The James Altucher Show

So, in 2006, I was starting this company called StockPicker. This random guy calls me out of the blue and says, "I want to be CEO of your company. I just sold Golf.com and now I'm figuring out what to do." So we meet for breakfast, and he gave me all these ideas that were great. I stole all of them, built up StockPicker, and sold it. This guy and his wife then started their own company, and eventually sold it for $800 million. We've been friends all along. Even though I rejected him and stole his ideas, I'm glad he did much better than if he had joined StockPicker. They decided to come on the podcast and share their secrets of entrepreneurship. So, here’s Michael and Kass Lazerow, two extraordinary entrepreneurs and friends.

In this episode, James Altucher sits down with Michael and Kass Lazerow, the dynamic duo behind Buddy Media, a company they built and sold for $800 million. They share their journey from the early days of cold emailing and breakfast meetings to navigating the challenges of the great recession and pivoting their business model. This conversation goes beyond the usual success stories, diving into the reality of entrepreneurship, the sacrifices, the mistakes, and the mindset needed to thrive.

1. The Importance of Pivoting: How to know when it’s time to change your business model and the signs that indicate a pivot is necessary.
2. Building a Resilient Mindset: Insights on handling stress and maintaining a positive outlook during challenging times.
3. Networking and Fundraising: Effective strategies for building valuable relationships and securing investments.
4. Working with Your Spouse: The dynamics of being business partners with your spouse and how to make it work successfully.
5. Marketing and Scaling: Techniques for marketing your startup effectively and transitioning from custom solutions to scalable software.

• 00:01:30 - The Unexpected Call: Starting StockPicker
• 00:02:39 - Introducing Michael and Kass Lazerow
• 00:02:50 - The Shift to Social Media
• 00:03:25 - Buddy Media’s Early Days and Challenges
• 00:04:16 - Writing a Book: Shoveling Shit, A Love Story
• 00:05:07 - The Art of Pivoting in Business
• 00:07:53 - The Power of Partnership: Working as a Married Couple
• 00:11:27 - The Evolution of Buddy Media
• 00:16:15 - The Free Felt Business Idea
• 00:18:46 - Navigating Early Challenges and Fundraising
• 00:32:47 - Health Scares and Their Impact on Perspective
• 00:34:13 - The Reality of Entrepreneurship
• 00:40:22 - Balancing Personal Life and Business
• 00:50:31 - Networking and Building Relationships
• 00:56:28 - Writing the Book: Process and Insights
• 01:00:38 - Conclusion and Future Plans

• Buddy Media
• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Peter Thiel
• Mark Pincus
• Velvet Sea Ventures

These show notes capture the essence of the episode, providing listeners with clear insights and resources to further explore the topics discussed.

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• My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!
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• I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com

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"So, you know, just like last week, I wanted to bring a somewhat neutral point of view to all the wild conspiracy theories, allegations, rumors, and actual facts about the Trump assassination attempt. I wanted to comment on the conspiracy theories. What are the facts? What could be our open questions? And just state the truth about what's going on without any BS political bias. The reason there's bias is that right from the beginning, we have an election coming up. Democrats want to win. Republicans want to win. They hate each other. And so, they keep throwing these weird accusations at each other. Some of which may be true, most of which are not.

So now, we have Biden basically dropping out of the race. Kamala taking his place. What's being said? What is this being compared to? What has happened in the past? What are the conspiracies, and what's true and what's not? Someone actually wrote to me and said they were quite upset. I was taking a neutral point of view. I won't say what party this person was from. He thought I should not be neutral. My whole point is not necessarily that I have no feelings about any of these issues. I actually have quite a lot of feelings about the issues. But I am disgusted with how easy it is to see the bias in the headlines, in the accusations, whether it was CNN headlines, MSNBC headlines, or Fox headlines. You could just see how gross the bias was and how just lacking in morals and ethics and even business model the mainstream media has. I just wanted to bring some truth to the discussion.

So let's get right into it."

In this episode of "The James Altucher Show," James tackles the contentious and dramatic events surrounding the 2024 election. With Biden dropping out and Kamala Harris stepping in, the political landscape is charged with conspiracy theories and partisan biases. James navigates through the noise to present a factual and neutral perspective on the Trump assassination attempt, the Democratic power struggles, and the unprecedented political maneuvers. Listeners will gain insights into the historical parallels, the behind-the-scenes power plays, and what these developments mean for the future of American politics.

• The factual background of the Trump assassination attempt and its impact on the political climate.
• Analysis of Biden's decision to drop out and Kamala Harris's rise to the candidacy.
• Historical precedents that compare to the current political situation.
• The internal power struggles within the Democratic Party.
• The potential impact of third-party candidates like RFK Jr. on the 2024 election.

• 00:01:30 – Introduction to the Trump Assassination Attempt
• 00:03:24 – Biden's Decline and the 2024 Debate
• 00:05:43 – Democratic Party Power Struggles
• 00:07:01 – Impeachment and Political Bias
• 00:16:22 – Historical Precedents and Political Uncertainty
• 00:31:43 – RFK Jr. and Third-Party Candidates
• 00:37:46 – Predictions and Final Thoughts

• Hunter S. Thompson - Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72
• Grover Cleveland - 22nd and 24th President of the United States
• Robert Cialdini - Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

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• What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!
• Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!

------------

• Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!
• My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!
• Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.
• I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com

------------

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

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Follow me on social media:

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A Note from James:

I'm so excited. I'm like a fanboy of my favorite TV show of the year. It's called Dark Matter, and it's on Apple TV Plus. I don't know how to describe it. It's a thriller, it's drama, it's science fiction, and it's emotional. It's just a well-written show. Every episode's a cliffhanger, and it's based on one of my favorite novels, Dark Matter, by one of my favorite novelists, Blake Crouch. Blake was also involved in writing the TV show. Blake agreed to come on the podcast, and we talk all things writing, thrillers, Dark Matter, TV, publishing, and he answered all my questions about my favorite show and his writing process. Here's Blake.

Episode Description:

In this episode, James Altucher interviews Blake Crouch, the mastermind behind the novel and TV adaptation of "Dark Matter." They discuss the intricacies of writing thrillers, the challenge of adapting a beloved novel for the screen, and the science and emotion behind the concept of the multiverse. Blake shares his insights into the creative process, his experiences with traditional and self-publishing, and the importance of emotional resonance in storytelling. Whether you're a fan of "Dark Matter" or an aspiring writer, this episode offers a deep look into the mind of a successful author navigating the intersection of science fiction and human experience.

What You’ll Learn:

1. The creative process behind writing and adapting "Dark Matter" for television.
2. Insights into the multiverse theory and its narrative potential.
3. The emotional and existential questions that drive Blake's storytelling.
4. The evolution of Blake's writing career from self-publishing to mainstream success.
5. The balance between science fiction concepts and human emotions in creating compelling stories.

Chapters:

02:39 Exploring the Multiverse Concept
05:21 Character Development and Performance
08:52 Blake Crouch's Writing Journey
16:07 Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing
22:58 Defining the Thriller Genre
29:43 The Art of Surprising the Reader
33:12 The Art of Surprising Readers
34:03 Cliffhangers vs. Surprises
35:01 The Challenge of Writing Endings
35:59 The Value of a Great Book
36:59 Exploring Existential Questions
38:36 The Science of Gene Editing
43:29 The Appeal of Wayward Pines
45:23 The Complexity of Plot Twists
50:23 The Writing Process
55:35 The Impact of Success
01:00:04 Conclusion and Future Works

Additional Resources:

• Blake Crouch's Official Website
• Wayward Pines Series
• Recursion by Blake Crouch
• Upgrade by Blake Crouch

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• What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!
• Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!

------------

• Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!
• My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!
• Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.
• I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com

------------

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

• Apple Podcasts
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Follow me on social media:

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"So during COVID, every single day, I was doing a podcast because I felt there was so much misinformation in the mainstream media. Everyone was saying conspiracy theories, and nobody was getting the math right on how infections like COVID-19 spread. I just wanted to make the information more correct every day, explain what was going on, and try to translate why so much of the mainstream news was wrong—not just about COVID but about the effects on the economy from the shutdowns and the printing of trillions of dollars. Many of the things spoken about then have come to pass.

On COVID, it was more of an attempt to understand what was unknown by the public, what were conspiracy theories, and what was misinformation. I tried to understand from a rational point of view what was going on. Rationality is not part of the mainstream media anymore.

We're seeing this again with the Trump assassination attempt—on every side, by the way. This is not intended to be a political podcast, although I will talk about some of the politics involved. So, I want to go through what happened, some of the conspiracy theories about this kind of stuff in general, some of the history behind this, and perhaps we'll get into some more recent events. This is a news-filled week: just a few days after the assassination attempt is the nomination of JD Vance as the vice presidential candidate for the Republican party. It's a very historic event, and I will comment on that as well. But let's start with this assassination attempt."

James breaks down the recent assassination attempt on former President and presidential candidate Donald Trump. He provides historical context, drawing parallels to past attempts on major political figures, and discusses the ensuing conspiracy theories from all sides of the political spectrum. Listeners will gain a clear, rational perspective on the events and their implications for the upcoming election and beyond.

• The historical context of assassination attempts on U.S. political figures.
• An analysis of conspiracy theories surrounding the Trump assassination attempt.
• The implications of the assassination attempt on the current political landscape.
• How media bias and misinformation shape public perception during political crises.
• The potential impact of this event on the upcoming presidential election and economic markets.

• 01:30 - Misinformation During COVID
• 02:12 - Mainstream Media Rationality
• 02:34 - Trump Assassination Attempt: An Overview
• 03:33 - Historical Assassination Attempts: George Wallace and Theodore Roosevelt
• 06:19 - Secret Service Protection Protocols
• 10:15 - Conspiracy Theories Debunked
• 17:02 - Secret Service and Political Bias
• 25:08 - The Fallout: Public and Media Reactions
• 28:08 - Trump's Response: "Fight, Fight, Fight"
• 40:18 - Economic Impact: Bitcoin and Stock Market Reactions
• 42:33 - JD Vance: A New VP Candidate
• 47:26 - Reflections on Political Polarization

• Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance
• Secret Service Protocols and History

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• What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!
• Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!

------------

• Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!
• My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!
• Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.
• I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com

------------

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

• Apple Podcasts
• iHeart Radio
• Spotify

Follow me on social media:

• YouTube
• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

A Note from James:

You know, it's election season, and guess what?  Everybody is annoyed right now. Do you know why? It's not that their opinions are annoying, I could care less, but everybody wants to know your opinions on everything. And you know what? It's a dangerous time right now. You could have opinions about who should be president, you could have opinions about Israel, you could have opinions about Ukraine, and you see people had opinions and like, okay, my friend has this opinion, I have a different opinion.

That's not true anymore. Now people hate you for your opinions, whether you're on the left or the right or whatever. And even worse, nobody ever believes that you're just not interested, that you're neutral. Like I've written for the past 15 years what I think of the presidency. Heck, I've written, I'm even running for president and People say you can't be neutral or not have an opinion on Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

If you go to FEC.gov,  I decided I could completely not have an opinion if I ran for president myself, so I filled out all the paperwork and I'm running for president. Officially, not seriously, really, but still to the point where if anyone asked my opinion, I could just say, I don't like either of them because I'm running against them.

So anyway, it's very hard to have difficult conversations, which is why I'm so glad my friend Peter Boghossian wrote a book, How to Have Impossible Conversations. And this is valuable stuff to listen to during election time. Here he is.

Episode Description:

Facts Don't Matter! Over the past year, people are either on one side or another, and they're so into their own beliefs, it's almost impossible to have a reasonable and proper conversation with either side! Do you remember all the impossible conversations that you had with your family or friends? It's always unproductive and doesn't lead anywhere! In this episode, I have Peter Boghossian - an American philosopher, pedagogist, and author - on the podcast to talk about the techniques of talking to people that he described in his book, How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide.

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• What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!
• Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!

------------

• Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!
• My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!
• Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.
• I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com

------------

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

• Apple Podcasts
• iHeart Radio
• Spotify

Follow me on social media:

• YouTube
• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn