Listen to new episodes early & ad-free.

$9.99/mo or $99.99/yr after trial

How I Built This with Guy Raz

Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimate moments of doubt and failure, and share insights on their eventual success. How I Built This is a master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership and how to navigate challenges of all kinds. New episodes release on Mondays and Thursdays.

  1. 18 MAY • WONDERY+ EARLY ACCESS

    NVIDIA: Jensen Huang. From near collapse to becoming the world’s biggest company

    NVIDIA is one of the most valuable companies in human history. Its chips run the AI systems transforming everything from entertainment to warfare. But for years, almost nobody believed in co-founder Jensen Huang’s vision. Jensen spent nearly a decade pouring billions into a technology called CUDA, long before AI made it profitable. In this deeply personal conversation, Jensen tells Guy why NVIDIA’s very first chip was a catastrophic failure … and how at one point, the company was 30 days away from going out of business. Jensen also explains why he thinks fears about AI are overblown, and why he believes the next generation will have more opportunity — not less — because of AI. What You’ll Learn: Why NVIDIA nearly collapsed before becoming an AI giant How researchers sparked the AI boom using NVIDIA gaming chips How to lead through uncertainty when a huge bet hasn’t yet paid off How Jensen approaches hard decisions like an engineer We’re “doing ourselves a disservice” by being afraid: Jensen on AI and job loss How Jensen defends his demanding management style Why past failures still haunt him Key Moments From the Interview: 00:07:51 — Jensen Huang’s childhood at an unusual Kentucky boarding school 00:14:50 — Why Jensen left a stable career to help start NVIDIA 00:17:14 — NVIDIA’s first failure: the NV1 disaster 00:19:51 — The desperate trip to Japan that gave the company a lifeline 00:23:11 — “The only idea we had” for prototyping: the emulator Hail Mary 00:30:53 — The book that shaped Jensen’s thinking about innovation 00:35:04 — Why NVIDIA kept investing in CUDA while Wall Street lost faith 00:41:38 — The moment AI researchers discovered the power of NVIDIA’s chips 00:53:17 — Jensen on fear of job loss from AI, and why America risks falling behind 01:01:56 — Knowing what he knows now, would he do it again? Yes — and no This episode was researched and produced by Alex Cheng with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Robert Rodriguez. Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com

    1hr 7min
  2. 8 HRS AGO

    Room & Board: John Gabbert. A Broken Deal, a Family Rift, and the Birth of a Furniture Giant

    John Gabbert built a massive furniture brand. But in order to do it, he had to defy his family.  John grew up working at his dad’s furniture store in the suburbs of Minneapolis. It sold classic, American-made furniture, with flowery prints and curved legs. But in 1972, John took a life-changing trip to Sweden, where he discovered an obscure store called IKEA. It was selling an entirely different type of furniture: simple, modern, and inexpensive, with a manufacturing process they controlled. To John, it looked like the future of furniture. The only problem, his dad didn’t agree.  That disagreement led to a 10-year family rift—but also a new business.  In 1980—zafter a deal to buy out his dad broke down—John spun out his own furniture brand, Room & Board. Today, it sells hundreds of millions of dollars of furniture in its own classic designs, mostly made by small American manufacturers.  This is the story of how John did it, without outside investors, and without chasing growth for growth’s sake. What You’ll Learn Why the right thing for your business might be the hardest thing for your family How John connected with young boomers—not their parents  The key to long-term success: growing slow and saying “no” Why John refused private equity money Why Room & Board transitioned to employee ownership Timestamps: 00:06:10 - Gabberts: flowery furniture in a fake living room 00:09:41 - Becoming president of the family business at age 23 00:13:33 - A fateful trip to IKEA in Sweden: “That's what the future needed to be” 00:18:36 - John tries to buy out the family business… until his dad backs out 00:35:47 - Design inspiration from modern art—and steel frames 00:46:38 - Why making furniture in America makes sense 00:55:27 - Investors come to call… and John says no 01:01:48 - The decision that transferred ownership to employees This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Rommel Wood. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Kwesi Lee.  Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1hr 2min
  3. 4 MAY

    Beautycounter: Gregg Renfrew. She Built Beautycounter to $1B… Then Got Fired From Her Own Company

    Gregg Renfrew started a movement by making better-for-you cosmetics, then enlisted an army of women to build the business through direct sales. But after selling Beautycounter, she was pushed out of the company she created. Then she got to do something almost no founder gets to do:  She bought her company back. Then lost it again. Then took the risky step of rebuilding it into a new brand, now called Counter.   This is a story about ambition, humility, and second chances.   Gregg learned her first lessons by launching an early online wedding registry and selling it to Martha Stewart. She briefly led a clothing company and was summarily fired—by messenger. In this candid conversation, Gregg talks about the bold innovation she brought to the beauty industry, and the lessons she learned from working with difficult people—including, at times, herself.  What You’ll Learn: How to build a movement—not just a product The hidden risks of “growth at all costs” Why direct sales (done right) can outperform traditional DTC The emotional toll of being fired from your own company How to rebuild your identity after losing your business What it takes to come back—and do it differently the second time Timestamps: (00:06:15) – Selling Xerox machines and getting doors slammed in her face (00:08:09) – The early inspiration for an online wedding registry. (00:16:44) – The brutal lesson of the dot-com crash: “growth at all costs” (00:21:58) – Standing up to Martha Stewart: “I was cocky.”  (00:23:51) – Getting fired as CEO… by messenger… in front of her team (00:32:47) – The moment she realized the beauty industry had a massive gap (00:35:25) – “Clean beauty didn’t exist”—and why that made it so hard (00:47:04) – Building a 60,000-person sales force, scaling to hundreds of millions in sales (00:46:40) – Selling Beautycounter for $1B… and losing control months later (01:00:13) – The emotional aftermath of being pushed out—and what came next This episode was produced by John Isabella with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Noor Gill. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Jimmy Keeley. Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1hr 13min
  4. 27 APR

    Shep and Ian Murray: Vineyard Vines. A Stale Product Transforms into a Lifestyle Brand.

    In the late 1990s, Shep and Ian Murray looked at a shrinking category–men’s ties–and saw an opportunity: a necktie isn’t just functional. It’s expressive. It can signal identity, taste, aspiration.    With no fashion experience and no outside investors, the Murray brothers started making colorful ties inspired by their childhoods in Martha’s Vineyard — tiny whales, sailboats, island street signs. What began as a small, improbable tie business grew into Vineyard Vines: a half-billion-dollar lifestyle brand with more than 100 stores and major department store distribution.  In this episode, Shep and Ian talk about why they quit their stable jobs to turn a sleepy product into a national brand, which began as a family business and remains so to this day.  What you’ll learn:  Why a great business can start in a category that everyone thinks is dyingHow to build distribution when you have no roadmap and few connections What bootstrapping teaches founders that outside capital often doesn’tHow improvised marketing can create outsized attentionKnowing the difference between a fashion brand and a “brand” brand Timestamps:  00:10:22 - The brothers both hate their desk jobs: “How was your day?” “It sucked.” 00:11:20 - Vineyard Vines starts on a family trip, with a nudge from a hotel manager00:13:46 - Early designs: whales, fish, jeeps, street signs 00:25:39 - Finally quitting their jobs– they’re thrilled, their parents–not so much00:30:42 - Landing their first order for $1800. “We’re never gonna have to work anymore!”00:34:40 - The brand gets a boost from a PR stunt during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal00:47:00 - The “Get to $5 million” mentor advice that kept them focused 00:49:23 - The brothers open their first store - and realize they have a lot to learn  01:01:18 - The 2008 financial crisis, and the brutal inventory decisions that help save the business01:09:06 - Why stepping back from the CEO role didn’t work — and what it taught them about brand culture This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Casey Herman.  Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1hr 8min

Shows with Subscription Benefits

Listen to new episodes early & ad-free.

$9.99/mo or $99.99/yr after trial

4.8
out of 5
1,196 Ratings

About

Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimate moments of doubt and failure, and share insights on their eventual success. How I Built This is a master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership and how to navigate challenges of all kinds. New episodes release on Mondays and Thursdays.

More From Wondery

You Might Also Like