Growing Up in Science

Brought to you by AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement, Helix Sleep premium mattresses, and Protekt’s REST sleep supplement.

David Liberman and Daniil Liberman (@DaLiberman) are visionary entrepreneurs and investors with a close partnership spanning 16 years. They gained valuable experience at Snap, contributing to projects involving avatars, bitmoji, animation, and product operations. They are currently based in Los Angeles, where their primary focus is on building Product Science, a service dedicated to optimizing mobile apps.

Moreover, the Liberman brothers have established The Libermans Company, referred to as a People Company. Through their commitment to the Founders Pledge, they have allocated all future earnings and economic value for the next three decades to LibermansCo, including founder shares of Product Science and potential returns from future investments.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.

*

This episode is also brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the best overall mattress of 2022 by GQ magazine, Wired, and Apartment Therapy. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk-free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, Helix is offering 25% off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/Tim. The 25% off offer is valid until September 10th.

*

This episode is also brought to you by Protekt’s REST supplement! Protekt’s REST is a new take on getting deeper, more restorative sleep. Protekt’s REST supplement helps provide consistent, restful sleep without any habit-forming ingredients or groggy side effects. Simply add it to your last glass of water before bed, and it goes to work.

REST has no added sugars, artificial sweeteners, or artificial ingredients. Protekt is veteran-owned, and they make all of their products right here in the USA. Visit Protekt.com/Tim to buy Protekt REST and you’ll get a FREE bottle of Clarity with your order. Clarity is a neurotropic mushroom blend of lion’s mane, reishi, cordyceps, and turkey tail, designed to support brain function and mental performance. I haven’t personally tested Clarity yet.

*

[06:59] Childhood.

[09:46] The influence of scientist parents on curious kids.

[12:42] The perils of pursuing anti-corruption innovation in post-Soviet Russia.

[18:09] Building a business with cables and crossbows.

[23:21] Lessons learned by bankrupting a gaming studio.

[29:42] Moscow-style investment recovery.

[31:07] A lucky break in the darkness of debt.

[32:07] Streamlining production through decentralization, parallelization, and a DJ connection.

[35:00] When playing the fools is the smart move.

[41:04] Coming to America.

[44:46] Building momentum with animation in Los Angeles.

[46:19] Divorce lawyer power dynamics.

[47:10] Another unforeseen financial hurdle.

[49:02] To Silicon Valley and nonprofit transparency.

[52:21] How are David and Daniil able to pivot between different ideas so quickly?

[58:12] The formation, advantages, and drawbacks of the Liberman hive mind.

[1:07:18] Separation pros and cons.

[1:08:56] How does external romance fit into this arrangement?

[1:12:12] The Dalai Lama, Jerry Murdock, and Snap.

[1:19:28] Reversing Snapchat's 2018 decline by adapting to data and fixing real problems.

[1:27:40] Applying principles of compound growth to life.

[1:33:23] How working with family has helped with logistics.

[1:37:11] The value of interdisciplinary synthesis.

[1:45:46] How the Libermans might teach people to code.

[1:52:55] A data-driven look at our current financial crisis.

[2:04:21] What's the Liberman solution?

[2:06:46] Incentivizing adoption of such a solution.

[2:10:33] A real-world test.

[2:14:08] Who/what makes for a good investment in this model?

[2:19:35] Do we reduce or elevate the potential for success by minimizing suffering?

[2:27:33] How to invest in people (and why you should).

[2:37:52] Parting thoughts.

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss 

Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss

YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss

Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss

Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.