How I Built This with Guy Raz Goodreads: Otis and Elizabeth Chandler
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Feb 7, 2022 
Otis Chandler, co-founder of Goodreads with a background in engineering, and his wife Elizabeth, a journalism expert, share their inspiring journey from a small L.A. apartment to creating the world’s largest site for readers. They discuss launching Goodreads amidst skepticism and the challenges they faced with design and community building. The couple highlights their strategic outreach to book bloggers and the emotional complexities of selling the platform to Amazon. Their story showcases the power of passion and resilience in entrepreneurship.
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From Ballet to Books
- Elizabeth Chandler's childhood passion was ballet, and she even attended the Boston Ballet School.
- A hip injury derailed her dance career, leading her back to Stanford and a shift towards English and pre-med.
A Legacy Beyond the LA Times
- Otis Chandler, despite his family's legacy with the LA Times, wasn't pressured to join the newspaper.
- His grandfather even advised him to pursue his own passions, potentially in the burgeoning "internet thing."
The Power of Fun Tests
- Otis Chandler's first job at Tickle.com involved creating personality tests.
- Surprisingly, fun tests like "What breed of dog are you?" proved more popular than serious ones.