#869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism)

#869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism)

Max Levchin (@mlevchin [https://x.com/mlevchin]) is a serial entrepreneur and investor in 100+ startups. He's the founder and CEO of Affirm [https://www.affirm.com/], the payment network powering consumer purchases and merchant growth. An original PayPal co-founder, Max served as CTO until its 2002 acquisition by eBay. This episode is brought to you by: * ProLon [http://prolonlife.com/Tim]: science-backed Fasting Mimicking Diet that helps activate cellular renewal through fasting, while still eating nourishing meals: ProlonLife.com/Tim [http://prolonlife.com/Tim] * Monarch [https://www.monarchmoney.com/tim]track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: Monarch.com/Tim [https://www.monarchmoney.com/tim]  * Shopify [https://shopify.com/tim] global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/tim [https://shopify.com/tim] Timestamps: * [00:00:00] Start. * [00:02:50] The Ronin line that rewired how Max makes every decision. * [00:06:09] Paprika-style brain-computer interfaces. * [00:09:09] PayPal's founders lived inside a Neal Stephenson novel. * [00:19:21] Transformation via Neuromancer and Snow Crash. * [00:23:40] The book that found Max his wife. * [00:29:24] The real secret to a great marriage. * [00:38:29] What's worth tracking, and what's not. * [00:44:13] A scrawny kid, a clarinet, and a Kyiv velodrome. * [00:46:55] What going all-out on a bike actually gives you. * [00:51:02] The mantra by which Max rides. * [00:53:02] A Soviet kid's fear of socialism. * [01:02:48] Making a profit without destroying society. * [01:04:31] What is Affirm, and why did every banker say it would fail? * [01:20:18] Why the best mathematicians eschew the lending industry. * [01:23:50] Does agentic commerce break Affirm, or supercharge it? * [01:28:01] A PhD-level financial advisor in everyone's pocket. * [01:29:58] How close are we to buying anything through one AI chat? * [01:36:32] Improving your coffee: cheap, intermediate, and Bugatti options. * [01:44:33] The books every first-time founder should actually read. * [01:48:08] Claude Shannon, Ed Thorp, and the joy of playful genius. * [01:51:00] Why physical books still beat every digital reading experience. * [01:51:44] Parting thoughts. * For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show [https://tim.blog/podcast], please visit tim.blog/podcast [https://tim.blog/podcast/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast-description]. For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show [https://tim.blog/podcast], please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors [https://tim.blog/podcast-sponsors] Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday [https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/]. For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts [https://tim.blog/transcripts]. Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books [https://tim.blog/books]. Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss [https://twitter.com/tferriss]  Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss [https://instagram.com/timferriss/] YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss [https://www.youtube.com/timferriss] Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss [https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/]  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss [http://linkedin.com/in/timferriss] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

#868: Tim’s Founder Kitchen — From Brainstorm to The President’s Office in Two Months (Featuring Jake Becraft, Strand Therapeutics)

Jake Becraft [https://x.com/DrSynbio] is the CEO and co-founder of Strand Therapeutics [https://www.strandtx.com/], a company building one of the most advanced programmable genetic medicine platforms in biotechnology. Under his leadership, Strand is redefining what RNA medicines can do by enabling cell-selective targeting and therapeutic payload delivery inside the body, unlocking a new class of precision genetic therapies. This episode is brought to you by: * Helix Sleep [https://helixsleep.com/tim] premium mattresses: HelixSleep.com/Tim [https://helixsleep.com/tim] (20% off any purchase) * Incogni, [https://incogni.com/tim]which automatically removes your personal data from the web, helping shield you from fraud, scams, and identity theft: Incogni.com/Tim [https://incogni.com/tim] (use code TIM at checkout and get 60% off an annual plan) Timestamps: * [00:00:00] Start. * [00:06:07] What Strand does. * [00:08:19] The Boston dinner. * [00:11:05] The image of a body riddled with cancer. * [00:15:05] What stuck for the muggles in the pitch deck. * [00:17:14] A good drug vs. a good product. * [00:19:40] Tricking cancer into snitching on itself. * [00:27:38] The abscopal effect. * [00:34:04] Potency, specificity, and delivery. * [00:35:46] First principles thinking. * [00:36:38] The precipice of a revolution. * [00:41:14] The thousand people in the room. * [00:48:38] Psychedelic medicine as a cautionary tale. * [00:51:17] What actually catches a policymaker’s attention. * [00:53:42] Breakthrough vs. incremental. * [00:54:55] What’s in it for the policymakers? * [00:58:08] The 80/20 wish list. * [01:01:31] Australia’s CTN system. * [01:03:51] Sheep, psychedelics, and red-tape arbitrage. * [01:05:22] China’s clinical-trial flywheel vs. slow-motion American loss. * [01:06:53] The bicoastal biotech ethos. * [01:08:10] Can the FDA actually pull this off? * [01:12:12] The Sophie’s Choice of pharma development. * [01:14:16] Lost arts of founder mode. * [01:15:23] Rockets for tumors, T-cells, and beyond. * [01:19:16] Viral in policy circles. * [01:23:09] The Washington Post headline and the PickFu split test. * [01:27:56] Solution-first storytelling. * [01:33:54] RNA medicine and platform therapeutics. * [01:39:17] Moderna’s 62 days. * [01:40:33] Uber Eats and the de-risked launch. * [01:44:17] CEO blockers. * [01:45:52] Where’s biotech’s SpaceX moment? * [01:46:53] Elon Musk betting black on the wheel. * [01:51:55] AWS and the post-conviction / pre-consensus window. * [01:58:47] COVID politicization. * [01:59:46] Insulin, growth hormone, and the original platform story. * [02:01:35] Biotech as pharma’s little brother. * [02:03:29] More recent role models, Apple edition. * [02:04:50] Art Levinson, Steve Jobs, and the biotech-tech crossover. * [02:06:25] The iPhone as a delivery platform. * [02:08:25] Spotify’s problem and the future of bespoke medicine. * [02:10:07] Baby KJ and the limits of liver-only solutions. * [02:11:19] Parting thoughts. * For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show [https://tim.blog/podcast], please visit tim.blog/podcast [https://tim.blog/podcast/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast-description]. For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show [https://tim.blog/podcast], please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors [https://tim.blog/podcast-sponsors] Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday [https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/]. For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts [https://tim.blog/transcripts]. Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books [https://tim.blog/books]. Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss [https://twitter.com/tferriss]  Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss [https://instagram.com/timferriss/] YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss [https://www.youtube.com/timferriss] Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss [https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/]  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss [http://linkedin.com/in/timferriss] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

#867: Dr. Becky Kennedy — Parenting Strategies for Raising Resilient Kids, Plus Word-for-Word Scripts for Repairing Relationships, Setting Boundaries, and More (Repost)

Dr. Becky Kennedy is the founder and CEO of Good Inside [https://www.goodinside.com/], a parenting movement that overturns a lot of conventional, modern parenting practices to empower parents to become sturdy, confident leaders and raise sturdy, confident kids. She is the author of the bestselling book Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be [https://www.amazon.com/Good-Inside-Guide-Becoming-Parent/dp/0063159481/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20], a chart-topping podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-inside-with-dr-becky/id1561689671], a TED talk [https://www.ted.com/talks/becky_kennedy_the_single_most_important_parenting_strategy?subtitle=en] with more than 5 million views on the power of repair. This episode is brought to you by: * Monarch [https://www.monarchmoney.com/tim]track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: Monarch.com/Tim [https://www.monarchmoney.com/tim]  * Shopify [https://shopify.com/tim] global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/tim [https://shopify.com/tim] * This episode was originally published in December 2024. Show notes and links: https://tim.blog/2024/12/27/dr-becky-kennedy-good-inside/ [https://tim.blog/2024/12/27/dr-becky-kennedy-good-inside/] TIMESTAMPS: [00:00:00] Start. [00:01:55] The power of repair. [00:04:50] "It's never your fault when I yell at you." [00:08:55] What does it mean to be a "good" parent? [00:10:32] Activating curiosity over judgment. [00:13:33] Alternatives to saying "Good job" as a confidence builder. [00:20:50] Making kids happy vs. building capability. [00:24:18] A pilot metaphor for sturdy leadership. [00:29:30] Role confusion. [00:32:04] Defining boundaries. [00:35:07] How parenting becomes a two-way mirror for growth. [00:40:09] The MGI (Most Generous Interpretation) approach. [00:42:52] Biggest challenges in parenting. [00:46:52] Recommended reading for someone with kids in their life. [00:52:11] Advisable prerequisites for singles who aim to build a family. [00:56:18] Setting boundaries with grandparents and dealing with different parenting styles. [01:01:42] Handling frustration when a child is pushing your buttons. [01:09:58] Lessons learned from working with eating disorders. [01:13:26] Managing troublemaker behavior. [01:17:38] Bad influence intervention. [01:22:52] Cultivating resilience in "deeply feeling" kids (DFKs). [01:28:58] The trials and errors that birthed Good Inside. [01:32:53] "Our words are not our wishes. Our words are our fears." [01:40:07] Billboard messages and mantras. [01:48:00] Fan-favorite scripts on saying no, boundaries, and repair. [01:51:15] The tennis court metaphor for boundaries. [01:55:45] Resources and parting thoughts. For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show [https://tim.blog/podcast], please visit tim.blog/podcast [https://tim.blog/podcast/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast-description]. For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show [https://tim.blog/podcast], please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors [https://tim.blog/podcast-sponsors] Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday [https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/]. For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts [https://tim.blog/transcripts]. Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books [https://tim.blog/books]. Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss [https://twitter.com/tferriss]  Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss [https://instagram.com/timferriss/] YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss [https://www.youtube.com/timferriss] Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss [https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/]  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss [http://linkedin.com/in/timferriss] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

#866: Sami Inkinen of Virta Health — Reversing Type 2 Diabetes, Rowing 2,750 Miles, and Lessons from Fixing Metabolic Health in 100,000+ People

Sami Inkinen (@samiinkinen [https://x.com/samiinkinen]) is a Finnish-born, Stanford-trained entrepreneur and the founder and CEO/president of Trulia [https://www.trulia.com/] and Virta Health [http://www.virtahealth.com]. Virta is on a mission to reverse metabolic disease in one billion people using technology, AI, and nutrition. A world-class endurance athlete, Sami is a triathlon age-group world champion and an 8-hour, 24-minute Ironman finisher, having completed the Hawaii Ironman World Championship seven times. This episode is brought to you by: * Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 [https://www.eightsleep.com/tim/] sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim [https://www.eightsleep.com/tim/] * AG1 [https://drinkag1.com/tim] all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim [https://drinkag1.com/tim] * Wealthfront [http://wealthfront.com/Tim] high-yield cash account: Wealthfront.com/Tim [https://wealthfront.com/Tim]  Wealthfront disclaimer: New clients get 3.30% base APY from program banks + additional 0.75% boost for 3 months on your uninvested cash [https://wealthfront.com/Tim] (max $150k balance). Terms and conditions apply. The Cash Account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”) member FINRA/SIPC, not a bank. The base APY as of 1/30/26 is representative, can change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss, a non-client, receives compensation from WFB for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of WFB, which creates a conflict of interest. Individual experiences and outcomes will differ. Instant withdrawals may be limited by your receiving firm and other factors. Investment advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, not bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value. DISCLAIMER: The content of this episode is for informational purposes only. Neither Sami Inkinen nor Tim Ferriss is a medical professional, and nothing discussed here should be taken as medical advice or a substitute for consultation with a qualified healthcare provider. Timestamps: [00:00] Start. [01:45] How Sami uses 15 minutes every Sunday to outrun the universe. [03:37] Virta: at a thousand employees and counting. [04:15] The 5 a.m. boot-up: cold lake, core work, and emptying the dishwasher. [06:45] Why mood follows movement before the brain even boots up. [11:54] Saying no to 99% of what “normal people” do. [19:29] The weekly architecture. [20:29] Two direct reports: the case for radical subtraction. [21:09] 553 CEO letters and the case for one scalable habit. [32:36] The text-file life plan. [33:32] The 15-year personal plan Sami stumbled into by accident. [34:30] The four-pillar formula for not cracking in 26 years of founder life. [38:20] What “white Japanese people” and beer steins in saunas have in common. [45:55] Smoke saunas, löyly, and the one Finnish word worth knowing. [48:37] The lean, ten-percent-body-fat triathlete who was quietly going prediabetic. [53:07] Why 93% of American adults are metabolically unhealthy. [56:05] Reversing type 2 diabetes the way Virta actually does it. [1:00:17] Most surprising interventions. [1:03:32] The pancreatic cancer trial that bought patients 35% more time. [1:07:02] The McDonald’s protocol: how to reverse diabetes from the drive-thru. [1:16:00] Why GLP-1 adherence collapses and Virta’s doesn’t. [1:21:10] Vegans, tofu, and the hardest macronutrient to get right. [1:25:27] The dose-response curve that lets perfect stop being the enemy of progress. [1:29:32] VO2 max blocks: how Sami trains an 80+ engine without burning out. [1:41:56] Hacking 10% off your running speed in four weeks. [1:46:09] Progressive overload, specificity, and the case against the long ride. [1:50:07] 45 days, three hours, and a contract to keep a marriage afloat. [1:55:27] The lightning strike in the middle of the Pacific that started a family. [2:01:15] The 36-year-old who bought his first car only because his wife made him. [2:05:40] The book recommendation no one saw coming: Trejo. [2:07:51] The PSA: chronic, progressive, and irreversible — three words Sami refuses. [2:11:40] Parting thoughts. * For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show [https://tim.blog/podcast], please visit tim.blog/podcast [https://tim.blog/podcast/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast-description]. For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show [https://tim.blog/podcast], please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors [https://tim.blog/podcast-sponsors] Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday [https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/]. For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts [https://tim.blog/transcripts]. Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books [https://tim.blog/books]. Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss [https://twitter.com/tferriss]  Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss [https://instagram.com/timferriss/] YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss [https://www.youtube.com/timferriss] Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss [https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/]  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss [http://linkedin.com/in/timferriss] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

#865: The Most Incredible Transformation I’ve Ever Seen — Jerzy Gregorek on Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Coaching, and the Power of Micro-Progressions

Jerzy Gregorek (@TheHappyBody [https://x.com/TheHappyBody]) is a 4x World Weightlifting Champion, co-founder of UCLA’s weightlifting team, and co-creator, with his wife Aniela, of the Happy Body [https://thehappybody.com/] program. You can watch the documentary Prisoner No More, directed by Jeff Wolfe and produced by WolfePrideProductions.com [http://WolfePrideProductions.com], for free here: tim.blog/hardchoices [http://tim.blog/hardchoices]. To fill out the form on Cerebral Palsy Research Project, visit tim.blog/cp [http://tim.blog/cp]. This episode is brought to you by: * Matic [https://maticrobots.com/Tim] the intelligent robot vacuum and mop that navigates obstacles and needs no babysitting: MaticRobots.com/Tim [https://maticrobots.com/Tim] * Our Place’s Titanium Always Pan® Pro [https://fromourplace.com/tim] using nonstick technology that’s coating-free and made without PFAS, otherwise known as “forever chemicals”: FromOurPlace.com/Tim [https://fromourplace.com/tim] Timestamps * [00:00:00] Start. * [00:01:29] The transformation I’ve been chasing for a decade. * [00:02:39] When an unstoppable coach meets an immovable cerebral palsy diagnosis. * [00:04:35] Three pounds to 170: the bench press that woke a brain up. * [00:07:17] Navigating autism and building the basics of communication that sustain higher education. * [00:10:41] Treadmills exhaust, athletes progress: why physical therapy stalled where coaching took off. * [00:19:00] Lethargy, sleeping in the car, and the quiet power of resting energy. * [00:20:22] The 16-inch box that opened the bathroom door — and everything after. * [00:24:26] Micro-progressions, certificates, ceremonies, and writing history onto a blank brain. * [00:29:16] Parental dedication and appreciation. * [00:31:54] The adulthood gambit: quit piano, quit training — if you can stick an 18-inch jump. * [00:35:14] License plates as the gateway drug from counting to math five hours a day. * [00:40:04] Jerzy’s coaching style doesn’t court approval. * [00:42:42] Genghis Khan vs. Admiral Yi Sun-Sin vs. Jerzy vs. Tae Jin. * [00:46:35] In search of the science behind such transformations: 25 patients, five years, and a method built to be replicated (interested researchers, visit tim.blog/cp [https://tim.blog/cp]). * [01:05:39] Hard choices, easy life — and the call to find your starting point. * For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show [https://tim.blog/podcast], please visit tim.blog/podcast [https://tim.blog/podcast/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast-description]. For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show [https://tim.blog/podcast], please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors [https://tim.blog/podcast-sponsors] Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday [https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/]. For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts [https://tim.blog/transcripts]. Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books [https://tim.blog/books]. Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss [https://twitter.com/tferriss]  Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss [https://instagram.com/timferriss/] YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss [https://www.youtube.com/timferriss] Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss [https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/]  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss [http://linkedin.com/in/timferriss] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].