meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Jill on Money with Jill Schlesinger

I Love Capitalism with Ken Langone

Jill on Money with Jill Schlesinger

Audacy

Education, Investing, Business, Self-improvement

4.6 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 31 May 2018

⏱️ 38 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Every once in a while I chat with somebody who makes me realize just how cool my job really is. That’s the case this week with Ken Langone, the legendary financier, who helped take a bunch of companies public before co-founding Home Depot. Ken has also became a philanthropist extraordinaire, helping to rebuild the New York University hospital. Ken dropped by for an in-studio to talk about his new book, I Love Capitalism!: An American Story, but really it was just a fascinating conversation with a guy who grew up in a working-class family on Long Island, put himself through school, and after some hard work and smart decisions and a few guardian angels, became one of the most successful businessmen in the country. Ken Langone has seen it all on his way to a net worth beyond his wildest dreams, now in excess of $3 billion dollars. In a series of captivating stories, Langone shows how he struggled in academics, broke into Wall Street, and scrambled for an MBA at night while competing with privileged competitors by day. He also shares how he learned to evaluate the value of a business and apply his street smarts to negotiate enormous deals. And what happened when Langone was approached by Bernie Madoff for an investment, just weeks before the Ponzi scheme came to light? You’ll have to tune in for that chestnut... Langone says that the book is his love song to capitalism..."Absolutely anybody is entitled to dream big, and absolutely everybody should dream big. I did. Show me where the silver spoon was in my mouth. I’ve got to argue profoundly and passionately: I’m the American Dream.” “Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment. We love feedback so please leave us a rating or review in Apple Podcasts. "Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/  https://twitter.com/jillonmoney  https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney  https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/  https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/  http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money  https://apple.co/2pmVi50

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hi, it's Jill Schlesinger, and on this episode of Better Off, we've got one of the three co-founders

0:09.2

of Home Depot, Ken Langone.

0:12.3

And we used to go to my grandparents in Port Washington for lunch every Sunday,

0:16.0

this, they all got together.

0:17.0

We would drive through a wealthy section of town called Rosin Estates.

0:21.0

Every time we drive through their mom would say to me I was sitting in the

0:23.5

back of the panel truck she was sitting in the front on a makeshift chair seat and she

0:29.1

say would you like to live here someday and I said yes she will you're going to have to work hard and get an education

0:36.2

welcome to the Better Off podcast we're sponsored by Betterment the largest online financial

0:41.4

advisor we've got a great treat for you today. It is an

0:45.1

interview with Ken Langone. He is one of the three co-founders of Home Depot. He's a

0:50.9

former director of the New York Stock Exchange. He is a guy who has

0:55.3

been in business for decades and therefore has phenomenally hysterical, interesting,

1:01.6

engaging stories.

1:03.5

And so when you listen to this guy,

1:06.0

you know he speaks from his heart.

1:08.4

He came from nothing.

1:10.0

His twists and turns in his career

1:12.3

were really motivated by what was available.

1:15.1

He made the most of it.

1:16.4

He's a billionaire now, but a totally normal guy.

1:19.1

Gotta tell you, he comes into the studio, no entourage, no publisher,

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Audacy, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Audacy and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.