Steve Forbes: The Man Who Makes the Forbes 400 List

"One thing you learn: the world does not stay the same," says Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes Magazine. He joins The Bart Baggett Show to explore what sets billionaires—like those on the annual Forbes 400 list—apart from the rest of us, beyond just their wealth. The answer is both practical and refreshing. This same practical mindset has enabled Forbes Magazine to thrive in the digital age, even as many of its peers have faltered. Steve discusses the necessity of adapting to change, the importance of staying focused on your goals, and the surprising reason why so few people read books.

 

As the author of the new book, “Inflation: What It Is, Why It's Bad, and How to Fix It,” Steve draws a comparison between how politicians and economists handle inflation and how doctors used to treat patients—by addressing symptoms rather than the root cause. In a discussion that touches on health and longevity, Steve and Bart Baggett also delve into thriving well into old age, even beyond 120 years.

 

With AI now driving a fresh wave of changes in the media and publishing industries, Steve is likely to approach these developments with the same curiosity and creativity that have guided him throughout his career.

 

Quotes

• “Well, one of the things you learn is that the world does not stay the same. Peter Drucker, the late great management guru, liked to say, ‘Every organization should ask itself, what is your purpose? What is your mission? What is it you are trying to achieve?’ And if you ask that question, if the means to achieve it change, you get less hung up on it. But too often we get hung up on the means and forget the goal. So when the internet came along, blew away everything we had learned, we had to…there's no no book about how you cope with the Internet. You have to do it yourself. So you make mistakes, but you try to come up with new ways of doing it.” (2:44 | Steve Forbes) 
• “Again, trying to provide that service, trying to come up with products that meet the needs of people. And one of the things the internet did was relentlessly commoditize. You just couldn't have a name, you had to provide something and so that's what we continue to try to do. Who knows what AI is going to do? But  we’re trying to remember what our goal is: to enable people to move ahead in life.” (3:57 | Steve Forbes) 
• “Well, we have a book out called “Inflation: What It Is, Why It's Bad, and How to Fix It. It first came out three years ago when this thing was just beginning. We saw…the disaster coming. So in a week, we have the paperback version coming out, updated, new figures and also a great new foreword preface. So that comes out on July 16. And so yes, I'm still out there pitching, still out there agitating.” (5:01 | Steve Forbes)
• “It’s amazing, after 4000 years, politicians, policymakers, economists still treat inflation like doctors used to treat patients 200 years ago— the symptoms, not the cause. Yes, and so they bled the patient and so got rid of the patient’s suffering because they got rid of the patient.” (5:08 | Steve Forbes and Bart Baggett)

 

Links

Learn more and subscribe to the Bart Baggett’s Show The World’s Most Interesting People Fan Weekly Newsletter at https://thebartshow.com 

 

Links

Connect with Steve Forbes

https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/

https://www.facebook.com/SteveForbesCEO/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveforbesceo/

Connect with Bart Baggett

https://instagram.com/bartbaggett

https://www.instagram.com/bartshowpodcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@bartshowpodcast

https://bartbaggett.com

https://www.tiktok.com/@bartbaggett

https://x.com/bartbaggett

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm