BigDeal Podcast

Episode: Billionaire’s Advice to Young People | Joe Liemandt

Date: November 5, 2025
Host: Codie Sanchez
Guest: Joe Liemandt (Founder/Principal, Alpha School; Founder of Trilogy Software & ESW Capital)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the contrarian and results-driven approach to education championed by billionaire entrepreneur Joe Liemandt. Moving beyond traditional schooling, Joe discusses how AI, learning science, financial literacy, and passionate, real-world projects can transform students into confident, successful, and happy adults. The conversation balances hard data with hard-won life lessons, covering everything from parenting and social motivation to the future (and scalability) of accessible, effective education.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Broken Traditional Education System

• Joe Liemandt critiques the century-old classroom model where children sit for hours absorbing information from teachers who have often never "done the thing they’re teaching" (09:14).
• He argues the old model is outpaced by the rapid changes AI will bring, leaving most kids under-equipped:

  “If we spend 10 years and educate kids the way we've been educating for 100 years, those kids are going to go into an AI world and have no skills that matter.” (00:39, 60:38)

• The goal at Alpha is teaching academic material 10x faster and giving kids “the rest of their childhood back.” (15:28, 24:15)

Motivation, Money, and Capitalism in Education

• Students are naturally motivated by things like fame, influence, athletics, and wealth—but schools rarely teach how to harness that.

  “Kids want to be influencers. They want to be famous...They also want to be rich, right? Those are all dimensions that drive kids’ motivation.” (03:58)

• Financial literacy is taught starting from kindergarten at Alpha, with real money integrated: students earn, save, invest, and even borrow (and pay back with interest!). Middle schoolers can Yolo their earned money, learning painful but invaluable lessons early.

  “The best time to have that happen to you is in seventh grade, not when you're 27.” (06:14)

• Joe laments the lack of open conversations about wealth and the skills needed to attain it, contrasting that with Alpha’s data-driven, transparent approach. (05:07)
• He makes an impassioned defense of capitalism as a force for good in education—one not taught, or even demonized, in most public discourse. (05:37, 67:50)

Rethinking School: Accelerated Learning & Joy as the Centerpiece

• Alpha’s nontraditional approach combines AI-powered individualized learning (achieving 2x-10x results in 2 hours per day) with project-based afternoons focused on each student’s genuine passion. (15:28, 19:43)

  "You can crush your academics in two hours a day. That's it. That's all you need." (15:28)

• Singing the praises of student engagement, Joe says:

  “You want to build a school that kids love, that is what unlocks kids’ potential—they're doing it because they love it.” (13:43)

• He describes how Alpha students have asked to keep school open through the summer because their projects are so engaging. (11:20)
• Academic performance is tracked and transparent: every class at Alpha tests at the top 1% nationally. (15:28, 19:08)

Real-Life Skills, Not Just Academics

• Life skills—grit, teamwork, leadership, entrepreneurship, relationship-building—are prioritized through workshops and projects. (13:36, 38:28, 54:33)
• Students launch food trucks, create Broadway musicals, and become nationally recognized experts, all supported and incentivized by real-world earn/spend choices.
• Notably, Alpha pays students $1,000 if they reach top 1% academic performance, directly breaking down internalized “I’m not a math/science kid” mindsets. (21:48)

  “It’s not about IQ, it’s literally about effort.” (21:48)

Data, Transparency, and Proof Over Promise

• Joe presents Alpha’s transparent results:

  “We are the best performing academic school in the country. Every single class we have is top 1%. No school can say that.” (01:01, 15:28)

• MAP scores, SATs, and real project outcomes are published and scrutinized.
• Parents are often skeptical until the standardized test results come back—then become huge advocates. (19:14)

The Role of Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

• Joe describes how liking what you’re good at fosters a positive feedback loop:

  “People want to do things they're great at...If you're bad at something, it's how do you bootstrap them to get better?” (44:03)

• Alpha intentionally creates “hooks” tailored for each student, combining external incentives (money, freedom, project time) with intrinsic motivation.

Changing Mindsets: For Students, Adults, and Entrepreneurs

• The growth-mindset approach is applied to both students and adults, pushing back on “learned helplessness” and the consumer/scrolling trap:

  "Kids will use that [tracking values and time] for the rest of their life. Those are the life skills." (42:04)

• Joe extends hope and techniques for adults to “reskill” throughout life—insisting it’s not too late, but requires entrepreneurial reinvention of adult education. (25:35, 26:07)
• As a product of entrepreneurship himself, Joe draws a clear line between "builders" and "spreadsheet" thinkers:

  “An entrepreneur looks at that cell and says, I will change that cell. I will make that work. … You’re going to go change reality.” (30:29)

The Imperative to Scale: Equity, Brand, and System Change

• Alpha started high-end ($40k–$75k tuition), but Joe is rapidly building lower-cost ($15k–$20k/year) sports academies and micro-schools to democratize access. (62:21)
• He’s publicly committed over a billion dollars personally, but says capitalism is necessary for true scalability:

  “Nonprofit means non-scalable … Capitalism scales. Right. This billion dollars that I threw in, that's not enough to fix education.” (68:18)

• Joe’s ultimate target is software + AI that can reach a billion kids for under $1,000/tablet—all over the planet. (63:58)

Technology: Threat and Opportunity

• AI is here to stay; parents should be wary of its influence but proactive in using it for good.

  “You should be terrified. They are being brainwashed by TikTok… AI could be good or bad and we need to have a huge effort to make sure that we use it for good.” (00:12, 71:52)

• The "cheatbot" problem with ChatGPT in academics is noted, but AI is also the lever for hyper-personalized, mastery-driven, love-filled education. (60:38)
• Joe warns that failure to adapt will create an underclass unprepared for the jobs of the AI age.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On motivation and learning speed:

  "We have known for 40 years that kids could learn 2, 5, 10 times faster... But they all started with: this will not work with the standard teacher in front of a classroom model." (15:28)

• On the MBA vs. Doing:

  "Should people go to MBAs? No, that's an easy one for me is no… there is nothing on the business knowledge that you’re going to come out of there. That is a fraction of what you would get from building your own thing for that two years." (08:12)

• On entrepreneur mindsets:

  “Entrepreneurs believe they’re going to change the world no matter what everybody else thinks.” (29:22)

• Why students leave consumer mode:

  “Kids want to go change the world. They believe they can, right? They just don't have the skills.” (32:11)

• The inescapability of change:

  “If we keep on the status quo, not going to happen, right? It’s a 100 year old system. It’s not changing.” (60:16)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• AI & Education, The Big Picture: 00:00–01:13, 60:02–63:57
• Motivation, Money & Financial Education: 03:58–07:55
• Why MBA is Outdated, Entrepreneurship Mindset: 08:09–09:14, 29:22–32:01
• Alpha School Methods & Results: 09:57–16:08, 19:08–20:11
• Breaking Internalized Mindset Barriers: 20:11–21:48
• Personal Stories (Joe & Students): 26:20–29:22, 54:07–57:32
• Scaling & Democratizing Innovation: 62:17–64:47
• Capitalism v. Nonprofit, Scaling Education: 67:45–69:34
• AI: Challenge & Opportunity for Kids: 71:46–74:07

Further Resources

• Austin Scholar: Joe’s daughter’s Substack, chronicling 10 years in the new education model (“academics plus social-emotional learning”).
  (Recommended by Joe at 75:21: “That’s the single best source.”)
• Find more on Alpha's results and philosophy at their [official site].

Conclusion

Joe Liemandt’s vision for the future of education revolves around making school not only highly effective but a source of real joy and lifelong confidence for children—using AI, entrepreneurship, and rigorous life-skill development. He’s adamant that the old way is not merely sub-optimal but actively harmful to both individual potential and societal resilience in the AI economy.

His message to listeners is clear and energized:

"If I can convince some of your listeners, right, some of your audience to come over to education, this, there is nothing… The last three years have been the best years of my life. ...If you’re like that, send me an email, DM me, and let’s get you building to solve education.” (76:31)

For educators, parents, entrepreneurs, and anyone concerned about the next generation: this episode is an unvarnished, practical look at what’s possible when we challenge our deepest assumptions about how kids grow, learn, and flourish.