The Knowledge Project

Shane Parrish

Master the best of what other people have already figured out. Deep conversations with the best that go beyond the usual advice to uncover the timeless principles that drive success. If you enjoy the show, please hit the follow button.

  1. [Outliers] J.W. Marriott: Building an Empire Without a Master Plan

    7 HR AGO

    [Outliers] J.W. Marriott: Building an Empire Without a Master Plan

    Bill Marriott built the largest hotel company in the world. But he didn’t open his first hotel until he was 55 and he fought against it the whole way. In fact, the man that would go on to build the world’s largest hotel chain started with a nine-seat root beer stand in Washington, DC and a simple goal: serve people well and build something that lasts. In this episode of Outliers, we explore how Marriott turned that single stand into huge hotel empire without a master plan. In fact, before hotels, he even made a detour to start the airline catering industry. We break down his obsession with downside risk, how he isolated variables like location, and why his refusal to rely on forces he couldn’t control allowed him to expand during the Great Depression while his competitors folded. ----- Approximate Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (03:58) Ice Cold Root Beer (10:35) The Hot Shoppe Expansion (12:07) Building the Machine (20:07) The Airport Expansion (24:20) The Marriott Lessons (26:22) The Hotel Empire (30:53) Handing Over the Presidency (35:01) The End of an Era ----- Upgrade: Get a hand edited transcripts and ad free experiences along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Follow Shane Parrish: X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠ Insta: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min
  2. The $2 Trillion Mind | Nicolai Tangen

    17 FEB

    The $2 Trillion Mind | Nicolai Tangen

    Nicolai Tangen is the CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund. He is responsible for managing $2.1 trillion. That's roughly 1.7% of every listed company on earth. In this episode, we explore the intersection of massive wealth, high-speed decision-making, and the psychological traits required to survive the AI revolution. ----- Approximate Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:09) What Are You Leaning Against? (03:17) Tech Sector Evolution (04:15) The AI Bubble (05:44) Will AI Replace Humans in Investing? (06:24) Lessons on Listening (09:15) American vs. European Mindset (12:09) Prime Minster For a Day (14:27) Most Important Data (16:00) Speed and Agility (17:05) Ad Break (18:35) Using Urgency as a Tool (20:12) Can You Teach People to Change Their Minds? (22:14) Positive and Negative Comments (22:56) Testing Assumptions Before a Big Investment (25:07) Attitude Towards Risk (28:33) What’s Gotten Harder in Investing? (29:07) The Rise of Passive Investing (33:42) Why Did You Take This Job? (35:04) Ad Break (36:14) Sovereign Wealth Funds (38:24) Voting Against Elon Musk’s Pay Package (39:08) Building Long-Term Thinking (43:17) Slowing Down Decisions (45:13) Seeking Out Disagreement (48:08) Hiring Checklist (49:15) 140 Conversations To Prepare For A Huge Role (53:33) CEO Evaluation (01:01:25) What is Success For You? ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Follow Shane Parrish: X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠ Insta: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠ Follow Nicolai Tangen: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolai-tangen/?originalSubdomain=no Learn More: https://www.nbim.no/en/about-us/leader-group/leadergroup-persons/nicolai-tangen/ ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: +Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://www.granola.ai/shane Check out the Granola Notes +Download The League App today and find your perfect match! https://click.theleague.com/qmhm/0vdzsmj5 +Shopify: https://shopify.com/knowledgeproject Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 3m
  3. The Psychology of Power | Michael Ovitz

    3 FEB

    The Psychology of Power | Michael Ovitz

    Michael Ovitz co-founded CAA and helped reshape Hollywood, then took the same playbook into tech investing and advising founders. In this conversation, he breaks down the operating rules that kept CAA from losing clients, and the personal disciplines that kept him grounded when the stakes got massive. You’ll learn how to build momentum, tell the truth without hesitation, read for context instead of noise, hire people who raise the standard, and package ideas into outcomes. ----- Upgrade: Get a hand-edited transcript and an ad-free experience, along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Approximate Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:58) Learning Machine (03:41) You Don't Know Everything (08:17) How People Go Wrong (16:42) Don’t Fight Your Job (18:28) Managing Relationships (20:46) Hiring Top Performers (26:47) Never Get High on Your Own Supply (30:27) Identifying Greatness (33:28) Meeting Marc Andreessen (43:42) On Failure (47:48) The Smartest Person I Ever Met (52:49) The Genius of Patrick Collison (57:51) A Good Idea Taken Too Far (01:01:30) Information Consumption (01:14:13) Business Education Curriculum (01:16:28) Momentum (01:18:16) Packaging (01:24:43) What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? (01:26:30) The Importance of Trust (01:29:15) What is Success For You? ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Follow Shane Parrish: X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠ Insta: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠ Follow Michael Ovitz: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeovitz/ Book: https://amzn.to/4kn9jb9 ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://www.granola.ai/shane Check out the Granola Notes Download The League App today and find your perfect match! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 36m
  4. [Outliers] How McDonald’s Took Over America | Ray Kroc

    27 JAN

    [Outliers] How McDonald’s Took Over America | Ray Kroc

    Ray Kroc turned McDonald’s from a single roadside restaurant into a system built to scale. At 52, after decades selling paper cups and milkshake machines, he opened the first McDonald’s in 1955 and helped grow it to nearly 8,000 restaurants worldwide. This Outliers episode breaks down how standards, execution, franchising, and real estate created a business machine built to last. ----- Approximate Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:46) Turning Dreams Into Action (10:05) The Multimixer (15:51) America's Roadside Revolution (22:58) Building the Machine (32:14) What Ray Kroc Really Built (43:12) Epilogue: Grinding it Out ----- Upgrade: Get a hand edited transcripts and ad free experiences along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Follow Shane Parrish: X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠ Insta: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    50 min
  5. Morgan Housel: Wealth is What You Have Minus What You Want

    20 JAN

    Morgan Housel: Wealth is What You Have Minus What You Want

    Morgan Housel breaks down the exact framework he uses to build wealth, minimize financial stress, and buy freedom. While most financial advice focuses on how to get rich, Morgan explains why the skills needed to stay rich are completely different. You will learn why "boring" investing beats complex strategies, how to avoid the social traps that destroy wealth, and the specific equation for finding contentment. Morgan Housel is a partner at Collaborative Fund and the bestselling author of The Psychology of Money. Enjoy! ----- Approximate Timestamps: (00:00) Trailer/Introduction (00:58) What Drives You? (04:50) What Can Money Do For Us? (07:22) Happiness vs. Satisfaction (11:45) Becoming Financially Independent (14:40) Survival and Contrast (20:16) Ad Break (21:05) Investing: Can You Beat the Market? (22:32) When Is The Right Time To Buy a House? (26:45) Housing Affordability and Equity (28:39) Step by Step Investing (35:08) Eras of Life and Spending In Those Eras (43:50) Raising Kids With Money (48:46) Social Media: Expectations and Comparison (55:46) Lessons From the Vanderbilts (01:01:21) Learning From Others Spending Habits (01:07:51) Lessons From History: Depressions, Panics, Downturns (01:11:40) Net Worth in Cash (01:14:20) Passive Income and Financial Independence (01:25:58) Massive Success: Doing It All Again (01:32:27) What Should You Optimize For? (01:38:24) What Do You Splurge On? (01:40:38) What Can History Teach Us About Inflation? (01:47:46) Index Funds Allocation (01:53:36) What Is Success For You? ----- This episode of the Knowledge Project is for informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by Shane Parrish or our guests are solely their own. Nothing in this conversation should be considered investment advice, financial guidance, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Always do your own due diligence or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. It's time to listen and learn. ----- Psychology of Money: https://geni.us/my3K Morgan Housel X: https://x.com/morganhousel Website: https://www.morganhousel.com/ ----- Upgrade: Get a hand edited transcripts and ad free experiences along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------ Follow Shane Parrish: X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠ Insta: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠ ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: Granola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://www.granola.ai/shane Check out the Granola Notes here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 58m
  6. How to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones | James Clear

    1 JAN

    How to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones | James Clear

    James Clear is the author of Atomic Habits, a global bestseller that has shaped how millions of people think about habits, consistency, and long-term change. In this conversation, James explains how habits shape identity, why progress often stays invisible before it compounds, and how to design your environment so good behavior becomes the default. You will learn how to stay consistent when motivation fades, stop quitting too early, and build habits that work across different seasons of life. ----- Approximate Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:56) The Role of Identity in Habit Formation (03:38) Lack of Patience Changes the Outcome (07:20) Seeing Invisible Progress (09:58) Why Do We Change What's Working? (13:46) Creating Conditions for Success (17:44) Finding the Confidence to Start (23:55) Playing to Win vs. Playing Not to Lose (26:29) Internal Sayings to Live By (30:36) Reputation (34:32) Positioning in Business and Life (44:36) Investment Philosophy (47:18) Turning Reading Habits into Action (50:31) Taking Notes While Reading... (52:36) ...And Then What? (56:06) Maintaining Focus on What You Want (58:01) Lessons on Filtering Opportunities (01:06:06) Longevity of Content (01:07:21) Sequencing Through the Eras of Your Life (01:11:22) What is a Habit? (01:13:03) Is a Habit Working For You or Against You? (01:15:20) Evaluation Framework for Habits (01:18:32) Building or Replacing a Habit (01:22:19) Social Media Detox (01:25:34) The Most Important Upstream Habits to Create (01:29:58) Relationship Check-In (01:30:57) Thoughts on Popular Habits (01:37:31) Become Stronger Than Your Feelings (01:42:59) When Should You Deep Dive into an Idea (01:48:12) Complexity vs. Simplicity (01:54:40) Consistency vs. Intensity (02:01:11) Learning New Subjects as an Adult (02:06:40) Prioritization (02:11:53) What is Success For You? ----- Upgrade: Get a hand edited transcripts and ad free experiences along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Follow Shane Parrish:X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠ Insta: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    2h 17m
  7. The Outlier Playbook: The Patterns Behind Enduring Success

    30/12/2025

    The Outlier Playbook: The Patterns Behind Enduring Success

    What do some of the greatest outliers in business history have in common? For the past year, I’ve been sharing the stories of history's greatest outliers like James Dyson, Estée Lauder, Sol Price, Henry Singleton, Les Schwab, Rose Blumkin, Jim Clayton, and Andrew Mellon. These are names that deserve to be studied, but rarely are. This episode explores the mindsets, systems and patterns history’s most notable outliers used to turn adversity into long-term advantage. ----- Approximate Timestamps: (00:00) - Introduction (01:51) - Part 1: A Taste for Saltwater (09:20) - Part 2: Do it now (17:40) Ad Break (19:37) - Part 3: Systems to Scale (30:51) - Part 4: Understand What Really Matters ----- Upgrade: Get a hand edited transcripts and ad free experiences along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership ------ Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------ Follow Shane Parrish:X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish⁠ Insta: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/⁠ ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: .tech domains: Nothing says tech like being on .tech⁠⁠⁠ https://get.tech/⁠⁠ reMarkable: Get your paper tablet at ⁠⁠https://www.reMarkable.com⁠⁠ today ----- This episode is for informational purposes only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    41 min
  8. How to Think Like a World-Class Marketer | Rory Sutherland

    09/12/2025

    How to Think Like a World-Class Marketer | Rory Sutherland

    Ogilvy Vice Chairman Rory Sutherland reveals the formula for persuasion, why people make decisions and how you can use psychology to your advantage. Rory is the world’s leading advertising strategist. He spent almost four decades as Ogilvy studying why people behave the way they do and how to change that behavior. He explains why contrast drives choices and efficiency often destroys value, and how trust, friction, and design shape real-world behavior. +Rory was previously on the show, check out episode 19. ----- Approximate Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:31) AI and Decision Making (03:48) Are We Looking for Efficiency in the Wrong Place? (15:52) Ad Break (18:09) Ice Cold Beer Thought Experiment (19:56) Trust and Manipulation (27:15) Dyson Customer Experience and 'Brand Quake' (29:21) Customer Value Thinking (34:28) Why Is Dyson So Effective at Marketing? (36:28) Ad Break (38:51) Map/Territory Problem in Business (39:27) The Problem with Shareholders (42:29) The Problem with 'Tech Bro' Decision Making (45:14) Warren Buffett’s Approach to Choosing Management (47:52) John Bragg’s Approach to Buying Infrastructure (51:23) High Trust vs Low Trust Societies (58:45) What Can We Learn from the Mad Men Era of Marketing (1:03:59) The Danger of Bad Marketing (1:17:47) Navigating Cancel Culture with Common Sense (1:29:59) Signalling to Ourselves When We Purchase Something (1:39:06) Changing of Societal Norms (1:43:27) How to Write Good Copy (1:56:30) What Is Success for You? ----- Upgrade: Get a hand edited transcripts and ad free experiences along with my thoughts and reflections at the end of every conversation. Learn more @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/membership⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------Newsletter: The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fs.blog/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------ Follow Shane Parrish:X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/shaneparrish Insta: https://www.instagram.com/farnamstreet/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-parrish-050a2183/ ------ Thank you to the sponsors for this episode: Basecamp: Stop struggling, start making progress. Get somewhere with Basecamp. Sign up free at http://basecamp.com/knowledgeproject reMarkable: Get your paper tablet at https://www.reMarkable.com today .tech domains: Nothing says tech like being on .tech https://get.tech/ Shopify: https://shopify.com/knowledgeproject Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    2h 1m
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Hosts & Guests

About

Master the best of what other people have already figured out. Deep conversations with the best that go beyond the usual advice to uncover the timeless principles that drive success. If you enjoy the show, please hit the follow button.

Information

  • Creator
    Shane Parrish
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    271
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Farnam Street Media Inc.
  • Show Website
    The Knowledge Project

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