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The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

By: Shane Parrish
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 Timeless wisdom in an accelerating world. Hosted by Shane Parrish. “The highest density of wisdom per episode of any podcast.” Weekly Newsletter: fs.blog/newsletter Books: fs.blog/books X: x.com/ShaneAParrish IG: www.instagram.com/farnamstreet LI: www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183Farnam Street Media Inc. Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Finance
Episodes
  • #232 Reed Hastings: The Netflix Playbook for Culture, Judgment, and Scale

    #232 Reed Hastings: The Netflix Playbook for Culture, Judgment, and Scale
    Jun 10 2025
    How do you build a high-performance culture without turning your company into the Hunger Games? Reed Hastings, co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, shares lessons from a career spent rewriting the rules—from severance as a management tool to “big-hearted champions who pick up the trash.” In this episode, he reveals how Netflix scaled trust, made bold bets before the data was in, and kept its edge by treating employees like adults—not assets. You’ll hear how Hastings evaluates talent beyond the interview, the reason he avoids performance improvement plans, and what most leaders misunderstand about judgment, feedback, and innovation. You’ll also hear why he placed a $100 million bet on House of Cards with no pilot, how Drive to Survive changed an entire sport, and why Squid Game caught even Netflix by surprise. Now focused on a new chapter—owning a ski mountain, reshaping education through AI tutors, and supporting charter schools—Hastings is still doing what he does best: building systems that scale culture, not just product. If you care about performance without politics—or culture without the clichés—this is a blueprint from one of the clearest thinkers in modern business. Approximate timestamps: Subject to variation due to dynamically inserted ads: (3:09) Powder Mountain, Skiing Industry, & Buying a Mountain (6:36) Setting Culture in an Organization (9:21) Hiring Process and Evaluating Candidates (14:24) Netflix's 2009 Slide Deck Release (16:26) Talent Density and Performance Culture (17:59) Loyalty and Team Building (19:56) Severance Packages (22:17) Process Vs. Innovation (24:21) Preventing Bureaucracy from Creeping In (25:46) Identifying and Nurturing Good Judgment (26:40) Transition from CEO to Board Member (27:37) Competitive Landscape of Online Streaming (29:18) Role of Netflix in Driving Industry Interest (31:25) Handling Controversy: The Dave Chappelle Case (33:59) Inclusiveness and DEI in the Workplace (35:10) Customer Satisfaction and Operating Income (36:06) Decision Making in Content Acquisition: House of Cards (37:28) Creating vs Buying Content (38:46) Data Collection and User Preferences (40:32) AI in Netflix and Personal Use (42:33) AI in Education (45:12) Charter Schools and Importance of Education (48:07) Charter Schools and Government Control (52:34) Misconceptions and Personal Projects (53:25) Admiration for Bill Gates (55:04) Work-Life Integration (56:59) Reflections on Career and Obsession (59:12) The Netflix Keeper Test (1:00:38) Learning from Past Experiences at Pure Software (1:02:27) Challenges and Regrets at Pure Software (1:03:38) Role of the Board in Founder-led Companies (1:04:49) Venture Capital Experiences and Insights (1:05:31) Defining Moments and Openness to New Experiences (1:06:14) First Product Excitement: The Foot Mouse (1:07:19) Definition of Success Thanks to our sponsors for supporting this episode: NORDVPN: To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan go to ⁠⁠nordvpn.com/KNOWLEDGEPROJECT⁠. Our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There's no risk with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! MOMENTOUS: Head to https://www.livemomentous.com and use code KNOWLEDGEPROJECT for 35% off your first subscription. Newsletter - The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠ Upgrade — If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of the episode, join our membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and get your own private feed. Watch on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠@tkppodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • #231 Outliers: Harvey Firestone – Men and Rubber

    #231 Outliers: Harvey Firestone – Men and Rubber
    Jun 3 2025
    Most people fear a $43 million debt. Harvey Firestone called it “invigorating.” When his company faced collapse in 1920 and his executives panicked, Firestone seized control. He fired the sales manager, slashed prices 25%, and personally ran the sales department. It worked—not because he managed through fear, but through clarity. Firestone was the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company—an outsider who built one of America’s iconic industrial empires by doing the opposite of what everyone else did. This episode isn’t about tires. It’s about how Firestone quietly built one of the great businesses of the 20th century by asking two deceptively simple questions: Is it necessary? Can it be simplified? This episode breaks down the invisible principles behind Firestone’s success: positioning over talent, inputs over outcomes, discipline over drama. If you lead a team or simply want to lead yourself better, this story is a masterclass in building enduring advantages. This episode is for informational purposes only and is based on Men and Rubber: The Story of Business by Harvey Firestone. Check out highlights from these books in our repository, and find key lessons from Firestone here—⁠⁠⁠https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/outliers-harvey-firestone/ (03:00) PART 1: The Best Businessman I Ever Knew(06:50) The Vanilla Extract Lesson(10:23) When Premium Doesn’t Matter (12:05) PART 2: Right Beneath the Wheels(14:21) The Back of an Envelope(16:36) If Two of Us Stay, Neither Makes Money(18:39) Betting on what Doesn’t Change(20:55) The Accidental Breakfast(24:53) The Third Option (28:19) PART 3: The Innovators Dilemma: Pneumatic Tires(32:24) The Ford Connection: A Partnership of Outsiders(35:23) Navigating the Crisis(37:17) The Underdog’s Advantage(39:24) The Million Dollar Milestone(43:10) Weathering the Panic of 1907(45:55) The Simplicity Imperative (51:25) PART 4: The Ship-by-Truck Revolution(54:31) The Boom That Hid Everything(56:11) The 25% Solution(01:01:42) Cutting to the Bone (01:04:25) PART 5: Why He Never Stopped(01:06:54) The Human Element(01:08:09) The Legacy (01:10:05) Reflections, afterthoughts, and lessons Upgrade—If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of all episodes, join our membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and get your own private feed. Newsletter—The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter Follow Shane on X at: x.com/ShaneAParrish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 25 mins
  • #230 Bill Belichick: 8x Super Bowl Champion on Winning, Leadership, and Discipline

    #230 Bill Belichick: 8x Super Bowl Champion on Winning, Leadership, and Discipline
    May 27 2025
    Eight Super Bowl rings. Six with the Patriots. And a mindset that goes far deeper than football. In this rare, wide-ranging conversation, Bill Belichick breaks down the invisible factors behind sustained excellence: discipline, preparation, and the mental edge that separates contenders from champions. He shares the surprising reason he kept Tom Brady as a fourth-string rookie, why talent alone is never enough at the highest level, and how true competitors find ways to win long after their gifts fade. You’ll hear why Belichick cut a player the week of the Super Bowl, how technology is changing player preparation and locker room culture, and why “we have control of the game” became the rallying belief in the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. This episode covers everything from how he decides when to push a player—or pull back—to how trust is built inside elite teams. Belichick also explains why the price of success is always paid in advance—and why there’s no shortcut around the work. If you lead a team, or want to lead yourself better, this episode is a masterclass from the greatest football mind of our time. Approximate timestamps: Subject to variation due to dynamically inserted ads: (00:42) Patriots' Employee Guiding Principles (04:25) Talent vs Hard Work (05:43) Competitive Spirit (10:38) You Cannot Win Until You Keep From Losing (15:11) The Drawer and Prioritizing Your Goals (17:07) Social Media, Technology, and Football (24:45) Preparation and Success (27:55) Confidence In The NFL (29:45) Kobe Bryant & Learning To Evolve As You Get Older (31:02) Other Guest Speakers And Their Lessons (32:28) Disciplining NFL Players (39:45) Working Your Way Up & How To Train Staff (47:56) Motivation & Discipline (56:08) Correcting Mistakes and Moving On (58:28) Building A Team vs Collecting Talent (01:00:13) How Has NFL Coaching Changed In The Last 5 Years? (01:01:43) 4 Patriot Rules For Staying Grounded (01:06:11) Super Bowl LI Patriots' Comeback Thanks to our sponsors for supporting this episode: SHOPIFY: Upgrade your business and get the same checkout I use. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at ⁠shopify.com/knowledgeproject⁠ NOTION MAIL: Get Notion Mail for FREE at notion.com/knowledgeproject NORDVPN: To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan go to ⁠nordvpn.com/KNOWLEDGEPROJECT. Our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There's no risk with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! MINT MOBILE: Shop premium wireless plans at mintmobile.com/KNOWLEDGEPROJECT Newsletter - The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠ Upgrade — If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of the episode, join our membership: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠ and get your own private feed. Watch on YouTube: ⁠⁠@tkppodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 15 mins
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Fantastic podcast from Shane & guests. Aways left wanting more. Highly recommended. Don’t miss out. Listen.

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