Chris Yeh's First Podcast

I'm joined by my friend Don Yates, who shares some of the details from his long and remarkable life (he turns 87 this year), and discusses some of his heretical ideas about how companies should be organized and operated.  Links: https://www.extraordinaryorganizations.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morning_Star_Company https://sudburyvalley.org/

I'm joined by my friend and fellow author, Professor Jennifer Aaker of Stanford University.  Jennifer and I discuss the power of humor in business, how a day at Second City led to this book, and try to make each other laugh along the way. Jennifer and her co-author Naomi Bagdonas' new book, Humor, Seriously launched today! https://www.humorseriously.com/ Order the hardcover today and get a special early ebook as a FREE bonus: bit.ly/humorspecialgift. And if you love the book, you can discover your humor style by signing up for the Humor, Seriously Bootcamp. This 21-day coaching tool, delivered by SMS or WhatsApp, will help you get serious about humor and harness it as the superpower it is. Sign up today and get 50% off using the code HUMORYEH

Once again, Scott Johnson of Blitzscaling Ventures returns to help me analyze the blitzscalability of some of the top venture deals from December, 2020.  The companies we discuss in this podcast are: Rec Room Beauty Pie Supergreat Storyboard

Happy Holidays!  I'm joined by Scott Johnson of Blitzscaling Ventures to discuss the blitzscalability of some selected VC deals from the month of November.  In this month's podcast, we look at Ankorstore, Fittr, and Strava.  We also discuss Push Party (which is a practical joke from Founders Fund) and the likely post-IPO futures of DoorDash and Airbnb.

My old friend Ray Conley returns to explain why his Bayesian analysis leads him to calculate that Donald Trump has a 66% chance of being reinaugurated on January 20, 2021, and why December 10 will determine the outcome of the election.  We explore the motivations of the Supreme Court and state legislatures, and why he and I disagree so much on the odds.  We conclude with some of Ray's thoughts on trades you could make to bet on a Trump victory.

Scott Johnson of Blitzscaling Ventures returns to the podcast to discuss another bumper crop of potentially blitzscalable deals.  In this episode, we discuss and score three companies: Casai, EdLyft, and Remotion.

I'm joined by my old friend John Robb, who discusses his life as an action hero, how he ended up becoming an internet pioneer, and how Donald Trump was not a candidate, but a weapon to use the power of decentralized dissent to tear down the establishment.  John also predicts what will happen between now and Inauguration Day, and why Trump likely won't be a political force much longer, even if the trends he rode do not go away. https://twitter.com/johnrobb https://www.patreon.com/johnrobb https://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/

Ray Conley returns, after his move to Nashville, to discuss how the concept of "The Genius of Dumb" applies to the upcoming election.  You'll hear about how Ken Wilber's integral theory applies to our current divided electorate, and what he expects to happen after the election, including the chilling reasons why he believes Donald Trump will eventually be able to use the levers of power to retain the presidency.

What's up Lakers fans!  (Just kidding Pete.)  Now that the Lakers have won their 17th NBA championship (and 12th in the lake-filled city of Los Angeles), what better way to celebrate than to bring in a Lakers super-fan who is on the Mount Rushmore of Lakers fans, along with Jack Nicholson and Dyan Cannon, Gary the Sign Guy, AKA @TheRealSignGuy1 who also happens to be the star of the most iconic Lakers fan GIF ever. You'll hear how Gary became a Lakers fan, his superhero origin story (how Kobe's 81-point game inspired him to become the Lakers Sign Guy), and his favorite Lakers and Lakers teams from two decades as a season ticket holder.  But we also learn more about the man behind the myth, including his childhood, how he amassed his fortune, and what Kobe meant to him. Unless you're a Celtics or Clippers fan, you'll love this episode!

Scott Johnson of Blitzscaling Ventures returns to the podcast to discuss the bumper crop of potentially blitzscalable deals from September.  In this episode, we discuss and score three companies: Bunch, Ledger Investing, and Manticore Games.  As an added bonus, we discuss a non-blitzscalable but noteworth deal, the Fan-Controlled Football League.

I'm joined by my fellow Silicon Guild members, Frans Johansson and Tim Harford (Order of the British Empire) to discuss our mutual passion for tabletop role-playing games, how they've impacted our lives, how they've become a part of mainstream popular culture, and how we're managing to keep playing during the pandemic.

I'm joined by my Blitzscaling co-author, legendary entrepreneur and investor Reid Hoffman, to discuss Special Purpose Acquisition Companies, or SPACs, including why Reid is participating in the Reinvent Technology Partners SPAC. You can read Reid's essay based on this episode here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/reinventing-spac-reid-hoffman/.

Scott Johnson returns to discuss two VC deals from August 2020.  The companies we discuss in this episode are Crossbeam and Steno.  We also discuss the broader market trends, and whether or not the market will rebound to pre-pandemic levels before a working vaccine arrives.

My friend Tim Taylor joins me for a wide-ranging discussion covering topics from what it was like being named Tim Taylor when "Home Improvement" was the #1 show on television, to the transformative moment when Tim realized that he needed to get help and work on himself, thanks to his daughter.  Hopefully this will be the first of many episodes in this series.

Scott Johnson returns to discuss four VC deals from July 2020.  The companies we discuss in this episode are Bond Financial Technologies, Cityblock Health, Zetwerk, and Cover.

Scott Johnson of Blitzscaling Ventures returns to discuss another set of venture deals.  This month's deals are Pinwheel, Postman, Alkemics, and Clubhouse.  Scott and I disagree and debate quite a bit in this episode, especially when it comes to Postman and Clubhouse.

I sit down with my old friend Ray Conley to discuss his journey from Appalachia to high finance and entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley, and we detail our upcoming book project, "The Genius of Dumb."

Precious L. Williams is a world-renowned pitch coach who has appeared on television many times and is a 13-time national pitch champion. She is also someone who grew up in an abusive home where she was told she would never amount to anything, and who, after achieving amazing heights, lost everything after personal tragedy spiraled into addiction, homelessness, and attempted suicide, only to find divine inspiration in helping others succeed and come roaring back to be more successful than ever. This is a remarkable episode that touches on some painful topics, but it is ultimately an inspiring story of how love and compassion can overcome almost any obstacle. https://www.linkedin.com/in/precious-l-williams/ https://www.perfectpitchesbyprecious.com/ https://www.instagram.com/perfectpitchesp/

I'm joined by my classmate Michele Korfin, who discusses her life growing up in working-class New Jersey, her love of Bruce Springsteen, and the importance of mentors during her distinguished career in pharma and biotech.  You'll also hear one of the most unique answers to the "what superpower do you wish you had" question.  All Superfriends fans will want to tune in!

This week, Richard Tedlow and I turn our attention to Oprah Winfrey, the Queen of All Media.  We trace her remarkable life story, from the abused child of an unwed teen mother to the first African-American woman to become a self-made billionaire, who has often been named the most influential woman in the world.  We examine the source of her charisma, her ability to make meaning out of suffering, and ponder how she has been able to stay relatable to her audience despite her incredible success. Notes: 1) During this episode, we discuss the challenges that Oprah faced in her lifetime, including sexual abuse, racism (including racial slurs), and the death of her infant son. If you listen to these episodes with your children, or if these topics would cause you emotional pain, you might want to skip over this episode. 2) Due to user error on my part, the audio for my portion of the conversation is not as crisp as usual (Zoom recorded using my laptop's onboard microphone, instead of the fancy condenser mic