315 - 疯狂创新者，访谈作者 Jimmy Soni

在本期节目中，我们邀请到了获奖作家和传记作者 Jimmy Soni。他撰写了多本书籍，包括A Mind at Play: how Claude Shannon invented the information age 以及新作 The Founders: the story of PayPal and the entrepreneurs who shaped silicon valley。这两本书均有中文版：《香农传》和《疯狂创新者》。

节目目录

00:57 - PayPal Mafia是谁？PayPal早期员工后来成为了硅谷的重要人物。他们的成功和紧密合作引发了人们对他们如何最终聚集在一家公司的好奇。

03:21 - PayPal 成立以来的20年，包括Elon Musk和Reid Hoffman在内的PayPal校友，持续在各个领域取得巨大成功。

05:29 - 作者 Soni 讨论了写作关于在世人物相比于已故人物的不同之处，并分享了他之前关于Claude Shannon的书和在Bell Labs完成的工作之间的联系。

09:19 - 为创作本书，作者采访了一系列人物，包括员工、投资者、实习生和竞争对手。

15:18 - PayPal的成功可以归因于高度能干的员工，把握良好时机，以及通过为eBay提供支付系统来填补市场空白。

22:44 - 在2000年的网络泡沫破裂期间，PayPal面临财务压力和关闭的威胁。

26:16 - 在2002年被eBay收购后，PayPal的许多高级成员离开而散落各个领域，最终促成了Yelp、YouTube和LinkedIn等成功企业。

30:40 - 激励机制和结构性变化使得美国大公司难以吸引人才进行开创性研究，导致人们更加关注初创企业而不是大型企业研究园区。

38:00 - 有一个误解认为，经营一家成功的科技公司只需要市场营销技能，但其实 Steve Jobs 拥有技术专长以及用户体验和设计能力，而不仅仅擅长市场营销。

41:28 - PayPal故事中，非本土出生的人们承担了重要角色。

54:13 - 从PayPal Mafia学到什么：接受有争议的想法、拥有持久力和专注力，以及培养一种好奇和玩乐的心态。

62:51 - 阅读传记可以帮助并决定在世界上成为什么样的人。

Blow Your Mind (BYM) 是一档中英双语播客，涉猎广泛的主题，包括科技、经济、讲故事、历史、创业、创造力和数学。过往的嘉宾包括电影制作人、作家、表演艺术家和AI科学家。

Email: bymclub@outlook.com

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For this episode, we have as guest award-winning author and biographer Jimmy Soni. He has written a number of books, including "A Mind at Play: how Claude Shannon invented the information age" and more recently, "The Founders: the story of PayPal and the entrepreneurs who shaped silicon valley". Both books are available in Chinese: 《香农传》和 《疯狂创新者》.

00:57 - Who are the The PayPal Mafia? Early employees of PayPal who went on to become influential figures in Silicon Valley. Their collective success and close collaboration sparked curiosity about how they all ended up at one company.

03:21 - The PayPal alumni, including Elon Musk and Reid Hoffman, continue to make significant contributions in various fields 20 years since the company's founding.

05:29 - Soni discusses the difference in writing about living subjects compared to deceased ones, and shares a connection between his previous book on Claude Shannon and the work done at Bell Labs.

09:19 - A wide range of people were interviewed for the book, including employees, investors, interns, and competitors.

15:18 - PayPal's success can be attributed to the combination of highly competent employees, good timing during the dot-com bubble, and filling a gap in the market by providing a payment system for eBay.

22:44 - PayPal faced financial pressure and the threat of shutting down during the dot-com crash in 2000.

26:16 - After the eBay acquisition in 2002, many senior members of the PayPal team left, leading to a dispersal of talent that ultimately resulted in the creation of successful ventures such as Yelp, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

30:40 - The shift in incentives and structure of technology in the United States has made it difficult for big companies to attract talent for groundbreaking research, leading to a focus on startups rather than corporate research parks.

38:00 - The misconception that running a successful tech company only requires marketing skills, highlighting Steve Jobs' technical expertise and the importance of user experience and design in addition to marketing.

41:28 - The PayPal story is filled with key figures who were foreign-born immigrants

54:13 - What we can learn from the PayPal Mafia: embracing controversial ideas, having endurance and focus, and cultivating a playful and curious mindset.

62:51 - Reading biographies can help individuals identify patterns and decide what kind of person they want to be in the world.

BYM is a Chinese and English podcast that covers a broad range of topics. Some of the recurring themes are: technology, economics, story-telling, history, entrepreneurship, creativity and mathematics. Past show guests include film-makers, authors, performing artists and AI researchers.