Ray Dalio and Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua Discuss Life, Debt & Global Crisis

In this interview, Francine Lacqua interviews Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, on his research vessel. Dalio discusses his childhood, early interest in the stock market, and the founding of Bridgewater after being fired from a previous job. He reflects on a near-failure experience in the 1970s and how it taught him humility and open-mindedness, leading to his idea meritocracy and believability-weighted decision-making. Dalio also shares his perspective on leadership, radical transparency, and his transition from Bridgewater to co-founding OceanX with his son, Mark, to explore and document the oceans. He remains addicted to the markets, emphasizing the importance of understanding simple concepts and historical patterns, and outlines the five forces shaping the world: money, internal order, geopolitics, acts of nature, and technology. The conversation touches on current global conflicts and the potential for the U.S. to address its internal divisions.