Podcast Notes Playlist: Startup

A16z Podcast KEY TAKEAWAYS  * The view of American businesses in the late 1990s was to get into China, outsource manufacturing, and reduce trade barriers between countries; this evolution was celebrated as the start of a new industrial era * It has since turned into a national security issue for the United States * China’s unique blend of socialism, totalitarianism, and entrepreneurship enabled this to materialize  * Doing business in China often comes with onerous conditions, such as surrendering intellectual property or allowing government ‘inspectors’ access to operations * The main risks to AI progress: (1) The government thinks that there is only one player, (2) One player thinks that it is the only player, and (3) The tech becomes geographically constrained  * It is very easy to pour money into China, but oftentimes, it does not come back out  * In the AI race, Microsoft’s strength lies not in being the best, but in ensuring it is embedded in whatever platform ultimately prevails * Apple is not a first-mover company; it is a first-integrator company  * Apple faces a critical decision on its AI strategy – whether that is a ‘strange bedfellows’ partnership strategy (Microsoft and OpenAI), support anything that comes out (Amazon), or go its own way (Google, OpenAI, Anthropic)  * The silver lining for US manufacturing: Constraints fuel innovation; breakthroughs emerge when smart people focus on tough problems over time * COVID exposed the fragility of the global supply chain system, revealing too many single points of failure to sustain a fracturing world order  * The role of IP in US-China competition is a litigation issue; we are in for years of market uncertainty as to how this dynamic will ultimately play out  Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org [https://podcastnotes.org/a16z/apples-china-problem-in-an-uncertain-world-steven-sinofsky-on-the-a16z-podcast/] ---------------------------------------- What if the rise of Apple also built modern China? a16z’s Erik Torenberg is joined by board partner and former Microsoft Windows chief Steven Sinofsky to unpack how Apple’s pursuit of design excellence and supply chain scale catalyzed China’s manufacturing superpower status - and why that partnership is now under intense scrutiny. Inspired by the book Apple in China (but not a book review), the episode dives deep into: * The early days of Apple’s shift to Chinese manufacturing  * What experts got wrong in 1999 about trade, globalization, and China’s trajectory * How Tim Cook’s operational playbook reshaped the global tech industry * Behind-the-scenes stories from Microsoft’s own hardware battles and Surface launch * Why Apple’s entanglement with China may now be a strategic liability * What COVID revealed about fragile global dependencies — and where innovation goes next * How national policy, intellectual property, and AI intersect in the new industrial era The episode opens with a few reactions to WWDC: Apple’s new UI, the iPad’s evolving role, and why Apple’s AI story still feels unfinished - before zooming out into one of the most consequential tech and geopolitical stories of our time. TImecodes: 00:00 Introduction 00:37 Guest Introduction: Steven Sinofsky 00:49 WWDC Reactions and Apple's AI Story 02:27 WWDC Highlights: Liquid Glass and iPad Updates 05:16 Apple's AI Strategy and Market Dynamics 06:34 Meta's AI Moves and Market Implications 13:30 Apple's Manufacturing Evolution: From Garage to Global 20:50 The Rise of ODMs and Global Manufacturing 26:32 Microsoft's Struggle with Piracy in China 27:19 Apple's Revolutionary MacBook Air 29:30 Challenges in PC Manufacturing 31:05 The Rise of Chinese Manufacturing Skills 32:07 The Point of No Return for Apple and China 32:59 Global Trade and Intellectual Property Issues 37:04 COVID-19's Impact on Global Manufacturing 41:19 Future of Innovation and Manufacturing 47:10 Navigating Intellectual Property in the AI Era 48:55 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Resources: Find Steven on X: https://x.com/stevesi Find Erik on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Stay Updated:  Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16z [https://ratethispodcast.com/a16z] Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z [https://twitter.com/a16z] Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z [https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z] Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/ [https://a16z.simplecast.com/] Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg [https://x.com/eriktorenberg] Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

Knowledge Project KEY TAKEAWAYS * Check out the episode page [https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/outliers-andy-grove/] Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org [https://podcastnotes.org/knowledge-project/outliers-andy-grove-only-the-paranoid-survive-the-knowledge-project-with-shane-parrish-229/] ---------------------------------------- Most people protect their identity. Andy Grove would rewrite his, again and again. He started as a refugee, became a chemist, turned himself into an engineer, then a manager, and finally the CEO who built Intel into a global powerhouse. He didn’t cling to credentials or titles. When a challenge came up, he didn’t delegate, he learned. This episode explores the radical adaptability that made Grove different. While his peers obsessed over innovation, he focused on something far more enduring: the systems, structures, and people needed to scale that innovation. Grove understood that as complexity rises, technical brilliance fades and coordination becomes king.  You’ll learn how he redefined leadership, why he saw management as a creative act, and what most founders still get wrong about building great companies. If you’re serious about getting better—at work, at thinking, at leading—this is the episode you’ll be glad you didn’t miss.  This episode is for informational purposes only and most of the research came from The Life and Times of an American by Richard S. Tedlow, Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove, and Tom Wolfe’s profile of Robert Noyce available here. Check out highlights from these books in our repository, and find key lessons from Grove here — ⁠⁠https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/outliers-andy-grove/⁠ (05:02 ) PART 1: Hungarian Beginnings(06:48) German Occupation(09:27) Soviet Liberation(11:01) End of the War(12:35) Leaving Hungary (14:10) PART 2: In America(16:50) Origin of Silicon Valley(20:04) Fairchild (22:54) PART 3: Building Intel(25:15) Becoming a Manager(29:39) Intel's Make-or-Break Moment(31:35) Quality Control Obsession(34:41) Orchestrating Brilliance(37:49) The Microprocessor Revolution and Intel's Growth(40:32) Intel's Growth and the Microma Lesson(30:51) The Grove Influence(47:00) The Birth of Intel Culture(49:42) The Fruits of Transformation(50:43) The Test Ahead (53:07) PART 4: Inflection Points(55:23) The Valley of Death(58:26) The IBM Lesson(01:01:18) CASSANDRA’s: The Value of Middle Management(01:04:09) Executing a Painful Pivot (01:08:25) Reflections, afterthoughts, and lessons Thanks to our sponsors for supporting this episode: MOMENTOUS: Head to ⁠⁠livemomentous.com⁠⁠ and use code KNOWLEDGEPROJECT for 35% off your first subscription.  NOTION MAIL: Get Notion Mail for free right now at ⁠notion.com/knowledgeproject Upgrade — If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of all episodes, join our membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠ and get your own private feed. Newsletter — The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Founders ✓ Claim What I learned from reading The Red Bull Story [https://amzn.to/3tB4NQx] by Wolfgang Fürweger and Red Bull's Billionaire Maniac [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-05-19/red-bulls-billionaire-maniac] by Duff McDonald.  ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders by investing in a subscription to Founders Notes [https://www.foundersnotes.com/] ---- Come and build in-person relationships at the Founders Only conference [https://www.foundersonly.com] ---- (1:30) "In literal financial terms, our sports teams are not yet profitable, but in value terms, they are," he says. "The total editorial media value plus the media assets created around the teams are superior to pure advertising expenditures." (2:30) "It is a must to believe in one's product. If this were just a marketing gimmick, it would never work." (5:00) He doesn't place a premium on collecting friends or socializing: "I don't believe in 50 friends. I believe in a smaller number. Nor do I care about society events. It's the most senseless use of time. When I do go out, from time to time, it's just to convince myself again that I'm not missing a lot." (7:30) The most dangerous thing for a branded product is low interest. (Edwin Land: The test of an invention is the power of an inventor to push it through in the face of the staunch-not opposition, but indifference-in society. (Indifference is your enemy) (9:00) Nike, Adidas and Vans episodes: Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike [https://amzn.to/3gtTgco] by Phil Knight. (Founders #186) Sneaker Wars: The Enemy Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and The Family Feud That Forever Changed The Business of Sports [https://amzn.to/2uVqhsr] by Barbara Smit. (Founders #109) Authentic: A Memoir by the Founder of Vans [https://amzn.to/2YQdQh2] by Paul Van Doren. (Founders #216) (11:00) The lines between Red Bull, Red Bull athletes, and Red Bull events are blurry on purpose. To Mateschitz, it's just one big image campaign with many manifestations. (12:00) He has no plans to sell or take Red Bull public. "It's not a question of money. It's a question of fun. Can you imagine me in a shareholders' meeting?” (13:00) Red Bull’s Billionaire Maniac https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-05-19/red-bulls-billionaire-maniac [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-05-19/red-bulls-billionaire-maniac] (16:00) He is universally described as a person with great charisma. (16:30) The Invisible Billionaire: Daniel Ludwig [https://amzn.to/3xTOvkf] by Jerry Shields. (Founders 292) (17:00) He has a fierce desire for privacy. He buys a society magazine to make sure he never appears in it. (22:00) There is no market for Red Bull. We will create one. (24:00) Estée Lauder: A Success Story [https://amzn.to/3FJfKQr] by Estée Lauder.  (Founders #217) (30:00) the NEW Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charlie Munger [https://amzn.to/3Gx5sFn]. (Founders #329) (31:00) Gossip and malicious rumors are worth more than the most expensive publicity campaign in the world.” — Dior by Dior: The Autobiography of Christian Dior [https://amzn.to/48q1qdX] (Founders #331) (36:00) Control your costs and maintain financial discipline even when making record profits. (38:00) Cult brands have their own laws, otherwise they would not be cultish. (38:00) Red Bull is Dietrich Mateschitz and Dietrich Mateschitz is Red Bull. (38:00) Many companies outsource their marketing and advertising activity. Red Bull consistently took the opposite route: It outsourced production and distribution and takes care of sales and advertising itself. (40:00) Charlie Munger and John Collison on Invest Like The Best #355 [https://pod.link/1154105909/episode/2f7c3d91ca3abd88babb686ab299193a]  Rolex: Timeless Excellence on Invest Like The Best [https://pod.link/1154105909/episode/4ffeba3996efea7bb6dee47ca914f11c]  (41:00) If you are making a physical product make it look different from its competitors from the start. (43:00) Everything is marketing. (45:00) Never do anything that compromises your survival. (46:00) He keeps his empire constantly in motion (46:00) All corporate projects like Formula 1, football, Air Race, and media serve the core business: the sale of the energy drink. (47:00) This is a battle for attention. (49:00) Red Bull owns their events. They never relinquish media rights to any event. They invest in making the content and then they give their content to other media distributors for free. A very clever way to multiply their advertising and marketing spend. (52:00) The Bugatti Story [https://amzn.to/3qzkTby] by L’Ebe Bugatti. (Founders #316) The Dream of Solomeo: My Life and the Idea of Humanistic Capitalism [https://amzn.to/3wYQfYG] by Brunello Cucinelli. (Founders #289) (54:00) Why he moved Red Bull’s headquarters to a little village on a lake: The aim was to create a more pleasant working atmosphere. (54:00) On why fitness is so important to him: “Everything that gives me pleasure in life is connected with a certain physical fitness and physical well-being. I like going to the mountain, I like skiing, I like sailing, I like riding a motorbike, I like fooling around - and everything is connected with a minimum of physical agility, motor skills, dexterity, strength, stamina. In order to enjoy it outdoors, I need the indoor program.” ---- Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders by investing in a subscription to Founders Notes [https://www.foundersnotes.com/] ---- Come and build in-person relationships at the Founders Only conference [https://www.foundersonly.com] ---- “I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested, so my poor wallet suffers.” — Gareth Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast [https://www.amazon.com/shop/founderspodcast] ---- Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work.  Get access to Founders Notes here [https://www.foundersnotes.com/].  ---- “I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast [https://www.amazon.com/shop/founderspodcast]

Invest Like the Best KEY TAKEAWAYS  * Time is the best filter: History’s top entrepreneurs were completely focused over a long period * The essential maxims from the episode * It does not matter the pursuit; what matters is having a mission * A great business takes time  * Find a simple idea and take it seriously – Charlie Munger  * Do one thing, and do it better than anyone else – Todd Graves  * Learning is not memorizing information; learning is changing your behavior  * The reward for great work is more work – Kevin Kelly   * The hard way is the right way – Jerry Seinfeld   * Be less interested in timely and more interested in timeless  * Overpay for talent because you really cannot overpay for talent  * Limit the amount of details, then make every detail perfect  * Pay attention to the nickels because the nickels turn into quarters  * Mediocrity is invisible until passion shows up and exposes it – Michael Ovitz  * The most successful businesses go ridiculously far in maximizing or minimizing one or a few variables  * Great entrepreneurs find opportunity in catastrophe  * Learning about history’s most ambitious people stretches your imagination for what is possible in life  * “You think what you want is money, but what you really want is meaning.” – David Senra * Just keep going; you will figure it out – have the self-belief and keep going  Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org [https://podcastnotes.org/investors-field-guide/david-senra-what-the-greatest-entrepreneurs-have-in-common-invest-like-the-best-with-patrick-oshaughnessy-ep-422/] ---------------------------------------- My guest today is David Senra. David is the host of Founders podcast and a dear friend. This is our third time doing Invest Like the Best together and we have conversations like this one all the time. In today’s episode, David distills wisdom from 400 entrepreneur biographies into a single word: focus. He reveals why exceptional builders like Todd Graves and James Dyson create billion-dollar empires through obsessive dedication to simple ideas—whether perfecting chicken fingers or designing vacuum cleaners—while rejecting conventional growth timelines and investor pressure. David challenges us all to find the one thing we’d pursue even without recognition or reward, or what I like to call your life’s work. We discuss the concept of “anti-business,” raising capital as a founder, and decades-long commitment. Please enjoy this discussion with David Senra.  For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. –  This episode is brought to you by AlphaSense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. – This episode is brought to you by Ridgeline. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to ridgelineapps.com to learn more about the platform. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:05:43) The Essence of Focus in Entrepreneurship (00:09:20) The Value of Long-Term Commitment (00:17:41) The Importance of Simplicity and Mastery (00:37:11) The Miracle of Entrepreneurship (00:44:56) James Dyson's Journey to Success (00:47:03) The Importance of Passion in Business (00:49:12) Critique of Modern Consumerism (00:52:18) The Value of Craftsmanship (00:56:36) The Drive for Excellence (01:04:06) The Importance of Hiring Top Talent (01:09:54) Creative Financing Strategies (01:19:35) Defining a Founder

My First Million KEY TAKEAWAYS  * Everything is an issue of agency; agency is the most valuable skill for any founder * Work from a creative mindset by actively applying your sense of agency: Write down the value, how you can display it, and then do the thing  * Getting Ted Lasso’d: When a Brit with twice the intelligence and knowledge gets outperformed by the American who has 10x the agency and confidence * Pay attention to your ideas that make you laugh; if they elicit this type of emotion in you, then you might be onto something  * If you wait for the news, you will be wrong or late * What is ignored by the media today that will be studied by future historians?   * Leverage on high agency has never been higher, thanks to modern AI tools  * Some people let reality happen to them and then use words to describe it, while others use words to edit and shape their reality  * Language shapes the world around us * Minimize “should” from your vocabulary and start doing! * The best way to increase your agency is to hang around people with high agency * Ideas are avocados: they are perishable – there is no time like the present to work on your idea  * The high-agency approach to problem solving: Ask “Why, Why, Why?” and continue to drill down on the problem until you arrive at the fundamental issue upon which you can take action today  * Speed is negotiable: Mobilize your army, which is your ideas, your resources, and your intention, to achieve your goal in much less time than you perceive to be possible  Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org [https://podcastnotes.org/my-first-million/agency-the-most-valuable-skill-for-any-founder-george-mack-on-my-first-million-ep-703/] ---------------------------------------- Episode 703: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to George Mack ( https://x.com/george__mack ) about high agency.  — Links: • Steal Sam's guide to turn ChatGPT into your Executive Coach: https://clickhubspot.com/wec • High Agency - https://www.highagency.com/  • Nick Mowbray episode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pHcxoZ0j9A  — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: Need to hire? You should use the same service Shaan uses to hire developers, designers, & Virtual Assistants → it’s called Shepherd (tell ‘em Shaan sent you): https://bit.ly/SupportShepherd — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com • Hampton Wealth Survey - https://joinhampton.com/wealth • Sam’s List - http://samslist.co/ My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano