Founders
Episodes
#139 J.P. Morgan
09 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance by Ron Chernow. [0:01] This book is abou...
#138 Alexander Graham Bell
02 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Reluctant Genius: The Passionate Life and Inventive Mind of Alexander Graham Bell by Charlotte Gray. ---- [0:01] I have ...
#137 P.T. Barnum
26 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Barnum: An American Life by Robert Wilson. ---- [1:23] He is known today primarily for his connection to the circus, but...
#136 Estée Lauder
18 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading A Success Story by Estee Lauder. ---- You can probably reach out with comparative ease and touch a life of serenity and pe...
#135 Joseph Pulitzer (Politics & Media)
12 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power by James McGrath Morris. ---- [0:20] Joseph Pulitzer was the midwife to t...
#134 Edwin Land (Polaroid vs Kodak)
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading A Triumph of Genius: Edwin Land, Polaroid, and the Kodak Patent War by Ronald Fierstein. ---- [0:21] He died in 1991 wit...
#133 Edwin Land (Polaroid and The Man Who Invented It)
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Land’s Polaroid: A Company and The Man Who Invented It by Peter C. Wensberg. ---- [1:14] He was revered to an extraordin...
#132 Edwin Land (Steve Jobs's Hero)
20 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Instant Image: Edwin Land and the Polaroid Experience by Mark Olshaker. ---- [1:42] The word “problem” had compl...
#131 Robert Friedland (Billionaire Miner)
14 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Big Score: Robert Friedland and The Voisey’s Bay Hustle by Jacquie McNish. ---- [0:04] Promoting a stock is like mak...
#130 Walter Chrysler
09 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Life of an American Workman by Walter Chrysler. ---- [0:56]The kitchen fire was the only heat we knew in the winter. Often...
#129 Felix Dennis (How to Get Rich)
04 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading How to Get Rich: One of the World's Greatest Entrepreneurs Shares His Secrets by Felix Dennis. ---- [0:01] How Felix start...
#128 Henry Leland (Cadillac)
31 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Master of Precision: Henry Leland by Ottilie Leland and Minnie Dubbs Millbrook. ---- [0:17] Henry Leland laid the foundati...
#127 Larry Ellison (Oracle)
25 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison: God Doesn't Think He's Larry Ellison by Mike Wilson ---- [1:06] You want t...
#126: Larry Ellison (The Billionaire and the Mechanic)
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Billionaire and the Mechanic: How Larry Ellison and a Car Mechanic Teamed up to Win Sailing's Greatest Race, the Ameri...
#125 Charles Kettering (inventor, engineer, founder)
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Professional Amateur: The Biography of Charles Franklin Kettering by Thomas Boyd ---- [3:06] If you had to summarize Charl...
#124 Larry Ellison and Oracle
09 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle by Matthew Symonds. ---- [0:01] Although much of my time with hi...
#123 Albert Champion (Record-Setting Racer to Dashing Tycoon)
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Fast Times of Albert Champion: From Record-Setting Racer to Dashing Tycoon, An Untold Story of Speed, Success, and Be...
#122 Alfred Sloan (General Motors)
26 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading My Years with General Motors by Alfred Sloan. ---- [2:40] There are ideas worth billions in a $30 history book: Henry talk...
#121 Billy Durant and Alfred Sloan (General Motors)
19 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Billy, Alfred, and General Motors: The Story of Two Unique Men, A Legendary Company, and a Remarkable Time in American His...
#120 Billy Durant (Creator of General Motors)
11 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Billy Durant Creator of General Motors: The Story of the Flamboyant Genius Who Helped Lead America into the Automobile Age...
#119 The Dodge Brothers
05 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Dodge Brothers: The Men, the Motor Cars, and the Legacy by Charles Hyde. ---- This is the story of two small town mach...
#118 Forty Years With Henry Ford
31 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned by reading My Forty Years With Ford by Charles Sorensen. ---- Henry Ford’s greatest achievement and his greatest failure [0:01] Henry...
#117 : Chung Ju-yung founder of Hyundai (the most inspiring autobiography I've read)
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Born of This Land: My Life Story by Chung Ju-yung. --- For a long time I was known as the bulldozer. [0:01] How Chung’s ...
#116 Sam Bronfman (Seagram's and the Bronfman family dynasty)
21 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Samuel Bronfman: The Life and Times of Seagram’s Mr. Sam by Michael R. Marrus. ---- The story of Sam’s rise to fame an...
#115 Ben Franklin: An American Life
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson. ---- He was, during his 84 year long life, America’s best scie...
#114 The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Timeby Michael Craig. ---- Some Texa...
#113 A.G. Gaston (Black Titan and the Making of a Black American Millionaire)
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Black Titan: A.G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire by Carol Jenkins and Elizabeth Gardner Hines ---- ...
#112 Frank Lloyd Wright
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Plagued by Fire: The Dreams and Furies of Frank Lloyd Wright by Paul Hendrickson. ---- [0:01] Frank Lloyd Wright suffere...
#111 David Geffen
16 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Operator: David Geffen Builds, Buys, and Sells the New Hollywood by Tom King. ---- He told me he had recently read B...
#110 Henry Singleton (Teledyne)
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Distant Force: A Memoir of the Teledyne Corporation and the Man Who Created It by Dr. George Roberts. ---- Henry was muc...
#109 Adi Dassler (Adidas)
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Sneaker Wars: The Enemy Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and The Family Feud That Forever Changed The Business of Spo...
#108 Jim Simons (Money Printer)
26 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Man Who Solved The Market: How Jim Simons Launched The Quant Revolution by Gregory Zuckerman ---- The story of the...
#107 Sol Price (Costco)
20 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Sol Price: Retail Revolutionary & Social Innovator by Robert E. Price. ---- What was it about this man that engendered so ...
#106 Bill Walsh (The Score Takes Care of Itself)
12 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership by Bill Walsh. --- [0:01] I believe it’s much the same in ...
#105 Les Schwab (Charlie Munger recommended this book)
05 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Les Schwab Pride In Performance: Keep It Going! by Les Schwab. ---- 16 ideas from the book: Intensity is the price o...
#104 Ingvar Kamprad (IKEA)
30 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Leading By Design: The Ikea Story by Ingvar Kamprad and Bertil Torekull. ---- [0:01] He aims to give his company eternal...
#103 Hetty Green (The Richest Woman in America)
22 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Richest Woman in America: Hetty Green in the Gilded Age by Janet Wallach. ---- [0:10] She was the smartest woman o...
#102 Akio Morita (Sony)
15 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony by Akio Morita. --- [0:01] Forty years ago, a small group gathered in a burned-out ...
#101 Warren Buffett (The Tao of Warren Buffett)
08 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Tao of Warren Buffett by David Clark and Mary Buffett. --- [0:01]The more I heard Warren speak, the more I learned. ...
#100 Warren Buffett (The Snowball)
01 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder. ---- [0:01] What he was teaching were the lesson...
#99 Carroll Shelby (My name is Carroll Shelby and performance is my business)
24 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Carroll Shelby: The Authorized Biography by Rinsey Mills. --- [3:27] I love everything about this person. I like the way...
#98 Enzo Ferrari (the making of an automobile empire)
18 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Enzo Ferrari: Power, Politics, and the Making of an Automobile Empire by Luca Dal Monte. --- [0:01] Ferrari was animated...
#97 Enzo Ferrari (Ferrari vs Ford)
10 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans by A. J. Baime. ---- [0:01] Racing was the mo...
#96 James J. Hill (Empire Builder of the Northwest)
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading James J. Hill: Empire Builder of the Northwest by Michael P. Malone. ---- James J. Hill demonstrates the impact one will...
#95 Claude Shannon
27 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman ---- [0:25] Claude Shanno...
#94 Henry Singleton (The Outsiders)
20 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success by William Thorndike. ---- [0:...
#93 Ed Thorp (A Man for All Markets)
13 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading A Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market by Edward Thorp. ---- [0:01] ...
#92 Ed Thorp and Claude Shannon
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Fortune's Formula: The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street by William Po...
#91 Jim Clayton (Sold to Warren Buffett)
29 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading First A Dream by Jim Clayton. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of his...
#90 Charlie Munger (Poor Charlie's Almanack)
22 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger. ---- Cicero, learned man that he was, believed in self-i...
#89 David Ogilvy (Confessions of an Advertising Man)
15 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned by reading Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the colle...
#88 Warren Buffett's Shareholder Letters— All of them!
08 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Berkshire Hathaway Letters to Shareholders by Warren Buffett. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into t...
#87 Thomas Watson (IBM)
01 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Maverick and His Machine: Thomas Watson Sr. and The Making of IBM by Kevin Maney. ---- ---- Founders Notes gives y...
#86 Carl Bosch and Fritz Haber (A Genius and a Doomed Tycoon)
25 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise...
#85 Walter and Olive Ann Beech (Aviation Legends)
18 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Barnstormer and The Lady: Aviation Legends Walter and Olive Ann Beech by Dennis Farney. ---- Founders Notes giv...
#84 Aristotle Onassis
11 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Onassis: The Definitive Biography by Willi Frischauer. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the colle...
#83 Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World
04 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World by Jill Jonnes. Jeff Bezos on The Ele...
#82 David Ogilvy (Ogilvy on Advertising)
28 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy. --- In my Confessions of an Advertising Man I told the story of how Ogilvy & Mather...
#81 Henry Royce (Founder of Rolls-Royce)
22 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Rolls-Royce: The First Forty Years of Britain's Most Prestigious Company by Peter Pugh. ---- Founders Notes gives you th...
#80 Henry Ford (Today and Tomorrow)
14 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Today and Tomorrow by Henry Ford. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of ...
#79 Charlie Munger (The Complete Investor)
07 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor by Tren Griffin ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collec...
#78 Charlie Munger (the Tao of Charlie Munger)
30 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Tao of Charlie Munger: A Compilation of Quotes from Berkshire Hathaway's Vice Chairman on Life, Business, and the Pursuit...
#77 Steve Jobs (The NeXT Years)
23 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Steve Jobs & The NeXT Big Thing by Randall Stross. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collectiv...
#76 Steve Jobs: The Early Years of Apple
16 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Return to the Little Kingdom: Steve Jobs and the Creation of Appleby Michael Moritz. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ...
#75 Henry Clay Frick: Andrew Carnegie's Partner
09 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Henry Clay Frick: The Life of the Perfect Capitalist by Quentin Skrabec Jr. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability ...
#74 The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie
02 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie by Andrew Carnegie. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the col...
#73 Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick: The Bitter Partnership That Changed America
26 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Meet You in Hell: Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and the Bitter Partnership That Changed America by Les Standiford. ...
#72 Stan Lee: Founder of Marvel
19 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee by Stan Lee and George Mair. Marvel is a cornucopia of fantasy, a wild idea, a...
#71 Jeff Bezos' Shareholder Letters
12 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"To read Bezos’ shareholder letters is to get a crash course in running a high-growth internet business from someone who mastered it before any of t...
#70 Mark Spitznagel: The Dao of Capital
06 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Dao of Capital: Austrian Investing in a Distorted World by Mark Spitznagel. Klipp's Paradox (0:01) the whole point o...
#69 Charles Goodyear: An Inventor's Obsession and the Struggle for a Rubber Monopoly
28 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Goodyear Story: An Inventor's Obsession and The Struggle For A Rubber Monopoly by Richard Korman. An obsessive quest...
#68 Daniel Ludwig: The Invisible Billionaire
21 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Invisible Billionaire: Daniel Ludwig by Jerry Shields. The cameraman was excited and more than a little nervous. In a ...
#67 Conrad Hilton: Hilton Hotel Dynasty
14 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Hiltons: The True Story of an American Dynasty by J. Randy Taraborrelli. 100 years ago he was a man with $5000 to hi...
#66 Henry Kaiser: Builder in the Modern American West
07 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Henry J. Kaiser: Builder in the Modern American West by Mark Foster. He built giant businesses in roads, bridges, dams...
#65 Kirk Kerkorian: Penniless Dropout became the Greatest Deal Maker in Capitalist History
31 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Gambler: How Penniless Dropout Kirk Kerkorian Became the Greatest Deal Maker in Capitalist History by William C. Rempe...
#64 Coco Chanel: Her Life and Secrets
24 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Coco Chanel: Her Life, Her Secrets. ---- It is my work I am congratulated on, and to me, that's the only thing that count...
#63 The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich
10 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned by from reading The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich by Daniel Ammann. ---- The spot market for oil was one of the most luc...
#62 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
04 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin. ---- [0:01] Why Ben Franklin wrote an autobiography [4:50...
#61 Malcom McLean: The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
25 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger. ---- Such was the beginning of a...
#60 Yvon Chouinard: What We've Learned from Patagonia's First 40 Years
18 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Responsible Company: What We've Learned From Patagonia's First 40 Years by Yvon Chouinard and Vincent Stanley. ---- Wh...
#59 Howard Hughes: The Definitive Biography of the First American Billionaire
11 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters; The Definitive Biography of the First American Billionaire. ---- He was a...
#58 John Bogle: Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life
04 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life by John Bogle ---- Gentlemen, cut your costs. [4:00] the benefits o...
#57 John Bogle: Stay the Course: The Story of Vanguard and the Index Revolution
28 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Stay the Course: The Story of Vanguard and the Index Revolution. ---- This is a story of a revolution [0:01] what Vanguar...
#56 The Biography of Herb Kelleher
22 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Nuts!: Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success ---- Reality is chaotic; planning is ordered [0...
#55 Tycoon's War: How Cornelius Vanderbilt Invaded a Country to Overthrow America's Most Famous Military Adventurer
14 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Tycoon's War: How Cornelius Vanderbilt Invaded a Country to Overthrow America's Most Famous Military Adventurer by Steph...
#54 The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt
08 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned by reading The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by TJ Stiles. ---- His life spanned from the days of George Wash...
#53 Who Is Michael Ovitz?
01 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Who Is Michael Ovitz? by Michael Ovitz. ---- Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first give a gift [0:01] Michael'...
#52 The Republic of Tea: The Story of the Creation of a Business, as Told Through the Personal Letters of Its Founders
25 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Republic of Tea: The Story of the Creation of a Business, as Told Through the Personal Letters of Its Founders. ---- ...
#51 Wild Company: The Untold Story of Banana Republic
17 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Wild Company: The Untold Story of Banana Republic by Mel and Patricia Ziegler ---- For every business, there is an appro...
#50 Marc Andreessen's Blog Archive
11 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Pmarca Blog Archive Ebook by Marc Andreessen. ---- [0:01] In this series of posts I will walk through some of my ac...
#49 Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons in Life by Richard Branson
03 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons in Life by Richard Branson. --- Subscribe to listen to Founders Premium — Subscribers ...
#48 Finding My Virginity: The New Autobiography by Richard Branson
26 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Finding My Virginity: The New Autobiography by Richard Branson. ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap in...
#47 Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way
19 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Wayby Richard Branson ---- Business is...
#46 I Love Capitalism: An American Story
13 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading I Love Capitalism: An American Story by Ken Langone. --- His early life: there was never much money (3:30) Ken's first...
#45 Built From Scratch: How A Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion
05 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Built From Scratch: How A Couple of Regular Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion by Bernie Marcus and Art...
#44 A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft
30 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft by Paul Allen --- I was 21 years old and at loose ends (0:01) how Pau...
#43 Ray Dalio: Principles: Life and Work
22 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio --- Whatever success I've had in life has had more to do with my knowing how to d...
#42 One From Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization
16 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading One From Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization by Dee Hock --- Walking away at the pinnacle of success was ...
#41 The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
08 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz. --- There's no rec...
#40 Insisting On The Impossible: The Life of Edwin Land and Instant: The Story of Polaroid
02 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What I learned from reading Insisting On The Impossible: The Life of Edwin Land and Instant: The Story of Polaroid --- If you dream of something wor...