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The James Altucher Show

How to Build the Future | Peter Thiel

The James Altucher Show

James Altucher

Education, Business

4.62.7K Ratings

🗓️ 3 January 2023

⏱️ 77 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"If you listen to only one podcast this year, this has to be the one." That's what James wrote after interviewing Peter Thiel in 2014 and, to begin 2023, we've remastered this classic episode for a new audience to experience. To one degree, this time-capsule episode immediately dates itself: Discussion about whether Uber can grow outside of San Francisco; Facebook was the most important social media company; talk of "new banking systems" doesn't revolve around cryptocurrencies and DFi.  Make it past the surface, however, and this episode provides 75 minutes of thoughtful and robust discourse around the principles which have made billions and created billionaires.Among the many lessons in today's episode:Capitalism and competition are antonyms. A capitalist to someone who's in the business of accumulating capital. Great companies do something unique, and because of this unique thing they have monopoly-like pricing power and can create value for all consumers.A company should start when they have a technology that is 10 times better than its closest competitor."I've never seen anyone succeed with a pitch like "1% of China will buy our refrigerator" because there will be 99 other Chinese companies for the other 99% of China, and they will drive the marginal profits to zero."It's critical to find people with whom you're fundamentally aligned and on the same page when you're starting a business. It's better to have a long pre-history with your co-founder so you understand each other's strengths and weaknesses and can speak to one another honestly. You get maximal cooperation when people's roles are defined in very differentiated ways. As a founder or manager in an early-stage startup, you need to continuously readjust the org chart, continuously redefine people's roles, and make sure that the highs and lows are differentiated so that the lows don't blow up like they might in a primitive, archaic tribe.(**Check out this incredible write-up outlining the episode from one of our listeners!**)Click here to find Peter's 2014 book, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future ------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book Skip the Line is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast.------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsStitcheriHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on Social Media:YouTubeTwitterFacebook ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn 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

Peter Teal is one of the most fascinating people I've ever spoken to on this podcast.

0:10.8

I remember this one interview he did a few years ago with the New York Times where one

0:15.4

of the questions they asked him, do you like Star Trek better or Star Wars better?

0:19.9

And you know, people have their opinions on Star Trek and Star Wars, but he had a real

0:24.3

reason for his opinion.

0:26.3

He said Star Wars, of course, because Star Trek, everything you get for free, and that's

0:32.1

communist.

0:33.6

And Star Wars, the whole story revolves around this debt between Han Solo and Jabba the

0:39.6

Hood and there's actual capitalism in Star Wars.

0:43.0

So that was his answer.

0:44.4

He's really thought out the reasons he does things.

0:48.5

I mean, he was a lawyer at a top-notch law firm, quit that, wanted to be an entrepreneur,

0:53.8

started PayPal, made about $70 million from that, and then became the first investor in

0:59.3

Facebook, made billions from that, then started Palantir, made billions from that, and he's

1:06.0

gone on, who knows how many ways he's made more billions and billions of dollars.

1:11.5

And this podcast, I'm re-releasing it.

1:13.7

I doubt anyone has listened to this.

1:15.4

It was several years ago.

1:17.1

You can't even find it in the catalog right now, but I just listened to it.

1:21.4

This is evergreen, as it ever was, and it's really valuable to see here, really think about

1:28.8

how one of the most successful he will ever think.

1:32.8

And here he is.

...

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