Podchemy

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The Tim Ferriss Show

#869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism)

Max Levchin (@mlevchin) is a serial entrepreneur and investor in 100+ startups. He's the founder and CEO of Affirm, the payment network powering consumer purchases and merchant growth. An original PayPal co-founder, Max served as CTO until its 2002 acquisition by eBay.This episode is brought to you by:ProLon: science-backed Fasting Mimicking Diet that helps activate cellular renewal through fasting, while still eating nourishing meals: ProlonLife.com/TimMonarch track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: Monarch.com/Tim Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/tim*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.]]>

Jun 9, 2026

19 min read

The Knowledge Project

Mental Models That Change How You Think | Bill Gurley

Bill Gurley spent years on Wall Street, built his career as a partner at Benchmark, worked through Uber’s hypergrowth era, and now serves on the board of the Santa Fe Institute, where he studies complexity and systems thinking. In this episode, Bill shares the mental models he returns to most, including systems thinking, second- and third-order effects, and the importance of understanding both the bedrock of your field and the bleeding edge. He explains what separates great founders, why storytelling and product instincts matter, how he uses AI across different models, and what he sees coming in open source, China, stablecoins, tokenization, payments, and venture capital. ------ Timestamps: (00:00) Key Mental Models (02:02) Investing Journey and Key Players (05:21) Knowing the Bedrock of the Industry (08:50) Obsessive Learning in Founders (10:04) The Silent Edge (11:44) Surprising AI Use (13:13) The Future of AI Models (14:17) Global AI Regulation (18:12) Impacts of AI on Investing (19:53) Are There Limitations on Training AI Models? (23:04) Would You Sit in the Back Seat While Your Tesla Drives? (24:15) Non-Consensus Opinions (24:53) Are We Overfunding this Buildout? (29:40) The Role of Retail Investors and Tokenization (34:26) What is a Stablecoin? (37:58) Competitive Mode: Visa and Mastercard (39:55) AI and Debt Analysis (45:05) The Craft of Storytelling and Writing (48:07) Founder Advantage: Product Instinct (50:12) Real World Lessons from Working With Uber (52:10) Inside Benchmark’s Success (59:42) What is Success for You? ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Follow Shane Parrish: X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠ Insta: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠ Follow Bill Gurley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billgurley/ X: https://x.com/bgurley?lang=en Check out Runnin’ Down a Dream: How to Thrive in a Career You Actually Love ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: +CoinShares: Delivering Reason to Digital Asset Investing. ⁠https://coinshares.com/⁠ +Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://www.granola.ai/shane Check out the Granola Notes +HeyGen is a message-first AI video platform that helps people and AI agents turn ideas into professional video in minutes. Try for free at https://www.heygen.com/ +LMNT: My go-to zero sugar electrolytes — get a free LMNT Sample Pack here: DrinkLMNT.com/TKP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 9, 2026

18 min read

The a16z Show

Tyler Cowen & Alex Tabarrok on AI, Jobs, and Economic Growth

Wyatt Thomson of OpenAI speaks with economists Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok about AI, labor markets, and the future of economic growth. The conversation explores one of the most common fears surrounding AI: that increasingly capable systems will eliminate jobs. Cowen and Tabarrok argue instead that economic growth remains the key variable. Throughout history, productivity-enhancing technologies have transformed work, created new industries, and expanded living standards, even as they disrupted existing jobs and institutions. They discuss automation, comparative advantage, inequality, education, healthcare, energy, and the kinds of work that may become more valuable in an AI-driven economy. Along the way, they examine longer-term questions about abundance, ownership, AI agents, and how societies can adapt to rapid technological change. Resources: Follow Tyler on X: https://x.com/tylercowen Follow Alex on X: https://x.com/ATabarrok Follow Wyatt on X: https://x.com/dataWyatt Stay Updated:Find a16z on YouTube: YouTubeFind a16z on XFind a16z on LinkedInListen to the a16z Show on SpotifyListen to the a16z Show on Apple PodcastsFollow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 9, 2026

16 min read

EconTalk

The Self, the Crowd, and Social Contagion (with Luke Burgis)

Finding community can be difficult. But author Luke Burgis thinks the real challenge begins once we've found it and we're subject to social pressures to conform. Listen as Burgis and EconTalk's Russ Roberts trace the tension between individuals and their tribes through the foundational frameworks, such as family and school, that help forge our identities. Burgis argues that the disappearance of traditional rites of passage bodes ill for major life commitments such as marriage, and recounts his personal journey from Wall Street through the Great Books in search of a strong, differentiated self. He also draws lessons for today's communities from Saint Benedict's 1,500-year-old guide for monastic life and describes the moving ritual he practiced with his father before he died.

Jun 8, 2026

10 min read

Puliyabaazi Hindi Podcast पुलियाबाज़ी हिन्दी पॉडकास्ट

संसद में आख़िर हुआ क्या? संवैधानिक संशोधन की गुत्थी। Parliament, Delimitation & Women's Reservation ft. M. R. Madhavan

पिछले हफ़्ते हमारी संसद में एक ख़ास सत्र बुलाया गया था। इस सत्र के बाद जो रिपोर्टिंग हुई उसके चलते लोग और भी कन्फ्यूज़ हो गए। तो हमें लगा कि हमें भी पुलियाबाज़ी का एक अर्जेंट सत्र बुलाना चाहिए ताकि संवैधानिक संशोधनों की इस गुत्थी को सुलझाया जाए। इस चर्चा पर हमारे मेहमान है PRS Legislative के एम. आर. माधवन जी जो हमारे विधायकों को भी सलाह देते हैं। आज की चर्चा में पेश है हमारी संसद के बदलते स्वरुप और उसके प्रभाव पर बेहद ज़रूरी बातचीत।We discuss:* Why was the Delimitation exercise freezed?* What was the Amendment suggested in this Bill?* What is the need to amend the Women’s Reservation?* Could the amendment for Women’s Reservation be brought in separately?* Should the Size of Parliament be Increased?* The Balance between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha* What is the regular course of action now?* What is the implication of the Women’s Bill getting notified?* Madhavan’s Ideal Design for Parliament* Alternative Designs for Women’s ReservationNote: Puliyabaazi is now available on YouTube with video.Subscribe to Puliyabaazi Print Magazine Here: https://www.puliyabaazi.in/p/puliyabaazi-magazineRelated Links:The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 [Delimitation Bills of 2026]https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-constitution-131st-amendment-bill-2026Implications of increasing the size of the Lok Sabhahttps://prsindia.org/articles-by-prs-team/implications-of-increasing-the-size-of-the-lok-sabhaBigger Lok Sabha may come at cost of diluted debate, scrutiny and accountabilityhttps...

Apr 23, 2026

14 min read

Puliyabaazi Hindi Podcast पुलियाबाज़ी हिन्दी पॉडकास्ट episode artwork

The Tim Ferriss Show

#869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism)

Max Levchin (@mlevchin) is a serial entrepreneur and investor in 100+ startups. He's the founder and CEO of Affirm, the payment network powering consumer purchases and merchant growth. An original PayPal co-founder, Max served as CTO until its 2002 acquisition by eBay.This episode is brought to you by:ProLon: science-backed Fasting Mimicking Diet that helps activate cellular renewal through fasting, while still eating nourishing meals: ProlonLife.com/TimMonarch track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: Monarch.com/Tim Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/tim*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.]]>

Jun 9, 2026

19 min read

The Knowledge Project

Mental Models That Change How You Think | Bill Gurley

Bill Gurley spent years on Wall Street, built his career as a partner at Benchmark, worked through Uber’s hypergrowth era, and now serves on the board of the Santa Fe Institute, where he studies complexity and systems thinking. In this episode, Bill shares the mental models he returns to most, including systems thinking, second- and third-order effects, and the importance of understanding both the bedrock of your field and the bleeding edge. He explains what separates great founders, why storytelling and product instincts matter, how he uses AI across different models, and what he sees coming in open source, China, stablecoins, tokenization, payments, and venture capital. ------ Timestamps: (00:00) Key Mental Models (02:02) Investing Journey and Key Players (05:21) Knowing the Bedrock of the Industry (08:50) Obsessive Learning in Founders (10:04) The Silent Edge (11:44) Surprising AI Use (13:13) The Future of AI Models (14:17) Global AI Regulation (18:12) Impacts of AI on Investing (19:53) Are There Limitations on Training AI Models? (23:04) Would You Sit in the Back Seat While Your Tesla Drives? (24:15) Non-Consensus Opinions (24:53) Are We Overfunding this Buildout? (29:40) The Role of Retail Investors and Tokenization (34:26) What is a Stablecoin? (37:58) Competitive Mode: Visa and Mastercard (39:55) AI and Debt Analysis (45:05) The Craft of Storytelling and Writing (48:07) Founder Advantage: Product Instinct (50:12) Real World Lessons from Working With Uber (52:10) Inside Benchmark’s Success (59:42) What is Success for You? ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Follow Shane Parrish: X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠ Insta: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠ Follow Bill Gurley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billgurley/ X: https://x.com/bgurley?lang=en Check out Runnin’ Down a Dream: How to Thrive in a Career You Actually Love ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: +CoinShares: Delivering Reason to Digital Asset Investing. ⁠https://coinshares.com/⁠ +Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://www.granola.ai/shane Check out the Granola Notes +HeyGen is a message-first AI video platform that helps people and AI agents turn ideas into professional video in minutes. Try for free at https://www.heygen.com/ +LMNT: My go-to zero sugar electrolytes — get a free LMNT Sample Pack here: DrinkLMNT.com/TKP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 9, 2026

18 min read

The a16z Show

Tyler Cowen & Alex Tabarrok on AI, Jobs, and Economic Growth

Wyatt Thomson of OpenAI speaks with economists Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok about AI, labor markets, and the future of economic growth. The conversation explores one of the most common fears surrounding AI: that increasingly capable systems will eliminate jobs. Cowen and Tabarrok argue instead that economic growth remains the key variable. Throughout history, productivity-enhancing technologies have transformed work, created new industries, and expanded living standards, even as they disrupted existing jobs and institutions. They discuss automation, comparative advantage, inequality, education, healthcare, energy, and the kinds of work that may become more valuable in an AI-driven economy. Along the way, they examine longer-term questions about abundance, ownership, AI agents, and how societies can adapt to rapid technological change. Resources: Follow Tyler on X: https://x.com/tylercowen Follow Alex on X: https://x.com/ATabarrok Follow Wyatt on X: https://x.com/dataWyatt Stay Updated:Find a16z on YouTube: YouTubeFind a16z on XFind a16z on LinkedInListen to the a16z Show on SpotifyListen to the a16z Show on Apple PodcastsFollow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 9, 2026

16 min read

EconTalk

The Self, the Crowd, and Social Contagion (with Luke Burgis)

Finding community can be difficult. But author Luke Burgis thinks the real challenge begins once we've found it and we're subject to social pressures to conform. Listen as Burgis and EconTalk's Russ Roberts trace the tension between individuals and their tribes through the foundational frameworks, such as family and school, that help forge our identities. Burgis argues that the disappearance of traditional rites of passage bodes ill for major life commitments such as marriage, and recounts his personal journey from Wall Street through the Great Books in search of a strong, differentiated self. He also draws lessons for today's communities from Saint Benedict's 1,500-year-old guide for monastic life and describes the moving ritual he practiced with his father before he died.

Jun 8, 2026

10 min read

Puliyabaazi Hindi Podcast पुलियाबाज़ी हिन्दी पॉडकास्ट

संसद में आख़िर हुआ क्या? संवैधानिक संशोधन की गुत्थी। Parliament, Delimitation & Women's Reservation ft. M. R. Madhavan

पिछले हफ़्ते हमारी संसद में एक ख़ास सत्र बुलाया गया था। इस सत्र के बाद जो रिपोर्टिंग हुई उसके चलते लोग और भी कन्फ्यूज़ हो गए। तो हमें लगा कि हमें भी पुलियाबाज़ी का एक अर्जेंट सत्र बुलाना चाहिए ताकि संवैधानिक संशोधनों की इस गुत्थी को सुलझाया जाए। इस चर्चा पर हमारे मेहमान है PRS Legislative के एम. आर. माधवन जी जो हमारे विधायकों को भी सलाह देते हैं। आज की चर्चा में पेश है हमारी संसद के बदलते स्वरुप और उसके प्रभाव पर बेहद ज़रूरी बातचीत।We discuss:* Why was the Delimitation exercise freezed?* What was the Amendment suggested in this Bill?* What is the need to amend the Women’s Reservation?* Could the amendment for Women’s Reservation be brought in separately?* Should the Size of Parliament be Increased?* The Balance between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha* What is the regular course of action now?* What is the implication of the Women’s Bill getting notified?* Madhavan’s Ideal Design for Parliament* Alternative Designs for Women’s ReservationNote: Puliyabaazi is now available on YouTube with video.Subscribe to Puliyabaazi Print Magazine Here: https://www.puliyabaazi.in/p/puliyabaazi-magazineRelated Links:The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 [Delimitation Bills of 2026]https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-constitution-131st-amendment-bill-2026Implications of increasing the size of the Lok Sabhahttps://prsindia.org/articles-by-prs-team/implications-of-increasing-the-size-of-the-lok-sabhaBigger Lok Sabha may come at cost of diluted debate, scrutiny and accountabilityhttps...

Apr 23, 2026

14 min read