Henry Ellenbogen - Man Versus Machine - [Invest Like the Best, EP.452]

My guest today is Henry Ellenbogen, founder and Managing Partner of Durable Capital Partners. Henry built his reputation at T. Rowe Price, where he led the New Horizons Fund and turned it into one of the best-performing small-cap growth portfolios in the country. In 2019, he left to start Durable. His philosophy is grounded in a simple belief that great investing is about understanding people and change. Henry has spent his career studying the rare 1% of companies that drive nearly all long-term returns . Durable’s edge comes from being able to tell the difference between a company that is failing and one that is transforming. Henry often talks about “Act II” teams – founders who take the lessons from their first company and apply them to a new frontier. Durable itself is his Act II. In our latest Colossus profile, Managing Editor Dom Cooke traces Henry’s story and specifically how he became one of the most influential investors of the 21st century, having learned from founders like Jeff Bezos and John Malone in the early part of his career. I always hear the same thing from founders who’ve met Henry: “he understood my business faster than anyone”. The thing that sticks with me from our conversation and Dom’s profile is just how much he loves investing. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ridgeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ridgelineapps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the platform. ----- This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlphaSense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alpha-Sense.com/Invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like The Best (00:04:00) Meet Henry Ellenbogen (00:05:29) Origin of Henry’s Investment Philosophy (00:08:12) Identifying the 1% of Great Companies (00:12:53) Patterns of Successful Compounders (00:20:34) Act Two Entrepreneurs and Teams (00:25:43) Building Durable Capital: Henry’s Act Two (00:30:11) Dollar Cost Averaging Up Strategy (00:35:02) Market Structure and Agency Problems (00:38:26) Impact of Quant Funds and Short-Term Capital (00:42:21) AI as Transformative Change (00:45:30) How Affirm Uses AI (00:48:23) Amazon’s Cost Curve Advantage (00:51:48) Leadership Through Change (00:56:54) Robotics and Physical Kaizen (01:01:29) Favorite Types of Competitive Advantages (01:05:25) Investment Memo Structure (01:09:21) 2022 CEO Tour on Market Transition (01:19:18) Hiring and Developing Talent (01:24:09) Making Colleagues Better (01:27:56) Being Intellectually Honest in Investing (01:29:11) Lessons from Success (01:33:04) Case for Going Public (01:36:32) Netflix Transition Example (01:41:29) Two Types of Greatness (01:45:42) The Kindest Thing

My guest this week is Gavin Baker. Gavin is the managing partner and CIO of Atreides Management, and he has been on the show many times before.  I will never forget when I first met Gavin in 2017. I find his interest in markets, his curiosity about the world to be as infectious as any investor that I've ever come across. He's encyclopedic on what is going on in the world of technology today, and I've had the good fortune to host him every year or two on this podcast. Gavin began covering Nvidia as an investor more than two decades ago, giving him a rare perspective on how the company – and the entire semiconductor ecosystem – has evolved. A lot has changed since our last conversation a year ago, making this the perfect time to revisit the topic. In this conversation, we talk about everything that interests Gavin – Nvidia’s GPUs, Google’s TPUs, the changing AI landscape, the math and business models around AI companies and everything in between. We also discussed the idea of data centers in space, which he communicates with his usual passion and logic. In closing, at the end of this conversation, because I've asked him my traditional closing question before, I asked him a different question, which led to a discussion of his entire investing origin story that I had never heard before. Because Gavin is one of the most passionate thinkers and investors that I know, these conversations are always amongst my most favorite. I hope you enjoy this latest in the series of discussions with Gavin Baker. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ridgeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ridgelineapps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the platform. ----- This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlphaSense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alpha-Sense.com/Invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like The Best (00:04:00) Meet Gavin Baker (00:06:00) Understanding Gemini 3  (00:09:05) Scaling Laws for Pre-Training (00:12:12) Google v. Nvidia (00:14:53) Google as  Lowest Cost Producer of Tokens (00:25:18)  AI Can Automate Anything that can be Verified (00:30:23) The AI Bear Case: Edge AI (00:33:43) Going from Intelligence to Usefulness (00:36:34) AI Adoption in Fortune 500 Companies (00:41:40) Frontier Models and Industry Dynamics (00:48:05) China’s Mistake and Blackwell’s Geopolitical Leverage (00:50:11) OpenAI’s Code Red (00:52:50) Data Centers in Space (00:58:00) Cycles in AI (01:01:14) Power as a Bottleneck (01:03:51) AI Native Entrepreneurs (01:05:41) Semiconductor VC (01:09:26) The Mistake the SaaS Industry is Making (01:14:53) Series of Bubbles (01:16:31) Whatever AI Needs, It Gets (01:17:53) Investing is the Search for Truth (01:18:37) Gavin’s Investing Origin Story

My guest today is David George. David is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where he leads the firm’s growth investing business. His team has backed many of the defining companies of this era – including Databricks, Figma, Stripe, SpaceX, Anduril, and OpenAI – and is now investing behind a new generation of AI startups like Cursor, Harvey, and Abridge. This conversation is a detailed look at how David built and runs the a16z growth practice. He shares how he recruits and builds his team a “Yankees-level” culture, how his team makes investment decisions without traditional committees, and how they work with founders years before investing to win the most competitive deals. Much of our conversation centers on AI and how his team is investing across the stack, from foundational models to applications. David draws parallels to past platform shifts – from SaaS to mobile – and explains why he believes this period will produce some of the largest companies ever built. David also outlines the models that guide his approach – why markets often misprice consistent growth, what makes “pull” businesses so powerful, and why most great tech markets end up winner-take-all. David reflects on what he’s learned from studying exceptional founders and why he’s drawn to a particular type, the “technical terminator.” Please enjoy my conversation with David George. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ridgeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ridgelineapps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the platform. ----- This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlphaSense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alpha-Sense.com/Invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like The Best (00:04:00) Meet David George (00:03:04) Understanding the Impact of AI on Consumers and Enterprises (00:05:56) Monetizing AI: What is AI’s Business Model (00:11:04) Investing in Robotics and American Dynamism (00:13:31) Lessons from Investing in Waymo (00:15:55) Investment Philosophy and Strategy (00:17:15) Investing in Technical Terminators (00:20:18) Market Leaders Capture All of the Value Creation (00:24:56) The Maturation of VC and Competitive Landscape (00:28:18) What a16z Does to Win Deals (00:33:06) David’s Daily Routine: Meetings Structure and Blocking Time to Think (00:36:34) Why David Invests: Curiosity and Competition (00:40:12) The Unique Culture at Andreessen Horowitz (00:42:46) The Perfect Conditions for Growth Investing (00:47:04) Push v. Pull Businesses (00:49:19) The Three Metrics a16z Uses to Evaluate AI Companies (00:52:15) Unique Products and Unique Distribution (00:54:55) Tradeoffs of the a16z Firm Structure (00:59:04) a16z’s Semi-Algorithmic Approach to Selling (01:00:54) Three Ways Startups can Beat Incumbents in AI (01:03:44) The Kindest Thing

Welcome to this classic episode. Classics are my favorite episodes from the past 10 years, published once a month. These are N of 1 conversations with N of 1 people. Palmer Luckey is a relentless builder and original thinker. He founded Oculus, bringing virtual reality to the mainstream, and is now reshaping the future of defense and technology with Anduril. I hope you enjoy this conversation. Palmer is the founder of Anduril, which makes next-generation military technology for the US and its allies. Since bringing the company to life in 2017, Palmer and Anduril have disrupted the established order in the Defense industry. Prior to Anduril, Palmer founded Oculus VR, a virtual reality business that he sold to Facebook for $2 billion. Palmer is only in his early 30s, but he has already experienced more than most people will in a 40-year career. We talk about innovation, invention, differentiated thinking, and so much more. Please enjoy this great discussion with Palmer Luckey. Listen to Patrick's Business Breakdowns with Anduril CEO. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by WorkOS. WorkOS is a developer platform that enables SaaS companies to quickly add enterprise features to their applications. With a single API, developers can implement essential enterprise capabilities that typically require months of engineering work. By handling the complex infrastructure of enterprise features, WorkOS allows developers to focus on their core product while meeting the security and compliance requirements of Fortune 500 companies. Visit WorkOS to Transform your application into an enterprise-ready solution in minutes, not months. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.  Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @joincolossus Show Notes (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:01:15) Meet Palmer Luckey (00:02:03) The importance of synthetic long-chain hydrocarbon fuel (00:08:12) Ranking America's potential for innovation (00:11:18) Why there aren't more ⁠Thiel Fellowships⁠ (00:13:31) The principles that motivate and drive him (00:16:56) What it has been like working in the world of defense after the attack on Israel (00:19:09) Surprising lessons learned when building a large company (00:22:37) How to approach a new field initially (00:27:20) Meeting other out-of-the-box thinkers (00:31:46) Inventors working backward from existing systems versus forward from their ideals (00:33:26) The most pressing issue in national security (00:39:36) What matters most for America from a defense perspective (00:42:33) How to determine which problems to prioritize (00:48:59) Lessons learned from working with AI (00:55:56) How Apple is shaping the future of VR (01:00:11) Which videogame a prospective employee should excel at (01:02:41) Why ⁠Oculus⁠ was so successful in marketing (01:09:48) The kindest thing

My guest today is Martín Escobari. Martín is Co-President and Head of Global Growth Equity at General Atlantic. We talk about General Atlantic’s unique founding story and how its long-term structure, including permanent capital, a single P&L, and partnership culture, allows it to invest differently than other growth equity firms. We discuss the firm’s global perspective and particularly why the premium on U.S. equities is creating compelling opportunities across international and emerging markets. Martín has spent his career investing through bubbles, market cycles, and technological shifts. He shares his investing framework for balancing intuition with analysis, his approach to “spearfishing” for once-in-a-decade opportunities, and why he believes this is the best window for growth equity since 2009. Martín also reflects on his incredible personal story. He talks about growing up in turbulent Bolivia, and the role of curiosity and optimism in sustaining a long investing career. Martín’s infectious energy and genuine love for investing made this conversation both insightful and a lot of fun. Please enjoy my great conversation with Martín Escobari. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. ----- This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AlphaSense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alpha-Sense.com/Invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ridgeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ridgelineapps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the platform. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:05:00) The Bold Move That Landed a Job (00:07:16) The Art of Spearfishing in Business (00:11:55) Navigating the Dotcom Bubble (00:15:18) Investing Through the AI “Bubble” (00:20:06) General Atlantic Founding Story (00:23:04) General Atlantic's Unique Investing Strategy (00:28:20) Lessons on Fundraising (00:30:48) Global Diversification and Market Insights (00:33:12) Understanding Chinese Entrepreneurs (00:35:27) Personal and Generational Traumas (00:39:10) Characteristics of a GA Investment and Martín’s “Educated Intuition" (00:43:55) Proud Investment Achievements (00:44:41) Lessons from CEO Bill Ford (00:46:15) Changes in Investing with Experience (00:48:52) Current Market and Future Predictions (00:54:55) Growth Equity’s Competitive Landscape (00:56:59) How to Invest Outside the US (00:59:44) How to Develop Investing Talent (01:01:50) Inside the Investment Committee Process (01:04:56) Why Growth Equity is Attractive Today (01:05:58) Martín’s Unfinished Business and Mentoring (01:09:33) The Kindest Thing

My guest today is Ari Emanuel. Ari runs one of the most influential portfolios in global sports, entertainment, and media. He oversees TKO, which includes the UFC and WWE, serves as the Executive Chairman of WME Group, and recently founded MARI, a new company focused on global events and live experiences. At the center of this conversation is Ari's anti-AI bet: as AI makes digital content cheaper and everyday work more automated, he believes the value will increasingly concentrate in live and physical experiences. He explains how he’s building his portfolio around that belief, what defines a great live experience, and how he thinks about AI’s impact on content and IP. Ari is best known as a dealmaker, and he shares the principles behind his success – relentless follow-up, over-communication, velocity, and an obsession with making things happen – and how those things become the operating system he uses today. If you’re listening to this, I recommend watching the video of this interview. Ari’s energy is constant and visceral, and gives a different dimension to this episode. Please enjoy my conversation with Ari Emanuel.  For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AlphaSense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alpha-Sense.com/Invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. –- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ridgeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ridgelineapps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the platform. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:04:20) Meet Ari Emanuel (00:05:32) The UFC Story (00:10:03) Mindset, Relentlessness, and Emotional Endurance (00:13:52) AI’s Impact on Content and Distribution (00:18:44) Value, Taste, and the Future of Content (00:19:43) The Anti-AI Bet: Live Events and Experiences (00:22:39) Monetization, User Experience, and the Premium Economy (00:26:21) Building and Scaling Live Event Businesses (00:27:16) Boxing and the Business of Live Entertainment (00:28:45) Lessons from Dana White and Dealing with Dyslexia (00:31:32) Getting a Job at CAA and How to Be a Successful Agent (00:35:50) Ari’s Operating System (00:38:04) Lessons from Egon Durban (00:39:36) Betting on Himself and Elon (00:43:16) Who Wants to be Normal?! (00:44:23) The Art of Dealmaking (00:48:58) Money, Family, and Learning from Mistakes (00:52:45) The Future of Tech, Media and Content (00:57:32) Concerns and Excitement about the Future (01:00:16) Art (01:01:01) The Kindest Thing

My guest today is my friend Wolfgang Hammer. Wolfgang is a successful film producer and executive who helped create House of Cards and ran several major studios, including Lionsgate, CBS Films and Miramax. He’s now building a new kind of film studio with support from Mitch Lasky and Marc Andreessen. Wolfgang also helps founders and CEOs use storytelling to better understand what they do, and why it matters. In many ways, this conversation is a manual for how to find that story and communicate it in a way that resonates. Wolfgang shares the questions and tools he gives leaders to help them do the same. Our conversation explores how stories work, what great ones have in common, and why understanding your own story can be transformative. We talk about the three layers every story must have — the external, the emotional, and the philosophical — and how they apply to building companies and leading people. So many CEOs — at both startups and massive Fortune 100 companies — have Wolfgang to thank for changing how they think and talk about their business, and I hope this episode gives you the tools to do the same. Please enjoy my conversation with the great Wolfgang Hammer. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AlphaSense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alpha-Sense.com/Invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. –- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ridgeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ridgelineapps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the platform. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:04:22) Meet Wolfgang Hammer (00:05:25) How to Tell Your Story (00:07:10) The Three Layers of Every Story (00:10:02) What a Good Story Unlocks (00:12:39) Applying Storytelling Principles to Business (00:17:24) Lessons From Filmmaking for CEOs (00:22:46) Everything is a Death Project (00:25:03) What Makes a Great Story (00:30:54) The Role of Status (00:31:48) Building a New Kind of Film Studio (00:35:20) The Version of Your Story so Big it Terrifies You (00:39:34) Grand Unified Theory (00:42:03) The Kindest Thing

My guest today is Luca Ferrari. Luca is the co-founder and CEO of Bending Spoons, which he describes as 25 percent private equity and 75 percent technology company. Founded in 2013, Bending Spoons fully acquires and operates digital companies like Evernote, Meetup, Vimeo, and most recently AOL.  Our conversation explores the unique model behind Bending Spoons, and the culture required to scale it. Luca shares exactly how their acquisition playbook works – from identifying promising businesses to rebuilding every part of them across product, design, monetization, and marketing. We discuss their approach to financing long-term ownership through both debt and equity, Luca’s obsession with finding and developing exceptional talent, and his decision to build the company in Europe.  I found Luca’s description of himself as perennially unhappy to be the clearest window into how he builds. It’s a mindset that fuels his pursuit of excellence and defines the culture at Bending Spoons. Please enjoy my conversation with Luca Ferrari. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp.com/invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AlphaSense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alpha-Sense.com/Invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. –- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ridgeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ridgelineapps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the platform. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:03:12) The Vision and Ambition (00:07:56) Challenges and Early Days (00:11:01) The Turning Point: Evertale to Bending Spoons (00:13:12) Acquisition Strategy and Growth (00:24:22) Case Study: Evernote Acquisition (00:33:34) Pricing and Valuation Insights (00:40:02) Making Competitive Offers (00:40:37) Walkaway Rate and Offer Success (00:41:14) Financing the Business (00:43:21) Lessons from Acquisitions (00:46:32) The AOL Acquisition (00:48:21) Simplifying Business Operations (00:56:10) Incentives and Motivation (00:58:31) Balancing Discontent and Growth (01:03:21) Raising Debt Capital (01:06:37) Impact of AI on Business (01:11:00) Company Culture and Traditions (01:16:00) The Kindest Thing

Welcome to this classic episode. Classics are my favorite episodes from the past 10 years, published once a month. These are N of 1 conversations with N of 1 people. Kevin Kelly⁠ co-founded Wired magazine and has published a number of seminal books and essays on technology over the past three decades. I have devoured everything Kevin has put out into the world and many of his ideas shape the way I live today. Our conversation explores media, family, money, his concept of the Technium, AI, and more but the central theme of this episode is that we should be as generous and unique as possible. You will hear us refer to his latest book, Excellent Advice for Living, throughout and I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t already. Please enjoy this great conversation with Kevin Kelly. Colossus Profile on Kevin Kelly: Flounder Mode For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page ⁠here⁠.  ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WorkOS⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. WorkOS is a developer platform that enables SaaS companies to quickly add enterprise features to their applications. With a single API, developers can implement essential enterprise capabilities that typically require months of engineering work. By handling the complex infrastructure of enterprise features, WorkOS allows developers to focus on their core product while meeting the security and compliance requirements of Fortune 500 companies. Visit⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WorkOS. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit ⁠joincolossus.com/episodes⁠.  Follow us on Twitter: ⁠@patrick_oshag⁠ | ⁠@JoinColossus⁠ Show Notes (00:03:05) ⁠Excellent Advice for Living⁠ - a journey towards authenticity (00:05:05) Uncovering the essence of oneself is a lifelong journey of self-reflection (00:06:47) What he would have done differently at 30 had he internalized this concept earlier (00:08:51) The highest form of self-expression is being authentically unique and redefining success (00:11:05) Conforming to others' definition of success and societal biases hinders progress (00:13:07) Surrender and collaboration are both essential in becoming your authentic self (00:14:38) Prototype your life to embrace imperfections and make ideas tangible (00:17:34) Mastering cultural photography in Asia and developing a keen ability to spot trends (00:19:59) Energy signatures reveal depth, breadth, discovery, and momentum  in events (00:22:02) The reward for good work is more work (00:23:42) Money is a tool for doing things, but beware its imprisoning burden (00:28:35) Imagination can be cultivated and improved, often by challenging expectations (00:31:38) Imaginative individuals include lateral thinkers who challenge norms (00:34:41) Rites of passage and rituals provide stability and identity for children (00:38:15) Mealtime without screens, family traditions, and cultivating a family identity (00:41:44) An overview of “The three gates” (00:43:02) Humans are naturally kind (00:47:23) The Technium: an evolving ecosystem of interdependent tech and their tendencies (00:52:01) Thoughts on AI (00:55:55) Overestimating the existential threat of AI (00:57:38) Idiosyncratic expression of creators (00:59:48) Lessons learned about media (01:01:34) Be the only, not the best. (01:05:09) The kindest thing anyone has ever done for Kevin

Today I am replaying my conversation with Ken Langone. Ken is a legendary American businessman best known for his co-founding of Home Depot. He is also a former director of the New York Stock Exchange and a passionate philanthropist. He shares with us a lifetime worth of wisdom, building Home Depot into a powerhouse and prioritizing his employees above all else. He says he still “bleeds orange” to this day. You’ll hear as he recounts his business endeavors, his strict belief in keeping your word and his true pride in his country, what he knows to be the land of opportunity. We discuss his work with Ross Perot, the idea of an upside down hierarchy, and the power of loyalty. For anyone who may find it easier to follow along, we have a transcript of the episode on joincolossus.com. Please enjoy this conversation with Ken Langone.   For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp.com/invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ridgeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ridgelineapps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the platform. – This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AlphaSense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alpha-Sense.com/Invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.  Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:004:00) The Unforgettable Pitch to Ross Perot (00:08:37) Winning Over Perot with Honesty and Insight (00:16:08) The Art of Negotiation and Trust (00:19:31) Loyalty, Integrity, and the Power of Keeping Your Word (00:23:51) Home Depot's Culture of Service and Empowerment (00:29:16) Frank's Authentic Leadership and Its Impact (00:31:00) Transforming NYU Medical Center (00:33:45) Ken’s Investment Philosophy: Long Hold Only (00:39:56) The Power of Resilience in Business (00:45:37) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Ken