Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist

John Chambers is the former Chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems, responsible for growing the company from nearly $2 billion in revenue to almost $50 billion during his tenure. John is a legend in Silicon Valley, and a close advisor to leaders around the world including many CEOs and heads of state. Pankaj Patel was Cisco's former Chief Development Officer and led a $38 billion portfolio with over 26,000 engineers. Together, they made Cisco a global leader. Now, they're reinventing enterprise networking with Nile, a new startup that will bring networking into the cloud and apply AI to improve the customer experience and cut tens of billions of annual cost and hassle. Learn lessons from how Chambers and Patel took Cisco to the top, and how they're transforming networking again. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

Sec. Mike Pompeo is a former entrepreneur, congressman, CIA Director, Secretary of State, and author of the new book, "Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love." From his early days running an aerospace company to negotiating with the world's most notorious authoritarian leaders, Pompeo discusses his leadership philosophy and how to project strength in critical moments. He details his efforts to reform Langley and Foggy Bottom, and warns against dysfunctional ideology seeping into our military and intelligence agencies. He also reveals how the Abraham Accords came to fruition, why the Trump Administration failed to ban TikTok, and how close the U.S. came to a deal with North Korea that may have changed the course of history. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

John Mack is the former CEO and Chairman of the Board of Morgan Stanley and author of the new book, “Up Close and All In: Life Lessons from a Wall Street Warrior.” Mack details his unlikely journey from small-town North Carolina to the heights of Wall Street and the leadership lessons that got him there. He explains why personal character and respect are paramount, powerfully illustrated by the unlikely relationships he forged that ended up saving the firm during the 2008 financial crisis. Mack is not only a Wall Street legend, but he and his wife Christy led Morgan Stanley to build New York City's first children's hospital and contribute to many other philanthropic causes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

Dr. Clay Johnston is the Former Dean of the University of Texas Dell Medical School and Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Harbor Health. Johnston received his MD from Harvard and Ph.D. from UC-Berkeley before leading a distinguished career as an academic neurologist. He then spearheaded the launch of UT's Dell Medical School, pioneering a more innovative curriculum and cutting costs within the system - sometimes as high as 80 percent, while improving patient results!  Learn how he's scaling these lessons into our broader health system with Harbor Health - a new startup designed to transform healthcare as we know it and dramatically reduce costs while enhancing patient outcomes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

Ryan Holiday is a college dropout turned best-selling author and publisher of the world's largest podcast and newsletter focused on Stoic philosophy: the Daily Stoic.  Holiday began his career exposing the media manipulation playbook and then used those same tactics for good, educating millions on applying ancient wisdom to modern life. In this episode, he explains Stoicism's impact on America's Founding (did you know the most popular play in 18th-century America focused on a Stoic philosopher?) and why many of our challenges today stem from society's ignorance of Western Civilization's core principles and virtues. He also offers poignant personal advice that will transform how you think about bedtime with your kids and other daily routines. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

Kimmy Scotti is Founding Partner of 8VC and the Co-Founder & Chairman at Fig.1. After launching a popular consumer brand as a teenager, Scotti went on to tackle the convoluted and broken PBM industry and built a powerful cost-saving alternative for millions of consumers. She reveals her philosophy for building in complex sectors and how she applies that at 8VC through mentoring founders, identifying talent, and generating alpha. She also explains how she was the first investor in Hill House Home, the popular apparel and lifestyle company, and takes us behind the scenes of building her new company Fig.1 and using cutting-edge science to create superior skin care products. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

I've known Iyinoluwa "E" Aboyeji since he was an aspiring, 19-year-old entrepreneur.  Today, he's the founder of two African unicorns, Andela and Flutterwave — the latter of which is now the continent's most highly valued tech startup at over $3 billion.  We discuss the challenges he overcame, plus those that remain, and why he's bullish on Africa's future.  As the general partner and co-founder of Future Africa, "E" now invests in over a hundred African startups. He shares strong opinions on the cultural differences between Nigeria and the U.S. — and the unique positive aspects we can learn from each society. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

Andrew Yang is an entrepreneur, former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, and author of "Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy." A lawyer-turned-entrepreneur, Yang explains how he transformed early startup failures into success and why he's now intent on bridging partisan divides in America.  In 2021, Yang became an Independent and launched the Forward Party, which seeks to counter the political polarization in America. He and Joe discuss what policy reforms are needed to change incentives and repair America's political and cultural fabric. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

Sebastian Caliri is Partner at 8VC with a focus on healthcare investing. Previously, Sebastian spent four years at Palantir where he was responsible for growing its commercial healthcare business. In this episode, Sebastian diagnoses the core problems in U.S. healthcare and explains why traditional fee-for-service care misaligns incentives, resulting in rising costs and inferior health outcomes. He makes the case for new models like value-based care and also highlights the potential of psychedelic medicine and other exciting innovation. Sebastian holds a BS and MS in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry from Yale University and spent a year in Stanford's MD program before pursuing a career in tech and investing. He argues that the conventional path in medicine is broken and often produces a risk-averse, complacent culture; he challenges the next generation of doctors and health care professionals to think boldly and take on the status quo. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

Tony Fadell is one of the great engineers, designers, and business leaders of our time, responsible for creating the iPod, iPhone, and Nest Thermostat. He runs the investment firm Future Shape and recently released his memoir titled “Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making." In this episode, he discusses the lessons he learned at General Magic (which was building the iPhone 15 years too early) and Philips Electronics that paved the way for building some of the world's most popular devices at Apple. He explains why self-imposed constraints are essential to creating exceptional products and reveals where engineers and designers often go wrong. His passion for building is inspiring and informative for both business and everyday life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com