FOUNDER STORIES
Every episode of Founder Stories, gathered in one place. The videos are hosted on YouTube and play here without leaving the page.
ORACLE RECOVERED FROM ITS 1990 CRISIS FASTER THAN ANYONE EXPECTED, AND ELLISON NEVER SLOWED DOWN.
Oracle came back faster than expected. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Larry Ellison and Oracle, "Larry Ellison: Oracle Lost 80% in Six Months and Nearly Came Apart". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/AP7dIM_vxb8.
AIRBNB'S REVENUE FELL 72% IN ONE QUARTER, AND THE NEXT QUARTER IT MADE A PROFIT.
Airbnb went from crisis to profit. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Brian Chesky and Airbnb, "Brian Chesky: Airbnb Nearly Died Twice, and Cereal Saved It Once". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/Z8hPbLLh2oA.
PIXAR STARTED AS A COMPUTER COMPANY WHOSE $135,000 MACHINE ALMOST NOBODY BOUGHT.
Pixar began as a failing computer company. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Steve Jobs and Pixar, "Steve Jobs: He Nearly Sold Pixar, Then Toy Story Made Him a Billionaire". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/aZTHTupz21I.
RAY KROC WAS A 51 YEAR OLD MILKSHAKE MIXER SALESMAN WHEN ONE RESTAURANT ORDERED EIGHT MIXERS.
Eight mixers took Kroc to McDonald's. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ray Kroc and McDonald's, "Ray Kroc: He Bought McDonald's, Then Ran the Brothers Out of Business". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/S2JFj_MUzM8.
ADIDAS SAYS ITS FOUNDER GAVE JESSE OWENS RUNNING SPIKES AT THE 1936 BERLIN OLYMPICS.
Adidas's founder made 700 inventions. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Adi and Rudolf Dassler and Adidas and Puma, "Adidas vs Puma: The Brothers Who Split a Company and a Town in Two". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/FIxIe4ct6Vw.
COLONEL SANDERS SOLD KFC FOR $2 MILLION AND SPENT HIS LAST YEARS WARNING PEOPLE ABOUT ITS FOOD.
KFC's founder told people not to trust it. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Harland Sanders and KFC, "Colonel Sanders: Broke at 65, Then at War With His Own KFC". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/HSPEBdcrdiQ.
ORACLE PAID $23.25 MILLION TO SETTLE SHAREHOLDER LAWSUITS AND $100,000 TO SETTLE SEC CHARGES.
Oracle settled with the SEC for $100,000. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Larry Ellison and Oracle, "Larry Ellison: Oracle Lost 80% in Six Months and Nearly Came Apart". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/AP7dIM_vxb8.
FERRUCCIO LAMBORGHINI DECIDED TO BUILD A BETTER CAR THAN FERRARI, AND THE NUMBERS BACKED HIM.
Lamborghini set out to beat Ferrari. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ferruccio Lamborghini and Lamborghini, "Lamborghini: Ferrari Mocked a Tractor Maker, So He Built the Miura". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/USY4ZzUmAWM.
AIRBNB'S APRIL LENDERS ENDED 2020 ABLE TO BUY ITS SHARES AT A FRACTION OF THEIR PRICE.
Airbnb's rescue loans cost it millions. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Brian Chesky and Airbnb, "Brian Chesky: Airbnb Nearly Died Twice, and Cereal Saved It Once". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/Z8hPbLLh2oA.
STEVE JOBS BET PIXAR'S STOCK MARKET DEBUT ON A FILM ALMOST NOBODY HAD SEEN YET.
Pixar bet everything on Toy Story. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Steve Jobs and Pixar, "Steve Jobs: He Nearly Sold Pixar, Then Toy Story Made Him a Billionaire". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/aZTHTupz21I.
THE MCDONALD BROTHERS DREW THEIR KITCHEN IN CHALK ON A TENNIS COURT BEFORE KROC EVER SAW IT.
McDonald's kitchen began in chalk. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ray Kroc and McDonald's, "Ray Kroc: He Bought McDonald's, Then Ran the Brothers Out of Business". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/S2JFj_MUzM8.
ADIDAS AND PUMA BEGAN THE DAY TWO BROTHERS DIVIDED ONE SHOE FACTORY ACROSS A RIVER.
Adidas and Puma split one factory in two. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Adi and Rudolf Dassler and Adidas and Puma, "Adidas vs Puma: The Brothers Who Split a Company and a Town in Two". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/FIxIe4ct6Vw.
HARLAND SANDERS WAS 65 WHEN HIS RESTAURANT SOLD AT AUCTION FOR BARELY ENOUGH TO PAY HIS DEBTS.
Colonel Sanders was broke at 65. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Harland Sanders and KFC, "Colonel Sanders: Broke at 65, Then at War With His Own KFC". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/HSPEBdcrdiQ.
LARRY ELLISON HANDED ORACLE'S MONEY TO AN OUTSIDER, WHO REWROTE HOW IT COUNTED ITS SALES.
Ellison handed Oracle's books to an outsider. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Larry Ellison and Oracle, "Larry Ellison: Oracle Lost 80% in Six Months and Nearly Came Apart". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/AP7dIM_vxb8.
FERRUCCIO LAMBORGHINI LOST CONTROL OF HIS CAR COMPANY BECAUSE OF CANCELLED TRACTOR ORDERS.
Tractors cost Lamborghini his company. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ferruccio Lamborghini and Lamborghini, "Lamborghini: Ferrari Mocked a Tractor Maker, So He Built the Miura". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/USY4ZzUmAWM.
AIRBNB HAD MORE CANCELLATIONS THAN BOOKINGS WHEN THE PANDEMIC CLOSED THE WORLD'S BORDERS.
Airbnb's bookings went backwards. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Brian Chesky and Airbnb, "Brian Chesky: Airbnb Nearly Died Twice, and Cereal Saved It Once". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/Z8hPbLLh2oA.
STEVE JOBS KEPT REFINANCING PIXAR UNTIL HE HAD PUT IN ABOUT $50 MILLION OF HIS OWN MONEY.
Steve Jobs kept paying Pixar's losses. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Steve Jobs and Pixar, "Steve Jobs: He Nearly Sold Pixar, Then Toy Story Made Him a Billionaire". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/aZTHTupz21I.
RAY KROC'S FIRST MCDONALD'S IN DES PLAINES WAS REALLY THE NINTH MCDONALD'S IN THE COUNTRY.
Kroc's first McDonald's was the ninth. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ray Kroc and McDonald's, "Ray Kroc: He Bought McDonald's, Then Ran the Brothers Out of Business". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/S2JFj_MUzM8.
ADIDAS AND PUMA WERE FOUNDED BY TWO BROTHERS WHO NEVER MADE PEACE.
Adidas and Puma were one company. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Adi and Rudolf Dassler and Adidas and Puma, "Adidas vs Puma: The Brothers Who Split a Company and a Town in Two". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/FIxIe4ct6Vw.
COLONEL SANDERS SOLD HIS CHICKEN RECIPE ONE RESTAURANT AT A TIME FROM THE BACK OF HIS CAR.
Colonel Sanders sold KFC from his car. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Harland Sanders and KFC, "Colonel Sanders: Broke at 65, Then at War With His Own KFC". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/HSPEBdcrdiQ.
LARRY ELLISON'S ORACLE PAID ITS SALESMEN FOR DEALS, AND SOME CUSTOMERS WERE BILLED TWICE.
Oracle's sales machine got out of control. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Larry Ellison and Oracle, "Larry Ellison: Oracle Lost 80% in Six Months and Nearly Came Apart". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/AP7dIM_vxb8.
LAMBORGHINI'S FIRST CAR WENT ON SHOW AT TURIN WITHOUT A WORKING ENGINE.
Lamborghini's first car had no engine. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ferruccio Lamborghini and Lamborghini, "Lamborghini: Ferrari Mocked a Tractor Maker, So He Built the Miura". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/USY4ZzUmAWM.
AIRBNB NEARLY DIED TWICE, AND BRIAN CHESKY HAD TO KEEP IT ALIVE BOTH TIMES.
Airbnb nearly died twice. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Brian Chesky and Airbnb, "Brian Chesky: Airbnb Nearly Died Twice, and Cereal Saved It Once". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/Z8hPbLLh2oA.
STEVE JOBS BOUGHT PIXAR FOR $10 MILLION AFTER A DEAL WITH GENERAL MOTORS FELL APART.
Steve Jobs bought Pixar for $10 million. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Steve Jobs and Pixar, "Steve Jobs: He Nearly Sold Pixar, Then Toy Story Made Him a Billionaire". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/aZTHTupz21I.
RAY KROC'S MCDONALD'S WAS SAVED BY REAL ESTATE, NOT HAMBURGERS.
McDonald's made its money from land. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ray Kroc and McDonald's, "Ray Kroc: He Bought McDonald's, Then Ran the Brothers Out of Business". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/S2JFj_MUzM8.
ADIDAS BOOTS WON THE 1954 WORLD CUP FINAL BECAUSE PUMA'S FOUNDER WOULD NOT PAY THE COACH.
Puma refused to pay, so Adidas won. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Adi and Rudolf Dassler and Adidas and Puma, "Adidas vs Puma: The Brothers Who Split a Company and a Town in Two". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/FIxIe4ct6Vw.
THERANOS: THE WHISTLEBLOWER WHOSE GRANDFATHER TOOK ELIZABETH HOLMES'S SIDE
Tyler Shultz was in his early twenties when he told Elizabeth Holmes that Theranos had doctored its research. His grandfather, the former Secretary of State George Shultz, sat on the Theranos board and believed her instead. Theranos's lawyers pursued Tyler, his family spent more than 400,000 dollars defending him, and grandfather and grandson were split for years. This episode follows the whole story: the dinner where Tyler met Holmes, the failing tests, the email, the lawyers waiting in his grandfather's house, the Wall Street Journal, the collapse, the trial, the sentence and the new documentary about Holmes.
HARLAND SANDERS BUILT KFC FROM THE BACK OF HIS CAR AT 65, THEN SPENT HIS LAST YEARS FIGHTING IT.
KFC's founder went to war with KFC. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Harland Sanders and KFC, "Colonel Sanders: Broke at 65, Then at War With His Own KFC". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/HSPEBdcrdiQ.
ANTHROPIC WAS BUILT SO A TRUST WITH NO FINANCIAL STAKE CAN APPOINT MOST OF ITS BOARD.
Sam Bankman-Fried was an early investor. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Dario Amodei and Anthropic, "Dario Amodei: The Seven Who Walked Out of OpenAI". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/N6nN_bVpG6M.
PAUL ALLEN: THE NIGHT HE SAYS BILL GATES PLOTTED TO SHRINK HIS MICROSOFT STAKE
Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates, named it and found the software that made it, but by his account Gates pushed him into a 64 to 36 split and, while Allen was being treated for cancer in 1982, he overheard Gates and Steve Ballmer discussing how to dilute his stake. He left in 1983, refused Gates's offer of five dollars a share, and the shares he kept made him a billionaire. This episode follows the whole story: Lakeside, the Altair, the split, the partnership agreement, Ballmer's stake, the IBM deal, the diagnosis, the overheard conversation, the six page letter, Idea Man and Gates's reply in his own memoir.
UBER WAS GARRETT CAMP'S IDEA, AND KALANICK JOINED AS AN ADVISER.
Uber launched with a few hundred users. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Travis Kalanick and Uber, "Travis Kalanick: Fired From Uber by His Own Investors". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/vAKB1-hRKOQ.
LARRY ELLISON'S ORACLE BORROWED $80 MILLION FROM A JAPANESE STEELMAKER AFTER ITS CRISIS.
Oracle borrowed from a steelmaker. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Larry Ellison and Oracle, "Larry Ellison: Oracle Lost 80% in Six Months and Nearly Came Apart". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/AP7dIM_vxb8.
RICHARD BRANSON VS BRITISH AIRWAYS: THE DIRTY TRICKS WAR VIRGIN WON
Richard Branson accused British Airways of poaching Virgin Atlantic's passengers and spreading stories that his airline was going broke, and when BA's staff newspaper said he was only after publicity, he sued for libel. On the first day of the trial, in January 1993, BA apologised and paid 610,000 pounds, and Branson shared his damages with his staff as the BA bonus. This episode follows the whole story: the first jumbo jet, Lord King's privatised BA, the move to Heathrow, the allegations, the libel case, the antitrust fights in New York and Brussels, and the price fixing cartel the two rivals shared until Virgin turned BA in.
LAMBORGHINI'S MOST FAMOUS CAR WAS BUILT BY THREE YOUNG EMPLOYEES IN THEIR SPARE TIME.
Lamborghini's Miura was a side project. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ferruccio Lamborghini and Lamborghini, "Lamborghini: Ferrari Mocked a Tractor Maker, So He Built the Miura". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/USY4ZzUmAWM.
AIRBNB'S FOUNDERS ASKED SEVEN INVESTORS FOR $150,000 AND EVERY ONE SAID NO OR NEVER REPLIED.
Every investor turned Airbnb down. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Brian Chesky and Airbnb, "Brian Chesky: Airbnb Nearly Died Twice, and Cereal Saved It Once". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/Z8hPbLLh2oA.
HOWARD SCHULTZ: HE BOUGHT STARBUCKS, THEN SHUT 7,100 STORES TO SAVE IT
Howard Schultz begged the founders of Starbucks to turn their Seattle bean shop into an Italian espresso bar, and they said no. He left, built his own coffee bars, fought off one of his own investors and bought Starbucks for 3.8 million dollars in 1987. Twenty years later the chain he had built was losing its customers and most of its share price, so he came back, shut more than seven thousand American stores for an evening of espresso training and closed hundreds for good. This episode follows the whole story: Pike Place, Milan, Il Giornale, Bill Gates Senior, the leaked memo, the training night, the cuts, New Orleans and the recovery.
MCDONALD'S CALLS RAY KROC ITS FOUNDER, BUT TWO BROTHERS INVENTED IT AND SOLD HIM THEIR NAME.
McDonald's real founders were two brothers. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ray Kroc and McDonald's, "Ray Kroc: He Bought McDonald's, Then Ran the Brothers Out of Business". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/S2JFj_MUzM8.
PUMA'S FOUNDER SPENT A YEAR IN AN AMERICAN CAMP AND BLAMED HIS BROTHER AT ADIDAS.
Puma's founder blamed his own brother. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Adi and Rudolf Dassler and Adidas and Puma, "Adidas vs Puma: The Brothers Who Split a Company and a Town in Two". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/FIxIe4ct6Vw.
KFC'S NEW OWNERS WENT TO COURT AGAINST COLONEL SANDERS OVER THE USE OF HIS OWN NAME.
KFC sued Colonel Sanders over his own name. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Harland Sanders and KFC, "Colonel Sanders: Broke at 65, Then at War With His Own KFC". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/HSPEBdcrdiQ.
ORACLE HAD NEVER LOST MONEY UNTIL 1990, WHEN IT LAID OFF 400 PEOPLE AND ITS SHARES FELL BELOW $7.
Oracle's first loss cost 400 jobs. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Larry Ellison and Oracle, "Larry Ellison: Oracle Lost 80% in Six Months and Nearly Came Apart". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/AP7dIM_vxb8.
FERRUCCIO LAMBORGHINI REVVED AN ORANGE MIURA OUTSIDE THE MONTE CARLO CASINO BEFORE THE GRAND PRIX.
Lamborghini's stunt in Monte Carlo. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ferruccio Lamborghini and Lamborghini, "Lamborghini: Ferrari Mocked a Tractor Maker, So He Built the Miura". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/USY4ZzUmAWM.
AIRBNB'S SHARES MORE THAN DOUBLED ON DAY ONE, SEVEN MONTHS AFTER IT LAID OFF A QUARTER OF ITS STAFF.
Airbnb doubled on its first day. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Brian Chesky and Airbnb, "Brian Chesky: Airbnb Nearly Died Twice, and Cereal Saved It Once". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/Z8hPbLLh2oA.
STEVE JOBS POURED ALMOST $50 MILLION INTO PIXAR AND NEARLY GAVE UP ON IT BEFORE TOY STORY.
Steve Jobs nearly gave up on Pixar. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Steve Jobs and Pixar, "Steve Jobs: He Nearly Sold Pixar, Then Toy Story Made Him a Billionaire". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/aZTHTupz21I.
RAY KROC OPENED A MCDONALD'S NEAR THE BROTHERS' OWN RESTAURANT AND RAN IT OUT OF BUSINESS.
McDonald's put the brothers out of business. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ray Kroc and McDonald's, "Ray Kroc: He Bought McDonald's, Then Ran the Brothers Out of Business". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/S2JFj_MUzM8.
ADIDAS AND PUMA OWE THEIR SPLIT, THE FAMILY SAYS, TO ONE REMARK IN AN AIR RAID SHELTER.
Adidas and Puma split over one remark. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Adi and Rudolf Dassler and Adidas and Puma, "Adidas vs Puma: The Brothers Who Split a Company and a Town in Two". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/FIxIe4ct6Vw.
EVAN SPIEGEL: THE FRIEND WHO THOUGHT OF SNAPCHAT GOT $157 MILLION AND NO CREDIT
Evan Spiegel admitted in court papers that the idea for Snapchat's disappearing photos came from his Stanford fraternity brother Reggie Brown. Weeks after the app launched as Picaboo, Brown was locked out. This episode follows the whole story: the idea, the summer in Los Angeles, the row over shares, the lawsuit and the depositions, the three billion dollars Spiegel reportedly turned down from Facebook, the settlement, and the 157.5 million dollar payment that Snap's stock market filing recorded without naming Brown.
COLONEL SANDERS TOLD A NEW YORK TIMES CRITIC THAT A KFC'S CHICKEN WAS THE WORST HE HAD SEEN.
KFC's founder said its chicken was the worst. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Harland Sanders and KFC, "Colonel Sanders: Broke at 65, Then at War With His Own KFC". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/HSPEBdcrdiQ.
LARRY ELLISON'S ORACLE LOST ABOUT FOUR FIFTHS OF ITS VALUE IN SIX MONTHS OF 1990.
Oracle lost 80% in six months. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Larry Ellison and Oracle, "Larry Ellison: Oracle Lost 80% in Six Months and Nearly Came Apart". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/AP7dIM_vxb8.
GUCCI: THE LAST FAMILY CHAIRMAN AND THE EX-WIFE WHO HAD HIM KILLED
Maurizio Gucci won control of his family's company after twenty years of feuds, lawsuits and a tax trial that sent his uncle Aldo to prison, then sold the last family shares in 1993. Two years later he was shot dead on the steps of his Milan office, and in 1997 police arrested his former wife, Patrizia Reggiani, who had paid for the killing. This episode follows the whole story: Guccio Gucci's shop in Florence, Aldo's empire, Paolo's accusations, Maurizio's takeover, Investcorp, the murder, the undercover sting, the trial of the black widow, and the company's revival without the family.
ENZO FERRARI INSULTED A TRACTOR MAKER, AND FERRUCCIO LAMBORGHINI ANSWERED BY BUILDING THE MIURA.
Lamborghini started with an insult. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ferruccio Lamborghini and Lamborghini, "Lamborghini: Ferrari Mocked a Tractor Maker, So He Built the Miura". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/USY4ZzUmAWM.
AIRBNB'S FOUNDERS KEPT THEIR COMPANY ALIVE BY SELLING ELECTION CEREAL AT $40 A BOX.
Airbnb was saved by cereal boxes. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Brian Chesky and Airbnb, "Brian Chesky: Airbnb Nearly Died Twice, and Cereal Saved It Once". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/Z8hPbLLh2oA.
ELON MUSK: PAYPAL'S BOARD REMOVED HIM WHILE HE WAS IN THE AIR
In September 2000 Elon Musk boarded a plane for Australia as chief executive of X.com, the company that owned PayPal, and by the time he landed the board had replaced him with Peter Thiel. This episode follows the whole story: Zip2 and X.com, the rivalry and merger with Thiel and Max Levchin's Confinity, the fight over Microsoft and Unix, the X name, the record losses, the vote, the separation agreement that protected one word, and the eBay sale that left Musk as PayPal's largest shareholder.
PIXAR WENT PUBLIC A WEEK AFTER TOY STORY OPENED AND MADE STEVE JOBS A BILLIONAIRE IN A DAY.
Toy Story made Steve Jobs a billionaire. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Steve Jobs and Pixar, "Steve Jobs: He Nearly Sold Pixar, Then Toy Story Made Him a Billionaire". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/aZTHTupz21I.
RAY KROC BOUGHT MCDONALD'S FOR $2.7 MILLION, BUT THE BROTHERS KEPT THEIR FIRST RESTAURANT.
Kroc bought McDonald's but not the first one. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ray Kroc and McDonald's, "Ray Kroc: He Bought McDonald's, Then Ran the Brothers Out of Business". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/S2JFj_MUzM8.
MARK ZUCKERBERG: THE WHISTLEBLOWER, THE OUTAGE AND THE RENAME TO META
In one week of October 2021, a former Facebook product manager named Frances Haugen revealed herself as the source of the Facebook Files, every Facebook app went dark for about six hours, and she told the United States Senate that the company put its profits before people's safety. Mark Zuckerberg answered that her central claim was simply not true, and three weeks later he renamed the company Meta. This episode follows the whole story: the Civic Integrity team, the tens of thousands of copied pages, XCheck, the teen research, the outage, the hearing, Facebook's replies, the Facebook Papers and the new name.
A JUDGE ORDERED MICROSOFT SPLIT IN TWO AFTER BILL GATES'S DEPOSITION.
Gates claimed not to remember his own emails. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Bill Gates and Microsoft, "Bill Gates: The $50,000 Deal That Built Microsoft". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/m4E-bLaLLlA.
PUMA BROKE A SECRET PACT WITH ADIDAS AND SIGNED PELÉ BEFORE THE 1970 WORLD CUP.
Puma broke its secret pact with Adidas. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Adi and Rudolf Dassler and Adidas and Puma, "Adidas vs Puma: The Brothers Who Split a Company and a Town in Two". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/FIxIe4ct6Vw.
ADIDAS VS PUMA: THE BROTHERS WHO SPLIT A COMPANY AND A TOWN IN TWO
Adi and Rudolf Dassler ran one shoe company in the Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach until the Second World War left each convinced the other had betrayed him. In 1948 they split it into Adidas and Puma, built factories on opposite banks of the same river and fought over athletes for the rest of their lives. This episode follows the whole story: the laundry room workshop, Jesse Owens in Berlin, the war, the air raid shelter, Rudolf's arrest, the split, the town of bent necks, the miracle of Bern, the broken Pelé pact, and the peace match of 2009.
COLONEL SANDERS CALLED KFC'S GRAVY HORRIBLE IN A NEWSPAPER, AND A FRANCHISE OWNER SUED HIM.
KFC's founder called its gravy horrible. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Harland Sanders and KFC, "Colonel Sanders: Broke at 65, Then at War With His Own KFC". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/HSPEBdcrdiQ.
ORACLE'S SHARES FELL BY ALMOST A THIRD IN A SINGLE DAY IN MARCH 1990.
Oracle lost a third of its value in a day. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Larry Ellison and Oracle, "Larry Ellison: Oracle Lost 80% in Six Months and Nearly Came Apart". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/AP7dIM_vxb8.
LARRY ELLISON: ORACLE LOST 80% IN SIX MONTHS AND NEARLY CAME APART
In 1990 Larry Ellison's Oracle, which had doubled its sales almost every year, saw its numbers unravel. Its shares fell by almost a third in a single day, shareholders sued, its accounts were restated, it reported the first loss in its history, its banks cut its credit, and it lost about four fifths of its value in six months. This episode follows the whole story: the intelligence project that gave Oracle its name, the version two with no version one, the sales machine, the March crash, the September layoffs, Jeff Henley's clean up, the Nippon Steel loan, Ray Lane and Oracle Seven, the lawsuits and the securities charges, and the recovery.
FERRUCCIO LAMBORGHINI SAYS ENZO FERRARI INSULTED HIM WHEN HE COMPLAINED ABOUT A CLUTCH.
Enzo Ferrari insulted a tractor maker. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Ferruccio Lamborghini and Lamborghini, "Lamborghini: Ferrari Mocked a Tractor Maker, So He Built the Miura". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/USY4ZzUmAWM.
AIRBNB BORROWED $2 BILLION IN EIGHT DAYS AT MORE THAN 10% INTEREST WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT.
Airbnb borrowed $2 billion in eight days. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Brian Chesky and Airbnb, "Brian Chesky: Airbnb Nearly Died Twice, and Cereal Saved It Once". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/Z8hPbLLh2oA.
BRIAN CHESKY: AIRBNB NEARLY DIED TWICE, AND CEREAL SAVED IT ONCE
Airbnb has nearly died twice. In 2008 its founders were deep in debt and every investor they approached had said no or never replied, so they kept going by selling Obama O's and Cap'n McCain's cereal at forty dollars a box. In 2020 the pandemic left Airbnb with more cancellations than bookings, two billion dollars of expensive loans and a quarter of its staff gone, seven months before its shares more than doubled on their first day of trading. This episode follows Brian Chesky through both: the airbeds on the floor, the seven rejections, Y Combinator, the door to door work in New York, the apology to hosts, the loans, the layoff letter, the summer of cabins and the stock market debut.
DISNEY SHUT DOWN PIXAR'S FIRST FILM HALFWAY THROUGH, AFTER A SCREENING THAT WENT BADLY WRONG.
Disney shut down Toy Story halfway through. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Steve Jobs and Pixar, "Steve Jobs: He Nearly Sold Pixar, Then Toy Story Made Him a Billionaire". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/aZTHTupz21I.
ELON MUSK BOUGHT TWITTER FOR $44 BILLION AFTER TRYING TO BACK OUT.
Musk fired most of Twitter's staff. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Elon Musk and Tesla and SpaceX, "Elon Musk: The Christmas Eve That Nearly Ended Tesla and SpaceX". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/eb1Y1gtHh3g.
STEVE JOBS: HE NEARLY SOLD PIXAR, THEN TOY STORY MADE HIM A BILLIONAIRE
Steve Jobs poured close to fifty million dollars of his own money into Pixar, a computer company whose machines did not sell, and at one point he tried to sell it. This episode follows the whole story: George Lucas's divorce and the deal with General Motors that fell apart three days before signing, the ten million dollar purchase, the Pixar Image Computer, Luxo Junior and Tin Toy, the layoffs, the Disney contract, the day Disney shut Toy Story down, the calls to Hallmark, Paul Allen and Larry Ellison, the stock market debut a week after Toy Story opened, the billion dollar day, and the sale to Disney for seven point four billion dollars.
MORE THAN 100 INVESTORS TURNED DOWN MELANIE PERKINS, FOR THE SAME REASONS.
Perkins wanted to take on Adobe from Perth. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Melanie Perkins and Canva, "Canva: Melanie Perkins and the Hundred Rejections". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/THxXuyP1snk.
NIKE'S LOGO COST $35, AND PHIL KNIGHT NEARLY CALLED IT DIMENSION SIX.
The Nike name beat a deadline. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Phil Knight and Nike, "Nike: Phil Knight's Sixteen Years One Payment From Ruin". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/jsKFB2H2d_o.
LAMBORGHINI: FERRARI MOCKED A TRACTOR MAKER, SO HE BUILT THE MIURA
Ferruccio Lamborghini made his fortune building tractors from the wreckage of the Second World War. When the clutch on his Ferrari kept failing he went to complain, and by his own account Enzo Ferrari told him that a tractor maker would never handle a Ferrari properly. This episode follows the whole story: the clutch his mechanics took apart, the factory at Sant'Agata Bolognese, the show car with no working engine, the three young men who built the Miura in their spare time, the night in Monte Carlo, the Countach, the cancelled tractor orders that drained his money, the oil crisis, and the sale of the company that still carries his name.
SARA BLAKELY SHOWED A NEIMAN MARCUS BUYER SPANX IN THE LADIES' ROOM.
Blakely sold Spanx in a store toilet. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Sara Blakely and Spanx, "Spanx: The $5,000 Bet That Made Sara Blakely a Billionaire". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/N7ItwEOX_sk.
ANTHROPIC'S RESEARCHERS MADE A MODEL TALK ABOUT NOTHING BUT THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE.
Amodei told the Senate about bioweapon risks. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Dario Amodei and Anthropic, "Dario Amodei: The Seven Who Walked Out of OpenAI". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/N6nN_bVpG6M.
COLONEL SANDERS: BROKE AT 65, THEN AT WAR WITH HIS OWN KFC
Harland Sanders was sixty five when his restaurant and motel sold at auction for seventy five thousand dollars, barely enough to pay his debts. With a pension cheque of one hundred and five dollars a month, a pressure cooker and a blend of eleven herbs and spices, he drove from town to town cooking for restaurant owners and asking for a nickel a chicken. This episode follows the whole story: the service station in North Corbin, the white suit, the interstate that bypassed his town, Pete Harman's first franchise, the sale to John Y Brown Junior and Jack Massey for two million dollars, Heublein, the lawsuit over his wife's restaurant, the gravy he called horrible in the Courier Journal, the New York Times critic, and the man who stayed the face of a chain he no longer trusted.
UBER'S INVESTORS ASKED TRAVIS KALANICK TO RESIGN WHILE HE GRIEVED HIS MOTHER.
Kalanick had a few hours to decide. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Travis Kalanick and Uber, "Travis Kalanick: Fired From Uber by His Own Investors". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/vAKB1-hRKOQ.
PALANTIR SUED THE US ARMY FOR IGNORING ITS SOFTWARE, AND WON.
The Army spent billions, then lost to Palantir. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Alex Karp and Palantir, "Alex Karp: 17 Years of Losses, Then the Most Hyped Stock in America". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/42xTKGhpafc.
RAY KROC: HE BOUGHT MCDONALD'S, THEN RAN THE BROTHERS OUT OF BUSINESS
Richard and Maurice McDonald invented the fastest kitchen in America, sold it with their own name for two point seven million dollars, and then watched Ray Kroc open a new McDonald's a short walk from their original restaurant and drive it out of business. This episode follows the whole story: the drive in at San Bernardino, the day in 1948 the brothers fired every carhop and cut the menu to nine items, the kitchen drawn in chalk on a tennis court, the milkshake mixer salesman who flew out to see why one restaurant wanted eight of his machines, the contract that paid the brothers half a percent, Harry Sonneborn's land deals, the 1961 buyout, the handshake royalty the family says was promised and never paid, the Big M, and how Kroc became known as the founder.
GOOGLE'S FOUNDERS SAID ADVERTISING WOULD CORRUPT SEARCH, THEN BUILT ADWORDS.
AdWords made more money than any ad product. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Google, "Larry Page and Sergey Brin: The $1 Million Google Nobody Wanted". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/sSads-3C8BU.
FORBES REVISED ELIZABETH HOLMES'S NET WORTH FROM $4.5 BILLION TO NOTHING.
A whistleblower used a false name. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, "Elizabeth Holmes: The $9 Billion Blood Test That Never Worked". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/7_-C-ftjiX8.
MICROSOFT NEARLY MISSED THE INTERNET, THEN SQUEEZED OUT NETSCAPE AND WAS SUED.
Bill Gates nearly missed the internet. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Bill Gates and Microsoft, "Bill Gates: The $50,000 Deal That Built Microsoft". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/m4E-bLaLLlA.
JEFF BEZOS LEFT AMAZON'S TOP JOB AND FLEW TO THE EDGE OF SPACE 15 DAYS LATER.
Bezos bought the Washington Post. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Jeff Bezos and Amazon, "Jeff Bezos: The 90% Crash That Almost Killed Amazon". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/_c5FTJXUulc.
MARK ZUCKERBERG TURNED DOWN $1 BILLION FROM YAHOO WHEN HE WAS 22.
Zuckerberg's board wanted him to sell. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Mark Zuckerberg and Meta, "Mark Zuckerberg: The $1 Billion He Refused at 22". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/DWhDx9D-U38.
APPLE WAS ABOUT 90 DAYS FROM BANKRUPTCY WHEN STEVE JOBS CAME BACK.
Apple was 90 days from going bust. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Steve Jobs and Apple, "Steve Jobs: Fired From Apple, Then Back to Save It". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/Is8oP_yFkEE.
CHATGPT REACHED 100 MILLION USERS IN TWO MONTHS AFTER A QUIET LAUNCH.
Altman called ChatGPT a research preview. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Sam Altman and OpenAI, "Sam Altman: Fired and Rehired in Five Days". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/tEsDV509Pzc.
JENSEN HUANG'S NVIDIA WENT FROM 30 DAYS FROM BANKRUPTCY TO $5 TRILLION.
Huang laid off half his staff in 1996. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Jensen Huang and Nvidia, "Jensen Huang: 30 Days From Bankruptcy to a $5 Trillion Company". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/p6hIwI4dm5Q.
JAMES DYSON WAS VOTED OUT OF HIS OWN COMPANY AND LEFT WITH NOTHING.
The Ballbarrow patent was not his. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about James Dyson and Dyson, "5,127 Prototypes: The James Dyson Story". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/ZsbaFpNsWvg.
ELON MUSK WAS DAYS FROM LOSING EVERYTHING IN DECEMBER 2008.
Musk's first three rockets had failed. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Elon Musk and Tesla and SpaceX, "Elon Musk: The Christmas Eve That Nearly Ended Tesla and SpaceX". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/eb1Y1gtHh3g.
MELANIE PERKINS WAS 19 WHEN SHE DECIDED DESIGN SHOULD BE SIMPLE AND ONLINE.
The tools were hard, not the design. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Melanie Perkins and Canva, "Canva: Melanie Perkins and the Hundred Rejections". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/THxXuyP1snk.
NIKE'S BANK FROZE ITS ACCOUNTS AND REPORTED IT TO THE FBI IN 1975.
Nike was one late payment from ruin. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Phil Knight and Nike, "Nike: Phil Knight's Sixteen Years One Payment From Ruin". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/jsKFB2H2d_o.
SARA BLAKELY CUT THE FEET OFF HER TIGHTS BEFORE A PARTY IN 1998.
Blakely fixed her outfit with scissors. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Sara Blakely and Spanx, "Spanx: The $5,000 Bet That Made Sara Blakely a Billionaire". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/N7ItwEOX_sk.
DARIO AMODEI WARNED AI COULD WIPE OUT HALF OF ENTRY LEVEL OFFICE JOBS.
Anthropic's valuation passed $300 billion. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Dario Amodei and Anthropic, "Dario Amodei: The Seven Who Walked Out of OpenAI". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/N6nN_bVpG6M.
TRAVIS KALANICK OPPOSED COPYING LYFT, THEN DID IT WITHIN MONTHS.
Told to stop, Uber kept going and paid fines. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Travis Kalanick and Uber, "Travis Kalanick: Fired From Uber by His Own Investors". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/vAKB1-hRKOQ.
MELANIE PERKINS LEARNED TO KITESURF TO MEET INVESTORS IN HAWAII.
The rejections came in the hundreds. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Melanie Perkins and Canva, "Canva: Melanie Perkins and the Hundred Rejections". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/THxXuyP1snk.
CANVA: MELANIE PERKINS AND THE HUNDRED REJECTIONS
Melanie Perkins was nineteen and teaching design software to students in Perth when she decided that design should be simple enough for anyone. This episode follows the yearbook company she and Cliff Obrecht ran from her mother's living room for five years, the kitesurfing lessons she took to get in the water with Silicon Valley investors, the more than one hundred rejections, the Google Maps co founder who became an adviser, and the launch of Canva in 2013.
ALEX KARP SAID SILICON VALLEY DESPISED AMERICA, SO HE MOVED PALANTIR.
Palantir took the military work Google dropped. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Alex Karp and Palantir, "Alex Karp: 17 Years of Losses, Then the Most Hyped Stock in America". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/42xTKGhpafc.
REEBOK WAS OUTSELLING NIKE UNTIL NIKE BET ON MICHAEL JORDAN.
Air Jordans sold over $100 million. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Phil Knight and Nike, "Nike: Phil Knight's Sixteen Years One Payment From Ruin". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/jsKFB2H2d_o.
NIKE: PHIL KNIGHT'S STORY
Phil Knight wrote a Stanford term paper in 1962 asking whether Japanese running shoes could beat German ones, then spent sixteen years finding out. This episode follows the made up company name in a Kobe office, the handshake with coach Bill Bowerman, the shoes sold from the boot of a Plymouth Valiant, the thirty five dollar logo, the split with Onitsuka, the bank that pulled the plug in 1975, and the waffle iron that became the Waffle Trainer.
GOOGLE PAID APPLE AND OTHERS OVER $20 BILLION A YEAR TO BE THE DEFAULT.
A judge ruled that Google is a monopolist. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Google, "Larry Page and Sergey Brin: The $1 Million Google Nobody Wanted". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/sSads-3C8BU.
EVERY MILL TURNED SARA BLAKELY DOWN UNTIL ONE OWNER ASKED HIS DAUGHTERS.
Blakely was turned down by every mill. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Sara Blakely and Spanx, "Spanx: The $5,000 Bet That Made Sara Blakely a Billionaire". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/N7ItwEOX_sk.
SPANX: THE $5,000 BET THAT MADE SARA BLAKELY A BILLIONAIRE
Sara Blakely spent seven years selling fax machines door to door before she cut the feet off a pair of tights and decided to build a product with five thousand dollars in savings. This episode follows the patent she wrote herself from a library textbook, the hosiery mills that turned her down until one owner asked his daughters, the ten minute meeting at Neiman Marcus that ended in the ladies' room, and the day Oprah named Spanx one of her favourite things.
GEORGE SHULTZ CHOSE ELIZABETH HOLMES OVER HIS OWN GRANDSON'S WARNING.
Nobody asked to see a test being run. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, "Elizabeth Holmes: The $9 Billion Blood Test That Never Worked". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/7_-C-ftjiX8.
DARIO AMODEI WALKED OUT OF OPENAI WITH SIX OTHERS AND STARTED ANTHROPIC.
Amodei left OpenAI and took his sister. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Dario Amodei and Anthropic, "Dario Amodei: The Seven Who Walked Out of OpenAI". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/N6nN_bVpG6M.
DARIO AMODEI: THE SEVEN WHO WALKED OUT OF OPENAI
In December 2020 Dario Amodei left OpenAI, where he had run the research behind GPT-2 and GPT-3, and took his sister and five senior researchers with him to start Anthropic. This episode follows the whole story: the physicist who read textbooks for fun, the father whose illness was cured too late, the scaling laws, the disagreement nobody has fully described, the public benefit corporation and the trust, Claude, constitutional training, the Senate testimony, the Amazon and Google money, the year the programmers switched, and a valuation that passed three hundred billion dollars.
BILL GATES PROMISED SOFTWARE HE HAD NOT WRITTEN, AND THAT BECAME MICROSOFT.
Gates offered code he had not written yet. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Bill Gates and Microsoft, "Bill Gates: The $50,000 Deal That Built Microsoft". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/m4E-bLaLLlA.
UBER'S SCANDALS PILED UP WITHIN WEEKS OF SUSAN FOWLER'S 2017 POST.
Uber built software to evade city officials. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Travis Kalanick and Uber, "Travis Kalanick: Fired From Uber by His Own Investors". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/vAKB1-hRKOQ.
TRAVIS KALANICK: FIRED FROM UBER BY HIS OWN INVESTORS
In June 2017 Travis Kalanick was grieving for his mother in a Chicago hotel when two of Uber's investors arrived with a letter asking him to resign. This episode follows the whole road there: the file sharing company sued for more money than the film industry was worth, the six years living with his parents, the night in Paris with no taxi, the decision to copy Lyft and undercut every taxi in the world, the wars in China and India, surge pricing, God View, the culture that rewarded toe stepping, Susan Fowler's post, the shouting video, the Waymo lawsuit and the report that ended it.
AMAZON PRIME WAS EXPECTED TO LOSE MONEY, AND AWS BAFFLED EVERYONE.
Both ideas were called mistakes. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Jeff Bezos and Amazon, "Jeff Bezos: The 90% Crash That Almost Killed Amazon". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/_c5FTJXUulc.
PALANTIR LOST MONEY FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS, THEN ITS SHARES ROSE 10X.
Palantir's CEO never wrote a line of code. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Alex Karp and Palantir, "Alex Karp: 17 Years of Losses, Then the Most Hyped Stock in America". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/42xTKGhpafc.
ALEX KARP: 17 YEARS OF LOSSES, THEN THE MOST HYPED STOCK IN AMERICA
Palantir lost money for seventeen years, was mocked by Silicon Valley as a government contractor in a hoodie, and was run by a philosophy PhD who had never written a line of code. Then its shares rose more than tenfold and Alex Karp became the loudest man in the software industry. This episode follows the whole story: the Frankfurt thesis, the friendship with Peter Thiel built on arguing, the PayPal fraud software that became a spy tool, the CIA's venture fund when nobody else would invest, the engineers sent to sit with soldiers and analysts, the lawsuit against the US Army, the Denver move, the direct listing, the slide to six dollars, and the artificial intelligence boom that finally needed exactly what the company had built.
MARK ZUCKERBERG KEPT THE NEWS FEED USERS HATED AND SAID NO TO YAHOO.
Users hated it, and he kept it anyway. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Mark Zuckerberg and Meta, "Mark Zuckerberg: The $1 Billion He Refused at 22". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/DWhDx9D-U38.
LARRY PAGE AND SERGEY BRIN TRIED TO SELL GOOGLE FOR $750,000 AND GOT TURNED DOWN.
Search was called a solved problem. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Google, "Larry Page and Sergey Brin: The $1 Million Google Nobody Wanted". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/sSads-3C8BU.
LARRY PAGE AND SERGEY BRIN: THE $1 MILLION GOOGLE NOBODY WANTED
In 1999 Larry Page and Sergey Brin tried to sell Google for a million dollars, then for seven hundred and fifty thousand, and were turned down. This episode follows the whole story: the campus tour where they argued, the idea that a link is a vote, the search engine that kept crashing Stanford's network, the hundred thousand dollar cheque written in a garden to a company that did not exist yet, the garage, the adult supervision, the advert next to the search that became the most profitable product in advertising history, the ten vote shares, and the judge who called it a monopoly.
APPLE'S IPHONE SOLD A MILLION IN 10 WEEKS AFTER MICROSOFT LAUGHED AT IT.
Microsoft laughed at the iPhone's price. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Steve Jobs and Apple, "Steve Jobs: Fired From Apple, Then Back to Save It". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/Is8oP_yFkEE.
ELIZABETH HOLMES WAS A BILLIONAIRE ON PAPER UNTIL ONE ARTICLE EXPOSED THERANOS.
The company knew the machine did not work. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, "Elizabeth Holmes: The $9 Billion Blood Test That Never Worked". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/7_-C-ftjiX8.
ELIZABETH HOLMES: THE $9 BILLION BLOOD TEST THAT NEVER WORKED
In 2015 Elizabeth Holmes was the youngest self made female billionaire in the world, with two former secretaries of state on her board and a machine that she said could run hundreds of tests on a drop of blood. It could not. This episode follows the whole story: the Stanford dropout at nineteen, the black turtleneck and the borrowed voice, the secret partner who ran the company, the Walgreens deal that put real patients in front of a machine that did not work, the board of statesmen, the grandson who blew the whistle, the reporter who asked a scientist, the regulators, the trial and the prison sentence.
THE BOARD MEMBER WHO FIRED SAM ALTMAN SIGNED THE LETTER DEMANDING HIS RETURN.
Over 700 of 770 staff said they would leave. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Sam Altman and OpenAI, "Sam Altman: Fired and Rehired in Five Days". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/tEsDV509Pzc.
MICROSOFT BOUGHT THE SYSTEM IT LICENSED TO IBM FOR ABOUT $50,000.
IBM assumed the money was in the hardware. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Bill Gates and Microsoft, "Bill Gates: The $50,000 Deal That Built Microsoft". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/m4E-bLaLLlA.
BILL GATES: THE $50,000 DEAL THAT BUILT MICROSOFT
In 1975 a nineteen year old Bill Gates flew to Albuquerque to demonstrate software he had told a company was finished, and it ran for the first time in front of them. This episode follows the whole story: the school teletype, the Harvard poker games, the eight weeks writing BASIC for a machine he had never seen, the open letter to hobbyists, the IBM deal and the fifty thousand dollar operating system bought without saying who the customer was, the clause that let Microsoft sell it to everyone, Windows, the browser war, the deposition, and the judge who ordered the company split in two.
CHATGPT MADE NVIDIA THE FIRST COMPANY WORTH $5 TRILLION.
Its chips were so wanted they were rationed. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Jensen Huang and Nvidia, "Jensen Huang: 30 Days From Bankruptcy to a $5 Trillion Company". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/p6hIwI4dm5Q.
AMAZON'S SHARES FELL MORE THAN 90% AND ANALYSTS CALLED IT AMAZON DOT BOMB.
Bezos said the share price was not the company. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Jeff Bezos and Amazon, "Jeff Bezos: The 90% Crash That Almost Killed Amazon". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/_c5FTJXUulc.
JEFF BEZOS: THE 90% CRASH THAT ALMOST KILLED AMAZON
In 1999 Jeff Bezos was Time's person of the year and Amazon's shares passed one hundred dollars. Two years later they were worth about six, analysts were calling the company Amazon dot bomb, and it had never made a profit. This episode follows the whole story: the hedge fund desk, the regret minimisation framework, the business plan written on the drive to Seattle, the garage in Bellevue, the door desks, get big fast, the 1997 shareholder letter, the crash, the first profit, and the three decisions nobody understood at the time: Prime, Amazon Web Services and the Kindle.
JAMES DYSON BUILT 5,127 PROTOTYPES BEFORE HIS VACUUM WORKED PROPERLY.
The idea came from a sawmill. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about James Dyson and Dyson, "5,127 Prototypes: The James Dyson Story". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/ZsbaFpNsWvg.
FACEBOOK PAID A RECORD $5 BILLION FINE AFTER CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA.
Congress grilled Zuckerberg for two days. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Mark Zuckerberg and Meta, "Mark Zuckerberg: The $1 Billion He Refused at 22". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/DWhDx9D-U38.
MARK ZUCKERBERG: THE $1 BILLION HE REFUSED AT 22
In 2006 Yahoo offered Mark Zuckerberg one billion dollars for Facebook, his board wanted him to take it, and he said no at the age of twenty two. This episode follows the whole road: the Harvard dorm room, Facemash and the disciplinary board, the Winklevoss lawsuit, the house in Palo Alto, the board control Sean Parker arranged, the News Feed revolt, the listing that lost half its value in four months, Instagram and WhatsApp, Cambridge Analytica and two days before Congress, the metaverse bet that cost tens of billions, and the artificial intelligence bet that followed.
SPACEX HAD MONEY FOR THREE LAUNCHES, AND THE FIRST THREE ROCKETS FAILED.
The fourth rocket was the last chance. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Elon Musk and Tesla and SpaceX, "Elon Musk: The Christmas Eve That Nearly Ended Tesla and SpaceX". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/eb1Y1gtHh3g.
STEVE JOBS: FIRED FROM APPLE, THEN BACK TO SAVE IT
In September 1997 Steve Jobs walked back into Apple, the company he had started in a garage and been thrown out of twelve years earlier, and found it about ninety days from bankruptcy. This episode follows the whole arc: the blue boxes with Steve Wozniak, the partner who sold ten percent for eight hundred dollars, the Apple II, the Macintosh, the sugared water line, being stripped of every job at thirty, NeXT, the decade paying Pixar's bills until Toy Story, the return, the one hundred and fifty million dollars from Microsoft, and the four products from the iMac to the iPad.
SAM ALTMAN WAS FIRED BY OPENAI'S BOARD AND BACK IN THE JOB FIVE DAYS LATER.
OpenAI fired Sam Altman on a video call. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Sam Altman and OpenAI, "Sam Altman: Fired and Rehired in Five Days". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/tEsDV509Pzc.
JENSEN HUANG: 30 DAYS FROM BANKRUPTCY TO A $5 TRILLION COMPANY
In 1996 Nvidia's first chip had failed, Sega had walked away, and Jensen Huang had laid off half his staff with about thirty days of money left. This episode follows the whole run: the Kentucky reform school he was sent to by mistake at ten, the Denny's in San Jose where the company was founded in 1993, the investor who threatened to kill him, the emulator bet that produced the RIVA 128, the term he coined for the GPU, and the decade he spent paying for CUDA while Wall Street asked him to stop.
NVIDIA WAS 30 DAYS FROM GOING OUT OF BUSINESS, SO JENSEN HUANG BET ON ONE CHIP.
Huang bet what was left on one chip. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Jensen Huang and Nvidia, "Jensen Huang: 30 Days From Bankruptcy to a $5 Trillion Company". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/p6hIwI4dm5Q.
HOOVER ADMITTED IT WOULD HAVE BOUGHT DYSON'S DESIGN JUST TO SHELVE IT.
Every manufacturer turned Dyson down. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about James Dyson and Dyson, "5,127 Prototypes: The James Dyson Story". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/ZsbaFpNsWvg.
ELON MUSK BORROWED RENT MONEY WHILE TESLA AND SPACEX NEARLY DIED.
Both companies survived by a few days. This clip comes from the Founder Stories episode about Elon Musk and Tesla and SpaceX, "Elon Musk: The Christmas Eve That Nearly Ended Tesla and SpaceX". The full episode is at https://youtu.be/eb1Y1gtHh3g.
ELON MUSK: THE CHRISTMAS EVE THAT NEARLY ENDED TESLA AND SPACEX
In December 2008 Elon Musk had watched three rockets fail, Tesla had cash until Christmas, and the money from PayPal was almost gone. This episode follows the whole run up: the game he sold at twelve, two days at Stanford, Zip2, being fired from PayPal on his honeymoon, the flight home from Moscow that started SpaceX, the six and a half million dollars that made him Tesla's chairman, the fourth rocket that finally reached orbit, and the two rescues that arrived on the twenty third and twenty fourth of December.
SAM ALTMAN: FIRED AND REHIRED IN FIVE DAYS
On a Friday in November 2023 the board of OpenAI fired Sam Altman by video call. By the following Tuesday he was back, the board was gone, and more than seven hundred of the company's seven hundred and seventy employees had signed a letter saying they would leave with him. This episode follows the whole road there: the Stanford dropout, the location app that failed respectably, running Y Combinator at twenty eight, founding OpenAI as a charity with Elon Musk, the decision to put a company underneath it, ChatGPT reaching a hundred million users in two months, and the five days that decided who controls the most talked about company in the world.
5,127 PROTOTYPES: THE JAMES DYSON STORY
James Dyson spent fifteen years getting from a clogged vacuum cleaner in his farmhouse to the first Dyson on sale in Britain. This episode follows the sawmill cyclone that gave him the idea, the five thousand one hundred and twenty seven prototypes built in a coach house on his wife's salary, the manufacturers who turned him down because they made money from bags, the pink G Force that kept him afloat in Japan, and the launch of the DC01 in 1993.