AI, Leadership, and Societal Risk

Hunter Biden is an American attorney, businessman, and author and the son of President Joe Biden. Born in Delaware and shaped by profound personal tragedies and a diverse career in finance, policy, and international ventures. His mother and sister passed away in a car accident when he was young, and his brother, who survived the accident, later passed at age 46 from brain cancer. Married to Melissa Cohen, with whom he has one child. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Georgetown University and earned a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School, before working briefly as a Jesuit volunteer in Portland, Oregon, and transitioning into banking and politics.

Biden built his early career at MBNA America, then served at the United States Department of Commerce, focusing on e-commerce policy during the Clinton administration. In 2001, he co-founded the lobbying firm Oldaker, Biden & Belair, which worked on issues including online gambling. He served as a board member of Amtrak and is a founding partner of Rosemont Seneca Partners, an investment and advisory firm. He previously was on the board of BHR Partners, a China-based private equity firm, and from 2014 to 2019, he served on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company owned by Mykola Zlochevsky, amid political investigations. In 2013, Biden joined the U.S. Navy Reserve as an ensign, but was discharged in 2014.

Biden has publicly admitted to struggles with addiction, detailed in his 2021 memoir Beautiful Things, and has been sober since 2019. He faced public controversies, including the 2018 laptop scandal, and was under federal criminal investigation for tax matters and firearm possession. In 2024, he pleaded guilty to failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019 on foreign income, which he spent on drugs and luxuries. In April 2025, President Joe Biden issued a pardon clearing Hunter of his federal gun and tax convictions. Biden continues to advocate for awareness of addiction through his personal story of recovery and resilience.

Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:

https://polymarket.com

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/SRS today.

Go to https://armra.com/SRS or enter SRS to get 30% off your first subscription order.

Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Check them out at https://roka.com and use code SRS for 20% off sitewide.

Hunter Biden Links:

Book - https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Things-Memoir-Hunter-Biden/dp/1982151110/ref=sr_1_2

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices