rubin

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

"I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.” —Rick Rubin. This...

#408 How to Make a Few MORE Billion Dollars: Brad Jacobs

29 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2024 Brad Jacobs wrote the book How to Make a Few Billion Dollars. In the book Brad explains how he built 8 separate billion dollar companies and...

The Life of Jesus

25 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Life of Jesus as told in the book Jesus: A Biography of a Believer by Paul Johnson. This episode was originally published on Christmas Eve 202...

#407 Bruce Springsteen Repairs the Hole in Himself

14 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A viciously unhappy childhood causes Bruce Springsteen to retreat into work in an extreme way as he searches for success (and control). He channels hi...

#406 Christian von Koenigsegg: It is impossible to lead by following – therefore I am different.

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Christian von Koenigsegg is unapologetically in the pursuit of greatness. Koenigsegg builds some of the fastest and most expensive cars on Earth, has...

Red Bull's Billionaire Maniac Founder

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I'm reposting one of my favorite founder stories. If you listened to this first time I recommend listening again. If you missed this before, you're ab...

#405 How Rockefeller Worked

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode covers the insanely valuable company-building principles of John D. Rockefeller—and nothing else. I spent over 40 hours reading (and ...

My conversation with Todd Graves

09 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Todd Graves is one of my favorite living founders. He owns over 90% of Raising Canes — a business that is worth at least $20 billion. Todd's maxim i...

#404 How Larry Ellison Thinks

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode covers the unique way Larry Ellison thinks. I spent over 40 hours reading (and rereading) this book on Ellison written by Matthew Symon...

My Conversation with Brad Jacobs

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve started a new show where I have conversations with the greatest living Founders. The show is called David Senra. It will be on a separate podca...

#403 How Jensen Works

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode covers the insanely valuable company-building principles of Jensen Huang—and nothing else. I spent over 40 hours reading (and rereadin...

My Conversation with Michael Dell

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve started a new show where I have conversations with the greatest living Founders. The show is called David Senra. It will be on a separate podca...

#402 Thomas Peterffy: The $80 Billion Founder Who Automates Everything

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I didn’t know who Thomas Peterffy was. I was shocked to learn that he is 81 years old, worth $80 billion dollars, and has built his $120 billion com...

My conversation with Daniel Ek: Founder of Spotify

28 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I started a new show so I can have long-form conversations with the greatest living founders. You can watch on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, ...

#401 How Bill Gates Works

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is about Bill Gates' obsessive drive and hardcore work ethic. Bill Gates had the rarest entrepreneurial talent—the ability to see the l...

#400 The Stubborn Genius of James Dyson

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode covers the extreme perseverance and the stubborn genius of James Dyson. Dyson has a business philosophy which is very different from an...

#399 How Elon Works

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode covers the insanely valuable company-building principles of Elon Musk—and nothing else. I spent well over 60 hours reading (and reread...

#398 Steve Jobs In His Own Words (Make Something Wonderful)

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A curated collection of Steve’s speeches, interviews, and correspondence, Make Something Wonderful offers a window into how one of the world’s m...

#397 Jiro Ono: Simplicity Is The Ultimate Advantage

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jiro Ono is the greatest living sushi chef. He was kicked out his house when he was 9. He started working in a restaurant so he wouldn't have to slee...

#396 The Obsession of Enzo Ferrari

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I've read hundreds of thousands of words about Enzo Ferrari. For this episode I distilled down his most important ideas into 1 hour. Ferrari was truly...

#395 How Geniuses and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World's Fastest-Growing Sport

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Those on the margins often come to control the center. That maxim ties together the three remarkable people profiled in this episode: Colin Chapman, ...

#394 An Orphan Who Built An Empire: Leonardo Del Vecchio and The Founding of Luxottica

13 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Your dad dies before you’re born. Your mom can’t afford to take care of you. You grow up without a family and in an institution. You learn a trade...

#393 The Marketing Genius of the Michelin Brothers

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Your family asks you to take over a failing factory in a remote part of France. This “family business” comes with a stack of unpaid bills, a small...

#392 Michele Ferrero and His $40 Billion Privately Owned Chocolate Empire

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You take over the family pastry shop and transform it into one of the most valuable privately held businesses in the world. Your father dies young. Yo...

#391 Jimmy Iovine

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You grow up in a rough neighborhood in Brooklyn. You drop out of college. Your dad is your best friend but you don’t want to work the docks like him...

#390 Rare Steve Jobs Interview

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I've read this interview probably 10 times. It's that good. Steve Jobs was 29 when this interview was published, and with remarkable clarity of though...

#389 The Founder of Jimmy Choo: Tamara Mellon

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Tamara Mellon’s father lent her the seed money to start a high-end shoe company, he cautioned her: “Don’t let the accountants run your bu...

#388 Jeff Bezos's Shareholder Letters: All of Them!

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

(I fixed the audio and uploaded a new episode!)  "To read Jeff Bezos’s shareholder letters is to get a crash course in running a high-growth intern...

A conversation on focus and finding your life's work

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My friend Patrick O’Shaughnessy asked me to come to New York and record a conversation. Patrick had just finished listening to episode #383 "Todd Gr...

#387 Jim Simons Built The World’s Greatest Money-Making Machine

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Simons never took a single class on finance, wasn’t interested in business, and didn’t start trading full time until he was 40. The company he...

#386 Akio Morita: Founder of Sony

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Akio Morita was a visionary entrepreneur and co-founder of Sony. Born as the first son and fifteenth-generation heir to a 300-year-old sake-brewing fa...

#385 Michael Dell

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of the most extraordinary founder stories you will ever hear. Michael Dell started his company with $1000 when he was 19 years old. The re...

#384 Ken Griffin: Founder of Citadel and Citadel Securities

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Because of the podcast I get to meet a lot of super successful people. I'm always asking them "Who is the smartest person you know" and "Who do you th...

The Invisible Billionaire: Daniel Ludwig

23 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel Ludwig was the richest man in the world and no one knew his name. I've read almost 400 biographies of history's greatest founders and this book...

#383 Todd Graves and his $10 Billion Chicken Finger Dream

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Todd Graves is one of my favorite living entrepreneurs. He's a great example of Charlie Munger's maxim: Find a simple idea and take it seriously. Todd...

#382 Who Is Michael Ovitz?: The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Most Powerful Man in Hollywood

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At the core of Michael Ovitz's success is his relentless work ethic and commitment to mastering his craft. 50 years ago he founded Creative Artists Ag...

#381 I Had Dinner With Michael Ovitz

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from having an intense and fun 3 hour dinner with Michael Ovitz.  1: Mediocrity is always invisible until passion shows up and exposes...

#380 Four Hundred Pages of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger In Their Own Words

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For over 30 years the Berkshire Hathaway Annual meetings were recorded. Munger and Buffett answered over 1700 questions from shareholders during that ...

#379 Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys)

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jerry Jones rolled the dice until his knuckles bled. He started working at 7 years old. Jerry could sell, sell, sell. He sold fruit at his father’s ...

#378 The Last Oil Baron: Leon Hess

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Your father goes bankrupt. You work for 50 cents a day to try to help your family survive the Great Depression. At 19 you see an opportunity where oth...

#377 Expanding A Family Dynasty: Marcus Wallenberg Jr.

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus Wallenberg Jr's impact on Swedish industry was so substantial that during the 1970s, Wallenberg family businesses employed about 40% of Sweden'...

#376 Jensen Huang: Founder of Nvidia

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading The Nvidia Way: Jensen Huang and the Making of a Tech Giant by Tae Kim. ---- Ramp gives you everything you need to control...

#375 The Single Biggest Individual Financier In The World. The Richest Woman In America: Hetty Green

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hetty Green bailed out New York City. Her decisions on what interest rates to charge moved markets and were reported in major newspapers. She was a on...

The Most Inspiring Autobiography I've Read: Chung Ju-yung Founder of Hyundai

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chung Ju-yung grew up so poor he had to eat tree bark to survive. He founded Hyundai and became the richest person in Korea. When Chung was in his 80s...

#374 Rare Jeff Bezos Interview

15 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff Bezos on retirement being lame, AI, the electricity metaphor for AI, the good fortune of being alive during multiple golden ages, long term life ...

#373 Breakfast with Brad Jacobs + How To Make A Few Billion Dollars

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Jacobs is one of the most talented living entrepreneurs. Brad has started 8 different billion dollar or multi-billion dollar businesses. He has d...

#372: Amancio Ortega: The Genius Behind the Inditex Group

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Amancio Ortega is one of the wealthiest people in the world. Ortega is the founder of Inditex, a pioneer of fast fashion, an entrepreneur with over 60...

#371 James J. Hill: The Empire Builder

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from rereading James J. Hill: Empire Builder by Michael P. Malone.  ---- Ramp gives you everything you need to control spend, watch yo...

#370 The Founder of IKEA: Ingvar Kamprad

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Leading By Design: The Ikea Story by Ingvar Kamprad and Bertil Torekull and The Testament of a Furniture Dealer by Ingvar ...

#369 Elon Musk and The Early Days of SpaceX

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from rereading Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX by Eric Berger.  ---- Ramp gives you everything yo...

Steve Jobs and Edwin Land

20 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from rereading Instant: The Story of Polaroid by Christopher Bonanos.  ---- Ramp gives you everything you need to control spend, watch...

#368 Rockefeller's Autobiography

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from rereading Random Reminiscences of Men and Events by John D. Rockefeller.  ---- Ramp gives you everything you need to control spen...

#367 Inside the Contrarian Mind of Sam Zell

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Money Talks, Bullsh*t Walks: Inside the Contrarian Mind of Billionaire Mogul Sam Zell by Ben Johnson. ---- Ramp gives you ...

#366 Mr. Beast Leaked Memo

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading How To Succeed in Mr. Beast Production and how ideas from Sam Zell, Charlie Munger, Nick Sleep, Warren Buffett, Sam Zemurr...

#365 Nick Sleep's Letters: The Full Collection of the Nomad Investment Partnership Letters to Partners

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The best investors are not investors at all. They're entrepreneurs who have never sold. — Nick Sleep Nick Sleep’s letters are a masterclass on the...

#364 Nick & Zak's Excellent Adventure: How Nick Sleep and Qais Zaharia Built Their Investment Partnership

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How Nick Sleep and Qais Zakaria built their radically unconventional investment partnership. From the incredible book Richer, Wiser, Happier: How The ...

#363 Li Lu and Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I sent a friend this text: I'm working on another Li Lu episode but this one is about his remarkable investing career. Can be summarized by: 1. Studie...

#362 Li Lu

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Charlie Munger said that Li Lu was the only outsider he ever trusted with his money.  Decades before Li Lu made Munger half a billion dollars, Li sur...

#361 Estée Lauder

18 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger said it was a crime that more business schools didn't study Henry Singleton. I think it's a crime that more entrepre...

#360 Robert Kierlin: Founder of Fastenal

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since its founding in 1967 Fastenal has grown from a small fastener store in Winona, Minnesota, into a multibillion-dollar global organization. How di...

#359 The Russian Rockefellers: The Nobel Family Dynasty

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The name of Nobel usually calls to mind Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite, and the internationally prestigious prizes that bear his name. But Alfred ...

#358 I had dinner with John Mackey, Founder of Whole Foods

28 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from having dinner with John Mackey and reading his autobiography The Whole Story: Adventures in Love, Life, and Capitalism. ---- Make ...

#357 Haruki Murakami

21 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami.  ---- Founders Notes gives you the superpower t...

#356 How The Sun Rose On Silicon Valley: Bob Noyce (Founder of Intel)

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading The Tinkerings of Robert Noyce: How the Sun Rose on Silicon Valley by Tom Wolfe.  Read The Intel Trinity: How Robert Noyc...

#355 Rare Bernard Arnault Interview

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading The House of Arnault by Brad Stone and Angelina Rascouet.  ---- Founders Notes gives you the superpower to learn from his...

#354 Sam Walton: The Inside Story of America's Richest Man

29 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Sam Walton: The Inside Story of America's Richest Man by Vance Trimble.  ---- Founders Notes gives you the superpower to ...

#353 How To Be Rich by J. Paul Getty

23 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading How To Be Rich by J. Paul Getty.  ---- Build relationships with other founders, investors, and executives at a Founders E...

#352 J. Paul Getty: The Richest Private Citizen in America

15 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading As I See it: The Autobiography of J. Paul Getty by J. Paul Getty.  ---- Build relationships with other founders, investor...

#351 The Founder of Rolex: Hans Wilsdorf

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading about Hans Wilsdorf and the founding of Rolex. ---- Build relationships at the Founders Conference on July 29th-July 31st ...

#350 How To Sell Like Steve Jobs

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience by Carmine Gallo  ---- Learning...

#349 How Steve Jobs Kept Things Simple

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success by Ken Segall.  ---- Learning from history is a form of levera...

Michael Jordan In His Own Words

12 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Driven From Within by Michael Jordan and Mark Vancil.  ---- Relationships run the world: Build relationships at Founders ...

#348 The Financial Genius Behind A Century of Wall Street Scandals: Ivar Kreuger

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading The Match King: Ivar Kreuger, The Financial Genius Behind a Century of Wall Street Scandals by Frank Partnoy.  ---- Relat...

#347 How Walt Disney Built His Greatest Creation: Disneyland

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Disney's Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World by Richard Snow.  ---- Get acce...

#346 How Walt Disney Built Himself

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from rereading Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable No...

#345 George Lucas

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from rereading George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones. ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders You can re...

Steven Spielberg

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Steven Spielberg: A Biography by Joseph McBride.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders Yo...

#344 Quentin Tarantino

30 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders Some quest...

#343 The Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness: David Ogilvy

24 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Eternal Pursuit of Unhappiness: Being Very Good Is No Good,You Have to Be Very, Very, Very, Very, Very Good by David Ogilv...

#342 The Lessons of History (Will & Ariel Durant)

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at...

#341 Cornelius Vanderbilt (Tycoon's War)

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from rereading Tycoon's War: How Cornelius Vanderbilt Invaded a Country to Overthrow America's Most Famous Military Adventurer by Steph...

#340 Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover and Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness by Tim Grover. ...

Jay Z's Autobiography

25 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Decoded by Jay Z.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders at Founders Notes ---- (1:39) I w...

#339 Joseph Duveen: Robber Baron Art Dealer

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading The Days of Duveen by S.N. Behrman.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders by investing in...

#338 Monty Moncrief Texas Oil Billionaire

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Wildcatters: A Story of Texans, Oil, and Money by Sally Helgesen. ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook ...

#337 Napoleon's Maxims and Strategy

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Roots of Strategy by Thomas R. Phillips and Napoleon and Modern War by Napoleon and Col. Lanza.  ---- Get access to the W...

#336 How To Lose A Few Billion Dollars: Samuel Insull

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Insull: The Rise and Fall of A Billionaire Utility Tycoon by Forrest McDonald.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Val...

#335 How To Make A Few Billion Dollars: Brad Jacobs

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading How To Make A Few Billion Dollars by Brad Jacobs.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders b...

#334 Oprah

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading the transcripts of Young Oprah on Her Life and Career and Oprah on Career, Life and Leadership.  ---- Get access to the W...

#333 Red Bull's Billionaire Maniac Founder: Dietrich Mateschitz

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading The Red Bull Story by Wolfgang Fürweger and Red Bull's Billionaire Maniac by Duff McDonald.  ---- Get access to the Worl...

#332 Jesus

24 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Jesus: A Biography from a Believer by Paul Johnson.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders...

#331 Christian Dior

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading Dior by Dior: The Autobiography of Christian Dior and Creators by Paul Johnson.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Va...

#330 Les Schwab (Charlie Munger recommended this book)

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from rereading Les Schwab Pride In Performance: Keep It Going! by Les Schwab.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook...

#329 Charlie Munger (the NEW Poor Charlie's Almanack)

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What I learned from reading the NEW Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charlie Munger.  ---- Listen to this incredible conversation betwe...