What does it take to build one of the most powerful real estate companies in the world?
In this episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, Hamid Moghadam — Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Prologis — shares how he went from immigrating to the United States as a teenager to leading the world’s largest logistics real estate company.
Under Hamid’s leadership, Prologis grew into a global powerhouse spanning nearly 1.3 billion square feet across 20 countries, with an estimated 3% of global GDP flowing through its facilities annually
We discuss:
How Prologis became the largest logistics real estate company in the world
The 42-year journey from startup to S&P 100 CEO
Surviving the Savings & Loan crisis and the 2008 Global Financial Crisis\
Time Stamps:
00:00 112 Earnings Calls & the Habit That Built a Career: Responsiveness
00:55 Meet Hamid Moghadam & Prologis: The Logistics Real Estate Giant
03:18 Why Vegas? Transitioning from CEO to Executive Chairman
04:46 Industrial Real Estate 101: What Really Happens Inside Warehouses
07:28 Growing Up in Pre-Revolution Iran & Early Education Abroad
12:16 MIT at 16, Stanford MBA, and the Revolution That Changed Everything
15:08 Starting Over in America: Loss, Rejection, and Landing the First Job
20:58 Founding AMB: Bootstrapping, Early Deals, and Building a Reputation
25:37 Why Industrial Won: Funds, Cycles, and the Road to Going Public
33:30 IPO Reality Check & Leadership Lessons: Work-Life Balance to ‘Enduring Excellence’
43:06 Three Phases of Leadership: Paranoia, ‘Scared & Not in Control,’ and What Comes Next
46:38 Stage 3 Growth: Building a Real Management Structure
47:13 Betting on E‑Commerce: Exiting Retail & Doubling Down on Logistics
49:39 Surviving the GFC: Stock Crashes, Leverage Shock & Raising Equity
53:27 The Prologis Merger: The Phone Call, Fast LOI & Analyst Doubts
55:30 Napa Dinner Secrecy: The Awkward Investor Encounter
57:56 Hardest CEO Moment: 2008 Layoffs and Hypergrowth Whiplash
59:53 CEO Reality Check: Bad News, Imperfect Info & Personnel Calls
01:01:19 Culture as the Moat: Survivor Bias, Team Accountability & Consistency
01:03:24 Merging Cultures: Values First, Then Structure (AMBs vs Prologis)
01:06:20 Biggest Leadership Mistake: Backing the Wrong Leader Too Long
01:08:13 Stepping Down After 42.5 Years: What He’ll Miss (and Won’t)
01:12:19 The Responsiveness Habit: Email, Respect & No Out‑of‑Office
01:14:23 Work, Family & Partners: Weekends, a Great Spouse, and Co‑Founders
01:17:26 Advice for Entrepreneurs: Find White Space in a More Efficient Market
01:19:11 Next Frontier: Data/AI in Real Estate—A ‘Bloomberg of Goods’
01:22:17 How to Build a Portfolio Today: Supply Constraints & Fortress Locations
01:24:21 Closing Thoughts: Social Media, Mentoring Limits & Final Thanks