Trip Hawkins, the Electronic Artist

We're thrilled to speak with Trip Hawkins, founder and CEO EA, 3DO, Digital Chocolate and more. From childhood football strategy, to WWIII Sims, he grew to make a company of electronic artists who made legendary games. Calming Steve Jobs, hacking consoles and many firsts - this week!

Episode Highlights

[00:00:00] Celebrating 100 Episodes and a Wild Week for EA
Alex and Aaron mark The Fourth Curtain’s 100th episode and react to the breaking news that Electronic Arts is being taken private.

[00:02:31] What Happens When a Giant Like EA Gets Bought?
The hosts break down what a private-equity acquisition really means for EA, from stock prices to internal culture shifts.

[00:05:10] Founding Electronic Arts: Trip’s Vision for Creative Freedom
Trip shares how he built EA around empowering developers and treating them like rock stars — a radical idea in the early ’80s.

[00:17:44] The Apple Years: Working Under Steve Jobs
Trip reflects on his early days at Apple, what he learned from Steve Jobs, and how that experience shaped his entrepreneurial mindset.

[00:33:28] Madden, Licensing, and Building a Sports Empire
Trip talks about the birth of Madden NFL, navigating licensing deals, and why the franchise became a cornerstone of EA’s success.

[00:48:56] The 3DO Era: Ambition, Innovation, and Hard Lessons
He opens up about the 3DO console — what went wrong, what it taught him, and how to recover when innovation gets ahead of its time.

[01:04:37] The Future of Games and Trip’s Next Chapter
Trip closes by sharing his outlook on AI, creativity, and what he’s building next after a lifetime of shaping the games industry.

[01:20:14] Trip Hawkins on Failure, Resilience, and Reinvention
Trip opens up about the three “acts” of his life — the rise, the fall, and learning to rebuild after hitting rock bottom.

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Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron Marroquin
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