#530: Sir James Dyson — Founder of Dyson and Master Inventor on How to Turn the Mundane into Magic
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig
4.6 • 17.7K Ratings
🗓️ 2 September 2021
⏱️ 96 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Brought to you by Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement and Theragun percussive muscle therapy devices.
Sir James Dyson is the founder and chairman of Dyson. Through investment in science and technology and working alongside Dyson’s 6,000 engineers and scientists, he develops products that solve problems ignored by others. Sir James was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2015 and appointed to the Order of Merit in the 2016 New Year Honours. He was awarded a CBE in 1996 and a Knight Bachelor in 2007.
James is the founder of James Dyson Foundation, inspiring the next generation of engineers through scholarships, engineering workshops, university partnerships, and the annual James Dyson Award, an international student design competition. In 2017 James established The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology, where undergraduate engineers pay zero tuition and earn a full salary while completing their degree studies and working on real-life projects alongside world-experts in Dyson’s global engineering, research, and technology teams.
James is the author of the new book Invention: A Life, the story of how he came to be an inventor himself and built Dyson, leading it to become one of the most inventive technology companies in the world.
Please enjoy!
*
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.
*
This episode is also brought to you by Theragun! Theragun is my go-to solution for recovery and restoration. It’s a famous, handheld percussive therapy device that releases your deepest muscle tension. I own two Theraguns, and my girlfriend and I use them every day after workouts and before bed. The all-new Gen 4 Theragun is easy to use and has a proprietary brushless motor that’s surprisingly quiet—about as quiet as an electric toothbrush.
Go to Therabody.com/Tim right now and get your Gen 4 Theragun today, starting at only $199.
*
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!
For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.
Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.
For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.
Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.
Follow Tim:
Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss
Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss
Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss
YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss
Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This episode is brought to you by BlockFi. BlockFi is building a bridge between cryptocurrencies and traditional financial and wealth management products. |
| 0:08.0 | They're creating innovative products to advance the digital asset ecosystem for both individual and institutional investors, |
| 0:15.0 | and its platform now manages more than 12 billion in assets. Full disclosure, I became excited enough about this company that I ended up becoming an investor but moving on. |
| 0:23.0 | BlockFi, that's BLO CKFI, offers a wide spectrum of services and I'll mention just a few here. First, their BlockFi rewards Visa's signature credit card provides an easy way to earn more Bitcoin because you can earn 3.5% in Bitcoin back on all purchases in your first three months and 1.5% forever after with no annual fee. |
| 0:43.0 | Second, BlockFi also lets clients, that would be you, easily buy or sell cryptocurrencies, including but not limited to, they have a wide selection, Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, and Pax G, as well as USD that's United States dollars based stable coins including USDC, G, USD, and Pax. |
| 1:01.0 | BlockFi aggregates the liquidity to offer seamless trade execution and pricing. BlockFi also offers instant ACH so you can move funds onto the platform and immediately start trading. On their platform, you will soon be able to trade with ACH, meaning you'll be able to buy cryptocurrencies directly with your bank account and there's a lot more coming. |
| 1:20.0 | So check it out for a limited time, you can earn a crypto bonus of $15 to $250 in value. Again, for a limited time, you can earn a crypto bonus of $15 to $250 in value when you open a new account. |
| 1:32.0 | Get started today at blockfi.com slash Tim and use code Tim at signup. That's blockfi.com, BLOCK, FI.com slash Tim and code Tim. |
| 1:50.0 | I have two Theragons and they're worth their weight in gold. I've been using them every single day. Whether you're an elite athlete or just a regular person trying to get through your day, muscle pain and muscle tension are real things. That's why I use the Theragon. |
| 2:05.0 | I use it at night, I use it after workouts. It is a handheld percussive therapy device that releases your deepest muscle tension. So for instance, at night, I might use it on the bottom of my feet. It's helped with my planter fasciitis. |
| 2:18.0 | I will have my girlfriend use it up and down the middle of my back and I'll use it on her. It's an easy way for us to actually trade massages in effect. And you can think of it, in fact, as massager reinvented on some level. |
| 2:32.0 | Helps with performance, helps with recovery, helps with just getting your back to feel better before bed after you've been sitting for way too many hours. I love this thing. |
| 2:42.0 | The all new Gen 4 Theragon has a proprietary brushless motor that is surprisingly quiet. It's easy to use. And about as quiet as an electric toothbrush. It's pretty astonishing. And you really have to feel the Theragon's signature power amplitude and effectiveness to believe it. It's one of my favorite gadgets in my house at this point. |
| 3:02.0 | I encourage you to check it out. Try Theragon. That's Thera THERA, there's no substitute for the Gen 4 Theragon with an OLED screen. That's OLED for those wondering. That's organic light emitting diode screen. |
| 3:15.0 | Personalized Theragon app and incredible combination of quiet and power. And the Gen 4 Theragons start at just $199. I said I have two. I have the Prime. And I also have the Pro, which is like the Super Cadillac version. |
| 3:29.0 | My girlfriend loves these soft attachments on that. So try Theraagon for 30 days starting at only $199. Go to TheraBody.com slash Tim right now and get your Gen 4 Theraagon today. |
| 3:41.0 | One more time. That's TheraBody.com slash Tim THERA BODY.com slash Tim. |
| 3:49.0 | I think this is how the two I can run flat out for a half mile before my hands start shaking. Can I ask you a question? Now what is the number of time? |
| 4:01.0 | I'm a Cyber Nettie organism living to show a metal interstellar. |
| 4:05.0 | Hello boys and girls ladies and germs. This is Tim Ferris. Welcome to another episode of the Tim Ferris show where it is my job every episode to interview world class performers from different disciplines to tease out the habits, lessons and so on that you can apply and test in your own lives. |
| 4:27.0 | My guest today is none other than Sir James Dyson. Sir James Dyson is the founder and chairman of as you guessed it Dyson through investment science and technology and working alongside Dyson's 6000 that's 6000 you heard me correctly engineers and scientists he developed products that solve problems ignored by others. |
| 4:46.0 | Sir James was elected a fellow of the world society in 2015 and appointed to the order of merit in the 2016 New Year honors. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

