Building a Legendary Career in Startups, Reinventing Education, and Giving Without Expectations with Ryan Delk Good Work with Barrett Brooks

Ryan Delk is an entrepreneur and investor with a deep-seated passion for revolutionizing education. As the latest venture in his career, Ryan founded Primer, a company that aims to disrupt the traditional educational model by integrating the personalized, high-agency principles of homeschooling and microschooling with advanced technology. Although he grew up in the South, he has built deep roots in the Bay Area's startup scene and a record of meaningful contributions with companies like Gumroad and Omni. Now, Ryan is focusing his seemingly endless energy on education reform.
This week, Barrett and Ryan dive into a wide array of topics around the current state and future of education, personal growth, and entrepreneurship. They explore Ryan’s homeschooling background and its profound influence on his perspective on learning and efficiency—key principles that now underpin Primer's educational approach. They discuss Ryan’s journey from disillusionment with established bureaucracies to creating a flexible, high-agency learning environment. They also explore the delicate balance between personal ambition and family life, an insider’s view of startup culture, and the critical, sometimes existential, problems that today's founders are choosing to tackle. 
In this episode:

00:00 - Intro

01:45 - The frozen banana stand

06:37 - From college dropout to Silicon Valley innovator

29:26 - The power of networking and adding value in tech

35:05 - Going the extra mile

39:48 - The importance of tackling hard problems

45:41 - Starting earlier on harder problems

56:15 - Micro schools: a revolutionary approach to education

01:07:22 - The role of teachers and unions in education reform

01:12:06 - Empowering teachers and valuing education

01:15:06 - The impact of transforming education

01:21:59 - Building a culture of ambition and agency

01:23:44 - Unlocking potential and undiscovered talent

01:32:29 - Balancing professional aspirations with family life

01:40:34 - Envisioning a future shaped by high agency and motivation

01:44:08 - Reflecting on personal growth and family dynamics


Get full show notes and links at https://GoodWorkShow.com.
Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@barrettabrooks.