The “PayPal Mafia” Lore: Inside the Elon Musk Coup and the Beginning of Founder Culture
Today, Sammi uncovers one of the most iconic origin stories in tech: how a scrappy, chaotic startup from the late ’90s — PayPal — became the launchpad for a generation of founders who went on to build...
14 Marras 202513min
Marina and Ricardo Larroudé (Larroudé) on Innovative D2C Models, Betting on Brazil and Trading in the 9-to-5
When the world shut down, Marina and Ricardo Larroudé hit go. Out of their Manhattan apartment, the former Teen Vogue fashion director and her financier husband built Larroudé—a shoe brand that went f...
11 Marras 202557min
The 90s Microdrama Revolution and Ghost of Quibi
Hollywood is changing—and its future might be vertical. Today, Sammi dives into the explosive rise of “microdramas,” the ultra-short, ultra-addictive scripted shows that are pulling in billions and le...
7 Marras 202522min
Gwen Whiting (The Laundress) on Acquisition Cautionary Tales, Bootstrapping, and The Fill
Gwen Whiting co-founded The Laundress, the luxury laundry brand that transformed washing clothes into a lifestyle statement. What started as a passion project funded by credit cards became a cult favo...
4 Marras 20251h 1min
Spirit Halloween: The Billion-Dollar Pop-Up That Can’t Be Beat
Today’s episode is all about the billion dollar business built on a business model that defies every rule of traditional retail; they occupy buildings for just three months a year, hire around 50,000 ...
31 Loka 202515min
RH’s Luxury Mountain and House of Cards: Part 2
In part two of her Restoration Hardware deep dive, Sammi pulls back the curtain on what’s really at the top of “Luxury Mountain.” From the troubled Aspen expansion and RH’s sky-high ambitions in Eur...
28 Loka 202523min
Yachts, Private Jets and The Restoration Hardware CEO Lore: Part 1
Today, Sammi delivers the most requested episode topic yet: the lore of Restoration Hardware and its CEO, Gary Friedman. Gary Friedman is part visionary, part provocateur and part illusionist. He is t...
24 Loka 202530min
Jim McKelvey (Square) on How to Out-Compete a Goliath, Advice for “Wantrepreneurs,” and Economizing Drug Trials
Building something that lasts is rare. Building something that rewires an entire industry? That’s almost unheard of. But that’s exactly what Jim McKelvey did when he co-founded Square (now Block) with...
21 Loka 20251h 5min
