Kevin Rose is one of the most recognizable individuals in the startup world. As a founder, he and his team created the news aggregation site Digg, which became a household name, putting him on magazine covers around the world and creating an iconic brand in Silicon Valley — but it wasn’t a story that ended in champagne and ringing an IPO bell... As an investor, his list of angel investments is next to impossible to beat: Twitter, Facebook, Square, and NextDoor to name a few.  

He also was podcasting back in 2004 when the world was still just learning how to pronounce the word iPod... so suffice it to say, if he is into it, there’s a very likely chance it’s about to become a very big deal. He is not only incredibly honest and open about his successes and failures, but he’s enthusiastically trying to get others to share just as openly.  

We go below the line on what it’s like to build something to hundreds of millions of dollars to then see it crumble, on how we tend to overcorrect after failure, the necessary side of experiences that help us mature, spouses and their integral part in the equation as an entrepreneur, and more. Enjoy this episode with the incomparable Kevin Rose.

• “Reputation is what strangers think of you and character is what your friends know you are”
• “You can make a joke about race without being racist”
• “A camel is a horse designed by a committee”
  • In other words, too many opinions will result in a bad outcome
• Comedians say bad things that they don’t mean and get in trouble while world leaders say bad things they do mean and get away with it
  • More often than not, a comedian’s joke isn’t his real opinion and is very often an exaggeration of a belief
• “People don’t like their beliefs being made fun of so they try to give their beliefs humans rights”
  • The freedom to express ideas is more important than the freedom of not being offended by speech
• Media is supported by ads, ads want clicks, clicks come from outrage, so therefore – the media’s goal has shifted to create as much outrage as possible
• Just as journalists should be able to write about anything they want, comedians should be able to do the same and tell jokes about anything they please
• Whenever you need to put things into perspective, remember – YOU ARE GOING TO DIE
  • Our time here is finite, spend it wisely

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Ricky Gervais. They discuss fame, the effect of social media, the changing state of comedy, offensive jokes, Louis CK, political hypocrisy, Brexit and Trump, the state of journalism, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

• Look for life’s canonical structures (ways in which the world seems incredibly complicated but in fact reduces to a very small set of assumptions)
• Embrace being an impostor
  • Perhaps you faking it may be superior to someone else’s earnest attempt?
• “When you first make a decision to turn the boats and there’s no turning home… I think that’s when things get really exciting because it’s sink or swim. People become really innovative once they become isolated and terrified.”
• Most innovation comes from people who are written of as learning incapable 
• If you have a visible system that’s failing to behave normally or no longer makes sense, more likely than not, there’s some unseen force in the invisible world which is causing it
  • “The invisible world is discovered by the visible world’s failure to close”
• This one is a bit complex, so we’ll let Eric explain it:
  • “Whenever you have something that’s going to be beautiful, and it’s a very naive hope, almost always your hope will be dashed because it’s too naive. Instead of getting upset about it, the next thing to do is to measure the failure of your original hope… and once you have that, make it your centerpiece of a new theory and you’ll actually build something much more beautiful than the original theory every was.”
• Watch your robot (the automatic self which is prone to practicing bad habits)
  • Eventually, you’ll come to realize you can’t stand to let your robot take over the ship

Eric Weinstein is the managing director of Thiel Capital. He has a Ph.D. from Harvard in mathematical physics. (Meaning, listening to him WILL make you smarter.) I asked him how he learned to think so clearly. Because too many of us are in a fog or sleep-deprived or on an emotional stress-induced roller coaster. So how do you get off? Eric explains: try being an imposter, look for the core principle of any given problem, let history be your reference in life, build reliable mental models and more. He explains how in this episode.

I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast.

Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to “The James Altucher Show” and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple Podcasts

Stitcher

iHeart Radio

Spotify

Follow me on Social Media:

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Linkedin

Instagram

Erik Torenberg is a general partner at Village Global, a founder of OnDeck, the host of Venture Stories podcast and just an overall swell guy. 

In this episode, we talk about building career moats, building positive loops, finding asymmetric career bets, using twitter to your advantage, and a whole lot more.

It was a real joy to have Erik on the show. I loved this conversation and think you will too. 

I highly recommend following Erik on twitter at:  https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg 

And check out his excellent podcast Venture Stories:  https://www.villageglobal.vc/podcast/ 

• Being average sucks… except when it comes to investing
  • An average annual return of 8% will get you rich over a long enough time scale
• You should be taking advantage of an employer-sponsored 401k
  • There are tax benefits for one
  • To add – It’s all about compound interest: contributing a few hundred bucks a month at an 8% annual return adds up to HUGE savings by the time you’re 60-70
• If you have a financial advisor you’re paying a 1% fee to, you’re potentially losing up to 28% of your annual return
  • This could add up to millions over the course of your lifetime
• Whether it’s going to college or buying a house, always be skeptical when someone says – “You NEED to do X”
• Ramit’s take on Bitcoin/crypto:
  • “If you have a beautiful portfolio, have your asset allocation dialed in, and you have a little extra money and want to put 5-10% of it in crypto… be my guest
  • “But to go around saying crypto is the best investment and you’re a Luddite if you don’t invest in it… is ridiculous”
  • “I think very few people in America should own Bitcoin unless it’s part of a diversified portfolio or any other speculative asset”

Ramit Sethi's is the only person who will tell you exactly how to improve your behavior about money. He's direct. No BS. He's very honest about "the one thing you have to focus on to become a millionaire."

You'll learn that in this episode. You'll also hear our heated debates about when and HOW to stop paying your credit card debt, what makes your 401K a (potential) scam, how to get rid of your financial stress, who should invest in crypto. And more.

-

Also check out part 1. You'll learn how to stop having so much fear around money. So you can embrace the possibility and opportunities you have to make and spend money in a way that actually makes you feel like you're living.

I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast.

Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to “The James Altucher Show” and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple Podcasts

Stitcher

iHeart Radio

Spotify

Follow me on Social Media:

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Linkedin

Instagram