Acquired

Rec Room Part II (with CEO Nick Fajt)

Meituan

This podcast episode provides a comprehensive exploration of the early years of Wang Xing, the co-founder of Meituan, and the initial stages of Meituan's development. It discusses Wang Xing's introduction to business through his father's entrepreneurial pursuits and his fascination with technology. The episode highligh...

The New York Times Company

This podcast episode provides an in-depth exploration of the New York Times's evolution from its founding in 1851 through various pivotal moments that shaped its identity and business model, highlighting key figures like Henry Jarvis Raymond and Adolf Ochs, who championed journalistic integrity amid a landscape fraught...

Special: Sequoia Capital's Investment Playbook (with Alfred Lin)

In this episode of Acquired, Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal interview Alfred Lin, a partner at Sequoia Capital, to explore Sequoia's investment strategies and internal playbooks. They discuss the firm's approach to identifying investment opportunities, the importance of having a "prepared mind" when evaluating potenti...

Bitcoin

This podcast episode provides a comprehensive exploration of Bitcoin, covering its origins, evolution, and current position in the mainstream. It discusses the unique investment return of Bitcoin, the vulnerabilities of the current financial system, and the potential solutions offered by Bitcoin and blockchain technolo...

Special: Acquired x Indie Hackers

Airbnb

Airbnb’s 2020 IPO marks the culmination of a thirteen-year journey defined by extreme entrepreneurial grit and a unique, capital-light business model. Founded by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, the company transformed from a scrappy side project selling cereal boxes to keep the lights on into a global...

DoorDash

This podcast episode chronicles the remarkable journey of DoorDash, from its early days in Y Combinator and significant funding rounds to its strategic operational decisions and market challenges, culminating in its rise during the COVID-19 pandemic. The narrative emphasizes DoorDash's innovative approach to suburban d...

Special: Slack + Salesforce Emergency Pod with Packy McCormick of Not Boring

This Acquired podcast episode discusses Salesforce's acquisition of Slack, featuring Packy McCormick of Not Boring as a guest. The hosts and guest analyze the deal's strategic implications, exploring the reasons behind Slack's undervalued stock price (primarily the perceived threat from Microsoft Teams) and Salesforce...

Virgin Galactic

Special: Superhuman Part II - Designing Software to Feel like a Game (with Rahul Vohra)

Twitter (with Dick Costolo)

Twitter’s evolution from an SMS-based service to a global public company turned on critical strategic decisions regarding monetization and platform control. By pioneering the native, feed-based advertising model, the company successfully shifted from data-licensing deals to a scalable business, though it faced persiste...

Special: Invest Like the Best on Acquired

This podcast episode provides a comprehensive overview of Patrick O'Shaughnessy's journey as a financial expert and the evolution of his asset management firm, O'Shaughnessy Asset Management (OSAM). It covers his early struggles, educational background, the birth of the popular podcast Invest Like the Best, the incepti...

The NBA

The NBA transformed from a struggling, niche sports league into a global, multi-billion dollar powerhouse by adopting a strategy centered on compelling content, international expansion, and technological innovation. Central to this evolution was the 1983 collective bargaining agreement, which pioneered a revenue-sharin...

Special: Acquired x My First Million

This podcast episode explores the journey of Bebo, a social network that went from being sold for $850 million to AOL to being bought back by its original founders for $1 million. The founders saw potential in leveraging the brand name, email list, and servers to enhance their own social products. The episode also disc...

Epic Games

This podcast episode chronicles Tim Sweeney's transformative journey from a teenage lawn mowing entrepreneur to the visionary founder of Epic Games, illustrating how his innovations in gaming, particularly with the Unreal Engine and Fortnite, have disrupted the industry and pioneered new business models. Throughout, it...

Eventbrite (with Julia & Kevin Hartz)

Pinduoduo

This podcast episode explores the success and rapid growth of Pinduoduo, a Chinese e-commerce company that has revolutionized the market. Combining elements of Costco and Disneyland, Pinduoduo has created a multidimensional space that seamlessly integrates cyberspace and the physical world. The episode highlights the i...

Oprah (Harpo Studios)

This podcast episode of "Acquired" analyzes the business career of Oprah Winfrey, focusing on her entrepreneurial journey and the creation of Harpo Studios. The hosts discuss Oprah's early life, her rise in television, and her strategic business decisions that led to her immense success, including the creation of her ...

SpaceX

This Acquired podcast episode delves into the history and business model of SpaceX, focusing on its journey from a small startup to a major aerospace player. The hosts discuss Elon Musk's background, SpaceX's early struggles and near-bankruptcies, its pivotal NASA contracts, and its innovative approach to vertical int...