The Secrets Behind Barry Diller’s Business Success

HBR IdeaCast

Harvard Business Review

Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Communication, Marketing, Business, Business/management, Management, Business/marketing, Business/entrepreneurship, Innovation, Hbr, Strategy, Economics, Finance, Teams, Harvard

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

To achieve long-term success in tumultuous businesses like media and entertainment, following formulas and data won't get you there. Barry Diller, the current Chairman and Senior Executive of both IAC and Expedia Group, has built a decades-long career in TV, film, and digital media by going with his instincts and betting on what he views as good ideas with limitless potential. He shares what he's learned about navigating the larger-than-life personalities in Hollywood, developing talent over time, and taking advantage of luck when it comes your way. Diller is the author of the new memoir, Who Knew.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before we begin, we have a couple of questions.
0:04.2	What do you love about HBR IdeaCast?
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0:11.7	Tell us, head over to HBR.org slash podcast survey to share your thoughts.
0:17.6	We want to make the show even better, but we need your help to do that. So head to
0:22.2	HBR.org slash podcast survey. Thank you.
0:31.4	I'm Adi Ignatius.
0:38.3	I'm Alison Beard and this is the HBR Ideacast.
0:42.3	All right, Allison, so today we're going to be talking about taking risks.
0:52.3	We're going to be talking about looking around corners. And we're going to be talking about taking risks. We're going to be talking about looking around corners.
0:55.8	And we're going to be talking about whether good leadership is ultimately more about instincts or about processes.
1:02.6	This all comes from an interview I did with longtime Hollywood and media entertainment industry executive, Barry Diller.
1:08.6	I'm really looking forward to listening to this conversation because I covered IAC Barry Diller's
1:13.8	company when I was a junior media reporter at the Financial Times in New York. Diller was always
1:19.3	the person that people in industry looked to because he seemed to be able to predict what was
1:25.3	going to happen next before anyone else.
1:30.7	So, yeah, controversial guy, but long record of success.
1:32.0	Quick resume on Barry Diller.
1:34.6	He became CEO of Paramount Pictures in his 30s.
1:38.7	He launched the Fox TV network with Rupert Murdoch in his 40s.
1:43.2	After that, he went on to oversee iconic productions like Raiders of the Lost Ark,
	...

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