Best Bill Weinberg Podcasts (2024)

1
Tim Walz and the struggle in Minnesota 32:04

1d ago32:04

32:04

In Episode 238 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg takes stock of the Democratic ticket's new vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and the role he played as Minnesota governor in two of the major activist struggles in the North Star State over the past years—the 2020 Black Lives Matter uprising, which began in Minneapolis; and the fight aga…

1
EP 113: Dara Khosrowshahi Uber CEO Lays Out the Path to Autonomous Vehicles 1:09:15

4d ago1:09:15

1:09:15

Dara Khosrowshahi runs one of the most complicated businesses in the world, Uber. Since taking over in 2017 Dara has led the company to profitability against all odds. In this episode, we touch on a number of things including Uber’s position on the future of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs), the challenges that were overcome in making Uber profitable, and…

1
Flashpoint: Golan Heights 30:54

10d ago30:54

30:54

In Episode 237 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg provides some under-reported context for the international crisis that has quickly spiraled since last week's deadly rocket strike on a Golan Heights village, and now threatens to escalate to the unthinkable. Under international law, the Golan is Syrian territory not Israeli. And the kids w…

1
EP 112: Mike Maples (Founding Partner, Floodgate): What Makes Startups Win & The Future of Venture Capital 2:03:48

11d ago2:03:48

2:03:48

Mike Maples is an 8x Midas List investor and founding partner at Floodgate Fund. In our conversation, we dive into his latest book, "Pattern Breakers: Why Some Startups Change The Future." Mike shares his frameworks on how top startups beat incumbents by redefining categories, and he reflects on his worst and best decisions. We also discuss what th…

1
Are we still sleepwalking into fascism? 35:04

15d ago35:04

35:04

Trump and MAGA are no longer hiding their intention to instate a dictatorship if they regain power, and the most radical elements of their base are mobilizing to unleash a reign of terror on the local level from coast to coast. The Democrats, however, have regained some momentum since Biden relinquished his candidacy in favor of Kamala Harris—who i…

1
EP 111: How Josh Reeves (CEO, Gusto) Built a $10B Company Serving Small Businesses 1:34:05

18d ago1:34:05

1:34:05

Josh Reeves has built Gusto into a nearly $10B company with over $500M in ARR, serving small businesses. In our conversation, Josh delves into Gusto’s 13-year journey, sharing insights on how they achieved product-market fit by initially targeting a very narrow niche. He also highlights the tactics they’ve used to build an intentional culture of hu…

1
Sleepwalking into fascism 28:23

25d ago28:23

28:23

With Trump gaining momentum since surviving an assassination attempt, and the Democrats demoralized and in disarray, the forces of MAGA-fascism seem poised to retake the White House—and, with Project 2025, are this time armed with the organizational wherewithal to effectively instate their program. Meanwhile, the radical left, which by rights shoul…

1
AI, nuclear power and the end of the Earth 36:28

1M ago36:28

36:28

Tech companies now acknowledge that they are failing to meet their carbon emission reduction goals because of the mega-computing necessary for artificial intelligence—as if AI were something good and inevitable rather than ultra-dystopian. Meanwhile, the nuclear industry exploits carbon concerns to lubricate its comeback—with even countries like Ke…

1
EP 110: How Eric Glyman (CEO, Ramp) Runs One of The Fastest Growing Startups 1:33:52

1M ago1:33:52

1:33:52

Eric Glyman (CEO, Ramp) shared his operating playbook for leading one of the fastest-growing startups on his second appearance on the podcast. We also explored the unique ways Ramp leverages AI internally, strategies for startups to build moats in AI, and the concept of self-driving money. We concluded with one of the most profound and thoughtful d…

1
REVOLUTION 9 37:09

1M ago37:09

37:09

In Episode 233 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg recalls his days as a young neo-Yippie in the 1980s. A remnant faction of the 1960s counterculture group adopted a punk aesthetic for the Reagan era, launched the US branch of the Rock Against Racism movement, brought chaos to the streets at Republican and Democratic political conventions, …

1
From Baghdad to Bialystok —to Pico-Robertson 29:33

2M ago29:33

29:33

In Episode 232 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg examines the politics of the ugly dust-up between pro-Palestinian protesters and local Jewish residents in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pico-Robertson—and notes the anniversary of June 1941 anti-Jewish pogroms in Bialystok, Poland, and Baghdad, Iraq. Propagandistic and distorted portraya…

1
EP 109: Sebastian Siemiatkowski (CEO, Klarna) on the Future of Klarna, Valuation Changes and AI in Finance 2:05:57

2M ago2:05:57

2:05:57

Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski led the rise from a profitable business to their peak $50 billion valuation, in which they were burning $150 million a month. In my latest episode, Sebastian shares how he turned Klarna back to profitability and discusses Klarna’s ongoing pursuit of creating a digital financial assistant. He also reflects on their…

1
Anti-Semitism versus anti-Zionism: beyond parsing 39:44

2M ago39:44

39:44

The Zionist propaganda machine continues to weaponize the accusation of anti-Semitism to delegitimize any effort to resist Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza. This increases rather than decreases the responsibility of activists to distinguish—and oppose—actual anti-Semitism. Yet in recent weeks, sectors of the activist response to the Gaza genocide…

1
EP 108: Olivier Pomel (CEO, Datadog) Shares Every Lesson From Scaling to $40B 1:32:04

2M ago1:32:04

1:32:04

Olivier Pomel built Datadog into a $40B company while burning only $25M in capital. In our conversation, he shares the fundraising lessons, operating principles, and core insights that made this possible. He also discusses the pros and cons of building a tech company in NYC, how early-career professionals should approach learning AI tools, how Data…

1
Mexico's new presidenta and the human rights crisis 13:47

2M ago13:47

13:47

Mexico has made history with the election of its first woman president, former Mexico City mayor and environmental scientist Claudia Sheinbaum. But the ongoing human rights crisis that will obviously pose a grave challenge for Sheinbaum was dramatically exemplified by the record number of political assassinations that marred the elections. And she …

1
EP 107: Steve Kaufer (Co-Founder, Tripadvisor) - Why He Left & What He’s Building Now 1:39:55

2M ago1:39:55

1:39:55

Steve Kaufer led Tripadvisor to multi-billion dollar success over a 20+ year run as CEO. He discusses getting acquired and spun out from IAC, becoming a public company CEO, and his biggest operating lessons from his decades-long journey. Steve also shares behind-the-scenes of his new venture, Give Freely, and reflects on his entrepreneurial path. (…

1
From Palestine to Western Sahara 14:48

2M ago14:48

14:48

Benjamin Netanyahu's gaffe on French TV, displaying a map of the "Arab World" that showed the occupied (and illegally annexed) Western Sahara as a separate entity from Morocco, sparked a quick an obsequious apology from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. But the snafu sheds light on the mutual hypocrisy at work here. There is an obvious hypocrisy to Mor…

1
A cannabis coup in the Congo? 28:03

2M ago28:03

28:03

The attempted coup d'etat in the Democratic Republic of the Congo may or may not have been assisted by the CIA, but one of the Americans arrested in the affair is named as a "cannabis entrepreneur"—pointing to the possibility of legal cannabis playing the same destructive role in Central Africa that bananas have played in Central America. Yet while…

1
EP 106: How Bill Shufelt Built Athletic Brewing - Every Plot Twist Along The Way 1:15:20

2M ago1:15:20

1:15:20

Since 2017, Bill Shufelt (CEO, Athletic Brewing) went from hedge fund trader to the CEO of the leading producer of non-alcoholic craft beer. Unlike the typical tech-focused chats, this one centers around a product many have fallen in love with. In the conversation, Bill tells stories of the unscalable but crucial strategies he used to build a brand…

1
EP 105: Vlad Tenev (CEO, Robinhood): The Meme Stock Crisis, The Future of Crypto, and AI Opportunities in Finance 1:47:23

3M ago1:47:23

1:47:23

In the midst of meme stock craziness, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev shared his most eye-opening insights from running the company that transformed the game for retail investors. He talks about Robinhood’s new Gold Card, his views on crypto, the media side, how artificial intelligence could change finance, and more. (00:00) Intro (03:27) The Origin of th…

1
New Caledonia in the Great Game 22:30

3M ago22:30

22:30

Azerbaijan, now facing accusations of genocide against Armenians, suddenly rallies to the defense of the Kanak indigenous people in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, and accuses France of a legacy of "crimes against humanity" in its colonial holdings. This appears to be blatant retaliation for French support of Armenia in the conflict…

1
The betrayal of Darfur — again 24:07

3M ago24:07

24:07

In Episode 226 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg discusses the alarmingy under-reported humanitarian disaster in Darfur. A generation later, the genocide is back on—but this time there is no global campaign to stop it. Even last time around, elements of the campist pseudo-left portrayed the "Save Darfur" movement as a Zionist conspiracy, …

1
EP 104: Sam Altman (CEO, OpenAI) talks GPT-4o and Predicts the Future of AI 46:30

3M ago46:30

46:30

On the day of the ChatGPT-4o announcement, Sam Altman sat down to share behind-the-scenes details of the launch and offer his predictions for the future of AI. Altman delves into OpenAI's vision, discusses the timeline for achieving AGI, and explores the societal impact of humanoid robots. He also expresses his excitement and concerns about AI pers…

1
Four dead in Ohio. And two in Mississippi. 25:34

3M ago25:34

25:34

As the police crackdown on the Gaza protests continues coast-to-coast—drawing concern from Amnesty International—Bill Weinberg notes that this repression comes in the month marking the 54th anniversary of slayings of student protesters at Kent State University in Ohio and Jackson State University in Mississippi. With police now unleashing violence …

1
EP 103: The Untold Story of Marcus Ryu (Co-Founder Guidewire & Partner at Battery Ventures) Scaling to $10B and Diving into VC 1:50:28

3M ago1:50:28

1:50:28

After 18 years leading Guidewire (~$10B), Marcus Ryu made the transition from CEO to partner at Battery Ventures. In the episode, Marcus shares his journey of co-founding Guidewire in 2001, steering the company through its IPO in 2012, and building one of the largest vertical software businesses in the world. He shares his insights on how to build …

1
The peace protests in Israel 33:31

3M ago33:31

33:31

Amid the police crackdown on Gaza protests coast-to-coast, drawing concern from the UN human rights office, hostage advocacy organizations, rights groups and co-existence activists have been protesting in Israel, and similarly meeting with repression. They are, at a minimum, demanding a deal with Hamas for release of the hostages and putting off th…

1
EP 102: Armon Dadgar (HashiCorp Co-Founder) Reflects 48-Hours After Selling to IBM 1:54:42

3M ago1:54:42

1:54:42

After last week’s announcement that IBM is acquiring HashiCorp for $6.4B, HashiCorp co-founder Armon Dadgar discussed a few behind-the-scenes elements of the acquisition and HashiCorp’s full journey from the early days. Armon shares some of his biggest lessons from the journey, from fundraising to community building and more. (00:00) Intro (01:17) …

1
From Warsaw Ghetto to Gaza Strip 28:08

4M ago28:08

28:08

Masha Gessen in a New Yorker essay draws a parallel between the Warsaw Ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland and the Gaza Strip, where Israel's long siege is now escalating to genocide. Some Israeli military tactics in Gaza mirror those of the Nazis in Warsaw. Yet, while some voices on the ostensible "left" go so far as to glorify Hamas, Israel's online p…

1
EP 101: Andrew Bialecki (CEO Klaviyo) on Building a $6B Software Company - Klaviyo’s Uncharted Path 1:52:44

4M ago1:52:44

1:52:44

Before Andrew Bialecki took Klaviyo public and scaled the company to $6B, he bootstrapped it to over $1M in ARR. In our discussion, Andrew reveals his philosophies around fundraising, finding the best talent, cultivating entrepreneurship inside Klaviyo, scaling culture, and more. (00:00) Intro (01:13) Klaviyo's Bootstrap Beginnings (09:37) The Stra…

1
Marek Edelman: Jewish hero, anti-Zionist 34:14

4M ago34:14

34:14

In Episode 222 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg marks the 81st anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by reviewing the new documentary on Jewish armed struggle against the Nazis, Resistance—They Fought Back. A nearly forgotten element of this struggle was the consciously anti-Zionist politics of some of the resistance leaders—most not…

1
EP 100: Jeremy Levine (Partner, Bessemer) Reflects on His Best and Worst Investments 2:44:43

4M ago2:44:43

2:44:43

After 23+ years in venture capital, Jeremy Levine has thrived in many eras, taking risks on now-iconic companies like LinkedIn, Shopify, Yelp, Pinterest, and more. In our discussion, Jeremy shared stories behind these investments and the mindsets he’s developed along the way. We also explored how the VC landscape has evolved over the last 20 years …

1
EP 99: Garret Langley (CEO, Flock Safety) - The $4B Tech Startup Solving Crime with AI 1:47:45

4M ago1:47:45

1:47:45

Garrett Langley is the CEO of Flock Safety, a $4B company helping solve 10% of US crimes with AI-powered tech. Garrett offers an in-depth look into Flock Safety’s ambitious vision to eliminate crime in America and all the operating lessons he’s learned along the way, including how to build a strong and motivated team, keep people accountable, and l…

1
Further thoughts on the common toad 38:05

4M ago38:05

38:05

In Episode 221 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg continues the Spring ritual from his old WBAI program, the Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade (which he lost due to his political dissent), of reading the George Orwell essay "Some Thoughts on the Common Toad"—which brilliantly predicted ecological politics when it was published way back in Apr…

1
Against Zionism, toward pro-Semitism 45:20

4M ago45:20

45:20

In Episode 220 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg discusses two new books on the related themes of the Jewish Question and the Question of Palestine. One, The New American Anti-Semitism: The Left, the Right, and the Jews by Benjamin Ginsberg, is dangerously deluded. The other, The No-State Solution: A Jewish Manifesto by Daniel Boyarin, be…

1
EP 98: Sanjit Biswas on Building to $20B: The CEO Behind One of The Fastest Growing Startups Ever 1:24:20

4M ago1:24:20

1:24:20

In less than 8 years, Sanjit Biswas scaled Samsara from 0 to over $1B ARR. In our latest conversation, Sanjit shares all the lessons he’s learned about running a hyper-growth organization, including all the changes he’s made since growing and selling his first company Meraki to Cisco for $1.2B and going on to scale Samsara to $20B. A great episode …

1
EP 97: How Aravind Srinivas (Perplexity CEO) is Disrupting Google Search with AI 1:38:14

5M ago1:38:14

1:38:14

One of the most preeminent AI founders, Aravind Srinivas (CEO, Perplexity), believes we could see 100+ AI startups valued over $10B in our future. In the episode, we discuss why Perplexity decided to compete with Google and Aravind shares predictions for the utopian future of artificial intelligence. He also discusses the differences between workin…

1
Conspiracy theory and the Moscow terror 21:34

5M ago21:34

21:34

The deadly terror attack in a concert hall outside Moscow was immediatley claimed by ISIS-K, the Islamic State network's Afghanistan franchise. But just as quickly, the Russian and Ukrainian intelligence services accused each other of being behind it—the latter saying it was organized as a "provocation" to expand Moscow's war in Ukraine. Putin's ri…

1
EP 96: Tracy Young - After Selling Company for $875M Repeat Founder Emerges from Stealth and Shares Every Mistake She Made As A First-Time CEO 1:35:35

5M ago1:35:35

1:35:35

This week, Tracy Young launched her second startup, TigerEye, from stealth mode. After selling PlanGrid to Autodesk for $875 million and working with YC for a couple of years, Tracy and her husband/co-founder decided to build the software they wished they’d had while building PlanGrid. In our conversation, Tracy unmasks her vision for TigerEye and …

1
Blood Libel in a time of genocide 45:36

5M ago45:36

45:36

Calling out the "Blood Libel" rhetoric and imagery in anti-Israel invective would certainly be a lot easier if Israel were not actually killing children, in large numbers, with leading voices openly calling for genocide of the Palestinians. And if pro-Israel (and MAGA) propaganda did not cynically conflate anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Yet from M…

1
Industry Episode with Zach Weinberg: Market Trends, Avoiding Hiring Bulls***ers, and Who Will Win In AI 1:16:10

5M ago1:16:10

1:16:10

Zach Weinberg is the Co-Founder and CEO of Curie.Bio, which has raised over $500 million to combine early-stage investing in biotech and drug discovery copiloting. He is also the co-founder of Flatiron Health, which sold to Roche for $1.9B, and Invite Media, which sold to Google when he was 21. In the episode, Zach dives into the current venture ma…

1
For Tibet-Palestine solidarity 24:59

5M ago24:59

24:59

The 65th anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day immediately follows Tibetan protests against plans to flood ancestral lands for mega-hydro development to power the cities and industrial zones of China's east—a clear parallel to the struggle of the Cree and Inuit indigenous peoples of the Canadian north to defend their territories from mega-hydro schem…

1
Free speech and the Facebook dilemma 21:08

5M ago21:08

21:08

This week's Meta outage plunged millions around the world into panic. No sooner did Bill Weinberg get back on Facebook than its robots slapped restrictions on his account for supposedly promoting "dangerous organizations"—precisely in response to his protests against online stanning for extremist groups! Apart from subjection to such Orwellian dikt…

1
EP 95: Tooey Courtemanche (CEO, Procore) Everything This Veteran CEO Would Tell Founders After Building To $11B 1:39:36

5M ago1:39:36

1:39:36

Tooey Courtemanche has been the CEO of Procore for over two decades, bringing the company from $0 to over $1B ARR and a $11B+ valuation today. In my latest episode, we explore how Tooey built the #1 Construction Management Software company, including his strategies for maintaining a talented team, his mindsets for tough times, lessons from mentors …

1
The electoral dilemma in apartheid Jerusalem 27:32

6M ago27:32

27:32

Amid the mounting horror in Gaza, Israel held municipal elections—which saw gains for the ultra-Zionist right, including in Jerusalem. But the city for the first time saw a Palestinian council candidate—Sondos Alhot, a pro-coexistence activist who ran with a new list called Kol Toshaveha (All Its Residents). Her candidacy, which came in defiance of…

1
Frontline fighters (and martyrs) for free speech 19:08

6M ago19:08

19:08

In Burma, the mutilated body of independent journalist Myat Thu Tan was found at the military base where he had been detained, after the camp was overrun by rebels of the pro-democratic resistance. In Kazakhstan, detained activist Aqylbek Muratbai is fighting extradition to Uzbekistan, where he had been speaking out against bloody repression faced …

1
EP 94: Niraj Shah (CEO, Wayfair) Building To $10B in Home Decor Revenue 1:13:52

6M ago1:13:52

1:13:52

Niraj Shah is the Co-founder and CEO of Wayfair. In this episode, Niraj shares Wayfair’s journey from a collection of 250 sites generating $500 million in revenue to a single, unified brand achieving over $10 billion in online sales of home goods and furniture. He explains the challenges of overseeing a vast e-commerce platform with more than 10,00…

1
For Palestinian-Uyghur solidarity 33:27

6M ago33:27

33:27

In Episode 213 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg notes how divergent responses to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians and mass internment of the Uyghurs reveal the West's shifting definition of genocide. Tragically, elements of the Palestinian leadership merely reverse the double standard, causing elements of the exiled Uyghur leader…

1
Parker Conrad: The Zenefits Redemption Story That Led to Rippling ($11B) 1:15:52

6M ago1:15:52

1:15:52

In this memorable episode from our podcast archives, we revisit our conversation with Parker Conrad, Co-Founder of Rippling and former CEO of Zenefits. Parker opens up about his entrepreneurial path, detailing everything from fundraising challenges to his departure from Zenefits and the founding of Rippling. We also discuss the dynamics between VCs…

1
Iraq, Palestine, escalation and errata 35:40

6M ago35:40

35:40

In Episode 212 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg takes stock of the latest escalation in the Middle East—and continues to note discrepancies in the reportage. US air-strikes on Iraq are said to have targeted the self-declared Islamic Resistance in Iraq, and its constituent militias such as Kataib Hezbollah. But some reports indicate the a…

1
Neither US imperialism nor Islamic Republic 27:53

6M ago27:53

27:53

In Episode 211 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg takes stock of the potential for escalation to world war as Joe Biden retaliates for a deadly drone strike on US forces by an Iran-backed militia with air raids on 85 targets in Iraq and Syria. The same militias that have been attacking US forces in Iraq and Syria have also brutally repress…

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