Every company has a story. Learn the playbooks that built the world’s greatest companies — and how you can apply them as a founder, operator, or investor.
…
continue reading
Technology is overhauling society before our very eyes! Does that trend scare you, excite you, or something in between? Well, same here. We Are Here Tomorrow explores how the world is changing around us, and where those changes might take us. Through this podcast and fun explainer blog, we’ll investigate the intersection where science meets society, and how we mold the technology that will in turn shape our future. Researched, written, and hosted by (real) engineers and (armchair) researcher ...
…
continue reading
Man is a networked animal. An exploration of decentralized systems, business models, and the future of media.
…
continue reading
Meta is a company everyone knows (literally, everyone). But, somehow, it’s also a company that few people feel they actually understand. Their products are used by more humans than any other’s in history — almost half of the entire world’s population daily. But… what is Meta? Why do they do what they do? How do they do what they do? Ask ten people …
…
continue reading
1
Acquired LIVE from Chase Center (with Daniel Ek, Emily Chang, Jensen Huang and Mark Zuckerberg)
2:26:04
2:26:04
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
2:26:04
Here it is: the complete video of the most unbelievable night of Acquired’s nine-year life… our sold out live show at the Chase Center in San Francisco. We joked during the months (months!) of preparation leading up to this event that it was like planning a wedding for 6,000 Acquired fans, and the guest list included Jamie Dimon, Daniel Ek, Emily C…
…
continue reading
1
The Mark Zuckerberg Interview
1:27:05
1:27:05
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:27:05
Mark is the iconic founder CEO of our time. At Chase Center on September 10, 2024, he did an unprecedented thing: a live conversation in front of 6,000 people on Meta’s company strategy, sharing stories from early Facebook history, and his thoughts on the future of AI, VR, and AR. Mark was remarkably candid in our discussion, and gave us a window i…
…
continue reading
Summer greetings from Acquired! Two items for this “mini-episode”: Tickets are now available for our live show at Chase Center in San Francisco, with special guests including Mark Zuckerberg (!). The show is Tuesday, September 10th, with doors opening at 5 PM for an hour of mingling with other listeners before the show starts at 6 PM. Huge thank yo…
…
continue reading
1
Microsoft Volume II
4:51:31
4:51:31
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
4:51:31
In 1999, Microsoft became the most valuable company in the world. And in 2019, Microsoft became the most valuable company in the world, again. But… what happened in the twenty years in between? The answer, as we discovered in our research, is probably not what you think. In this episode we explore and analyze the browser wars and the DOJ case, Wind…
…
continue reading
1
Starbucks (with Howard Schultz)
3:15:14
3:15:14
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
3:15:14
Starbucks. You’d be hard pressed to name any brand that’s more ubiquitous in the world today. With nearly half a billion global customer purchases per week across its stores and 3rd party retail channels, a significant portion of the human population gets their daily fix in the green and white paper cup. (Including our own Ben Gilbert who famously …
…
continue reading
1
Microsoft Volume I
4:23:10
4:23:10
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
4:23:10
Microsoft. After nearly a decade of Acquired episodes, we are finally ready to tackle the most valuable company ever created. The company that put a computer on every desk and in every home. The company that invented the software business model. The company that so thoroughly and completely dominated every conceivable competitor that the United Sta…
…
continue reading
1
Renaissance Technologies
3:05:52
3:05:52
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
3:05:52
Renaissance Technologies is the best performing investment firm of all time. And yet no one at RenTec would consider themselves an “investor”, at least in any traditional sense of the word. It’d rather be more accurate to call them scientists — scientists who’ve discovered a system of math, computers and artificial intelligence that has evolved int…
…
continue reading
In luxury, there’s Hermès… and there’s everyone else. Stewarded by one French family over six generations, Hermès sells the absolute pinnacle of the French luxury dream. Loyal clients will wait years simply for the opportunity to buy one of the company’s flagship Birkin or Kelly bags. Unlike every other luxury brand, Hermès: Doesn’t increase supply…
…
continue reading
1
Novo Nordisk (Ozempic)
3:41:25
3:41:25
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
3:41:25
Last year Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company behind Ozempic and Wegovy, overtook LVMH to become Europe’s most valuable company. And the pull for Acquired to finally tackle healthcare (18% of US GDP!) became too strong for us to resist. While we didn’t know much about Novo Nordisk before diving in, our first thought was, “wow, seems lik…
…
continue reading
1
Holiday Special 2023
2:15:36
2:15:36
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
2:15:36
Ben has some big news. Actually, double big news! On what has become a holiday tradition here at Acquired, we cozy up to the fire to do our annual review of the show “in public”. We reflect on what can only be described as an absolutely mind-blowing 2023 (LVMH! Jensen! Costco! Charlie! Half a million plus listeners!) and look ahead to some big thin…
…
continue reading
To paraphrase Visa founder Dee Hock, how many of you know Visa? Great, all of you. Now, how many of you know how it started? Or, for that matter, who started it? Who runs and governs it? Where is it headquartered? What’s its business model? For the 11th largest market cap company in the world, Visa’s history and strategy is almost shockingly unknow…
…
continue reading
1
Charlie Munger
1:06:46
1:06:46
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:06:46
We sit down with the legendary Charlie Munger in the only dedicated longform podcast interview that he has done in his 99 years on Earth. We’ve gotten to have some special conversations on Acquired over the years, but this one truly takes the cake. Over dinner at his Los Angeles home, Charlie reflected with us on his own career and his nearly 50-ye…
…
continue reading
1
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang
1:29:07
1:29:07
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:29:07
We finally sit down with the man himself: Nvidia Cofounder & CEO Jensen Huang. After three parts and seven+ hours of covering the company, we thought we knew everything but — unsurprisingly — Jensen knows more. A couple teasers: we learned that the company’s initial motivation to enter the datacenter business came from perhaps not where you’d think…
…
continue reading
1
Nvidia Part III: The Dawn of the AI Era (2022-2023)
2:52:53
2:52:53
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
2:52:53
It’s a(nother) new era for Nvidia. We thought we’d closed the Acquired book on Nvidia back in April 2022. The story was all wrapped up: Jensen & crew had set out on an amazing journey to accelerate the world’s computing workloads. Along the way they’d discovered a wondrous opportunity (machine learning powered social media feed recommendations). Th…
…
continue reading
Costco is not only Charlie Munger’s favorite company of all time (plus he’s on the board, natch), it’s an absolutely fascinating study in how seemingly opposite characteristics can combine to create incredible company value. For instance: Costco has the cheapest prices of any major retailer in America — and also the wealthiest customer base. They p…
…
continue reading
Nike — it’s perhaps the most iconic and most prolific brand of the modern era. On any given day, swooshes adorn the feet of more people on earth than any other footwear company — by a long shot. If you read Shoe Dog or watched Air, you may think you know its history. But Shoe Dog ends in 1980, and Air… well let’s just say it’s an enjoyable piece of…
…
continue reading
1
Porsche (with Doug DeMuro)
3:20:59
3:20:59
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
3:20:59
Nobody’s perfect — including Porsche. Despite that phrase appearing in their famous 1983 magazine advertisement, they managed to get damn-close to the perfect luxury business (even Bernard Arnault would be jealous!). Porsche is both quality AND quantity, owning the most prestigious brand in its market, while at the same time churning out almost hal…
…
continue reading
1
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi
1:35:51
1:35:51
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:35:51
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi dropped by the Acquired studio for an Eats delivery, so we broke out the cameras and asked him to hang out for a wide-ranging conversation. :) We talk about his 20 years working with Barry Diller, starting his career at Allen & Company, how the Uber CEO search process ACTUALLY went down… and oh yeah, the massive transform…
…
continue reading
1
Lockheed Martin
3:36:27
3:36:27
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
3:36:27
Today we bring you two absolutely incredible stories. The first is Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works division — the elite team of aviation geniuses who produced some of the greatest airplanes in history: the U-2, the Stealth Fighter, and the incomparable SR-71 Blackbird. The second story is arguably even more important, but not widely known! It's th…
…
continue reading
1
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek
1:36:54
1:36:54
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:36:54
We sit down with Spotify CEO Daniel Ek live in Stockholm at Spotify’s amazing HQ studio (check out the video version of this episode — which plays natively on Spotify!). This was an incredibly special and timely conversation: for those who haven’t been paying attention over the past few years, after revolutionizing music Spotify has now ALSO comple…
…
continue reading
1
Benchmark’s Mitch Lasky and Blake Robbins on The Art of Business in Gaming
2:14:35
2:14:35
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
2:14:35
We sit down Benchmark’s legendary gaming investors Mitch Lasky and Blake Robbins (now also of the excellent Gamecraft podcast fame) to discuss the history and future of gaming business models. This episode is the perfect bookend to our Nintendo/Sega gaming series this season on Acquired — no one is more qualified than Mitch and Blake to breakdown h…
…
continue reading
1
Short: The Death of Sega
1:07:01
1:07:01
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:07:01
Sega and the Genesis was THE underdog story of the early 90’s. In a single console generation, Sega went from ~zero to 50% US market share and dethroned Nintendo’s seemingly invincible global monopoly. But — somehow — it all then died. Two console generations later Sega was out of the hardware game entirely, and the company was sold off for pieces …
…
continue reading
1
Nintendo: The Console Wars
3:16:29
3:16:29
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
3:16:29
In the 1980’s Nintendo was on top of the world, with the NES achieving over 90% market share of home video games globally. So how did they fall ALL the way down to ~10% in just a few short console generations? And how did they then build themselves back up (and down and up again) to the top of the world again? Spoiler: it all hinged on one very sma…
…
continue reading
1
Interview: Hamilton Helmer & Chenyi Shi on How to Build an AWS-Like Second Business
1:28:42
1:28:42
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:28:42
7 Powers author Hamilton Helmer and his Strategy Capital colleague Chenyi Shi join us again to discuss their latest research on a topic that’s highly relevant to the recent Acquired canon: how to build a second business line. This incredibly important “transforming” question faces every great company who has achieved initial product success (as wel…
…
continue reading
1
Sessions: David Senra (Founders Podcast)
3:18:04
3:18:04
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
3:18:04
ACQ Sessions returns with David Senra of the Founders Podcast. David is one of our very favorite people in the world — it’s impossible to spend an hour (or 3!) with him and not come away inspired to go take over the world. This conversation is an “extended, IRL version” of monthly calls that we do together where we share stories, swap life and podc…
…
continue reading
1
Nintendo's Origins
3:24:41
3:24:41
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
3:24:41
You may think you know the Nintendo story: a plumber named Mario, a princess named Zelda… and didn’t they buy the Seattle Mariners at some point? We thought we knew it too. And then we started researching and were blown away. The lovable Disney-like Nintendo that we know today is a 130 year-old a playing card company (i.e. gambling), forged in the …
…
continue reading
We tell the full history of LVMH, and how Bernard Arnault turned a $15m investment in a bankrupt French textile company into the world’s largest individual fortune. It’s a story that’s equal parts Berkshire Hathaway, Steve Jobs and Barbarians at the Gate… and wholly under-appreciated for the genius business model innovations that enabled it. Whatev…
…
continue reading
1
The NFL
3:46:18
3:46:18
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
3:46:18
The NFL — it’s almost synonymous with America today. And its history is a fascinating lens to explore the nation’s development over the last 100 years, from WWII to TV and suburbs to the Internet and social media. What began as a quasi-illicit league in small midwestern towns is now the single largest media property in the world today by revenue. A…
…
continue reading
1
Holiday Special 2022
2:18:53
2:18:53
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
2:18:53
Cozy up to the fire and join Acquired as we do our annual strategic review of the show and our business “in public”. We recap our perspectives on Acquired’s big moments from the past year, a bit of commentary on the current state of the tech ecosystem, and what lies ahead for us in 2023. Plus as always at the holidays, we do an extended carve out s…
…
continue reading
1
Stratechery (with Ben Thompson)
1:53:41
1:53:41
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:53:41
Ben Thompson joins Acquired to discuss the business of Stratechery itself and celebrate 10 years (!) of the internet’s best strategy analysis destination. Even beyond Stratechery’s enormous impact itself on business and tech over the years, Ben’s work inspired a whole generation of business content creators — this show very much included — and it w…
…
continue reading
The FTX fraud has dominated headlines now for weeks, during which we’ve debated if and how Acquired could uniquely add to the conversation. Then we realized there was an angle so perfect that we had to drop everything and enter Acquired research overdrive: Enron. Travel back with us to the granddaddy fraud of them all, 2001’s then-largest bankruptc…
…
continue reading
1
Qualcomm
2:26:03
2:26:03
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
2:26:03
Qualcomm, or “Quality Communications” — despite being one of the largest technology companies in the world, few people know the absolutely amazing technological and business history behind it. Seriously, this story is on par with Nvidia, TSMC and all the great semiconductor giants. Without this single fabless company based in San Diego, there’s alm…
…
continue reading
1
Benchmark Part II: The Dinner
1:58:42
1:58:42
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:58:42
We sit down with all five current Benchmark GPs for one of their legendary weekly dinners, during which we ask all of the unresolved burning questions from Part 1. How do THEY think about Benchmark v3? What are their day-to-day emotions trying to keep the equal partnership “bending toward greatness? Why is there no growth fund? What does it take to…
…
continue reading
1
ACQ Sessions: Jason Calacanis
2:29:31
2:29:31
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
2:29:31
We kick off ACQ Sessions with the-behind-the-scenes story of All-in, from the world’s greatest moderator himself Jason Calacanis. ACQ Sessions is our new, occasional “MTV Unplugged” version of Acquired: a great IRL guest, a bottle (or two) of wine, and no script. We talk about everything you’d imagine we would over wine with JCal — All-In, bestie r…
…
continue reading
1
Benchmark Part I
3:42:05
3:42:05
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
3:42:05
Benchmark Capital. We tell the tale of the legendary equal partnership that accomplished something no other venture firm can claim: twice it has produced the highest returning fund of its cycle, each time with a 100% different GP lineup. If ever there were a playbook for successful generational transfer of a generational-defining venture firm, this…
…
continue reading
1
Amazon Web Services
2:42:43
2:42:43
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
2:42:43
So, how DID an online book retailer end up building the infrastructure layer that powers the entire internet? (Or at least 39% of it, per latest market share data.) While many myths, legends, and some downright falsehoods exist, the real answer to that question deserves a full Acquired episode of its very own. So here it is: the story of Amazon Web…
…
continue reading
1
Howard Marks & Andrew Marks: Something of Value
1:28:43
1:28:43
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:28:43
We sit down with legendary investor Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital and his son Andrew who, while less-well-known, is also an incredibly accomplished investor in a very different arena: early-stage VC. The purpose of the conversation was to discuss their joint work together on Howard’s all-time most popular memo, “Something of Value”, which made th…
…
continue reading
1
Amazon.com
4:15:49
4:15:49
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
4:15:49
Amazon. No company has impacted the internet — and all of modern life — more than this one. We’ve waited seven years to do this episode, and are so, so excited to finally dive into every nook and cranny of this legendary company. And of course because we’re Acquired and this is Amazon, we couldn’t contain it all to just one episode… even a 4+ hour …
…
continue reading
1
From NFL to Startup COO to Congressman Regulating Crypto (with Rep. Anthony Gonzalez)
1:54:36
1:54:36
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:54:36
This episode is a first for Acquired: we’re joined by a sitting US Congressman (from Ben’s home state of Ohio!), Republican House Representative Anthony Gonzalez. Anthony serves on the House Financial Services Committee and is deeply involved in crypto and Web3 regulation, as well as on the Climate and Science, Space & Technology Committee where he…
…
continue reading
1
Walmart
2:59:04
2:59:04
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
2:59:04
We kick off Season 11 with the incredible story of the retail “granddaddy of them all” Walmart, and its founder Sam Walton. Once you study Walmart, you realize just how deep its heritage runs through Amazon and so many iconic modern companies we cover on Acquired. This episode was an absolute blast, and we even uncovered a new addendum to the hallo…
…
continue reading
1
The Playbook: Lessons from 200+ Company Stories
1:02:23
1:02:23
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:02:23
When Patrick O'Shaughnessy and Brent Beshore asked us to give a talk at their incredible Capital Camp conference, we knew we had to bring something special. So we spent months combing through the Acquired back catalog and cataloged our 12 favorite lessons from the 200+ stories we’ve told over the past 7 years. From Sequoia through Sony, TSMC, Nvidi…
…
continue reading
1
American Dynamism (with Katherine Boyle)
1:16:20
1:16:20
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:16:20
We sit down with a16z General Partner Katherine Boyle to discuss investing in “American Dynamism”, why it’s so important and why now is the right time to pursue it. Katherine has a fascinating background, beginning her career as a reporter at The Washington Post before entering the VC world first at Founders Fund, then General Catalyst and now a16z…
…
continue reading
1
Capital-Efficient Growth (with Zoom CEO Eric Yuan & Veeva CEO Peter Gassner)
1:06:13
1:06:13
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:06:13
We sit down with the CEO founders of two of the most capital efficient success stories of all time — Zoom and Veeva Systems — to understand how they grew to billions of dollars in revenue (and tens of billions in market cap) on very, very little capital invested. With the fundraising environment changing rapidly, we couldn’t think of a better topic…
…
continue reading
1
Arena Show Part II: Brooks Running (with CEO Jim Weber)
1:09:29
1:09:29
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:09:29
For the final act of the Arena Show, we’re joined by Brooks CEO Jim Weber to tell the amazing story of how he transformed the company from a 3rd tier, deeply cashflow negative “also-ran” into one of the world’s premiere fitness brands and a crown jewel of the Berkshire Hathaway empire — with compounding revenue and cashflow growth that rivals even …
…
continue reading
1
Arena Show Part I: Idea Dinner + YC Continuity
1:25:37
1:25:37
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:25:37
We did an Arena Show!! This evening was so big and so special, we had to split it into two episodes for the podcast feed. First up is the Idea Dinner with our best internet buddies, Packy McCormick and Mario Gabriele (and special guest judge Shu Nyatta), followed by the story of YC Continuity with managing partner Anu Hariharan. Huge, huge thank yo…
…
continue reading
1
Nvidia Part II: The Machine Learning Company (2006-2022)
2:10:30
2:10:30
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
2:10:30
By 2012, NVIDIA was on a decade-long road to nowhere. Or so most rational observers of the company thought. CEO Jensen Huang was plowing all the cash from the company’s gaming business into building a highly speculative platform with few clear use cases and no obviously large market opportunity. And then... a miracle happened. A miracle that led no…
…
continue reading
1
Platforms and Power (with Hamilton Helmer and Chenyi Shi)
1:22:14
1:22:14
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:22:14
We sit down once again with one of the world’s very best strategy thinkers, 7 Powers author Hamilton Helmer — this time joined by his impressive Strategy Capital colleague Chenyi Shi — to discuss platform businesses, and how the Power framework applies to them. If you’re building, investing in, or just curious about the dynamics of platforms, this …
…
continue reading
1
Nvidia Part I: The GPU Company (1993-2006)
1:58:25
1:58:25
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:58:25
He wears signature leather jackets. He can bench press more than you. He makes cars that drive themselves. He’s cheated death — both corporate and personal — too many times to count, and he runs the 8th most valuable company in the world. Nope, he's not Elon Musk, he’s Jensen Huang — the most badass CEO in semiconductor history. Today we tell the f…
…
continue reading
1
Altimeter (with Brad Gerstner)
1:51:36
1:51:36
Riproduci in seguito
Riproduci in seguito
Liste
Like
Like aggiunto
1:51:36
We hear a lot these days about hedge funds becoming venture firms, and venture firms becoming hedge funds. But a decade before either of those approaches became mainstream, a tiny $3m fund in Boston named Altimeter Capital set out simply to invest in a concentrated portfolio of America’s very best technology companies, regardless if they were publi…
…
continue reading