David Senra

Rafael “Raf” Vivas is a founding team member of AppLovin, the digital advertising and marketing company led by Adam Foroughi, where he has worked since 2011 in roles spanning business development, eCommerce and growth marketing, and co-founded the game publisher Lion Studios. He started in performance marketing at 14 working for his older brother, dropped out of high school, and at 17 built his own mobile ad platform, where Adam was one of his customers. When Adam decided to build a competing ad network, he recruited Raf as his first business hire in 2011, and Raf's one condition was that he live in the office. Raf explains how a small, unfunded team beat VC-backed rivals by going all in on technology, why he started Lion Studios to beat one of AppLovin's own partners and grew it to over $250 million in revenue in two years, and why he walked away at 28 and came back after the IPO as the stock collapsed. He also shares why AppLovin is against delegation and keeps its team small, how his mentor Mark Rosner taught him that every detail matters, and the best advice he ever received.

Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/rafael-vivas

Made possible by

Ramp: https://ramp.com

Deel: https://deel.com/senra

AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra

Chapters

(00:00:00) Kicked out of his house at 16

(00:06:42) Starting his own ad platform at 17

(00:09:58) “Don't be mad, but I'm going to compete with you”

(00:11:06) His one condition: living in the office

(00:15:40) Turned down by VCs while already profitable

(00:21:00) Why he's against delegation

(00:24:15) Two years of persistence to land one customer

(00:30:42) Lion Studios: built to kill a Cheetah

(00:38:41) Walking away from AppLovin at 28

(00:44:13) The IPO that brought him back

(00:45:44) The stock buyback that made $50 billion

(01:01:01) The mentor who redlined the NDA

(01:03:54) “Do you want to be Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods?”

(01:05:46) The best advice he ever received: stay in the game

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Kenn Ricci is the chairman and largest shareholder of Flexjet, a fractional private jet company that operates more than 360 aircraft and is the largest Gulfstream operator in the world. A former Air Force-trained pilot, Kenn bought a small Cleveland charter company in his twenties so he could keep flying, built it into Flight Options, lost control of it to Raytheon in 2002, and bought it back during the 2008 financial crisis before acquiring Flexjet from Bombardier in 2014. He explains how Warren Buffett’s purchase of NetJets unlocked his financing, why he avoids mergers, why he has kept Flexjet private, and why he gave his children their wealth early through a family limited partnership. He also shares the advice from Notre Dame’s Father Ted Hesburgh that shaped his idea of a life of significance, and why every Flexjet employee can fix a customer’s problem without approval.

Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/kenn-ricci

Made possible by

Ramp: https://ramp.com

Deel: https://deel.com/senra

AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra

Chapters

(00:00:00) Kenn's son had never flown commercial

(00:02:34) Giving your kids their wealth while you're alive

(00:07:03) Charlie Munger: "You give them the money"

(00:15:57) The rule his kids made to avoid jealousy

(00:25:36) Buying a failed charter company for $27,500

(00:35:05) Turned down by every bank until Buffett bought NetJets

(00:39:33) $100 million in sales in 3 months

(00:41:36) Why he hates mergers

(00:42:58) Losing his company: the worst day of his life

(00:52:15) Buying his company back in the financial crisis

(00:56:08) The $600 million problem that led to Gulfstream

(01:03:01) Father Hesburgh's 3 rules for a life of significance

(01:05:47) Why he gave away everything he owned

(01:09:57) Why any employee can comp a $300,000 trip

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Nik Storonsky is the co-founder and CEO of Revolut, a digital bank valued at $115 billion that is available in 38 countries. A former trader, he started Revolut with a card for spending abroad without bank fees and expanded it into a full-service bank with the goal of becoming number one in 100 countries. Nik explains why founders have an edge over professional CEOs, how he runs Revolut like a machine, and why he funds product bets algorithmically, doubling down on winners and cutting losers. He discusses hiring self-guided people over experienced executives, what Europe's regulatory constraints taught him, why he keeps VCs off his board, starting the Quantum Light fund, buying ads across Europe's airports, and how AI is changing the way Revolut is organized.

Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/nik-storonsky

Made possible by

Ramp: https://ramp.com

Deel: https://deel.com/senra

AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra

Chapters

(00:00:00) Coming for Jamie Dimon's dinner

(00:02:04) Building the #1 bank in 100 countries

(00:06:12) Why founders beat professional CEOs

(00:08:45) Revolut's biggest mistake

(00:12:47) Why legacy banks can't innovate

(00:17:20) Running a company like a machine

(00:20:28) Funding winners and cutting losers like a trader

(00:23:31) How AI is changing Revolut's team structure

(00:25:23) 50 direct reports and spreading innovation fast

(00:29:59) Hiring self-guided missiles

(00:33:31) Too much money makes founders weaker

(00:37:38) What Europe's constraints taught Revolut

(00:41:08) Why VCs are like football cheerleaders

(00:49:28) Starting a fund to compete with VCs

(00:54:28) From zero marketing to buying Europe's airports

(01:00:21) Funding moonshots like a global tech company

(01:03:58) Building an unstoppable machine

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Kurt MacAlpine is a partner and the CEO of Corient, which manages approximately $525 billion in client assets. He became a first-time CEO at 39, believes wealth management was built on a flawed incentive structure, and applied a professional services partnership model to the industry. Kurt explains why Corient has one compensation plan and one P&L, how sharing the benefits of scale helps clients and partners, and why he kept building while the stock market questioned his strategy. He discusses buying back shares, taking CI Financial private with Mubadala Capital, integrating acquisitions, and building a business designed to last for generations.

Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/kurt-macalpine

Made possible by

Ramp: https://ramp.com

AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra

Deel: https://deel.com/senra

Chapters

(00:00:00) Building Corient and managing $525 billion

(00:05:32) Why wealth management’s incentives are broken

(00:11:42) Bringing the partnership model to wealth management

(00:22:15) Sharing the benefits of scale with clients

(00:24:25) One compensation plan, one P&L, no exceptions

(00:27:58) Why independent wealth managers join Corient

(00:39:21) Staying the course when the stock market disagrees

(00:48:25) Betting on the business through share buybacks

(00:51:52) Taking CI Financial private with Mubadala Capital

(00:59:08) Acquiring great partners and building one company

(01:04:43) Giving employees a voice in building the brand

(01:12:39) Building a business that lasts for generations

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Ben Wilson is the host of “How To Take Over The World,” which is one of my favorite podcasts. How To Take Over The World examines history’s greatest leaders and conquerors, and has benefited millions of people. In this episode, we talk about the common traits among the individuals he has studied such as Napoleon, Leonardo da Vinci, Joan of Arc, Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and more.

We also discuss the fact that Ben is battling advanced cancer. 

He’s a good guy, a close friend, and one of my favorite podcasters. He has four young children.

Please watch this episode and see if you can help with medicine, introductions, or donations.

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ben-fight-cancer-support-his-treatment

Ben's email: [email protected]

(00:00:00) What Ben has learned from making How to Take Over the World and studying history’s greatest leaders.

(00:55:51) Living like you're dying. Ben on facing cancer.

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Alexandr Wang is the chief AI officer of Meta and co-founder of Scale AI. We talk about the seven-month effort to build Muse, why Meta focused on personal AI agents instead of coding, and how Mark Zuckerberg and Nat Friedman helped shape the product. Alexandr shares how Zuckerberg recruited him after Meta's Llama 4 setback, why he left Scale after nine years, and how he's rebuilding Meta's AI lab around small teams, exceptional talent, and minimal bureaucracy. We also discuss using memes to make a product go viral, the importance of having a single point of view, and why Alexandr believes AI could give everyone the ability to pursue bigger ambitions.

Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/alexandr-wang

Made possible by

Ramp: https://ramp.com

Deel: https://deel.com/senra

AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra

Chapters

(00:00:00) The vision behind Muse

(00:01:32) Discovering the potential of personal AI agents

(00:03:34) Three years of therapy in one AI session

(00:05:46) Building Muse in 7 months

(00:09:16) Why Meta bet on personal AI

(00:16:51) Mark Zuckerberg's obsession with improving products

(00:20:15) How Meta knew Muse was ready to launch

(00:23:32) Why great products need a single point of view

(00:25:56) Making Meta cool again with memes

(00:34:38) Building trust with AI agents

(00:38:43) The future of human ambition

(00:45:22) The call from Mark Zuckerberg that changed everything

(00:52:13) Leaving Scale AI for Meta

(00:55:19) Rebuilding Meta's AI lab from scratch

(00:58:13) From founder to coach

(01:05:55) The future billionaires at Alexandr's 19th birthday party

(01:08:04) Diamond mining vs. building skyscrapers

(01:09:21) Why Alexandr has more than 200 direct reports

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Ari Emanuel is the co-founder of Endeavor, executive chair and CEO of TKO, executive chairman of WME Group, and founder of MARI. We talk about his $4.2 billion bet on the UFC, the ESPN deal that proved it right, lessons from Egon Durban and David Geffen, and how constantly making calls creates opportunities you can’t plan for. Ari also opens up about dyslexia, decades of insecurity, and learning to enjoy his life without losing the drive that built his businesses.

Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/ari-emanuel

Made possible by

Ramp: https://ramp.com

AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra

Deel: https://deel.com/senra

Chapters

(00:00:00) The UFC negotiation that blew up

(00:03:33) Meeting Egon Durban and buying IMG

(00:07:30) Betting $4.2 billion on the UFC

(00:15:16) Getting the ESPN deal done

(00:22:58) Taking over William Morris

(00:30:02) Starting Endeavor with a table and a phone

(00:32:53) Why you won’t remember the extra $400 million

(00:35:01) Stop telling yourself stories

(00:39:21) David Geffen: Get in traffic and get hit

(00:45:19) Why Ari rolls the calls

(00:49:35) Building your own school of entrepreneurship

(00:51:56) Learning from Elon Musk and betting on live events

(00:53:58) Learning from Hollywood’s greatest agents

(01:00:23) Outgrowing rage without losing ambition

(01:10:10) Psychedelics, purpose, and letting go of legacy

(01:18:18) How Entourage changed Ari’s life

(01:22:32) Ari never had a plan B

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Jeremy Stern is the editor-in-chief of Colossus, where he writes long-form profiles of leading entrepreneurs and investors. He goes behind the scenes of his reporting on Mark Zuckerberg, explaining how months of interviews revealed Zuckerberg’s fascination with Augustus, relentless competitive drive and commitment to building Meta for decades. Jeremy discusses why Meta’s distribution and infrastructure could give it an advantage in AI and why some founders seem incapable of walking away. He explains how a question about defense technology became his first profile, on Palmer Luckey, and why he brings the craft of fiction and poetry to writing about business. Jeremy also describes Scott Wu’s combination of mathematical genius, natural leadership and authenticity, and how Josh Kushner’s family history shaped his exploration of Thrive Capital and the American dream. The conversation closes with the story of Jeremy’s Russian professor, whose belief that people have an obligation to their gifts changed his life and helped shape how he sees the people he writes about.

Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/jeremy-stern

Made possible by

Ramp: https://ramp.com

Deel: https://deel.com/senra

AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra

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Alexander Taubman is the co-founder and CEO of Long Lake, a company that buys established service businesses and uses AI to improve how they operate. He explains Long Lake’s $6.3 billion deal for American Express Global Business Travel, why deploying AI in the real economy is difficult and why he sees productivity gains creating more jobs as businesses grow. Alex describes how Nexus, Long Lake’s AI platform, connects models to business data and workflows, why its engineers work alongside employees in the field and why he wants to own businesses rather than sell software. He shares how his grandfather’s idea of “threshold resistance” applies to AI adoption, what he learned at Goldman Sachs and Oaktree and how investing in founder-owned businesses through Taubman Capital prepared him to build Long Lake. Alex also discusses the influence of Danaher, Henry Singleton and John Malone, why he values partners who make him more ambitious and why Long Lake plans to hold its businesses for decades. Including Amex GBT, he expects more than $4 billion in combined revenue the following year and explains why he believes long-term compounding could eventually build a trillion-dollar company.

Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/alexander-taubman

Made possible by

Ramp: https://ramp.com

AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra

Deel: https://deel.com/senra

Chapters

(00:00:00) The $6.3 billion Amex GBT deal

(00:01:21) Bringing AI to the real economy

(00:06:17) Why greater productivity can mean more jobs

(00:11:29) A prepared mind and a tight acquisition filter

(00:16:01) Nexus and the AI platform behind Long Lake

(00:17:32) Put the engineers where the work happens

(00:20:36) Why own the businesses instead of selling software?

(00:22:28) Build tools people want to use

(00:25:24) A high bar for talent, acquisitions and technology

(00:28:03) What his grandfather taught him about removing friction

(00:36:40) Learning capital allocation at Goldman Sachs and Oaktree

(00:41:01) Buying founder-owned businesses with permanent capital

(00:44:35) How the Long Lake team came together

(00:47:26) The best partners make you more ambitious

(00:49:28) More than $4 billion in projected revenue

(00:53:32) Why going public could expand Long Lake’s ambition

(00:54:23) Henry Singleton and staying flexible

(00:55:57) John Malone and the businesses that will endure

(00:57:57) Why Long Lake doesn’t plan to sell

(01:00:13) Could Long Lake become a trillion-dollar company?

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Ronnie Fieg is the founder, CEO and creative director of Kith. At 13, he turned down an envelope of cash at his bar mitzvah to ask his cousin for a job, then spent 15 years working his way up from stock boy to buyer at David Z. He explains how growing up in Queens and working on 8th Street shaped his taste, how his first ASICS Gel-Lyte III collaboration landed on the front of The Wall Street Journal’s Pursuits section and why he still designs every product for himself first. Ronnie describes why Kith refuses to wholesale or license, why he opens new physical stores as online sales grow and why he believes luxury should mean how much people love what they buy. He also details how a failed white chocolate bread idea became Kith Treats, how he prices product so customers get more than they pay for and what he felt seeing all 1,800 of his shoe designs laid out in chronological order. Ronnie shares how an obsession with padel led to Kith Ivy, why he is expanding into hospitality with Ronnie’s and why growing up before the internet forced him to develop his own point of view.

Show notes: https://davidsenra.com/episode/ronnie-fieg

Made possible by

Ramp: https://ramp.com

AppLovin: https://applovin.com/senra

Deel: https://deel.com/senra

Chapters

(00:00:00) You can’t work backwards from money

(00:04:43) “Keep the envelope. I want a job.”

(00:10:25) Why the CEO is also the fit model

(00:18:43) The childhood shoe that launched his career

(00:20:52) The Wall Street Journal, a line down the block and a visit from Adidas

(00:26:48) Get rid of the crap

(00:31:09) What luxury should actually mean

(00:32:40) Why Kith doesn’t wholesale or license

(00:38:24) Building the opposite of an arrogant sneaker shop

(00:40:39) The Italian crook who registered Kith’s trademark

(00:52:02) How a $20 deli experiment became Kith Treats

(00:55:11) Serve your customers, don’t chase new ones

(00:59:35) Always give people more than they pay for

(01:02:41) Seeing 15 years of work laid out on the floor

(01:12:00) Growing up before the algorithm

(01:25:46) How a padel obsession created Kith Ivy

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