The 'dirtbag' who built Patagonia—and gave it away
The Excerpt
USA TODAY
4.1 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 11 September 2025
⏱️ 16 minutes
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Summary
Patagonia is worth billions. But founder Yvon Chouinard never wanted the title of billionaire. From his days as a dirtbag climber to his reluctant role as CEO, Chouinard built one of the world’s most influential outdoor brands — then shocked the business world by giving it all away. Author David Gelles whose biography of Chouinard "Dirtbag Billionaire" is out now, joins The Excerpt to talk about Chouinard’s unconventional life, his fight to align business with values, and what his legacy means for capitalism today.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The work we've done at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has really changed how cancer is treated. |
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| 0:12.1 | Dr. Stephen Hody's work has taken this knowledge further by attacking metastatic melanoma and kidney cancer through more than one pathway. |
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| 0:34.3 | Hello, I'm Dana Taylor, and this is a special episode of USA Today's The Excer. |
| 0:47.9 | The high-quality outdoor gear and clothing company Patagonia has long been known for more than its products. It's widely |
| 0:55.7 | recognized for its commitment to the environment and conservation. Its focus on reduced waste |
| 1:01.9 | culture stems from the man behind the brand, Yvonne Schuynard. How did a self-proclaimed existential |
| 1:09.3 | dirtbag and self-taught blacksmith become the founder of the |
| 1:14.1 | billion-dollar brand, Patagonia? And why did it bother him to have so much wealth? Joining me now to |
| 1:20.5 | answer that question and discuss the life of Yvonne Srinard, is best-selling author David Gellis, |
| 1:26.9 | his new book, Dirtbag Billionaire, how Yvonne Schroenard is best-selling author David Gellis, his new book, Dirt Bag Billionaire, |
| 1:29.1 | How Yvonne Schroenard, Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave it All Away, is on bookshelves now. |
| 1:35.5 | Thanks for joining me, David. |
| 1:36.7 | Thanks for having me. |
| 1:37.9 | We could easily center our conversation on what's included on the very first page of your book, some of the startling events of |
| 1:46.7 | Ivan Srinard's life. But let's explore his life in three parts. The adventurer, the businessman, |
| 1:53.3 | and the philanthropist. How did he come to embrace the sort of nomadic dirtbag lifestyle? |
| 1:59.8 | Well, from the very moment he was sort of born into this world, he had this sense of wanderlust and a real passion for the outdoors. |
| 2:08.4 | When I spoke with people who knew him as a child, they remember him wandering into the woods behind his home in Maine. |
| 2:14.3 | And then when I talked to people who knew him as a young man, they recalled stories |
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