Mohnish Pabrai’s Q&A session at the Harvard Business School on September 15, 2023
Oct 24, 2023
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Mohnish Pabrai, an investment fund manager and entrepreneur, discusses various topics including his unique 'heads I win, tails I don't lose much' investing philosophy, the importance of taking calculated risks and the entrepreneurial mindset, his journey from failed ventures to successful business, his experience of starting with $100,000 and growing it to around $900 million, the concept of reprogramming and cloning successful models, his lunch with Warren Buffett, planning for wealth disbursement and finding the best charity, the importance of measuring the impact of charitable donations, improving education outcomes, surrounding oneself with high-quality individuals, the success story of the Davis family, private market investing, and the role of leverage.
Cloning successful investors like Buffett and Munger can lead to outstanding results in investing.
Choosing games and opportunities where you have an edge and can win is crucial in investing and life.
Embracing serendipitous moments and trusting the universe can lead to unexpected opportunities and meaningful experiences in life.
Deep dives
The Power of Cloning: How Monish Pabrai Achieved Success
Monish Pabrai, a successful investor and founder of Pabrai Investment Funds, shares his journey of success in the world of investing. He highlights the importance of cloning the strategies of successful investors like Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, and how it has helped him achieve outstanding results. By studying Buffet's approach and adopting it in his investment philosophy, Pabrai has been able to outperform the market and generate significant wealth. He emphasizes the value of simplicity, focusing on a few select opportunities, and maintaining a long-term perspective in investing.
The Importance of Playing Games You Can Win
Monish Pabrai explains his love for playing games and the importance of choosing games where you have an edge and can win. He shares his approach of analyzing opportunities and choosing investments where there is little risk and high uncertainty. Pabrai also highlights the need to focus on social return on investment in philanthropy and find organizations that demonstrate measurable outcomes. He discusses his involvement with Danskara Foundation, which aims to provide quality education to underprivileged children in India, and how they measure the impact of their programs. Pabrai encourages finding games and opportunities in life where you have an advantage and can achieve meaningful results.
Embracing the Serendipity of Life
Monish Pabrai reflects on the serendipitous encounters and moments of his life. He shares anecdotes of random encounters with Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, and even meeting a student like Charles on a train ride. Pabrai believes that life has a way of conspiring to bring people together and create unexpected opportunities. He emphasizes the importance of being open to these moments, embracing them, and seeing the possibilities they can bring. Pabrai encourages trusting the universe and being present in the moment to fully experience and appreciate the serendipity of life.
Importance of Being a Good Person and Having Core Principles
The podcast episode emphasizes the importance of being a good person and focusing on core principles. It suggests that by doing so, great things naturally happen. It references the book 'Give and Take' by Adam Grant, which categorizes people into givers, takers, and matchers. The podcast encourages listeners to surround themselves with givers and eliminate matchers and takers from their lives. It shares examples of individuals who have found success by being givers.
The Value of Concentration and Fun in Life
The episode discusses the value of concentration and fun when it comes to investing and living life. It suggests that investing should be enjoyable, and when activities are enjoyable, they are also done well. The importance of holding onto winners and avoiding the temptation to constantly trim positions is highlighted. The podcast also delves into the concept of having a game-playing mindset and not relying on a detailed plan or blueprint for success. It concludes by mentioning the longevity of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger's partnership and the impact of spending time with high-quality individuals.
Mohnish Pabrai’s Q&A session at the Harvard Business School on September 15, 2023
(00:00:00) - Introduction (00:01:26) - Heads I win; Tails I don’t lose too much! (00:14:27) - My entrepreneurial adventures (00:22:59) - Starting Pabrai Investment Funds (00:29:24) – Thou shall not use Excel! (00:31:42) - Cloning the Buffett Partnership structure (00:38:45) - Diversification (00:41:07) - Investing in Turkiye; Reysas (00:45:21) - Lunch with Warren Buffett (00:51:55) – The Dakshana Foundation (01:03:59) - Adam Grant: Give and Take (01:08:58) - Chuck Feeney: The Billionaire Who Wasn't (01:13:56) - The Buffett Partnership (01:18:51) - Chris Davis: AIG (01:24:06) - Charlie Munger: The Psychology of Human Misjudgement (01:27:21) - Buffett – Munger Partnership (01:32:30) - Avoid leverage in life
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