✊ “The Leaders Pod” — Our 3 Best Stories on Legendary Business Leaders

Summary

Podcast Title: The Best One Yet
Host/Authors: Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell
Episode: ✊ “The Leaders Pod” — Our 3 Best Stories on Legendary Business Leaders
Release Date: May 23, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Best One Yet, hosts Jack Crivici-Kramer and Nick Martell delve into the inspiring stories of three legendary business leaders who have significantly influenced the business landscape over the past year. Skipping over advertisements and non-content sections, the hosts present a rich and engaging narrative filled with insightful discussions, notable quotes, and key takeaways from each leader's journey.

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1. Dolly Parton’s Expansive Business Empire

Timestamp: [04:44] - [09:44]

Overview:
Dolly Parton, the iconic country singer, is not only a musical legend but also a formidable business mogul. In this segment, Jack and Nick explore Dolly's diversified business ventures, highlighting her ability to transcend cultural barriers through humor and relatability.

Key Highlights:

• Diverse Ventures: Dolly recently celebrated her 78th birthday by launching a new album, a food brand, and a concert. Her business empire includes Dollywood, a theme park attracting 3 million visitors annually and valued at $400 million ([07:04] Nick).

• Strategic Partnerships: Dolly has partnered with major brands like Cracker Barrel and William Sonoma, expanding her product lines to include Dolly Parton meals and specially crafted plates ([07:20] Jack).

• Philanthropy: Beyond business, Dolly is a renowned philanthropist, having established a COVID-19 research fund that received $100 million in funding from Jeff Bezos ([08:10] Jack).

Notable Quotes:

• Nick: “Dolly Parton. Love is like a butterfly, but in business, she's like a hornet.” ([06:30])
• Jack: “Humor transcends all.” ([08:44])

Takeaways:

• Broad Appeal Through Humor: Dolly’s use of humor allows her to connect with a diverse audience, making her businesses relatable and widely appealing.
• Diversification is Key: Her ability to diversify her business interests beyond music has solidified her status as a business icon.

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2. Steve Ballmer’s Journey to Surpassing Bill Gates

Timestamp: [09:44] - [14:38]

Overview:
The second story chronicles Steve Ballmer's remarkable ascent from being Bill Gates’ personal assistant at Microsoft to becoming one of the world's richest individuals. This narrative serves as a compelling lesson on the power of risk, reward, and strategic equity decisions.

Key Highlights:

• Early Career: In 1980, Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft as the first non-technical employee, receiving a salary of $50,000 plus a 10% commission on profit growth ([10:24] Jack).

• Strategic Equity Choice: Ballmer opted for equity over a steady commission, acquiring 8% of Microsoft's stock during a critical restructuring phase ([12:24] Jack).

• Exponential Growth: His investment in Microsoft stock, especially during downturns, multiplied his wealth significantly as Microsoft's value soared to $3 trillion ([13:07] Jack).

Notable Quotes:

• Jack: “Assistant to the CEO?” ([12:02])
• Nick: “Steve Ballmer is now the sixth richest person in the world. He's even wealthier than Clippy.” ([11:35])

Takeaways:

• Equity Over Cash: Choosing equity can lead to substantial wealth growth, as demonstrated by Ballmer’s decisions.
• Embrace Risk for Greater Rewards: Ballmer’s willingness to take calculated risks paid off, emphasizing the importance of strategic risk-taking in career advancement.

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3. Jony Ive’s Innovative Leap with OpenAI

Timestamp: [17:20] - [23:06]

Overview:
Jony Ive, the legendary industrial designer behind iconic Apple products like the iPhone and iPad, has embarked on a groundbreaking venture by merging his new company, Lovefrom, with OpenAI. This collaboration aims to revolutionize AI hardware, potentially creating devices that could rival the iPhone in impact.

Key Highlights:

• Lovefrom’s Endeavors: Over the past five years, Ive has invested $90 million in Jackson Square, San Francisco, and designed products for high-profile clients, including the windows for the new Space Shuttle and the lightsaber for Star Wars ([21:10] Jack).

• AI Hardware Innovation: Lovefrom is now part of OpenAI, focusing on creating a physical hardware product that integrates AI more seamlessly into daily life ([17:32] Nick).

• Design Philosophy: Ive’s obsession with simplicity and minimalism continues to influence his work, with a particular fascination for buttons as a blend of fashion and function ([22:03] Jack).

Notable Quotes:

• Jony Ive: “I am absolutely certain that we are literally on the brink of a new generation of technology that can make us our better selves.” ([17:45] Jack)
• Nick: “Jony Ive is the most important designer of our lives.” ([18:04] Nick)

Takeaways:

• Attention to Detail: Ive’s focus on small design elements, like buttons, can dramatically influence product usability and aesthetic.
• Innovative Integration: Combining AI with hardware design opens new horizons for technology integration in everyday devices.

---

Conclusion: Leadership Lessons from Business Legends

Timestamp: [23:09] - [24:14]

In wrapping up, Jack and Nick reflect on the leadership qualities exemplified by Dolly Parton, Steve Ballmer, and Jony Ive. They emphasize the importance of humor, strategic risk-taking, and meticulous attention to detail as key factors that have propelled these leaders to their legendary statuses.

Final Quotes:

• Jack: “One small, seemingly insignificant detail can influence the outlook of the whole product.” ([22:27] Nick)
• Nick: “Major leaps in wealth typically don't come through a salary. They come through equity.” ([14:25] Jack)

Final Takeaway: Emulating the diverse strengths of these business icons—whether it's Dolly’s humor and diversification, Ballmer’s strategic equity decisions, or Ive’s precision in design—can inspire and guide aspiring leaders toward success.

---

Additional Highlights

• Personal Stories & Congratulations: The hosts take a moment to congratulate listeners and their acquaintances on various personal milestones, including jobs, marriages, and achievements.

• Memorial Day Tributes: A heartfelt thank you to servicemen and women, recognizing their sacrifices and contributions.

---

This detailed summary provides a comprehensive overview of the episode, capturing all essential discussions, insights, and notable moments shared by Jack Crivici-Kramer and Nick Martell.

Transcript

[Nick]

This is Nick.

[Jack]

This is Jack.

[Nick]

And today's leader's pod is the best one yet.

[Jack]

Our top three business leader stories of the past year.

[Nick]

Yetis, if you're listening to this pod, I am on a flight to France and Jack is swimming down in the mad river, freezing his butt off.

[Jack]

For Memorial Day weekend, we curated three stories from last year on epic business leader profiles. Because these people changed how we think.

[Nick]

Yeah, they really did. So after you finish this episode, send it to a buddy who'd be inspired by one of these business legends, and.

[Jack]

Then go enjoy a margarita moment by the grill. You earned it.

[Nick]

Friday's the real Friday. Jack, what's on today's show?

[Jack]

For our first story, we're going back to January 26, 2024. Country singer Dolly Parton just celebrated a new birthday, a new food brand, and a new album.

[Nick]

Not too shabby. So we're looking at the billion dollar business of Dolly Parton's Dollywood.

[Jack]

For our second story, we're going back to July 8th. Bill Gates, for a long time was the richest person in the world, but.

[Nick]

His former assistant at Microsoft is now richer than Bill Gates.

[Jack]

And it's a lesson for all of us in risk, reward, and money. And our third and final story is from September 24th. Jony I've is the greatest industrial designer of our time. He designed the iPhone.

[Nick]

And after five years in secrecy, Jony I've just unveiled his next big thing.

[Jack]

But yetis, before we hit that wonderful mix of stories.

[Nick]

Fantastic mix of stories, Jack.

[Jack]

Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Sam Altman.

[Nick]

Okay, we looked at the data. Those are the three most common business names in news.

[Jack]

Last year, the Wall Street Journal wrote an article about Elon Musk every single day.

[Nick]

We covered Warren Buffett six different times.

[Jack]

And Sam Altman is in so many places, he's probably sitting next to you right now.

[Nick]

Whoa, Sam, what are you doing there?

[Jack]

But you also come to us, this pod, for stories no one else is whipping up.

[Nick]

So there are three other names in business that we think you should know.

[Jack]

Three business icons who don't get front page news treatment.

[Nick]

Honestly, if we could grab brunch with three people in business right now, this. Jack, this is the cr.

[Jack]

We'd order eggs Benedict, we'd get sauce.

[Nick]

On the side, and we would take notes the entire meal.

[Jack]

So grab a pen, grab a paper, and take a seat at the table.

[Nick]

Besties. These are our three top business leader stories from last year.

[Unknown]

Fifteen years before this song, two boys from the northeast met in the dorm. They had an idea to cause a cultural storm. It's the best one yet. But the best is the norm. Jack, Nick, that's it. I don't even think they need to practice. 50%. That's a fat tip. T Boy City on your if you know, you know. Cause we read to go we can't wait no more so just start the show, start the show, start the show.

[Nick]

First, a quick word from our sponsor.

[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

This podcast is sponsored by Northwestern Mutual.

[Nick]

Yet he's Lots of financial companies want to talk to you, but Northwestern Mutual wants to listen.

[Jack]

Do you? Some companies say they have all the answers, but Northwestern Mutual has better questions.

[Nick]

Yeah, the financial pros, they are going to ask you questions about your financial situation that honestly, you never asked yourself a big one.

[Jack]

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[Nick]

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[Jack]

NM.com the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For our first story, we're going back to January 26, 2024.

[Nick]

Dolly Parton actually has turned one year older. So she's 79 now. But still, this story is fantastic. Dolly Parton dropped a brand new album, launched a new food brand and celebrated her 78th birthday with a concert.

[Jack]

So we jumped into the business of Dolly Parton's Dollywood.

[Nick]

Yeti's Dolly Parton. She's got the biggest hair east of the Mississippi, actually, and the biggest hair west of the Mississippi, now that I think about it.

[Jack]

You've heard her songs nine to five. Jolene, here you come again. There's literally thousands of others.

[Nick]

Born in a logwood cabin on the little Pigeon river in lovely Tennessee, she's like Will Hunting.

[Jack]

Dolly Parton has 11 siblings.

[Nick]

Her first public performance was actually at a church where she was singing by age 6.

[Jack]

But by 13, she was belting out notes at the famous grand Old Opry.

[Nick]

Now, Yetis, Jack and I told you, we jumped in t boys style to Dolly Parton, the legendary country singer. And we found some legendary numbers.

[Jack]

She's written 3,000 songs. She's sold 100 million albums. Those are country music records.

[Nick]

And that song catalog from Dolly parton is worth $150 million because all of.

[Jack]

Our listening on Spotify and Apple Music and on the radio, it generates $8 million in annual royalties.

[Nick]

Those $8 million are like one big loud symphonic dividend. Check to Dolly Parton.

[Jack]

Now, remember that famous song by Whitney Houston from the movie the Bodyguard? I will always love you.

[Nick]

Classic Whitney Houston song, Jack.

[Jack]

Originally that was Dolly Parton and she's made $10 million by letting Whitney Houston cover it.

[Nick]

In fact, YETI's Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton sang a duet and Elvis asked Dolly if he could have her rights, her half of the song. And what did she say, Jack?

[Jack]

No, thank you, Mr. King.

[Nick]

Dolly Parton. Love is like a butterfly, but in business, she's like a hornet.

[Jack]

Yeah, she is. But what separates Dolly from the rest of the music moguls out there is her business range.

[Nick]

This is what Jack and I found fascinating about this story. Dolly Parton has built a more diversified entertainment conglomerate than Disney.

[Jack]

Dolly co founded a TV production company called Sand Dollar Productions which brought us Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Father of the Bride.

[Nick]

If you like those movies. Yeah, you can thank Dolly Parton for those two movies.

[Jack]

She also built a famous theme park called Dollywood which gets visited by 3.

[Nick]

Million people every year. It turns out Dollywood is the most visited attraction entire state of Tennessee. Like the GDP of Tennessee, Dolly Parton.

[Jack]

And Dollywood's worth $400 million.

[Nick]

If you're a cracker Barrel, you can eat a Dolly Parton meal because she partnered with that food chain.

[Jack]

Or you can eat on Dolly Parton plates made by William Sonoma.

[Nick]

And just this week, Dolly Parton expanded her partnership with the $15 billion food giant ConAgra.

[Jack]

She already had Dolly Parton buttermilk pancake mix. Soon you can have Dolly Parton frozen fried chicken. Do I have to wear a BOLO.

[Nick]

If I do a check a bolo? Somebody hasn't been to the Grand Ole Opry.

[Jack]

No, I haven't. It's on my list.

[Nick]

Oh. Dolly Parton didn't just write a memoir. She also has a line of fiction books.

[Jack]

This is amazing. She wrote a thriller series along with James Patterson based on the stories from one of her albums.

[Nick]

Dolly Parton even runs a dog apparel.

[Jack]

Company called Doggy Parton because every beagle needs a blonde wig, but yet he's.

[Nick]

At all this up. And this business empire is worth over half a billion dollars. And we're not even talking about the charity part.

[Jack]

Dolly Parton is like the Princess Diana of our time. She is philanthropic and loved by everyone for it.

[Nick]

Her charity just got $100 million in funding from Jeff Bezos of Amazon in November of 2020.

[Jack]

Early pandemic when we invented the MRNA COVID vaccine. The New England Journal of Medicine thanked Dolly Parton's COVID 19 research fund, which she established at Vanderbilt University.

[Nick]

Oh, and by the way, she's also the godmother of Miley Cyrus. Party that in the usa. So, Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddy Dolly Parton Inc.

[Jack]

Humor transcends all.

[Nick]

Yetis the biggest business takeaway that Jack and I have gotten from Dolly Parton. It's how she reaches such a wide audience.

[Jack]

Dolly Parton manages to reach a range of fans who are culturally quite opposites.

[Nick]

Because Dolly Parton, she's a red state, patriotic, deep south working class icon, but.

[Jack]

She'S also a top ally of the LGBTQ community and a key reason why.

[Nick]

Why she's so relatable to everyone. It's because she's funny. She uses humor.

[Jack]

Oftentimes, Dolly sounds more like a comedian than a singer or a businesswoman.

[Nick]

Yeah, like she makes fun of her own plastic surgery. Like, she once told Oprah, it takes a lot of money to look this cheap.

[Jack]

She once said, I'm the first woman to burn my bra. It took the fire department four days to put it out.

[Nick]

Jack, that's like a feminist thing to say, but, like, also not a feminist thing.

[Jack]

To say one thing we've learned in life is that humor can transcend cultural lines like politics, race and income.

[Nick]

And Dolly Parton's billion dollar Dollywood empire proves it.

[Jack]

For our second story, we're going back to July 8, 2024 wild story about.

[Nick]

Bill Gates and his assistant. Bill Gates is no longer the richest person at Microsoft. His former assistant is.

[Jack]

The way that Steve Ballmer surpassed Bill Gates is a lesson on risk and reward.

[Nick]

Yes, it is. But in order for us to tell this story, Jack, can we travel back to 1980, please?

[Jack]

A startup of techie nerds in Seattle put out a Jo Job posting.

[Nick]

Assistant founder.

[Jack]

Assistant to the founder.

[Nick]

Ah, good point, Jack. Yet he's Bill Gates, the future richest man on earth. He needed a personal assistant asap.

[Jack]

And one man answered the call. His name was Steve Ballmer.

[Nick]

Steve Ballmer. Bald man, big personality.

[Jack]

This was actually a Harvard classmate who lived down the hall from Bill Gates back in the day.

[Nick]

Didn't have much hair, but he had a whole lot of energy back then.

[Jack]

Steve was at Stanford Business School a few years after Harvard. When Bill convinced him to drop out.

[Nick]

Of grad school, Bill was like, come join my software startup. I can't code without my coffee.

[Jack]

That software startup was called Microsoft, by the way.

[Nick]

Yes, it was. And he needed a personal assistant. So Jack, what was the first contract like for Steve when he joined Microsoft?

[Jack]

He got $50,000 as a salary and 10% of the profit growth that he could generate.

[Nick]

They basically treated Steve like a sales guy. He was Microsoft's first non technical employee.

[Jack]

So he was paid a salary plus a commission.

[Nick]

Sounds simple, straightforward, a nice standard job.

[Jack]

But Steve moved on from a nice standard job because of this news.

[Nick]

Here's the news.

[Jack]

44 years later, Steve Ballmer is now worth more than Bill Gates.

[Nick]

As of last week, Steve Ballmer is now worth $157 billion.

[Jack]

The assistant has become the master.

[Nick]

Steve Ballmer is now the sixth richest person in the world. He's even wealthier than Clippy.

[Jack]

Nick, I'm actually looking at the Forbes list of the 10 richest people in the world.

[Nick]

I like it. What are you seeing, Jack?

[Jack]

Steve Ballmer's on that list.

[Nick]

Okay.

[Jack]

And he's the only one who did not found his company.

[Nick]

Whoa. So like all 10 of the 10 richest people on earth, they founded a company, except for this one guy. How did Steve Ballmer go from assistant CEO?

[Jack]

Assistant to the CEO?

[Nick]

Good point. To richer than anyone at Microsoft with.

[Jack]

One strategic salary decision.

[Nick]

And here it is. When Microsoft turned six years old, the Company decided to restructure. And Steve Ballmer spoke up.

[Jack]

Microsoft revenue had recently doubled. So Steve led the company in a reorganization and a restructuring.

[Nick]

And Jack, what was Steve's one request as part of this?

[Jack]

That he get equity equity.

[Nick]

Specifically, Steve asked for 8% of the stock in the company.

[Jack]

In exchange, he was willing to give up that nice 10% commission.

[Nick]

What Jack and I are saying is that Steve gave up the cold, hard, nearly certain cash in exchange for uncertain stock in Microsoft.

[Jack]

In fact, six years later, Steve made another huge bet, wanting to get even more deep with Microsoft stock in 1987.

[Nick]

Microsoft stock dips, employees get worried, investors get worried, management gets worried.

[Jack]

But Steve didn't. He took the little cash he had on the side to buy even more stock in Microsoft.

[Nick]

Fast forward and Steve Ballmer eventually becomes the CEO of Microsoft for 14 years, retiring in 2014.

[Jack]

And today, with Microsoft worth $3 trillion, the value of that stock that he bought back in 1987 has gained by 1500x. So each $1 of stock he bought in 1987 is worth $1500 today.

[Nick]

Not too shabby. Yet he's Bill Gates sold most of his Microsoft stock and he's given a lot of it away to Cherry.

[Jack]

So Steve Ballmer is now the biggest shareholder at Microsoft, owning 4% of the company. That's a lot of equity.

[Nick]

And as of last week, it's richer than his old boss, Bill. So Jack, what's the takeaway for all our buddies in the US Economy?

[Jack]

Taking equity instead of cash is risky, but it's how people get rich.

[Nick]

Now, yetis, Jack and I know not everyone is in a position to get equity in a company or in a startup.

[Jack]

But Steve Ballmer's money story is a valuable lesson on wealth generation.

[Nick]

And here's why. Because each step of his career is reminder that reward comes with risk. And equity was his risk.

[Jack]

His ownership in Microsoft could have tanked. Like so many tech companies during the dot com bubble, his wealth could have gone to zero.

[Nick]

But it didn't tank. In fact, his risk paid off and he ended up as the sixth richest man on earth.

[Jack]

Major leaps in wealth typically don't come through a salary. They come through equity.

[Nick]

Could be huge amounts of stock that you accept as pay, like Steve Ballmer did, or it could be a little.

[Jack]

Bit put in the stock market year over year, compounded over.

[Nick]

Stocks are risky, cash isn't.

[Jack]

Savings can grow, but stock can grow faster.

[Nick]

Owning things like stocks and equity, that's how people get wealthy. Now a quick word from our sponsor.

[Jack]

The best one yet is sponsored by BetterHelp.

[Nick]

Well, Yetis, how's that New Year's resolution looking? Cause it's almost time for your mid year's resolution. It's pre summer. It's time for a check in. What's going on, Jack?

[Jack]

My New Year's res this year was to end my bad moods quickly.

[Nick]

Oh, yeah, get into a bad mood. It happens to us all. And Jack's learning in therapy to figure out what triggers his.

[Jack]

For example, if I do something I think deserves praise, but it's met with critique instead, that's gonna trigger me. But Nick, instead of letting it ruin the whole day, possibly the whole weekend, I'm learning to cope quickly.

[Nick]

There is so much therapy jargon in that sentence. Jack, I know you've been going to therapy, and I know what Jack's RVF looks like, and I'm happy to report they are melting away quicker this year.

[Jack]

There you go. Therapy isn't just something that impacts your personal life. It impacts your work performance too.

[Nick]

Well, I happen to be Jack's lawfully wedded work husband after all, so I've seen all of this live.

[Jack]

Yeti's therapy can help you live a better life, full stop. That's why we recommend BetterHelp.

[Nick]

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[Jack]

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[Jack]

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[Nick]

That's betterhelphelp.com tboy prize picks how do we know it's spring? Well, partially cause of the tulips Jack's been growing on his front lawn, but also cause of playoffs. Like happy playoff season.

[Jack]

Maybe late April is when both basketball and hockey playoffs begin.

[Nick]

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[Jack]

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Now, Jack, I know how you do fantasy sports. You pick by age, right? Like, what are you going with here?

[Jack]

I pick emotionally. And Steph Curry is the same age as you and me. He's 37, so I'm picking him to make more than three and a half three pointers tonight.

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[Jack]

This story is from September 24, 2024.

[Nick]

Wow. Yetis breaking news happened this week. Jony I've's new company which you're about to learn about in this story is now part of OpenAI.

[Jack]

Sam Altman and Jony I've are building the AI hardware product that could replace the iPhone.

[Nick]

Now before we share our profile on Johnny, here's what he said his words this week about his design Firm's merger with OpenAI.

[Jack]

Push and play. I am absolutely certain that we are literally on the brink of a new generation of technology that can make us our better selves. Okay, now to quote Jack Nicholson, here's Jony.

[Nick]

Jony I've is the most important designer of our lives. He's the guy behind the ipod, the iPhone and the iPad, just to name a few.

[Jack]

And Jony I've finally just unveiled his secret project of the last five years.

[Nick]

It's called Love from Now Jack, you and I don't have full access to the Apple Org chart, but if there was one person at Apple who's the most like Steve Jobs, who'd you say it was?

[Jack]

It was Johnny Ives. Hands down.

[Nick]

Johnny I. He was British, he was knighted by the queen of England and odds are he designed something that you are holding or touching or using right now.

[Jack]

Apple is known for its revolutionary tech design. We're talking about the iPhone, the iPad, the Apple watch.

[Nick]

And Jony I've this man, he did all of them.

[Jack]

He even architected Apple's spaceship like headquarters building in Cupertino, California like Steve Jobs.

[Nick]

Jony I've believed in simplicity, in minimalism, in doing less to do more.

[Jack]

This was during a time that people were doing more to do more. Like picture 2005 German luxury car. It was a hundred buttons around you. So many buttons.

[Nick]

Yeah, you remember the blackberries.

[Jack]

That was a whole lot of tapping. Jony I've did the opposite at Apple.

[Nick]

He had no tolerance for an extra button and if he saw one he was not going to be happy about it.

[Jack]

Fun side note though, when he was a student in university. Do you know what Johnny I've senior dissertation was about?

[Nick]

The first thing Johnny I've designed before the iPhone.

[Jack]

What was it?

[Nick]

Jack?

[Jack]

He reimagined the loo.

[Nick]

Yeah, it was a toilet. He actually redesigned the toilet.

[Jack]

Ironically, toilets only have one button, the flush. Did he eliminate that one button? That's a story for another pod.

[Nick]

But yetis, there are celebrity chefs, there are star catechs, star architects, but Johnny is the first ever celebrity industrial designer.

[Jack]

Thanks to him, at tech companies, engineers and designers are the people with power.

[Nick]

But in 2019, this iPhone designer left Apple at the top of his game to work on a secret project.

[Jack]

And he hasn't talked to anybody about it in five years.

[Nick]

No joke. That's a quote he said. Well, five years later we finally found out in a New York Times interview last weekend what exactly Jony I've been up to.

[Jack]

He's been working on a company called.

[Nick]

Love from Love from a company whose name was inspired by a Steve Jobs quote. In a meeting with Jony I've Steve.

[Jack]

Jobs told him to create from what you love.

[Nick]

And apparently Johnny I loves one neighborhood in San Francisco. Jack.

[Jack]

For the last five years he's bought up $90 million worth of real estate in one block of downtown San Francisco.

[Nick]

It's actually a flu box from our recording studio. It's called Jackson Square. It's the one neighborhood in San Francisco that was not destroyed by the 1906 earthquake. And it's gorgeous.

[Jack]

A lot of barrier techies left San Francisco during the pandemic for low tax, low regulation states. Johnny doubled down on his home city of San Francisco.

[Nick]

And now he's got 70,000 square feet of office space in lovely Jackson Square, San Francisco.

[Jack]

And he's not just testing out new toilets in that 70,000 square feet office space. Over the last five years, he has built up a wildly awesome list of clients.

[Nick]

Get this. Secretly, Jony I've designed the windows on the new space shuttle for his new company.

[Jack]

He helped J.J. ambrose design the new lightsaber for the new Star wars films.

[Nick]

Oh, and Jack, what about the first ever electric Ferrari that's about to come out?

[Jack]

The interior and the screen were designed by Jony Ives. Love from.

[Nick]

And his next move might be the biggest tech move in the history of hardware.

[Jack]

He is designing a physical hardware product for OpenAI, a virtual assistant that will physically be with you.

[Nick]

Add it all up, yetis and Jony I've's secret company has been generating $200 million in revenue a year already. On those clients.

[Jack]

If you hire lovefrom to design your next product, you have the best designer in the world.

[Nick]

Minimalist design, maximalist price. Jack, what's the takeaway for our buddy Jony I've and the love from team.

[Jack]

It all comes down to the buttons.

[Nick]

The buttons. Yetis our favorite part about this Jony I've story was when we discovered his obsession with buttons.

[Jack]

Jony I've's favorite book is a five volume series on the history of buttons on clothing and in fashion.

[Nick]

And Jack, why is Jony I've obsessed with buttons?

[Jack]

It's the part of the clothing that you touch the most and buttons are the visual highlight.

[Nick]

He's obsessed with buttons because it's the perfect blend of fashion and function.

[Jack]

Do you remember the first ipod you ever had? It only had one button and it had that wheel around it.

[Nick]

Remember that was Jony I've and then the first iPhone.

[Jack]

Only one button. Like you said, in an era that the BlackBerry had a hundred buttons, the iPhone had one.

[Nick]

Jony I've did that. One button.

[Jack]

Both of those were revolutionary for tech design.

[Nick]

So our big takeaway about Jony I've is really about his fascination with buttons.

[Jack]

One small, seemingly insignificant detail can influence the outlook of the whole product.

[Nick]

Now time for the best fact yet. This one whipped up by Jack and me.

[Jack]

It's a wild story about one of the great business leaders, Steve Jobs.

[Nick]

Okay, Steve Jobs, most famous presentation ever. What was it, Jack?

[Jack]

The iPhone unveil in 2007.

[Nick]

But the iPhone that Steve unveiled on stage, Funny thing about that iPhone, it barely worked. Yeah, Steve Jobs forced the team to unveil the product before it was ready. It actually had so many bugs in that first iPhone, the engineering team had to create a golden path.

[Jack]

A golden path is a tech turn for creating a specific sequence that won't make the product crash.

[Nick]

So while Steve was like on stage.

[Jack]

Going pushing buttons on the iPhone, if.

[Nick]

He had done anything off script or pressed the wrong button, everything would have fallen apart on stage in front of the entire world.

[Jack]

But Steve didn't go off script. He followed the golden path. And the iPhone didn't crash. And that unveil goes down as the best product unveil of all time.

[Nick]

That was a leadership move.

[Jack]

He caused his teams to lose sleep and their hair, probably to meet that deadline. But it got us the iPhone. And Now Apple's worth $3 trillion.

[Nick]

Complicated leader, but still a leadership move. Yetis, you look fantastic for the Friday before Memorial day. And if you've got a friend who'd be inspired by one of these business legends. Send it to him.

[Jack]

We'll be inspired if you do.

[Nick]

Our buddy Timmy. He's definitely getting this episode, Jack.

[Jack]

So enjoy this long weekend. Happy Memorial Day and Nick and I will see you Monday.

[Nick]

Can't wait. And before we go, congratulations to legendary Eddy Ryan Morrow, who's got a new job and is moving to New York City from Naperville, Illinois.

[Jack]

Congratulations to Tak and Kate Yamamoto, who are getting married in San Francisco. These are Nick's neighbors.

[Nick]

I think I can see him from here. You look fantastic, guys. Have fun at the wedding. Can't wait to see some pics.

[Jack]

Congratulations to Lucas from Madrid, who is a fantastic boyfriend.

[Nick]

And Zachary Shafer and Gigi Kinney are getting married in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Congratulations. Enjoy some cheers.

[Jack]

Congrats to Grace Billingsley for getting a PR in the Half Marathon. From Grace Valley, California, Hayley Rock.

[Nick]

Happy third birthday over there in Boston. Just outside Boston.

[Jack]

Hailey, this is your big day.

[Nick]

And John Osborne is retiring in Grass Valley, California. Congratulations John.

[Jack]

And happy birthday to Rhea Chandra in South Brunswick, N.J. and Zihong Yoo is.

[Nick]

Celebrating the best birthday yet over in lovely Las Vegas, Angeles.

[Jack]

Happy birthday to Travis A in the.

[Nick]

Great state of Maine and Emma Lou Stein. Beldring has got a wonderful birthday up in Vistan, Norway.

[Jack]

And happy Memorial Day everybody and thank you to all the servicemen and women and to their families for keeping Nick and me safe.

[Nick]

We got so many besties and yetis in the service out there. Thank you to all. Celebrate the wins.

[Jack]

If you like the best one yet, you can listen ad free right now by joining Wondery and the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

[Nick]

Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

[Jack]

And before you go, tell us a little bit about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey.

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