Some podcasts I return to again and again. These have shaped how I think about building companies.
Business & Startups
Acquired — Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal do the deepest dives into company histories I've ever heard.[1] Their multi-hour episodes on NVIDIA, Costco, and Berkshire Hathaway are masterclasses in business strategy.
How I Built This — Guy Raz interviews founders about their origin stories.[2] The emotional honesty is what sets it apart. Founders talk about the low points most people skip.
The Twenty Minute VC — Harry Stebbings interviews VCs and founders. Good for staying current on what investors are thinking.
Technology
Lex Fridman Podcast — Long-form conversations with researchers, engineers, and thinkers. The AI episodes are particularly good if you want depth over hype.
Software Engineering Daily — Technical deep dives on infrastructure, databases, and engineering practices. Good for understanding how systems actually work.
Why Podcasts?
Podcasts let you hear how experts think, not just what they conclude. A blog post gives you the answer. A two-hour conversation shows you the reasoning process, the uncertainty, the edge cases they considered and rejected.
I often re-listen to episodes years later and catch things I missed. The format rewards patience — a lot of these shows kept me company through the founder stretches I wrote about in because I had to.
What podcasts have shaped your thinking? I'm always looking for recommendations.
Key takeaways
- The best podcasts teach you how experts think, not just what they know
- Long-form conversations reveal nuance that blog posts can't capture
- I return to episodes years later and find new insights
FAQ
What kind of podcasts does Ry listen to?
Mostly startup, tech, and business podcasts with deep-dive interviews and long-form conversations.
How often is this list updated?
Periodically, as I discover new favorites or retire ones that have ended.
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