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IBM built a cloud of suits to make sure the CEO never talked to anyone actually doing the work. @elonmusk does the opposite.

"Elon's method is extreme focus on substance. Extreme focus on getting to the truth.

In any organization with multiple layers, there's compounding lies. Each layer wants to look good. Each layer puts a little spin on things.

If one layer lies to the next layer above it, maybe that's okay. When that happens two or three times, the lies compound. If that happens six times, the lies really compound. If that happens 12 times, the CEO has no idea what's happening.

That was IBM.

By the time I got there as an intern, I calculated there were 12 layers of management between me and the CEO.

They even had a term for it: the great cloud. A cloud of men in gray business suits who followed the CEO around and prevented him from ever talking to anybody who was actually doing the work.

When he would come to visit, it was like a visit from the king. A completely impervious bubble.

That's the polar opposite of the Elon approach."

— @pmarca
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davidsenra
IBM built a cloud of suits to make sure the CEO never talked to anyone actually doing the work. @elonmusk does the opposite. "Elon's method is extreme focus on substance. Extreme focus on getting to the truth. In any organization with multiple layers, there's compounding lies. Each layer wants to look good. Each layer puts a little spin on things. If one layer lies to the next layer above it, maybe that's okay. When that happens two or three times, the lies compound. If that happens six times, the lies really compound. If that happens 12 times, the CEO has no idea what's happening. That was IBM. By the time I got there as an intern, I calculated there were 12 layers of management between me and the CEO. They even had a term for it: the great cloud. A cloud of men in gray business suits who followed the CEO around and prevented him from ever talking to anybody who was actually doing the work. When he would come to visit, it was like a visit from the king. A completely impervious bubble. That's the polar opposite of the Elon approach." — @pmarca
My conversation with Tobi Lütke (@tobi), co-founder and CEO of Shopify.

0:00 Companies as Social Technology
5:27 The Value of Reading Books: Cheat Codes for Life
7:28 Post-IPO Crisis: Cosplaying as a CEO
7:54 Competition vs Rivalry: The Power of Healthy Competition
16:02 COVID as a Turning Point: Rebuilding the Executive Team
18:21 Hiring Founders: Building a Team of High-Agency People
26:49 Shopify OS: Engineering the Company from First Principles
36:48 Compensation Innovation: Giving Employees Full Agency
40:41 The Psychology of Identity and Affirmations
48:43 Differentiation Over Perfection: Making It Your Own
50:31 Context Podcast: Documenting Decision-Making
1:26:36 The IPO Decision: Going Against Silicon Valley Orthodoxy
1:35:08 Building a Company Worth Working For
1:41:50 Hiring for Spikiness: Finding Non-Conformists
1:48:28 Office Design Philosophy: Creating Space for Excellence
1:58:54 Video Games as Business Training: StarCraft Lessons
2:07:06 AI Revolution: 2026 and Beyond
2:11:44 Focus on Craft: The Unquantifiable Elements of Excellence
2:21:08 Survivorship Bias: The Importance of Entrepreneurial Exposure
2:23:22 Closing

Includes paid partnerships.
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davidsenra
My conversation with Tobi Lütke (@tobi), co-founder and CEO of Shopify. 0:00 Companies as Social Technology 5:27 The Value of Reading Books: Cheat Codes for Life 7:28 Post-IPO Crisis: Cosplaying as a CEO 7:54 Competition vs Rivalry: The Power of Healthy Competition 16:02 COVID as a Turning Point: Rebuilding the Executive Team 18:21 Hiring Founders: Building a Team of High-Agency People 26:49 Shopify OS: Engineering the Company from First Principles 36:48 Compensation Innovation: Giving Employees Full Agency 40:41 The Psychology of Identity and Affirmations 48:43 Differentiation Over Perfection: Making It Your Own 50:31 Context Podcast: Documenting Decision-Making 1:26:36 The IPO Decision: Going Against Silicon Valley Orthodoxy 1:35:08 Building a Company Worth Working For 1:41:50 Hiring for Spikiness: Finding Non-Conformists 1:48:28 Office Design Philosophy: Creating Space for Excellence 1:58:54 Video Games as Business Training: StarCraft Lessons 2:07:06 AI Revolution: 2026 and Beyond 2:11:44 Focus on Craft: The Unquantifiable Elements of Excellence 2:21:08 Survivorship Bias: The Importance of Entrepreneurial Exposure 2:23:22 Closing Includes paid partnerships.
My conversation with Jimmy Iovine (@jimmyiovine_), co-founder of @Interscope Records & @BeatsbyDre.

0:00 The Corny World of Fame
0:54 The Impact of Social Media on Fame
1:27 Chasing Greatness: Personal Reflections
2:10 Technological Shifts in the Music Industry
3:24 The Streaming Service Dilemma
5:34 The Artist's Perspective on Streaming
6:39 Early Career and Influences
9:40 The Importance of Humility
11:19 Working with the Best: A Career Retrospective
13:07 The Role of Brutal Honesty
15:00 Navigating the Music Industry
33:50 The Birth of Beats by Dre
46:14 The Music Industry's Customer Problem
46:44 Vertically Integrating Culture and Fashion
47:13 Building Beats: From Music Videos to Headphones
48:03 Marketing is Empathy
50:28 The Journey of Beats Music
59:09 The Future of the Music Industry with AI
1:14:40 The Bend in the Pipe: Harnessing Fear and Obsession
1:29:12 Comparing Work Approaches with Dr. Dre
1:30:50 The Tortured Path to Success
1:32:41 Balancing Happiness and Ambition
1:35:22 The Importance of Peace and Therapy
1:49:30 Learning from Legends
1:55:57 The Influence of Bono and Dre
2:00:15 California Dreams and Career Milestones
2:07:20 Final Thoughts and Reflections

Includes paid partnerships.
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davidsenra
My conversation with Jimmy Iovine (@jimmyiovine_), co-founder of @Interscope Records & @BeatsbyDre. 0:00 The Corny World of Fame 0:54 The Impact of Social Media on Fame 1:27 Chasing Greatness: Personal Reflections 2:10 Technological Shifts in the Music Industry 3:24 The Streaming Service Dilemma 5:34 The Artist's Perspective on Streaming 6:39 Early Career and Influences 9:40 The Importance of Humility 11:19 Working with the Best: A Career Retrospective 13:07 The Role of Brutal Honesty 15:00 Navigating the Music Industry 33:50 The Birth of Beats by Dre 46:14 The Music Industry's Customer Problem 46:44 Vertically Integrating Culture and Fashion 47:13 Building Beats: From Music Videos to Headphones 48:03 Marketing is Empathy 50:28 The Journey of Beats Music 59:09 The Future of the Music Industry with AI 1:14:40 The Bend in the Pipe: Harnessing Fear and Obsession 1:29:12 Comparing Work Approaches with Dr. Dre 1:30:50 The Tortured Path to Success 1:32:41 Balancing Happiness and Ambition 1:35:22 The Importance of Peace and Therapy 1:49:30 Learning from Legends 1:55:57 The Influence of Bono and Dre 2:00:15 California Dreams and Career Milestones 2:07:20 Final Thoughts and Reflections Includes paid partnerships.
Marc Andreessen on why Starlink may be the most misunderstood success story in tech right now:

“Elon’s not the first guy who said we’re going to do satellite-based internet access.

There was Bill Gates, Craig McCaw. Complete catastrophe, total bankruptcy, complete disaster.

Elon’s like, ‘I know, I’m going to do another three of those. We’re starting as a side project at the rocket ship company.’

If the rockets are reusable, we’re going to be launching them all the time. What’s going to go in the rockets? I could wait for the customers to come to me, or I could just put up my own satellites.

Anybody who knew anything about the history of satellites knew that was the craziest idea in the world.

And of course it’s like this giant success. It’s the side project.

It’s clearly the least studied and understood thing I know of in the world right now.”
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davidsenra
Marc Andreessen on why Starlink may be the most misunderstood success story in tech right now: “Elon’s not the first guy who said we’re going to do satellite-based internet access. There was Bill Gates, Craig McCaw. Complete catastrophe, total bankruptcy, complete disaster. Elon’s like, ‘I know, I’m going to do another three of those. We’re starting as a side project at the rocket ship company.’ If the rockets are reusable, we’re going to be launching them all the time. What’s going to go in the rockets? I could wait for the customers to come to me, or I could just put up my own satellites. Anybody who knew anything about the history of satellites knew that was the craziest idea in the world. And of course it’s like this giant success. It’s the side project. It’s clearly the least studied and understood thing I know of in the world right now.”
My conversation with Marc Andreessen (@pmarca), co-founder of @a16z and Netscape.

0:00 Caffeine Heart Scare
0:56 Zero Introspection Mindset
3:24 Psychedelics and Founders
4:54 Motivation Beyond Happiness
7:18 Tech as Progress Engine
10:27 Founders Versus Managers
20:01 HP Intel Founder Legacy
21:32 Why Start the Firm
24:14 Venture Barbell Theory
28:57 JP Morgan Boutique Banking
30:02 Religion Split Wall Street
30:41 Barbell of Banking
31:42 Allen & Company Model
33:16 Planning the VC Firm
33:45 CAA Playbook Lessons
36:49 First Principles vs. Status Quo
39:03 Scaling Venture Capital
40:37 Private Equity and Mad Men
42:52 Valley Shifts to Full Stack
45:59 Meeting Jim Clark
48:53 Founder vs. Manager at SGI
54:20 Recruiting Dinner Story
56:58 Starting the Next Company
57:57 Nintendo Online Gamble
58:33 Building Mosaic Browser
59:45 NSFnet Commercial Ban
1:01:28 Eternal September Shift
1:03:11 Spam and Web Controversy
1:04:49 Mosaic Tech Support Flood
1:07:49 Netscape Business Model
1:09:05 Early Internet Skepticism
1:11:15 Moral Panic Pattern
1:13:08 Bicycle Face Story
1:14:48 Music Panic Examples
1:18:12 Lessons from Jim Clark
1:19:36 Clark Versus Barksdale
1:21:22 Tesla Versus Edison
1:23:00 Edison Digression Setup
1:23:13 AI Forecasting Myths
1:23:43 Edison Phonograph Lesson
1:25:11 Netscape Two Jims
1:29:11 Bottling Innovation
1:31:44 Elon Management Code
1:32:24 IBM Big Gray Cloud
1:37:12 Engineer First Truth
1:38:28 Bottlenecks and Speed
1:42:46 Milli Elon Metric
1:47:20 Starlink Side Project
1:49:10 Closing

Includes paid partnerships.
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davidsenra
My conversation with Marc Andreessen (@pmarca), co-founder of @a16z and Netscape. 0:00 Caffeine Heart Scare 0:56 Zero Introspection Mindset 3:24 Psychedelics and Founders 4:54 Motivation Beyond Happiness 7:18 Tech as Progress Engine 10:27 Founders Versus Managers 20:01 HP Intel Founder Legacy 21:32 Why Start the Firm 24:14 Venture Barbell Theory 28:57 JP Morgan Boutique Banking 30:02 Religion Split Wall Street 30:41 Barbell of Banking 31:42 Allen & Company Model 33:16 Planning the VC Firm 33:45 CAA Playbook Lessons 36:49 First Principles vs. Status Quo 39:03 Scaling Venture Capital 40:37 Private Equity and Mad Men 42:52 Valley Shifts to Full Stack 45:59 Meeting Jim Clark 48:53 Founder vs. Manager at SGI 54:20 Recruiting Dinner Story 56:58 Starting the Next Company 57:57 Nintendo Online Gamble 58:33 Building Mosaic Browser 59:45 NSFnet Commercial Ban 1:01:28 Eternal September Shift 1:03:11 Spam and Web Controversy 1:04:49 Mosaic Tech Support Flood 1:07:49 Netscape Business Model 1:09:05 Early Internet Skepticism 1:11:15 Moral Panic Pattern 1:13:08 Bicycle Face Story 1:14:48 Music Panic Examples 1:18:12 Lessons from Jim Clark 1:19:36 Clark Versus Barksdale 1:21:22 Tesla Versus Edison 1:23:00 Edison Digression Setup 1:23:13 AI Forecasting Myths 1:23:43 Edison Phonograph Lesson 1:25:11 Netscape Two Jims 1:29:11 Bottling Innovation 1:31:44 Elon Management Code 1:32:24 IBM Big Gray Cloud 1:37:12 Engineer First Truth 1:38:28 Bottlenecks and Speed 1:42:46 Milli Elon Metric 1:47:20 Starlink Side Project 1:49:10 Closing Includes paid partnerships.
My conversation with @EricJorgenson, author of The Book of Elon (@elonmusk).

0:00 Book Reveal
0:39 Build Useful Things
2:19 Engineering Talent Edge
4:26 Wired for War
6:47 Tip of the Spear
8:47 Burn the Boats
13:13 Facing Fear
15:16 Origin Story Myths
18:19 Know Business A to Z
22:17 Simplify and Fail Fast
25:35 Reality and Physics
28:18 The Algorithm Begins
30:34 Delete and Simplify
34:25 Starlink War Room
36:52 Repetition as OS
38:18 Step Three Simplify Optimize
38:43 Question Every Requirement
39:13 Tesla Battery Pack Delete
40:43 Repetition Installs Ideas
42:02 Step Four Accelerate
43:26 Design Org for Speed
46:06 Step Five Automate
46:29 Control and Clean Sheet
48:54 Vertical Integration and Costs
50:47 SpaceX Incentives and Mars
57:11 Frontier Unlocks Starlink
1:00:26 Time as True Currency
1:03:58 Speed Triage and Bottlenecks
1:10:11 Internalized Responsibility
1:12:56 Avoid Serialized Dependencies
1:14:31 Aligning the Team
1:15:07 Time Is the Constraint
1:16:00 One Metric Focus
1:18:03 Directional Predictions
1:19:06 We Must Make Stuff
1:25:39 Manufacturing as Moat
1:26:23 Speed and Direct to Customer
1:28:41 SpaceX Feasibility Study
1:33:07 Edge of Sanity Leadership
1:37:10 Bottlenecks and Integration
1:40:01 Design and Simplify
1:45:15 Catch the Rocket
1:48:14 Capitalism and Closing

Includes paid partnerships.
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davidsenra
My conversation with @EricJorgenson, author of The Book of Elon (@elonmusk). 0:00 Book Reveal 0:39 Build Useful Things 2:19 Engineering Talent Edge 4:26 Wired for War 6:47 Tip of the Spear 8:47 Burn the Boats 13:13 Facing Fear 15:16 Origin Story Myths 18:19 Know Business A to Z 22:17 Simplify and Fail Fast 25:35 Reality and Physics 28:18 The Algorithm Begins 30:34 Delete and Simplify 34:25 Starlink War Room 36:52 Repetition as OS 38:18 Step Three Simplify Optimize 38:43 Question Every Requirement 39:13 Tesla Battery Pack Delete 40:43 Repetition Installs Ideas 42:02 Step Four Accelerate 43:26 Design Org for Speed 46:06 Step Five Automate 46:29 Control and Clean Sheet 48:54 Vertical Integration and Costs 50:47 SpaceX Incentives and Mars 57:11 Frontier Unlocks Starlink 1:00:26 Time as True Currency 1:03:58 Speed Triage and Bottlenecks 1:10:11 Internalized Responsibility 1:12:56 Avoid Serialized Dependencies 1:14:31 Aligning the Team 1:15:07 Time Is the Constraint 1:16:00 One Metric Focus 1:18:03 Directional Predictions 1:19:06 We Must Make Stuff 1:25:39 Manufacturing as Moat 1:26:23 Speed and Direct to Customer 1:28:41 SpaceX Feasibility Study 1:33:07 Edge of Sanity Leadership 1:37:10 Bottlenecks and Integration 1:40:01 Design and Simplify 1:45:15 Catch the Rocket 1:48:14 Capitalism and Closing Includes paid partnerships.
Here's my conversation with @MichaelOvitz, co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

0:00 Introduction
0:09 The Genius of Marc Andreessen
3:03 The Art of Conversation and Adaptability
4:00 The Evolution of Cloud Computing
5:38 The Power of Co-Founder Relationships
9:01 The Importance of Personal Growth and Drive
13:39 The Rockefeller Connection
30:37 The Nobu and Wolfgang Puck Stories
37:31 The Art of Spotting Talent
44:58 Starting Out in a Competitive Environment
46:39 Early Lessons in Business and Teamwork
48:09 The Importance of Knowledge and Curiosity
51:25 The Impact of Technology on Learning
57:35 Building Relationships and Integrity in Business
1:01:13 The Role of History and Transparency in Success 
1:07:17 The Power of Big Thinking and Disruption
1:26:25 The Influence of Art and Culture on Business
1:27:45 The Coke Commercial Revolution
1:28:38 The $3 Million Check Incident
1:31:29 Mentorship and Integrity
1:32:52 Self-Reflection and Personal Growth
1:34:56 The Power of Perseverance
1:38:31 The Drive for Success
1:43:19 Enduring Ambition and Curiosity
2:00:40 A Tribute to Michael Crichton
2:06:58 Closing Thoughts

Includes paid partnerships.
2.93M
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davidsenra
Here's my conversation with @MichaelOvitz, co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA). 0:00 Introduction 0:09 The Genius of Marc Andreessen 3:03 The Art of Conversation and Adaptability 4:00 The Evolution of Cloud Computing 5:38 The Power of Co-Founder Relationships 9:01 The Importance of Personal Growth and Drive 13:39 The Rockefeller Connection 30:37 The Nobu and Wolfgang Puck Stories 37:31 The Art of Spotting Talent 44:58 Starting Out in a Competitive Environment 46:39 Early Lessons in Business and Teamwork 48:09 The Importance of Knowledge and Curiosity 51:25 The Impact of Technology on Learning 57:35 Building Relationships and Integrity in Business 1:01:13 The Role of History and Transparency in Success 1:07:17 The Power of Big Thinking and Disruption 1:26:25 The Influence of Art and Culture on Business 1:27:45 The Coke Commercial Revolution 1:28:38 The $3 Million Check Incident 1:31:29 Mentorship and Integrity 1:32:52 Self-Reflection and Personal Growth 1:34:56 The Power of Perseverance 1:38:31 The Drive for Success 1:43:19 Enduring Ambition and Curiosity 2:00:40 A Tribute to Michael Crichton 2:06:58 Closing Thoughts Includes paid partnerships.
My conversation with Tony Xu (@t_xu), co-founder & CEO of @DoorDash.

0:00 DoorDash MVP in 43 Minutes
1:39 How Delivery Worked in 2013
3:17 Small Business Roots and Insight
5:48 Why Restaurants First
8:24 Palo Alto vs San Francisco
11:03 Early Customers and Unit Economics
15:22 YC Summer Three Questions
19:50 The Hidden Complexity of Delivery
22:02 Competing on Invisible Details
23:54 Chaos Data and Experiment Loops
30:58 Trust Reset Every Day
31:30 Stanford Game Meltdown and Refunds
34:41 Scaling Through Experiments
37:37 Customer North Star Metrics
40:10 CEO Customer Support Habit
42:55 Anecdotes Versus Data
46:52 Eternal Mission Local Economies
50:09 Turning Data Into Merchant Growth
59:12 New Products Beyond Delivery
1:01:14 Autonomous Delivery Strategy
1:05:06 Hiring Rhodes Scholar Navy SEALs
1:12:46 Driver Switch Experiment
1:13:42 Who Delivers and Why
1:15:33 Hiring for Action
1:18:07 Earned Secrets via Experiments
1:20:01 Money vs Problem Solving
1:21:18 Thousand Days of Hell
1:26:04 Staying Sane as CEO
1:30:07 Ignore the Stock Price
1:31:44 Two Operating Systems
1:35:17 Internal Venture Stage Gates
1:38:17 Learning from Founder Peers
1:42:29 Jiu Jitsu Lessons
1:44:37 AI Changes the Loop
1:47:01 Data Needs Action
1:48:24 Closing Thoughts

Includes paid partnerships.
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davidsenra
My conversation with Tony Xu (@t_xu), co-founder & CEO of @DoorDash. 0:00 DoorDash MVP in 43 Minutes 1:39 How Delivery Worked in 2013 3:17 Small Business Roots and Insight 5:48 Why Restaurants First 8:24 Palo Alto vs San Francisco 11:03 Early Customers and Unit Economics 15:22 YC Summer Three Questions 19:50 The Hidden Complexity of Delivery 22:02 Competing on Invisible Details 23:54 Chaos Data and Experiment Loops 30:58 Trust Reset Every Day 31:30 Stanford Game Meltdown and Refunds 34:41 Scaling Through Experiments 37:37 Customer North Star Metrics 40:10 CEO Customer Support Habit 42:55 Anecdotes Versus Data 46:52 Eternal Mission Local Economies 50:09 Turning Data Into Merchant Growth 59:12 New Products Beyond Delivery 1:01:14 Autonomous Delivery Strategy 1:05:06 Hiring Rhodes Scholar Navy SEALs 1:12:46 Driver Switch Experiment 1:13:42 Who Delivers and Why 1:15:33 Hiring for Action 1:18:07 Earned Secrets via Experiments 1:20:01 Money vs Problem Solving 1:21:18 Thousand Days of Hell 1:26:04 Staying Sane as CEO 1:30:07 Ignore the Stock Price 1:31:44 Two Operating Systems 1:35:17 Internal Venture Stage Gates 1:38:17 Learning from Founder Peers 1:42:29 Jiu Jitsu Lessons 1:44:37 AI Changes the Loop 1:47:01 Data Needs Action 1:48:24 Closing Thoughts Includes paid partnerships.
Great men of history had little to no introspection. 

The personality that builds empires is not the same personality that sits around quietly questioning itself. 

@pmarca and I discuss what we both noticed but no one talks about: 

David: You don't have any levels of introspection? 

Marc: Yes, zero. As little as possible.

David: Why?

Marc: Move forward. Go! 

I found people who dwell in the past get stuck in the past. It's a real problem and it's a problem at work and it's a problem at home.

David: So I've read 400 biographies of history’s greatest entrepreneurs and someone asked me what the most surprising thing I’ve learned from this was [and I answered] they have little or zero introspection.

Sam Walton didn't wake up thinking about his internal self. 

He just woke up and was like:

I like building Walmart. I'm going to keep building Walmart. I'm going to make more Walmarts. And he just kept doing it over and over again.

Marc: If you go back 400 years ago it never would've occurred to anybody to be introspective. 

All of the modern conceptions around introspection and therapy, and all the things that kind of result from that are, a kind of a manufacture of the 1910s, 1920s.

Great men of history didn't sit around doing this stuff. 

The individual runs and does all these things and builds things and builds empires and builds companies and builds technology.

And then this kind of this kind of guilt based whammy kind of showed up from Europe. A lot of it from Vienna in 1910, 1920s, Freud and all that entire movement. And kind of turned all that inward and basically said, okay, now we need to basically second guess the individual. 

We need to criticize the individual. 

The individual needs to self criticize. 

The individual needs to feel guilt, needs to look backwards, needs to dwell in the past. 

It never resonated with me.
2.79M
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davidsenra
Great men of history had little to no introspection. The personality that builds empires is not the same personality that sits around quietly questioning itself. @pmarca and I discuss what we both noticed but no one talks about: David: You don't have any levels of introspection? Marc: Yes, zero. As little as possible. David: Why? Marc: Move forward. Go! I found people who dwell in the past get stuck in the past. It's a real problem and it's a problem at work and it's a problem at home. David: So I've read 400 biographies of history’s greatest entrepreneurs and someone asked me what the most surprising thing I’ve learned from this was [and I answered] they have little or zero introspection. Sam Walton didn't wake up thinking about his internal self. He just woke up and was like: I like building Walmart. I'm going to keep building Walmart. I'm going to make more Walmarts. And he just kept doing it over and over again. Marc: If you go back 400 years ago it never would've occurred to anybody to be introspective. All of the modern conceptions around introspection and therapy, and all the things that kind of result from that are, a kind of a manufacture of the 1910s, 1920s. Great men of history didn't sit around doing this stuff. The individual runs and does all these things and builds things and builds empires and builds companies and builds technology. And then this kind of this kind of guilt based whammy kind of showed up from Europe. A lot of it from Vienna in 1910, 1920s, Freud and all that entire movement. And kind of turned all that inward and basically said, okay, now we need to basically second guess the individual. We need to criticize the individual. The individual needs to self criticize. The individual needs to feel guilt, needs to look backwards, needs to dwell in the past. It never resonated with me.
My Conversation with John Mackey (@iamjohnmackey), co-founder of Whole Foods Market.

0:00 Fanatical Entrepreneurs: Why Work Feels Like Play
2:18 The Missionary vs. Mercenary Co-Founder Conflict
6:16 The Shirtless Hitchhiking Hippie and Johnny Rockefeller
8:12 Entrepreneur Confidence: Solving Puzzles and Cracking the Code
10:19 Flying Under the Radar: How Supermarkets Ignored Whole Foods
10:52 Venture Capitalists Are Hitchhikers With Credit Cards
14:03 Builder Entrepreneurs vs. Serial Entrepreneurs
16:31 Time Is the Only Filter I Trust
20:52 How Walmart Accidentally Fueled Whole Foods' Success
24:01 The Jaw-Drop Effect: When Customers First Walked In
27:17 Growth Through Acquisition: Building Geographic Platforms
29:19 Secret Allies: The Natural Foods Network
33:17 Mrs. Gooch's and the Revelation of Scale
34:52 Missionaries Sharing Financial Statements and Building Friendships
38:10 Never Competing Head-On With Friends
41:22 Going Public and Creating Liquidity for the Network
42:00 Continuous Learning: The Michael Dell Principle
44:10 Steve Jobs and Spotting Markets With Second-Rate Products
46:50 The Joy of Watching Team Members Become Millionaires
48:09 Capitalism: The Greatest Thing Humans Ever Invented
55:59 Cult Brands Are Built by Evangelists
58:01 Passion Is Infectious: The Reality Distortion Field
1:00:08 From Busboy to CEO: The Resume of an Entrepreneur
1:02:57 Learning From Near-Death Experiences
1:04:05 Money Means Freedom: Early Work Ethic
1:05:25 Shoe Dog as the Benchmark: Belief Is Irresistible
1:09:16 Documenting Time: Why Chronology Matters in Memoirs
1:11:14 Rockefeller, Bezos, and Musk: The Master Strategists
1:14:39 Using Doubt as Fuel: The Slow Burn of Proving People Wrong
1:20:04 Daniel Ek and Having No Ceilings
1:23:09 How His Father Shaped His Ambition
1:25:52 Firing His Father From the Board: The Hardest Decision
1:28:01 His Mother's Deathbed Wish and Lasting Regret
1:34:47 The Ceremony of Forgiveness
1:36:17 MDMA Therapy and Breathwork: Accessing Deeper Consciousness
1:38:54 The Entrepreneurial Journey as a Spiritual Journey
1:40:45 Conclusion

Includes paid partnerships.
2.75M
669
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4mo ago
davidsenra
My Conversation with John Mackey (@iamjohnmackey), co-founder of Whole Foods Market. 0:00 Fanatical Entrepreneurs: Why Work Feels Like Play 2:18 The Missionary vs. Mercenary Co-Founder Conflict 6:16 The Shirtless Hitchhiking Hippie and Johnny Rockefeller 8:12 Entrepreneur Confidence: Solving Puzzles and Cracking the Code 10:19 Flying Under the Radar: How Supermarkets Ignored Whole Foods 10:52 Venture Capitalists Are Hitchhikers With Credit Cards 14:03 Builder Entrepreneurs vs. Serial Entrepreneurs 16:31 Time Is the Only Filter I Trust 20:52 How Walmart Accidentally Fueled Whole Foods' Success 24:01 The Jaw-Drop Effect: When Customers First Walked In 27:17 Growth Through Acquisition: Building Geographic Platforms 29:19 Secret Allies: The Natural Foods Network 33:17 Mrs. Gooch's and the Revelation of Scale 34:52 Missionaries Sharing Financial Statements and Building Friendships 38:10 Never Competing Head-On With Friends 41:22 Going Public and Creating Liquidity for the Network 42:00 Continuous Learning: The Michael Dell Principle 44:10 Steve Jobs and Spotting Markets With Second-Rate Products 46:50 The Joy of Watching Team Members Become Millionaires 48:09 Capitalism: The Greatest Thing Humans Ever Invented 55:59 Cult Brands Are Built by Evangelists 58:01 Passion Is Infectious: The Reality Distortion Field 1:00:08 From Busboy to CEO: The Resume of an Entrepreneur 1:02:57 Learning From Near-Death Experiences 1:04:05 Money Means Freedom: Early Work Ethic 1:05:25 Shoe Dog as the Benchmark: Belief Is Irresistible 1:09:16 Documenting Time: Why Chronology Matters in Memoirs 1:11:14 Rockefeller, Bezos, and Musk: The Master Strategists 1:14:39 Using Doubt as Fuel: The Slow Burn of Proving People Wrong 1:20:04 Daniel Ek and Having No Ceilings 1:23:09 How His Father Shaped His Ambition 1:25:52 Firing His Father From the Board: The Hardest Decision 1:28:01 His Mother's Deathbed Wish and Lasting Regret 1:34:47 The Ceremony of Forgiveness 1:36:17 MDMA Therapy and Breathwork: Accessing Deeper Consciousness 1:38:54 The Entrepreneurial Journey as a Spiritual Journey 1:40:45 Conclusion Includes paid partnerships.
This is the best founder you've never heard of. Adam Foroughi's company prints $5 billion in cash a year with just 400 people. When his stock price dropped by 92%, he borrowed money to buy back $6 billion in stock. That bet made the company more than $60 billion. The entire C-suite is just 4 people. To this day, Adam approves every hire. This episode has the highest insight-to-minute ratio of any conversation I've had so far.

Here’s our full conversation:

0:00 The $6B Buyback That Made $60B
2:15 Borrowing Money To Buy Back Stock At A Discount
5:02 Why VCs Passed On AppLovin In 2012
9:00 From App Discovery To Ad Platform
14:45 Beating Google's AdMob With Performance Marketing
19:30 No Board For Six Years
30:12 The China Deal That Almost Blew Up
37:45 The Convertible Note Pivot And KKR
46:30 Buying Gaming Studios To Get Data
51:45 Losing Trust With Game Developers
58:20 The 2022 Crash And How He Kept His Team
1:02:00 Building An Hyper Competent & Efficient Company
1:07:25 Why Every New Hire Needs His Approval
1:19:06 The Axon 2 Inflection Point
1:21:15 One Great Engineer Now Beats A Hundred

Includes paid partnerships.
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davidsenra
This is the best founder you've never heard of. Adam Foroughi's company prints $5 billion in cash a year with just 400 people. When his stock price dropped by 92%, he borrowed money to buy back $6 billion in stock. That bet made the company more than $60 billion. The entire C-suite is just 4 people. To this day, Adam approves every hire. This episode has the highest insight-to-minute ratio of any conversation I've had so far. Here’s our full conversation: 0:00 The $6B Buyback That Made $60B 2:15 Borrowing Money To Buy Back Stock At A Discount 5:02 Why VCs Passed On AppLovin In 2012 9:00 From App Discovery To Ad Platform 14:45 Beating Google's AdMob With Performance Marketing 19:30 No Board For Six Years 30:12 The China Deal That Almost Blew Up 37:45 The Convertible Note Pivot And KKR 46:30 Buying Gaming Studios To Get Data 51:45 Losing Trust With Game Developers 58:20 The 2022 Crash And How He Kept His Team 1:02:00 Building An Hyper Competent & Efficient Company 1:07:25 Why Every New Hire Needs His Approval 1:19:06 The Axon 2 Inflection Point 1:21:15 One Great Engineer Now Beats A Hundred Includes paid partnerships.
.@tobi says the photo of SpaceX’s Raptor evolution is the “most inspiring picture that exists.”

“That's today’s Picasso.”

“Very few teams can move forward by subtraction.”

“The world belongs to the fast. The people who iterate. The people who adjust. The people who understand what’s costly, what’s unnecessary, and prune away the rest.”
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davidsenra
.@tobi says the photo of SpaceX’s Raptor evolution is the “most inspiring picture that exists.” “That's today’s Picasso.” “Very few teams can move forward by subtraction.” “The world belongs to the fast. The people who iterate. The people who adjust. The people who understand what’s costly, what’s unnecessary, and prune away the rest.”
My conversation with @danawhite, president and CEO of the @UFC.

0:00 Founders Are the Best Storytellers
1:04 Buying the UFC for $2M
2:51 Excellence Is the Capacity to Take Pain
7:58 One Good Night's Sleep and "Fuck It, Let's Keep Going"
10:53 The Ultimate Fighter: A $10M Bet-It-All Moment
13:12 The Napkin Deal With Spike TV
22:00 Leaving Spike TV and the Phil Duman Story
28:24 First Event Profitable: What He Does Differently Now
32:30 Why Dana Sits Ringside Watching a Screen
34:07 Building a Team That Can Read His Mind
45:10 "Who the Fuck Are You and What Have You Done?"
51:55 Selling the UFC for $4+ Billion
57:32 Not Cutting a Single Employee During COVID
1:03:30 Firing a Sponsor Who Told Him How to Vote
1:07:45 There Is No Plan B
1:09:00 Joe Rogan: Doing the First 12 Fights for Free
1:12:37 Loyalty Is the Most Important Thing

Includes paid partnerships.
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davidsenra
My conversation with @danawhite, president and CEO of the @UFC. 0:00 Founders Are the Best Storytellers 1:04 Buying the UFC for $2M 2:51 Excellence Is the Capacity to Take Pain 7:58 One Good Night's Sleep and "Fuck It, Let's Keep Going" 10:53 The Ultimate Fighter: A $10M Bet-It-All Moment 13:12 The Napkin Deal With Spike TV 22:00 Leaving Spike TV and the Phil Duman Story 28:24 First Event Profitable: What He Does Differently Now 32:30 Why Dana Sits Ringside Watching a Screen 34:07 Building a Team That Can Read His Mind 45:10 "Who the Fuck Are You and What Have You Done?" 51:55 Selling the UFC for $4+ Billion 57:32 Not Cutting a Single Employee During COVID 1:03:30 Firing a Sponsor Who Told Him How to Vote 1:07:45 There Is No Plan B 1:09:00 Joe Rogan: Doing the First 12 Fights for Free 1:12:37 Loyalty Is the Most Important Thing Includes paid partnerships.
How @elonmusk fixed Starlink: 

“Starlink was a mess. It was 10X too expensive and they were building 1/10 of how many they needed. 

Elon’s like I've had it. This is now the bottleneck. I'm fixing this.

He grabs a team of engineers that he trusts and they fly up to Seattle. 

They fire the entire Starlink leadership team. 

They sit down in a war room and they start running the algorithm. 

•What is the first principles of satellite design? 

•How simple can we make this thing? 

•Why does this exist? 

•Why are these two things so far apart? 

•Why do we need this much energy? 

•Why do we need this manufacturing process? 

And over the course of a few months they make a two order of magnitude leap. 

These people had never encountered this design before, but just by applying the algorithm and working with maniacal urgency towards this extremely high design bar, they created this product that's now —if it was a standalone business —would be worth tens of billions of dollars [or more].”
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davidsenra
How @elonmusk fixed Starlink: “Starlink was a mess. It was 10X too expensive and they were building 1/10 of how many they needed. Elon’s like I've had it. This is now the bottleneck. I'm fixing this. He grabs a team of engineers that he trusts and they fly up to Seattle. They fire the entire Starlink leadership team. They sit down in a war room and they start running the algorithm. •What is the first principles of satellite design? •How simple can we make this thing? •Why does this exist? •Why are these two things so far apart? •Why do we need this much energy? •Why do we need this manufacturing process? And over the course of a few months they make a two order of magnitude leap. These people had never encountered this design before, but just by applying the algorithm and working with maniacal urgency towards this extremely high design bar, they created this product that's now —if it was a standalone business —would be worth tens of billions of dollars [or more].”
"I'd pay my entire fortune to have one more night with my parents."

"I think about my parents. My dad died in 2004. My mom died in 1987, and I still have conversations with them. I ask for forgiveness for them, and I give them forgiveness. I'd pay my entire fortune to have one more night with my parents.

That'd be so great to be able to tell them how much I appreciate all the things they did and how much I loved them. And also, 'hey, Mom, I turned out okay.' So, we'll call that a minor regret in my life that I couldn't make my mother happy on her deathbed."
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davidsenra
"I'd pay my entire fortune to have one more night with my parents." "I think about my parents. My dad died in 2004. My mom died in 1987, and I still have conversations with them. I ask for forgiveness for them, and I give them forgiveness. I'd pay my entire fortune to have one more night with my parents. That'd be so great to be able to tell them how much I appreciate all the things they did and how much I loved them. And also, 'hey, Mom, I turned out okay.' So, we'll call that a minor regret in my life that I couldn't make my mother happy on her deathbed."
“I lived in a building in New York. Living above me was Martin Scorsese. 

I would go visit him at night. Every night Scorsese watched a movie. 

Every single night. 

I’d bring take out and listen and ask him questions. It was like taking a master’s degree in film. 

He knew every old director. 

I learned to be able to talk to Stanley Kubrick. He never had an agent except me. 

I could talk to him because Marty educated me. 

I did a lot of reading and I knew about those old directors. I had all of our people trained in the history of film and television. 

I bought every book that was published. 

I bought a book I’ll never forget: The History of the Emmy’s. It listed all the Emmy awards in history. 

I made our people watch every film in the history of the Academy Awards that won Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Writer. 

They got familiar with who these people are and what they contributed. 

And by doing so our people were so fluent in their business. They could talk television, they could talk movies, they could talk music. 

They knew history. 

Past is prologue. If you know history you can pretty much predict the future.”
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davidsenra
“I lived in a building in New York. Living above me was Martin Scorsese. I would go visit him at night. Every night Scorsese watched a movie. Every single night. I’d bring take out and listen and ask him questions. It was like taking a master’s degree in film. He knew every old director. I learned to be able to talk to Stanley Kubrick. He never had an agent except me. I could talk to him because Marty educated me. I did a lot of reading and I knew about those old directors. I had all of our people trained in the history of film and television. I bought every book that was published. 
 I bought a book I’ll never forget: The History of the Emmy’s. It listed all the Emmy awards in history. I made our people watch every film in the history of the Academy Awards that won Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Writer. They got familiar with who these people are and what they contributed. And by doing so our people were so fluent in their business. They could talk television, they could talk movies, they could talk music. They knew history. Past is prologue. If you know history you can pretty much predict the future.”
Nine years ago, I launched Founders (@FoundersPodcast).

Today, I'm launching a new podcast called David Senra. 

The first episode goes live this Sunday. Subscribe wherever you watch or listen to podcasts. 

Founders will still come out every week.

@scicomm // @hubermanlab
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davidsenra
Nine years ago, I launched Founders (@FoundersPodcast). Today, I'm launching a new podcast called David Senra. The first episode goes live this Sunday. Subscribe wherever you watch or listen to podcasts. Founders will still come out every week. @scicomm // @hubermanlab
When @elonmusk started @SpaceX, he didn't ask for a contract. He rewrote the terms.

@EricJorgenson explains why:

"Elon went to the people actually awarding these contracts and said 'We want an outcome-based contract. I want to be incentivized to drive down the cost. I want to be incentivized to hit the deadlines.'

For all the talk that happens about him doing things that have never been done before, the things that he's doing that have never been done before are because he drives cost down.

And he drives cost down because the vision is not 'Make as much money as I can.' It wasn't 'Start a new aerospace company that's as profitable as possible.' It was 'Get us to Mars.'

That is a heroic thing to go in and say 'I know I could get paid X to do mediocre work, but I actually want to take the risk. I want to burn the boats. I want my back to the wall. I want to know that we have to clear this threshold that nobody has ever crossed before. And I want to go tell my team that because that's how we're actually going to achieve this objective that everybody thinks I'm crazy for setting.'"
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davidsenra
When @elonmusk started @SpaceX, he didn't ask for a contract. He rewrote the terms. @EricJorgenson explains why: "Elon went to the people actually awarding these contracts and said 'We want an outcome-based contract. I want to be incentivized to drive down the cost. I want to be incentivized to hit the deadlines.' For all the talk that happens about him doing things that have never been done before, the things that he's doing that have never been done before are because he drives cost down. And he drives cost down because the vision is not 'Make as much money as I can.' It wasn't 'Start a new aerospace company that's as profitable as possible.' It was 'Get us to Mars.' That is a heroic thing to go in and say 'I know I could get paid X to do mediocre work, but I actually want to take the risk. I want to burn the boats. I want my back to the wall. I want to know that we have to clear this threshold that nobody has ever crossed before. And I want to go tell my team that because that's how we're actually going to achieve this objective that everybody thinks I'm crazy for setting.'"
SpaceX's shocking competence:

"Somebody I know once worked for 
@SpaceX and they were asked what it was like, and he said, "It's like being dropped into a zone of shocking competence."

Everybody is ultra competent.

And the reason everybody's ultra competent is because if they're not, Elon sniffs it out and fires them.

Elon's talking to the people actually doing the work. At this point having done this for 25 years he can sniff this out really quickly.

The best engineers in the world want to work for him because he's the one CEO who's able to work with them as a peer on whatever the technology is.

What would be better as an engineer than being able to design a rocket with @elonmusk as your engineering partner?"
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davidsenra
SpaceX's shocking competence: "Somebody I know once worked for @SpaceX and they were asked what it was like, and he said, "It's like being dropped into a zone of shocking competence." Everybody is ultra competent. And the reason everybody's ultra competent is because if they're not, Elon sniffs it out and fires them. Elon's talking to the people actually doing the work. At this point having done this for 25 years he can sniff this out really quickly. The best engineers in the world want to work for him because he's the one CEO who's able to work with them as a peer on whatever the technology is. What would be better as an engineer than being able to design a rocket with @elonmusk as your engineering partner?"
My conversation with @evanspiegel, co-founder & CEO of @Snap.

0:00 Edwin Land Influence
2:01 Art Science Upbringing
3:27 Computers And Connection
5:50 Smartphone Addiction Lens
9:30 Building For Humanity
13:15 From Internships To Snapchat
17:02 Snapchat vs. Social Media
18:38 Stories And Vertical Video
22:22 Uncompromising Kind Culture
28:34 Snap Leadership And Design
37:38 AI Supercharges Snap
41:57 No Moat In Software
42:31 Beating the Clone
43:50 Messaging Network Effects
44:58 Camera Out of Pocket
45:49 Specs Market Reality
48:28 AR Platform Explosion
52:14 Vision-Led Product Design
54:09 Why Not Luxottica
59:11 Owning the Stack
1:03:02 Snap the Middle Child
1:08:04 Crisis Without Burnout
1:10:02 Snapchat Plus Growth
1:12:54 Rebuilding the Ad Engine
1:19:03 Subscriptions Over Ads
1:21:14 Fighting Giants With AI
1:22:04 Why Hardware Stands Alone
1:25:29 Snap Lab Origins
1:25:59 New Apps Beyond Snapchat
1:28:29 Focus And Founder Drive
1:32:14 Surfacing Problems Fast
1:36:08 Flat Culture Meritocracy
1:39:36 Last Company And Giving Back
1:41:15 Turning Down Billions
1:48:51 Snapchat Funds New Computing
1:51:24 Crucible Year And Schedule
1:53:56 Stress Reframed Meditation
1:56:09 Explainer In Chief
1:57:07 Closing

Includes paid partnerships.
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davidsenra
My conversation with @evanspiegel, co-founder & CEO of @Snap. 0:00 Edwin Land Influence 2:01 Art Science Upbringing 3:27 Computers And Connection 5:50 Smartphone Addiction Lens 9:30 Building For Humanity 13:15 From Internships To Snapchat 17:02 Snapchat vs. Social Media 18:38 Stories And Vertical Video 22:22 Uncompromising Kind Culture 28:34 Snap Leadership And Design 37:38 AI Supercharges Snap 41:57 No Moat In Software 42:31 Beating the Clone 43:50 Messaging Network Effects 44:58 Camera Out of Pocket 45:49 Specs Market Reality 48:28 AR Platform Explosion 52:14 Vision-Led Product Design 54:09 Why Not Luxottica 59:11 Owning the Stack 1:03:02 Snap the Middle Child 1:08:04 Crisis Without Burnout 1:10:02 Snapchat Plus Growth 1:12:54 Rebuilding the Ad Engine 1:19:03 Subscriptions Over Ads 1:21:14 Fighting Giants With AI 1:22:04 Why Hardware Stands Alone 1:25:29 Snap Lab Origins 1:25:59 New Apps Beyond Snapchat 1:28:29 Focus And Founder Drive 1:32:14 Surfacing Problems Fast 1:36:08 Flat Culture Meritocracy 1:39:36 Last Company And Giving Back 1:41:15 Turning Down Billions 1:48:51 Snapchat Funds New Computing 1:51:24 Crucible Year And Schedule 1:53:56 Stress Reframed Meditation 1:56:09 Explainer In Chief 1:57:07 Closing Includes paid partnerships.

David Senra (@davidsenra) X Stats & Analytics

David Senra (@davidsenra) has 96.8K X followers with a 0.23% engagement rate over the past 12 months. Across 1.16K posts, David Senra received 314K total likes and 143M impressions, averaging 271 likes per post. This page tracks David Senra's performance metrics, top content, and engagement trends — updated daily.

David Senra (@davidsenra) X Analytics FAQ

How many X (Twitter) followers does David Senra have?+
David Senra (@davidsenra) has 96.8K X (Twitter) followers as of May 2026.
What is David Senra's X (Twitter) engagement rate?+
David Senra's X (Twitter) engagement rate is 0.23% over the last 12 months, based on 1.16K posts.
How many likes does David Senra get on X (Twitter)?+
David Senra received 314K total likes across 1.16K posts in the last 12 months, averaging 271 likes per post.
How many X (Twitter) impressions does David Senra get?+
David Senra's X (Twitter) content generated 143M total impressions over the last 12 months.