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David Senra · Business

Founders

Learn from history's greatest entrepreneurs. Every week I read a biography of an entrepreneur and find ideas you can use in your work. This quote explains why: "There are thousands of years of history in which lots and lots of very smart people worked very hard and ran all types of experiments on how to create new businesses, invent new technology, new ways to manage etc. They ran these experiments throughout their entire lives. At some point, somebody put these lessons down in a book. For very little money and a few hours of time, you can learn from someone’s accumulated experience. There is so much more to learn from the past than we often realize. You could productively spend your time reading experiences of great people who have come before and you learn every time." —Marc Andreessen

Episodes

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#415 How Elon Thinks

24 Mar 2026
51m
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The podcast episode centers on key ideas and principles from "The Book of Elon," a compilation of Elon Musk's most useful ideas in his own words. It emphasizes the importance of striving for usefulness and contributing positively to humanity through technology and innovation. The episode highlights Musk's advice to ent...

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#414 How SpaceX Works

08 Mar 2026
41m
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The podcast explores the question of why SpaceX has succeeded in ways that others haven't, focusing on repeatable strategies for building hard things. It highlights SpaceX's first-principles thinking, which involves minimizing the cost of getting things into space by rethinking traditional aerospace constraints as vari...

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#413 How To Run Down A Dream

03 Mar 2026
31m
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The podcast explores the career of Sam Hinkie, former general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, and connects his journey with insights from Bill Gurley's "Running Down a Dream" talk. It emphasizes the importance of immense passion, continuous learning, and mentorship in achieving career success. Hinkie's early love fo...

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#412 How Roger Federer Works

19 Feb 2026
48m
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The podcast explores the factors behind Roger Federer's long and successful tennis career, focusing on the mental and personal attributes that contributed to his enduring performance. It highlights Federer's evolution from a temperamental young player to a master of emotional control, a transformation that significantl...

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#411 Tortured Into Greatness: The Life of Andre Agassi

04 Feb 2026
1h 1m
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The podcast explores Andre Agassi's autobiography, "Open," focusing on his complex relationship with his father and his internal struggle with tennis. Agassi's father, a violent and demanding figure, pushed him relentlessly towards tennis greatness, leading to a love-hate relationship with the sport. This dynamic shape...

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#410 Excellent Advice for Living

25 Jan 2026
37m
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Kevin Kelly's "Excellent Advice for Living" is the focus, with David Senra sharing insights gleaned from highlighting key passages. The core of the book revolves around timeless wisdom and practical advice applicable to both personal and professional life. The importance of habits over inspiration is emphasized, noting...

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The Singular Life of Rick Rubin

16 Jan 2026
1h 20m
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The podcast episode centers on Rick Rubin's philosophy on creativity, simplicity, and artistic production, drawing from Jake Brown's biography "Rick Rubin in the Studio" and various interviews and documentaries. It emphasizes Rubin's "production by reduction" approach, highlighting his focus on stripping music to its p...

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#409 The Creative Genius of Rick Rubin

08 Jan 2026
43m
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The podcast explores creativity and how to make great art, drawing insights from Rick Rubin's book, "The Creative Act: A Way of Being." It emphasizes the importance of developing effective habits, paying attention to one's inner thoughts, and giving oneself space for ideas to emerge. The podcast highlights the need to ...

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#408 How to Make a Few MORE Billion Dollars: Brad Jacobs

29 Dec 2025
43m
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In this episode of the Founders Podcast, David Senra discusses Brad Jacobs' new book, "How to Make a Few More Billion Dollars," a sequel to his previous book. Senra highlights Jacobs' insights on company building, the importance of thinking big, and the power of a positive mindset, which has personally influenced Senra...

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The Life of Jesus

25 Dec 2025
34m
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In this monologue podcast, David Senra discusses Paul Johnson's biography, "Jesus: A Biography from a Believer," providing background on the world Jesus was born into, highlighting its harshness and the contrast with Jesus' teachings. Senra outlines Jesus' early life, his baptism by John the Baptist, and his selection ...

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#407 Bruce Springsteen Repairs the Hole in Himself

14 Dec 2025
1h 12m
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In this episode of the podcast, the host discusses Bruce Springsteen's autobiography, "Born to Run," and a related movie, "Deliver Me From Nowhere." He shares his initial hesitation about covering the book, influenced by the documentary "The Defiant Ones," which highlights Springsteen's work ethic. The host outlines hi...

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#406 Christian von Koenigsegg

03 Dec 2025
45m
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In this episode of the Founders podcast, David Senra discusses Christian von Koenigsegg, the founder of Koenigsegg Automotive. Senra shares insights gleaned from numerous interviews and documentaries, highlighting Koenigsegg's childhood fascination with cars, his relentless pursuit of building the world's greatest supe...

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Red Bull's Billionaire Maniac Founder

25 Nov 2025
59m
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In this monologue podcast, David Senra discusses the life and entrepreneurial journey of Dietrich Mateschitz, the founder of Red Bull. He highlights Mateschitz's innovative approach to creating a new beverage category through marketing via events, sports teams, and media content, rather than traditional advertising. Se...

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#405 How Rockefeller Worked

17 Nov 2025
58m
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David Senra discusses the biography of John D. Rockefeller, extracting key ideas and strategies Rockefeller used to build Standard Oil. He emphasizes Rockefeller's war-like approach to business, relentless focus, obsession with numbers, self-confidence, and methodical nature. Senra highlights Rockefeller's ability to l...

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My conversation with Todd Graves

09 Nov 2025
2h 0m
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In this episode of the "David Senra" podcast, David interviews Todd Graves, the founder of Raising Cane's, about his entrepreneurial journey, business philosophy, and the importance of staying true to one's vision. Todd shares insights on overcoming bad advice, focusing on quality and customer experience, and the signi...

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#404 How Larry Ellison Thinks

04 Nov 2025
1h 2m
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In this episode of the Founders podcast, David Senra discusses the book "Software: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle" by Matthew Symonds, offering insights into Ellison's mindset and business strategies. Senra highlights Ellison's self-critical nature, his contrarian thinking, and his focus on simplicity...

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My Conversation with Brad Jacobs

28 Oct 2025
2h 4m
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In this episode of the "David Senra" podcast, David interviews Brad Jacobs, a successful founder of eight billion-dollar companies, about his life, business principles, and strategies. They discuss the importance of mentorship, particularly Jacobs' relationship with Ludwig Jesselson, and the maxim "get the major trend ...

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#403 How Jensen Works

20 Oct 2025
55m
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In this episode of the podcast, the host, David Senra, revisits the book "The Nvidia Way" by Tae Kim, distilling key ideas about how Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, runs his company. Senra outlines approximately 20 of Jensen's core philosophies, including his emphasis on teaching, the use of whiteboards for communicat...

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My Conversation with Michael Dell

13 Oct 2025
1h 32m
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David Senra interviews Michael Dell, delving into Dell's early obsession with business and the stock market, his motivation stemming from curiosity and puzzle-solving, and his habit of disassembling electronics to understand them. They discuss Dell's structural cost advantage over competitors like Compaq, the importanc...

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#402 Thomas Peterffy: The $80 Billion Founder Who Automates Everything

05 Oct 2025
31m
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David Senra presents the life story of Thomas Peterffy, the 81-year-old founder of Interactive Brokers, drawing heavily from a profile written by Dom Cook of Colossus. The episode chronicles Peterffy's early life in post-war Budapest, his immigration to America, and his pioneering work in automated trading. Starting wi...

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