Episode

#101: The Oracle of Silicon Valley, Reid Hoffman (Plus: Michael McCullough)
Description
Reid Hoffman (@reidhoffman) is often referred to as "The Oracle of Silicon Valley" by tech insiders, who look at his company-building and investing track record (Facebook, Airbnb, Flickr, etc.) with awe. Reid is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of LinkedIn, which has more than 300 million users. He was previously Executive Vice President at PayPal, which was purchased by eBay for $1.5 billion. There, he was nicknamed "firefighter-in-chief" by CEO Peter Thiel. Noted venture capitalist David Sze says of Reid, "[he] is arguably the most successful angel investor in the past decade." They are now both partners at Greylock Partners. In this podcast, he is joined by Michael McCullough, MD, a close friend, co-founder of QuestBridge.org, and a successful investor with training as an ER physician. Michael is as an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF and previously served as the on-call ER physician to the Dalai Lama. Michael is also a Rhodes Scholar, Kaufman Fellow, and Ashoka Fellow. An avid meditator, he is particularly interested in investing in technologies and companies pertaining to the mind. We cover A LOT, including: Meeting Mark Zuckerberg for the first time and deciding to invest in Facebook "Fire-fighting" in startups and beyond Using board games to develop strategy Reid's view of what Uber has done well and what they could improve Some of Reid's suggested philosophers for entrepreneurs Non-technical founders and symbolic systems Going "off algorithm" in the ER to manage life-and-death decisions The 3 types of CEOs What Reid has learned from his network, including the founders of Airbnb, Kiva.org, etc. And, of course, we discuss QuestBridge, as Reid and I are both on the advisory board. All show notes, links, and resources from this episode can be found at http://fourhourworkweek.com/podcast This podcast is brought to you by MeUndies. Have you ever wanted to be as powerful as a mullet-wearing ninja from the 1980’s, or as sleek as a black panther in the Amazon? Of course you have, and that’s where MeUndies comes in. I’ve spent the last 2-3 weeks wearing underwear from these guys 24/7, and they are the most comfortable and colorful underwear I’ve ever owned. Their materials are 2x softer than cotton, as evaluated using the Kawabata method. Check out MeUndies.com/Tim to see my current faves (some are awesomely ridiculous) and, while you’re at it, don’t miss lots of hot ladies wearing MeUndies. This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run... Enjoy!***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapters
Tim Ferriss promotes his email newsletter, 5 Bullet Friday, which is sent out every Friday and contains five short bullet points about the coolest things he has found that week.
00:00 - 01:12 (01:12)
Summary
Tim Ferriss promotes his email newsletter, 5 Bullet Friday, which is sent out every Friday and contains five short bullet points about the coolest things he has found that week.
Episode#101: The Oracle of Silicon Valley, Reid Hoffman (Plus: Michael McCullough)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this episode of Tim Ferriss' show, entrepreneur and co-founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman, shares his views, strategies and tactics for scaling a company, including discussion of his investments in successful companies such as PayPal, Facebook, Airbnb, and LinkedIn.
01:12 - 07:16 (06:04)
Summary
In this episode of Tim Ferriss' show, entrepreneur and co-founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman, shares his views, strategies and tactics for scaling a company, including discussion of his investments in successful companies such as PayPal, Facebook, Airbnb, and LinkedIn. He also talks about his philanthropic work and involvement with QuestBridge.org, a nonprofit organization that helps low-income students gain access to the nation's top universities by connecting talented low-income students who qualify for admission with universities and organizations that can offer them full scholarships.
Episode#101: The Oracle of Silicon Valley, Reid Hoffman (Plus: Michael McCullough)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Michael Yang, a partner at Carapacorn Healthcare, shares how his difficult birth experience led him to become an ER physician, as well as an entrepreneur and investor in companies such as PayPal and LinkedIn.
07:16 - 11:27 (04:11)
Summary
Michael Yang, a partner at Carapacorn Healthcare, shares how his difficult birth experience led him to become an ER physician, as well as an entrepreneur and investor in companies such as PayPal and LinkedIn. He also discusses how he focuses on building and improving human ecosystems through software.
Episode#101: The Oracle of Silicon Valley, Reid Hoffman (Plus: Michael McCullough)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The CEO of AI firm, Mindbloom, Dylan Marer has found that philosophy can help him understand the rudiments of intelligence and a more scientific view of communication in his line of work.
11:27 - 17:34 (06:07)
Summary
The CEO of AI firm, Mindbloom, Dylan Marer has found that philosophy can help him understand the rudiments of intelligence and a more scientific view of communication in his line of work. Philosophers are still being understood because of the bedrocks of modern analytic philosophy that encourage the use of language as a positive instrument.
Episode#101: The Oracle of Silicon Valley, Reid Hoffman (Plus: Michael McCullough)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this episode, Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn, discusses the key factors that make a good entrepreneurial firefighter and the challenges he faced while working at PayPal under the mentorship of Peter Thiel.
17:35 - 41:44 (24:09)
Summary
In this episode, Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn, discusses the key factors that make a good entrepreneurial firefighter and the challenges he faced while working at PayPal under the mentorship of Peter Thiel. He also reflects on his disinterest in the CEO job and his understanding of being thorough and caring in the medical field.
Episode#101: The Oracle of Silicon Valley, Reid Hoffman (Plus: Michael McCullough)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares his experience of meditating for half an hour between 3 am and 4 am, which gives him clarity for the rest of his day.
41:44 - 55:10 (13:26)
Summary
The speaker shares his experience of meditating for half an hour between 3 am and 4 am, which gives him clarity for the rest of his day. He also discusses his preference for problem-solving and creating business strategies rather than being a CEO.
Episode#101: The Oracle of Silicon Valley, Reid Hoffman (Plus: Michael McCullough)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Michael Nutter discusses the importance of experiences and how they shape understanding and drive decision-making, using the concept of 'Seven Star Design' to ensure maximum impact.
55:10 - 1:08:47 (13:36)
Summary
Michael Nutter discusses the importance of experiences and how they shape understanding and drive decision-making, using the concept of 'Seven Star Design' to ensure maximum impact.
Episode#101: The Oracle of Silicon Valley, Reid Hoffman (Plus: Michael McCullough)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
QuestBridge collaborates with various organizations to bring its eight thousand students into the corporate world.
1:08:48 - 1:23:26 (14:38)
Summary
QuestBridge collaborates with various organizations to bring its eight thousand students into the corporate world. Michael, from QuestBridge, shares the importance of creating a strong community through their application process.