LinkedIn Cofounder and legendary Silicon Valley investor Reid Hoffman interviews the biggest names in tech and business, from Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook) to Howard Schultz (Starbucks). Each episode is shaped around a theme and follows Founder stories on how they built and scaled their global companies.
I love this podcast and have a not-so-secret professional crush on podcast host Reid Hoffman. There’s a reason Hoffman is often referred to as “The Oracle of Silicon Valley” for his ability to predict trends and startup successes. And he knows everyone - evidenced by his ability to secure time and advice from the best business minds in the world.
I like how each episode is built around a theme, as it allows Hoffman to dig deep on a particular subject with his interviewee, and the listener walks away with more actionable advice. I have listened to some episodes multiple times with standouts including “Learn from every ‘no’” with Tristan Walker of Bevel Razor and a two-parter with Barry Diller on infinite learning. Diller’s life is truly fascinating with a trajectory from “The Simpsons” to Tinder.
Being a venture capitalist, Hoffman has a strong bias towards the VC mindset and it being the best way to build a business. Even when he does an episode on bootstrapping with Mailchimp’s Founder Ben Chestnut he cuts in on post-production at various intervals stating where he believed Mailchimp would have benefited from VC money in its growth journey. Beyond that, I don’t really have any other criticism. He does a good job of bringing on diverse guests and the production value is top-of-the-line. Highly recommend!
Kerri-Lynn is a Toronto-based tech entrepreneur and Founder of Pawzy, a website that connects modern pet parents to healthcare advice and services. KL is an infinite learner and listens to podcasts on business, startups, true crime and The Bachelor.