

Founders
David Senra
Learn from history's greatest entrepreneurs. Every week I read a biography of an entrepreneur and find ideas you can use in your work.
This quote explains why: "There are thousands of years of history in which lots and lots of very smart people worked very hard and ran all types of experiments on how to create new businesses, invent new technology, new ways to manage etc. They ran these experiments throughout their entire lives. At some point, somebody put these lessons down in a book. For very little money and a few hours of time, you can learn from someone’s accumulated experience. There is so much more to learn from the past than we often realize. You could productively spend your time reading experiences of great people who have come before and you learn every time." —Marc Andreessen
This quote explains why: "There are thousands of years of history in which lots and lots of very smart people worked very hard and ran all types of experiments on how to create new businesses, invent new technology, new ways to manage etc. They ran these experiments throughout their entire lives. At some point, somebody put these lessons down in a book. For very little money and a few hours of time, you can learn from someone’s accumulated experience. There is so much more to learn from the past than we often realize. You could productively spend your time reading experiences of great people who have come before and you learn every time." —Marc Andreessen
Episodes
Mentioned books

729 snips
Nov 25, 2025 • 60min
Red Bull's Billionaire Maniac Founder
Discover the incredible journey of Dietrich Mateschitz, the founder of Red Bull, who launched the brand at 41 with just $1 million. Learn how he transformed a Thailand tonic into a billion-dollar empire, embracing extreme sports and provocative marketing. His intense privacy led to threats against biographers, while his all-in strategy and commitment to reinvesting profits fueled growth. Explore his unique business model, favoring trust over contracts, and how he created a legendary brand culture that celebrates adventure and independence.

2,127 snips
Nov 17, 2025 • 58min
#405 How Rockefeller Worked
Explore the relentless principles of John D. Rockefeller, revealing his view of business as warfare. Discover his obsession with numbers and structured bookkeeping, his methodical problem-solving approach, and strategic focus on transportation costs. Learn how he leveraged technology, borrowed aggressively to scale, and prioritized vertical integration. Dive into his ruthless competitive tactics and expansive acquisitions, alongside his unique ability to maintain autonomy. This insightful journey highlights Rockefeller's complex yet effective strategies for dominating the oil industry.

525 snips
Nov 9, 2025 • 2h 1min
My conversation with Todd Graves
Todd Graves, founder of Raising Cane's, shares insights from his journey of building a $20 billion fast-food empire. He emphasizes the importance of focus, inspired by In-N-Out Burger's success, and discusses overcoming skepticism while starting out. Todd reveals his unconventional paths to financing and the sacrifices made in the early days. He highlights a culture of positive management and the relentless pursuit of quality, illustrating how commitment to values drives true success beyond profit.

2,739 snips
Nov 4, 2025 • 1h 2min
#404 How Larry Ellison Thinks
Discover how Larry Ellison's relentless self-criticism fuels his ambition for improvement. Delve into his contrarian vision that anticipated the internet's database revolution. Explore his disdain for complexity and the influence of simplicity on customer decisions. Learn about his unique work rhythm, focusing on sprinting rather than grinding. Hear about his strategic picks of rivals to sharpen Oracle's brand and his belief that customer loyalty justifies heavy investment. Ellison's fear of failure and constant self-testing drive his legendary career.

1,355 snips
Oct 28, 2025 • 2h 4min
My Conversation with Brad Jacobs
Brad Jacobs, a serial entrepreneur renowned for building billion-dollar businesses, shares his insights on identifying long-term trends and embracing challenges as opportunities for growth. He discusses the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and how overcoming perfectionism transformed his approach. Key topics include his acquisition strategies, the significance of recruiting top talent, and running effective meetings to foster collaboration. Jacobs also emphasizes the role of technology in gaining a competitive edge and the value of feedback from employees and customers.

5,039 snips
Oct 20, 2025 • 55min
#403 How Jensen Works
Dive into the powerful principles of Jensen Huang, focusing on his belief that complacency kills innovation and the necessity of constant reinvention. Discover his commitment to transparency through whiteboard-first meetings and public criticism as a teaching tool. Explore his mantra of 'tortured into greatness,' showcasing resilience through self-critique. Learn about his relentless pursuit of speed, flat organizational structure, and how to create markets rather than chase them. Finally, see his dedication to maximizing talent and prioritizing tasks for peak performance.

814 snips
Oct 13, 2025 • 1h 32min
My Conversation with Michael Dell
Michael Dell, Founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, shares insights from his journey in tech. He discusses his early fascination with markets, disassembling tech for understanding, and how curiosity shaped his career. Dell reflects on the importance of company narratives for culture and employee training. He emphasizes the need for reinvention and AI's transformative potential in business. With a focus on operational excellence, he explains strategic advantages and lessons learned, revealing how fear of failure fueled his entrepreneurial spirit.

1,218 snips
Oct 5, 2025 • 32min
#402 Thomas Peterffy: The $80 Billion Founder Who Automates Everything
Thomas Peterffy's incredible journey from wartime Budapest to becoming an $80 billion finance mogul is the highlight. Discover how he learned programming and revolutionized trading with automation. From creating algorithmic pricing to founding Interactive Brokers, Peterffy's innovative spirit shines. His unconventional tactics, like hiring attractive traders, and his resilience in the face of early failures reveal a unique entrepreneurial mindset. The episode delves into his commitment to efficiency and his visionary approach to trading long before it became mainstream.

2,146 snips
Sep 28, 2025 • 2h 10min
My conversation with Daniel Ek: Founder of Spotify
Daniel Ek, the innovative founder and CEO of Spotify, dives into the principles that shaped his journey in music streaming. He shares insights on prioritizing impact over happiness, emphasizing how true satisfaction stems from solving hard problems. Daniel discusses the importance of relentless product craftsmanship and self-awareness in entrepreneurship. He reflects on recognizing talent, nurturing relationships for honest feedback, and preserving creativity within growing companies. His views on energy management and the value of breaks shed light on maintaining long-term excellence.

2,246 snips
Sep 24, 2025 • 1h 8min
#401 How Bill Gates Works
Discover the obsessive drive that shaped Bill Gates into a tech titan. The discussion uncovers his childhood influences, the intensity of his focus at Harvard, and his strategic decisions that led to Microsoft's founding. Learn how Gates' relentless competition defined his tactics and how his approach to cost control influenced the company's success. The highlight includes his reflections on maintaining urgency and adapting through decades of evolution in the tech world.


