The Tim Ferriss Show #834 — David Baszucki, Co-Founder of Roblox
The Path to 150M+ Daily Users, Critical Business Decisions, Ketogenic Therapy for Brain Health, Daily Routines, The Roblox Economy, and More
Date: November 5, 2025
Guest: David Baszucki
Episode Overview
This wide-ranging conversation features Tim Ferriss in discussion with David Baszucki, co-founder and CEO of Roblox. The episode covers the meteoric rise of Roblox to more than 150 million daily users, the philosophical and practical aspects of running a “creator economy,” the future of online connectivity, and transformative business decisions. The two also embark on a personal and in-depth discussion around David’s family’s experience with metabolic psychiatry, ketogenic therapy, and brain health. The episode is rich with practical insights, touching moments, and first-principle thinking on both human health and scaling one of the world’s most influential tech companies.
Key Themes and Discussion Points
1. David’s Introduction & Connection with Tim [00:00–03:01]
- The pair connect over kettlebells and a mutual friend, Dominic D’Agostino ("Mr. Ketone"), setting the stage for an exploration of metabolic health.
- David reveals his customized, “sparkle-painted” kettlebells, inspired by Tim’s books and love of biohacking.
2. Personal Story — Ketogenic Therapy & Family Mental Health [04:36–43:46]
- A Family’s Ordeal with Bipolar Disorder [04:36]:
- David recounts his son Matthew’s first manic episode as a freshman at UC Berkeley, marking the start of an eight-year journey through mental health crises, hospitalizations, and failed treatments.
- A Near-Disaster and Intervention [08:13]:
- David shares emotional and dramatic details: searching for his son as he ran through California, ultimately requiring creative intervention to bring him to safety.
- “You just go to every Starbucks in Los Angeles. Let’s find this guy.” [09:44, David B.]
- Insight is critical for acceptance of treatment: “When someone does not have a sliver of it, they will run, they will sleep outside…” [15:01, David B.]
- Ketogenic Diet as a Breakthrough [15:01–24:20]:
- After conventional medicine failed, the family tried a strict ketogenic diet under Dr. Chris Palmer and Dominic D’Agostino’s mentorship. Within weeks, profound improvements were observed.
- Tim shares: “If this is the only thing you take from this conversation, I think for a lot of you it will be well worth it.” [43:12, Tim F.]
- How and Why Keto Works [20:05]:
- David explains glucose vs. ketones as brain fuel, the evolutionary basis for ketosis, and why it stabilizes energy for some mental illnesses.
- Practical Keto Advice & Challenges [25:21–32:41]:
- David describes pitfalls (like hidden carbs in avocado), compliance difficulties when traveling, and the benefits of continuous ketone monitoring (CKM).
- “I’m in a smuggling ring bringing CKMs that fell off the back of a truck into the United States.” [32:41, David B.]
Notable Quote:
“Protein is not a complete free lunch. You will pick up that glucose effect.”
— [29:56, David Baszucki]
Impactful Segment:
“If you have some of these fundamental physiological issues…talk therapy in and of itself is probably not going to fix those things.”
— [41:01, Tim Ferriss]
3. Health Optimization, Biohacking, and Sleep [34:09–45:29]
- Tim and David exchange personal protocols for ketosis, sleep, intermittent fasting, breathwork, and mood effects, comparing notes on devices like Oura Ring and CGMs.
- They discuss “mechanical therapy” (fixing physiology) as the foundation for mental wellness; therapy is often necessary but “not sufficient” without metabolic health.
4. Deep Dive Into Roblox — History, Vision, and Scale [50:08–70:17]
- Roblox’s Evolution and Vision [50:08]:
- David sets Roblox against the history of human communication and foresees “inevitable” 3D, holodeck-style interaction.
- “Humans are just compelled to try to figure out ways to connect and communicate… technically, we’re not quite done. There’s going to be more.” [50:08, David B.]
- The Roblox Platform and Scale:
- 120+ million daily users, 9 billion monthly hours, peak 40+ million concurrent users.
- Distinct focus on civility, safety, and all-age appropriateness from day one.
- The Roblox Economy — Creator Model [58:59]:
- Early monetization failed; the breakthrough was a user-generated economy using “Robux” with direct creator payouts.
- “We had to trust that these creators, in a pizza delivery game, they’re going to sell a scooter for anyone who wants to deliver pizzas faster…” [61:21, David B.]
- Decision-Making and Innovation:
- "Do the right strategic thing, not the easy tactical thing." — abandoning earlier feature tweaks for a grander digital economy overhaul.
- Immediate creator adoption signaled success: “Within four hours, we knew it was going to work.” [68:06, David B.]
- Key metric: revenue is proportional to user hours—aligning incentives across the system.
5. Product Management, IP, and Long-term Thinking [72:35–82:48]
- Managing Copycats and Game Discovery [72:35]:
- Copyright and trademark protections are enforced, but gameplay mechanics are harder to safeguard; discovery algorithms aim to surface originals.
- Design Philosophy: Optimize for Creators and Fun, Not Just Profits [75:07]:
- Roblox deliberately routes more cash to creators than to profit, seeing long-term value in a happy developer ecosystem.
- “Time and time again, I think we've leaned a bit on the direction of let's move back more to the creator community rather than being a ridiculously profitable company.” [75:07, David B.]
- Mistakes and Learning:
- Missteps: Trying to build too much (e.g., platform-level “clan” mechanics) instead of focusing on core infrastructure for creators.
- Betting early on mobile: at first controversial internally, now a cornerstone of Roblox’s dominance.
Memorable Moment:
“There was a time when people did not believe that 3D stuff should happen on a phone… There’s no more of this separate mobile web stuff. It was a huge innovation.”
— [81:29, David B.]
6. Future Tech, AI, and Safety [88:40–97:25]
- Safety Innovations for Kids [88:52]:
- Extensive AI-backed moderation, filtered text, no image sharing, and soon: real-time age estimation via phone cameras.
- AI as Foundation [92:08]:
- Hundreds of custom Roblox AI models for everything from content moderation to translation and game recommendation.
- Procedural/AI-generated worlds in development; the “holodeck” experience is deemed inevitable, as are AI-generated movies and dynamic environments.
Quote:
“There’s a good chance we’re going to figure out how to build it someday.”
— [93:39, David B.]
7. Daily Routine, Personal Optimization, and Company Culture [101:34–107:01]
- Biohacking Rituals [101:34]:
- CrossFit 3x/week, weighted hiking, one-meal-a-day window, low alcohol, low-carb/keto, Oura Ring for sleep, regular sun, “moderate ketosis” as goal.
- Snacks & Health at Roblox [105:25]:
- Each snack labeled by “whole food” and “good energy,” with lessons drawn from metabolic health research; company subsidizes CGMs for employees.
- “I get all kinds of slacks from engineers saying, ‘Oh my gosh, my life’s been changed…’” [106:22, David B.]
8. Books, Philosophy, and Legacy [107:24–109:54]
- Influential book: Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse—teaches “Roblox is a long game” philosophy.
- David prefers adventure/explorer stories (Amundsen, Scott, Magellan) over business books.
- Billboard Message:
“How about: feed your head?” [109:54, David B.]
- A nod to the conversation’s recurring admonition: physiological health is the real “mental fuel.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Ketogenic Therapy:
“Literally within three weeks or four weeks, we saw progress that we had never seen with any drug or medication. You know, mind blown, really, and a miracle.”
— [06:40, David Baszucki] -
On Building the Roblox Economy:
“If we build this system, we can get back to making Roblox fun… And by the way, that did turn out to be true.”
— [64:23, David Baszucki] -
On AI and the Future:
“How long till a Hollywood movie is maybe AI-generated? Three to five years, maybe. Crazy.”
— [96:00, David Baszucki]
Timestamps: Key Segments
- Metabolic Psychiatry Origin Story: [04:36–24:20]
- Implementing Ketogenic Diet & Its Effects: [24:20–43:46]
- Keto Compliance and Biohacking Practices: [25:21–34:09]
- Sleep, Energy, and Mental Health: [34:09–45:29]
- Roblox Vision & Scaling: [50:08–65:48]
- Business Model Pivot to Creator Economy: [58:59–68:06]
- Game Economy, Copying, and IP Challenges: [72:35–74:31]
- Mistakes and Long-Term Bet on Mobile: [79:35–82:48]
- Safety, AI, and the Holodeck Future: [88:40–97:25]
- Personal Health Routines: [101:34–107:01]
- Books and Life Philosophy: [107:24–109:54]
Final Thoughts
This episode provides an inspiring glimpse into the high-stakes decision-making behind one of the internet’s largest creative platforms, balanced by the deeply human story of family, mental health, and physiological optimization. Through the lens of both Roblox’s growth and personal health journeys, David and Tim highlight the enduring truth: long-term thinking, whether in business or life, pays the greatest dividends.
Find out more:
“Feed your head.” — David Baszucki [109:54]