Dwarkesh Podcast

Jimmy Soni - Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and the Paypal Mafia

Apr 16, 2022

Jimmy Soni, author of 'The Founders,' dives into the fascinating world of PayPal and its iconic figures. He discusses the contrasting innovation cultures of Bell Labs and PayPal, and how Peter Thiel’s unique talent-spotting skills shaped the company’s success. Soni shares a hilarious story involving a Russian hacker and delves into the complex relationships within the PayPal Mafia. He also touches on the team's diverse paths post-PayPal and Michael Musk's intriguing choices, offering insights into both the business and human elements behind this tech revolution.

01:07:49

Creator website

Episode guests

Jimmy Soni

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Episode notes

Intro

5min

Exploring the Concept of Scenius: From Historical Figures to Modern Politics

2min

Navigating Turbulence: PayPal's Evolution

21min

Unconventional Alliances in Tech

29min

Diverse Paths of the PayPal Team: Exploring Success Beyond Collaboration

4min

The Art of Deep Research in Writing

6min

Exploring Technological Trade-offs and Author Engagement

2min

Jimmy Soni is the author of The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley.

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Episode website here.

Follow Jimmy on Twitter. Follow me on Twitter for updates on future episodes!

Timestamps:

(0:00:00) - Bell Labs vs PayPal

(0:05:12) - Scenius in Ancient Rome and America's Founding

(0:07:02) - Girard at PayPal

(0:15:17) - Thiel almost shorts the Dot com bubble

(0:19:49) - Does Zero to One contradict PayPal's story?

(0:27:57) - Hilarious Russian hacker story

(0:29:06) - Why is Thiel so good at spotting talent?

(0:34:50) - Did PayPal make talent or discover it?

(0:40:40) - Japanese mafia invests in PayPal?!

(0:44:42) - Upcoming TV show on PayPal

(0:48:11) - Musk in ancient Rome

(0:52:12) - Why didn't Musk keep pursuing finance?

(0:56:32) - Why didn't the mafia get back together?

(1:00:06) - Jimmy's writing process

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