The Best Podcasts That’ll Make Your Brain Pop!
If you’re like me and commute a lot for work, there’s only so much Justin Bieber that you can listen too (yes, it’s actually possible to reach a limit). Here are some of my favorite podcasts to listen to with respect to tech and investing:
Exponent is hands-down the best podcast to listen to if you’re interested in technology trends and the intersection of technology and society. Ben Thompson has quickly become a visionary in technology through his posts on Stratechery about public and private companies and shifting user behaviors. Ben and James use a friendly banter back and forth that quickly evolves into deeply thoughtful discussion as they get further engrossed in a topic. Recent podcast discussions include the evolution of Snapchat and the business models of “old world” advertisers. Podcast lengths are typically 1 hour long and well worth it.
Stanford’s Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders podcast is perfectly tailored for entrepreneurs and VCs. The podcast has weekly talks during each season by a prominent entrepreneur or investor to discuss idea generation, psychology, how to start a company, and what has helped drive their success. You can get access to everything from Rockets/AI with speakers such as Elon Musk and Astro Teller of Google X through the importance of company culture with Dharmesh Shah, co-founder of Hubspot. Podcast lengths are typically 1 hour long. If you are ever interested in starting your own company, this would be my #1 pick.
The Product Hunt podcast features the Maker Series which examines successful entrepreneurs and investors. Similar to ETL, the podcast dives into what made these individuals/companies successful and how they evolved through their career to their current roles. There’s even podcasts with people like rapper G-Eazy and poets like Alysia Harris! Podcast lengths run from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
If you are really into science or an aspiring scientist like me (in another life perhaps), Omega Tau’s podcast is for you. These podcasts go deep into the technical aspects of science and technology such as the software behind autonomous vehicles, what is string theory, and how quantum computing actually works. You really need to concentrate and pay attention if you want to fully capture what is being talked about. Podcast lengths run from 1 hour to 3 hours depending on the subject. Embrace your inner scientist with this podcast!
Acquired’s podcast is probably more geared towards investors, finance folks, and entrepreneurs who are interested in learning what made past tech acquisitions successful. The hosts are engaging and bring in guests from time to time to talk about what actually occurred behind the scenes. A personal favorite of mine is the show talking about Microsoft’s Bungie acquisition where you learn how Halo’s IP was developed. Podcasts typically run for 1 hour or less and is definitely fun to listen to as you’re riding on the train or locked in standstill traffic.
Last, but certainly not least, I would recommend the Value Investing Podcast. This is only for people interested in investing as it is not tech focused but rather talks with highly successful public investors about how to determine moats and competitive advantages of companies. Podcasts lengths run 30 minutes to 1 hour.
I will say there are plenty more podcasts out there that are interesting but it is hard to listen to them all. For me, I enjoy listening to stuff pertaining to investing and technology but there are tons more podcasts about every subject imaginable. I think podcasts contain huge amounts of valuable information and unique access to individuals that you normally do not get even through social media and books. If you have any interesting ones that you think I’ve left out, please let me know!
