Invest Like the Best with Patrick O’Shaughnessy
Business:Investing
My guest today is Samo Burja. Samo is the founder of consulting firm, Bismark Analysis, and has dedicated his life’s work to understanding why there has never been an immortal society. His research focuses on institutions, the founders behind them, how they rise and why they always fall in the end. As you’ll hear, Samo has an encyclopedic grasp of history and his work has led him to some fascinating theories about human progress, the nature of exceptional founders, and the future of different societies across the world. Please enjoy my conversation with Samo Burja.
Listen to Founders Podcast
Founders Episode 311: James Cameron
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
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Show Notes
(00:02:52) - (First question) - The core thesis behind the Great Founder Theory
(00:06:40) - Great ideas inevitably being discovered at some point in history
(00:08:45) - The historic implications of a global adoption of the Great Founder Theory
(00:10:51) - The different possible directions of future trends
(00:17:08) - Distinctions between great founders versus live players
(00:22:15) - Common misconceptions about what qualifies one as a great founder
(00:24:38) - Noteworthy great founders in the United States
(00:28:34) - Recurring observable traits and common themes of great founders
(00:31:29) - Using caution when projecting a mythic lens onto great founders
(00:37:53) - Social technology as the upstream effects of prior material technology
(00:43:32) - Whether or not institutions play a role in propagating the work of great founders
(00:49:08) - The role of power and differences between owned and borrowed power
(00:56:51) - Additional ideas that play an outsized role in shaping the world
(01:01:09) - A differing worldview to his own that he finds interesting
(01:04:53) - Whether or not capital allocators can benefit from the Great Founder Theory
(01:07:37) - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for him
Will England - A Primer on Multi-Strategy Hedge Funds - [Invest Like the Best, EP.342]
James Cameron - The Futurist - [Founders, Forever Episode]
Lee Ainslie - Hedge Fund Maverick - [Invest Like the Best, EP. 341]
Nick Kokonas - Know What You Are Selling – [Founder’s Field Guide, Forever Episode]
Des Traynor - Real Talk about AI and Software - [Invest Like the Best, EP.340]
Chris Paik - Venture Investing Frameworks - [Invest Like the Best, EP.338]
Josh Kushner - Building Thrive Capital - [Invest Like the Best, EP.337]
Jeremy Giffon - Special Situations in Private Markets - [Invest Like the Best, EP.336]
Dave Yuan - A Primer on Vertical Market Software - [Invest Like the Best, EP.335]
Kevin Kelly - Be Generous and Unique - [Invest Like the Best, EP.334]
Justin Mares - The US Health Crisis - [Invest Like the Best, EP.333]
Scott Goodwin - Know The Names - [Invest Like the Best, EP.332]
Rolex: Timeless Excellence - [Business Breakdowns, Forever Episode]
Kieran Goodwin - Imagination, Volatility, and the Pursuit of Alpha - [Invest Like the Best, EP.331]
Henry Schuck - Building ZoomInfo - [Invest Like the Best, EP.330]
Karen Karniol-Tambour - Macro Headwinds vs. Tech Tailwinds - [Invest Like the Best, EP.329]
Fidji Simo - Creating Delightful Consumer Experiences - [Invest Like the Best, EP.328]
Bessemer Venture Partners - Building a VC Firm that Lasts Centuries - [Invest Like the Best, EP.327]
Alexis Rivas - A New Blueprint for Homebuilding - [Invest Like the Best, EP.326]
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