Trailer: What is Acquired?

Summary

Acquired Podcast Trailer: What is Acquired?

Release Date: October 1, 2015
Hosts: Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal
Description: Acquired explores the histories, strategies, and stories behind the world's greatest companies, uncovering the playbooks that transformed them from obscurity to ubiquity.

Introduction

In the trailer episode titled "What is Acquired?", hosts Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal introduce listeners to the essence and mission of the Acquired podcast.

Hosts' Passion and Obsession

Ben and David share their deep-seated passion for dissecting the success stories of major companies.

Ben Gilbert [00:11]: "Ben and I are obsessed with uncovering the history, strategy and stories behind what built the greatest companies in the world."

This obsession drives them to meticulously research each chosen company, dedicating substantial time to understand what differentiates these giants from their competitors.

Research Methodology

The hosts emphasize their rigorous research process, which involves extensive reading and conducting primary interviews.

David Rosenthal [00:34]: "We spend 100 hours each reading everything that exists about a company and doing primary research and background interviews with the people who lived it firsthand."

This thorough approach ensures that every episode is rich with detailed and accurate insights.

Scope and Diversity of Topics

While Acquired began with a focus on tech companies, the podcast has expanded its horizons to include a diverse range of industries and subjects.

David Rosenthal [00:34]: "What started 10 years ago as just the study of tech companies has led to a curiosity about our broader world."

Examples of topics cover companies like Nvidia, Costco, Amazon, as well as non-tech entities such as the NFL and even personalities like Taylor Swift.

Unique Podcast Format

Ben and David describe their podcast format as a "conversational audiobook," highlighting its unique storytelling style.

Ben Gilbert [01:31]: "We call it a conversational audiobook. Ben and I tell these stories of these companies through a deep conversation and typically it's just the two of us without an interview guest."

Episodes are designed to be in-depth, typically lasting three to four hours, allowing for comprehensive exploration of each company's journey.

Engaging Storytelling

Despite the lengthy duration, the hosts assure listeners of engaging and worthwhile content.

Ben Gilbert [01:31]: "These are amazing stories that deserve every minute and we have a lot of fun along the way."

Their goal is to provide a complete understanding of each company by the episode's conclusion, making the extensive runtime a valuable investment for the audience.

Community and Engagement

David invites listeners to become part of the Acquired community, fostering engagement and discussion.

David Rosenthal [02:19]: "If you ever want to discuss any episodes or give us any feedback, join us in the acquired community at acquired FM Slack."

This call to action underscores the podcast's commitment to building an interactive and supportive listener base.

Conclusion

The trailer effectively sets the stage for what listeners can expect from Acquired. Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal present a podcast deeply rooted in research, passionate storytelling, and a broad exploration of what makes companies succeed on a global scale. Whether delving into tech giants or exploring the mechanics behind major sports leagues, Acquired promises insightful and comprehensive narratives that reveal the secrets behind some of the world's most influential organizations.

Transcript

[David Rosenthal]

Hello and welcome to Acquired the podcast about great companies and the stories and playbooks behind them.

[Ben Gilbert]

I'm Ben Gilbert, I'm David Rosenthal and.

[David Rosenthal]

We are your hosts.

[Ben Gilbert]

So Ben and I are obsessed with uncovering the history, strategy and stories behind what built the greatest companies in the world. Each month we choose a company and we spend the entire month researching what uniquely made it work where many others failed. The output of that is a full day recording session where Ben and I come together and tell the absolute deepest business and technology stories on the Internet.

[David Rosenthal]

And when we say obsessed, we mean that we spend 100 hours each reading everything that exists about a company and doing primary research and background interviews with the people who lived it firsthand. These are stories like Nvidia, Costco, Hermes, Microsoft, Rolex, Amazon. Those are some of our favorites. Anyway, what started 10 years ago as just the study of tech companies has led to a curiosity about our broader world. From Berkshire Hathaway to the NFL or even Taylor Swift, our goal in creating each episode is to uncover the secrets that are lurking in plain sight and how these world changing companies went from obscurity to ubiquity. So if you've ever wondered how did Starbucks end up on every corner around the globe?

[Unknown]

Or.

[David Rosenthal]

Or what does Visa actually do? And how did they become the payment rails of the whole globe? Or why is the NFL so much bigger than other sports leagues? Then acquired is for you.

[Ben Gilbert]

Yep, we have a unique format that we do on the show. We call it a conversational audiobook. Ben and I tell these stories of these companies through a deep conversation and typically it's just the two of us without an interview guest. Occasionally we will bring in a protagonist from the story like Howard Schultz from Starbucks or Jensen Huang from Nvidia or Mark Zuckerberg from Meta. Usually though, that's as a follow up interview to a deep dive that we've already done on their company. Now, one thing we should say, our episodes are typically very long, like three to four hours long since we go really deep. But don't be scared. These are amazing stories that deserve every minute and we have a lot of fun along the way. Our goal is really to deliver a complete understanding of a company by the time you finish the episode.

[David Rosenthal]

So we're glad you're here. Welcome. And if you ever want to discuss any episodes or give us any feedback, join us in the acquired community at acquired FM Slack. Welcome.