The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Welcome to The Diary Of A CEO where you'll find raw, human conversations with the world’s most fascinating experts, storytellers, thinkers and business leaders. Hosted by Steven Bartlett (entrepreneur, investor, author, and founder of Steven.com and Flight Fund) this channel was created with a simple mission: to share personal lessons that help both you live better, more fulfilling lives. What is DOAC? Beyond Diary Of A CEO, the acronym reflects our core ethos: - Dreamers — Dream boldly. - Open-minded — Think without limits. - Awareness — Expand your perspective. - Connection — Feel more connected. This is your corner of the internet to dream boldly, think openly, expand your awareness, and feel more connected. The Diary Of A CEO: ◼ Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ ◼ Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/BWjLTZK ◼ Shop The Diary Of A CEO collection: https://thediary.com/collections/shop ◼ Get email updates - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/5IB1H6E ◼ Follow Steven - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/AGU9QP4

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  1. 8h ago

    Adam Neumann: The Real Story Behind WeWork, A $4 Billion Cab Ride, And Surviving A $460 Million Debt

    Are you chasing material success to fill an emotional void from your childhood? Adam Neumann speaks about the psychological lessons and spiritual frameworks that he learned after the most publicized corporate collapse in modern history.  Adam Neumann is the visionary entrepreneur who cofounded WeWork, growing it into a $47 billion global empire before stepping down amid unprecedented public scrutiny. He is now partnered with legendary venture firm a16z, and founder of Flow; an innovative residential real estate company designed to solve the modern loneliness epidemic by fostering genuine community.  In this episode, he explains: ■ The Ego Trap: How a massive $4.2 billion investment offer in the back of a taxi instantly derailed WeWork's mission, showing rapid financial success can blind founders to their core values. ■ The Foundation of Failure: Why experiencing a traumatic childhood or public business collapse is not a curse, but rather the exact mechanism required to build unbreakable psychological resilience. ■ The Technology Shabbat: Why disconnecting from all electronic devices for 24 hours every week is a necessary practice to break addiction, quiet noise, and discover yourself. ■ The True Measurement of Partners: Why you must evaluate your investors, friends, and life partners solely by how they treat you on your absolute worst day. ■ Influence vs. Control: The counterintuitive leadership principle that true power requires leading from the bottom up. Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:11 Growing Up on a Kibbutz 00:03:11 How His Mother’s Behaviour Shaped Him 00:03:58 Why He Struggled at School as a Child 00:09:08 The Childhood Experiences That Left a Lasting Impact 00:13:46 Why He No Longer Sees Trauma the Same Way 00:15:35 Why Money Isn’t His Definition of Success 00:18:40 How Failure Changed His Definition of Success 00:21:48 Why the Idea of “We” Became So Powerful 00:27:20 Why You Have to Dream Bigger Than Feels Possible 00:30:45 What Kept Him Going at His Lowest Point 00:34:24 How to Overcome Self-Doubt 00:34:35 The Self-Doubt Behind Building WeWork 00:43:52 Why Hard Work Still Matters 00:47:13 Ads 00:52:37 What Makes a Great Team Member? 00:54:55 What Happened When He Met Masayoshi Son 00:55:34 How to Build Strong Foundations Before You Scale 01:14:19 Ads 01:15:01 How to Find the Signal in the Noise 01:15:29 Who Should You Listen to When Everyone Has an Opinion? 01:35:09 Why Focus Is Essential for Success 01:51:06 What Went Wrong at WeWork 02:02:30 The Advice From His Wife That Changed His Perspective 02:10:15 The 5 Biggest Lessons He Learned 02:11:25 The Letter Ben Horowitz Sent When Everything Fell Apart 02:12:29 His Final Message to Entrepreneurs Follow Adam Neumann: Adam’s X: https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/5svUr6b Flow Instagram: https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/EyH0BGY Flow TikTok: https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/GcyYR7H Flow Linkedin: https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/DctJqQ9 Flow YouTube: https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/1lIOLPI The Diary Of A CEO: ◼ Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ ◼ Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/BWjLTZK ◼ Shop The Diary Of A CEO collection: https://thediary.com/collections/shop ◼ Get email updates - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/5IB1H6E ◼ Follow Steven - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/AGU9QP4 Sponsors: Wispr - Get 14 days of Wispr Flow for free at https://wisprflow.ai/steven Pipedrive - https://pipedrive.com/CEO

    Adam Neumann: The Real Story Behind WeWork, A $4 Billion Cab Ride, And Surviving A $460 Million Debt
  2. 4d ago

    Druski: They're Lying To You About Overnight Success!

    How do you transform childhood trauma and crippling doubt into a relentless drive for greatness? Druski reveals the psychological forces behind comedy, life, and self-belief to help you break past rejection and master your ultimate purpose. Druski is a cultural phenomenon, megastar comedian, and the creator of an independent production empire who has rapidly ascended to the top of the entertainment industry. He breaks down how humor was used to navigate a traumatic childhood and manifest his current success. His insights provide a playbook for silencing external noise, overcoming avoidant attachment, and betting everything on yourself. Trigger Warning: Please note there are mentions of child abuse and violence within this conversation. In this episode, he explains: ■ The Trauma of Humor: How growing up in a high stress, physically abusive household forced him to use comedy as a tool to read the room and defuse tension. ■ The "No Plan B" Strategy: Why facing the barrel of a gun during a street scam triggered a radical mental shift, empowering him to commit entirely to his vision. ■ The Avoidant Attachment Trap: The reasons why successful individuals often struggle with romantic trust, and how a lack of a healthy parental relationship creates deep rooted intimacy fears. ■ The Power of Silence: Why discovering your true calling requires the painful, counter intuitive act of isolating yourself in total silence. ■ Bypassing the Gatekeepers: The exact mindset required to overcome corporate rejection by self-funding your own creative projects. Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:24 What My Childhood Tapes Meant To Me 00:06:45 When He Knew He Wanted to Be an Entertainer 00:09:25 Healing From Childhood Trauma 00:12:23 Why Letting Go of Grudges Matters 00:18:41 How Childhood Trauma Shaped His Fear of Commitment 00:22:49 Why Druski Dropped Out of College 00:28:06 Druski Opens Up About Depression 00:29:54 How Comedy Changed His Life 00:33:34 Ads 00:35:56 The Video That Changed Me 00:38:50 How Druski Got His Start in Comedy 00:55:07 What It Really Takes to Be Successful 00:57:56 What Greatness Really Means 00:59:58 How Long Does Success Really Take? 01:04:25 Ads 01:05:34 Proving My Mum I Was Right 01:11:23 Why Relationships Matter in Business 01:14:52 How Druski Protects His Brand 01:18:40 Trump-Duski Moment 01:24:03 How Netflix and Amazon Rejected Druski 01:29:21 When He Realized How Big He Had Become 01:35:39 What’s Next for Druski? 01:39:04 What He Would Tell His Younger Self Follow Druski: Instagram - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/AFJZRtQ YouTube - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/3aPmgjD X - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/ERpL6Qo TikTok - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/44HhZzn Twitch - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/CBSxHy9 The Diary Of A CEO: ◼ Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ ◼ Shop The Diary Of A CEO collection: https://thediary.com/collections/shop ◼ Get email updates - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/5IB1H6E ◼ Follow Steven - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/AGU9QP4  Sponsors: Cometeer - https://cometeer.com/DOAC use code DOAC for $20 off Eight Sleep - http://eightsleep.com/steven use code STEVEN for up to $200 off Wayfair - Visit http://Wayfair.com to start your home refresh

    Druski: They're Lying To You About Overnight Success!
  3. Sep 21

    Rick Rubin: What Jay-Z Did in 30 Minutes Left Me Speechless!

    Discover the spiritual and psychological creative process that legendary producer Rick Rubin uses to help the world's biggest artists transcend and achieve greatness. Rick Rubin is the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, and the author of the philosophical bestseller The Creative Act: A Way of Being. Having collaborated with icons like Jay-Z, Johnny Cash, Adele, Tom Petty, and Kanye West, Rubin does not rely on commercial metrics or audience testing to guide his workflow. He shares practical strategies for dismantling the prisons of identity, harnessing the power of "indefensible" ideas, and cultivating a state of pure creative freedom. In this episode, he explains: ■ The "Indefensible" Act: Why the greatest artistic breakthroughs defy logic and market research. ■ The Vacuum Strategy: How walking away from obligations that no longer serve you creates an energetic void, allowing the universe to present massive unexpected opportunities. ■ The Audience Trap: Why focusing on commercial incentives and audience expectations completely undermines the creative process. ■ Deconstructing the Greats: The psychological traits that separate good musicians from generational icons. ■ The Trauma of Success: Rubin opens up about his crippling depressive episode at age 33 after a corporate restructuring at Def Jam. Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:38 Rick Rubin’s "Indefensible" Rule 00:05:24 How a Meme Became Rick Rubin's "The Way of Code" 00:10:34 Why Risk Beats "More of the Same" 00:16:43 How Jay-Z's 99 Problems Was Made 00:20:47 Transcendental Meditation & Finding What You Love 00:29:00 Is Creativity Innate? 00:33:51 Stop Comparing Yourself 00:35:47 The "Lazy Workaholic" & Avoiding Deadlines 00:38:23 The 4 Phases of Creativity 00:41:04 Should You Quit Your Job to Chase Your Dream? 00:48:15 How Rick Rubin Knows an Artist Will Be Great 00:54:15 Feeling Boxed In? The “Reset Button" for Your Life 00:57:50 Ads 00:59:47 Your Identity Is the Trap: How to Start Over 01:07:39 My Depressive Episode at 33 and What It Taught Me 01:17:11 How to Be More Original 01:27:52 Is AI Dangerous? 01:29:24 Can AI Be Creative? 01:35:09 What Makes a Great Artist in the AI Era? 01:40:27 Studio Miracles 01:46:45 When the World Rejects Your Work 01:54:24 The Ace of Spades Story: Why Jay-Z Walked Away From Cristal 02:01:00 Ads 02:02:24 What If Your Art Isn't Good? 02:07:03 What Made Jay-Z Different: Inside His Writing Process 02:17:35 What Makes Kanye Brilliant + Were Great Artists Born Great? 02:22:51 The Artists Who Changed Rick Rubin 02:31:50 Why Rick Rubin Made the Jay-Z Documentary 02:42:18 Who Would You Thank? Follow Rick Rubin: Instagram - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/2PaPSZI X - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/88EVXdF YouTube - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/HGY2CrI The Way of Code - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/CTcdN7D Tetragrammaton - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/vdp2of The Diary Of A CEO: ◼ Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ ◼ Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/BWjLTZK ◼ Shop The Diary Of A CEO collection: https://thediary.com/collections/shop ◼ Get email updates - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/5IB1H6E ◼ Follow Steven - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/AGU9QP4 Sponsors: Ketone - https://ketone.com/STEVEN for 30% off your subscription order Fiverr - https://fiverr.com/diary and get 10% off your first order when you use code DIARY

    Rick Rubin: What Jay-Z Did in 30 Minutes Left Me Speechless!
  4. Sep 17

    The Great AI Debate: Is Artificial Intelligence an Extinction Threat? Debating the True Risks of Advanced Models

    Ed Zitron, Roman Yampolskiy, Nate Soares and Andrew McAfee discuss the risk of AI. This debate brings together four distinct voices at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution: Ed Zitron - A prominent tech critic and CEO of EZPR Andrew McAfee - Principal research scientist at MIT and Cofounder and Codirector of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy  Nate Soares - President of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and author of *If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies* Roman Yampolskiy - Computer scientist pioneer in the field of AI safety, cybersecurity and digital forensics In this debate, they explain: ■ The Sandbox Breakout: How a recent swarm of AI agents bypassed security restrictions, cheated on their evaluations, and actively attempted to delete their own log files to hide their tracks from human overseers. ■ Recursive Self-Improvement: The structural mechanics behind the "fast takeoff" theory, detailing how an AI capable of automated research could exponentially upgrade its own intelligence and architectures in a matter of days. ■ The Illusion of Control: Why attempting to contain an artificial superintelligence is comparable to placing a digital Einstein in a jail cell with an internet connection. ■ The Alignment Trap: How the process of training AI to predict human text inherently forces it to become smarter than the humans providing the data. ■ Present Harms vs. Future Extinction: The ideological divide over whether we must immediately halt AI research to prevent a rogue superintelligence, or increasingly regulate the massive compute expenditures of tech monopolies to address economic and security threats. Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:22 How Likely Is AI to Cause Human Extinction? 00:04:08 How Could AI Actually Cause Human Extinction? 00:09:46 Why AI Safety Became an Urgent Priority 00:11:15 Roman’s Case for Taking AI Risk Seriously 00:15:04 Can Humans Control an AI Smarter Than Us? 00:26:13 How Do You Control Something Smarter Than You? 00:29:19 Will AI Intelligence Keep Accelerating? 00:41:40 What Are the Real Risks of Superintelligence? 00:50:04 When Does AI Become an Existential Crisis? 01:00:15 How Much Job Disruption Could AI Really Cause? 01:14:57 Why AI Companies Believe They Can Control Superintelligence 01:20:30 Should We Give Up AI Ownership to Protect Cybersecurity? 01:36:32 What Happens If AI Companies Stay on This Path? 01:43:50 What Are AI Logs and Why Do They Matter? 01:52:45 Could a Non-Coder Build a Jail for an AI Einstein? 02:00:33 How Does the Future of AI Make You Feel? 02:06:42 How Soon Could We Reach Superintelligence? 02:19:51 Who Should Be Held Accountable for AI-Related Cybercrime? Follow Ed Zitron: Linktree - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/4XH1I3o Better Offline - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/D46entx X - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/5Lv4gas AI Is Already In Dangerous Hands - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/HFEKLgG Where’s Your Ed At Newsletter - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/PKEJr1 You can get $10 off your first year of Where's Your Ed At Premium, here - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/BE4VQcS Follow Andrew McAfee: Website - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/xKxOg7 X - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/Bf2vyMQ Linkedin - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/Ek3IQqI Substack - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/EBbsts8 Follow Nate Soares: If Anyone Builds it, Everyone Dies - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/4zIyY9u X - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/8gDoVCU Linkedin - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/9Q3PAc YouTube - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/AwerSzm Follow Roman Yampolskiy: Who is Roman Yampolskiy? - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/8ikum9s Research Papers - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/G2BbVXx Roman Forum Podcast - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/7zvifcd Books: https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/5Bn72tw Social Media:  X - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/65G3fhN Facebook - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/HRMWccu Linkedin -  https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/FM85mii The Diary Of A CEO: ◼ Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ ◼ Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/BWjLTZK ◼ Shop The Diary Of A CEO collection: https://thediary.com/collections/shop ◼ Get email updates - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/5IB1H6E Sponsors: Pipedrive - https://pipedrive.com/CEO Wayfair - Visit http://Wayfair.com to start your home refresh

    The Great AI Debate: Is Artificial Intelligence an Extinction Threat? Debating the True Risks of Advanced Models
  5. Sep 14

    Professor Jiang: Three Predictions On the Collapse of the World Order

    Could war and global trade breakdowns trigger a modern Bronze Age collapse? Uncover the hidden geopolitical forces dismantling the American empire and what this shift means for our future. Professor Jiang Xueqin is a renowned geopolitical analyst and Yale educated scholar who applies rigorous historical patterns and game theory to forecast the world's most catastrophic conflicts. He returns to reveal the hidden vulnerabilities of our modern civilization by mapping the intricate connections between natural resources, military hegemony, and global supply chains. This urgent analysis provides a framework to help everyday people find meaning and resilience amidst the impending global chaos. In this episode, he explains: ■ The Innovation Equation: Why technological progress is strictly dictated by specialization multiplied by globalization. ■ The Petrodollar Collapse: How the entire global economy relies on US military hegemony and the Middle East.  ■ The Next Geopolitical Flashpoints: How severe water scarcity and shifting demographics in the Global South will trigger mass migration, intense polarization, and potential civil wars across Western societies. ■ The Financial 9/11: Why the next catastrophic terror attack won't target physical buildings, but rather critical financial data servers designed to wipe out bank accounts. Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:20 Where Is the World Heading? 00:10:26 What Would a Collapse of Civilization Actually Look Like? 00:14:13 Who Are the Houthis—and Why Do They Matter? 00:16:52 Why This Is Different From the Iraq War 00:23:20 Why Is It So Hard to Believe a Collapse Could Happen? 00:26:44 Could War Actually Reach American Shores? 00:30:07 Ads 00:38:52 How Immigration Could Push Politics Further Right 00:41:45 What Happens Next With Iran? 00:42:47 How Iran Could Disrupt Global Trade 00:44:29 The Iran Prediction—and What Happens Next 00:46:22 Could This Trigger a Massive Migration Crisis? 00:47:47 What Would Trump Do Next? 00:48:57 Can Trump Back Out of This War? 00:49:57 Prediction #1: Could New York City Face a Siege? 00:53:34 When Could This Conflict Actually Happen? 00:58:22 Prediction #2: An Attack on U.S. Financial Infrastructure 01:02:23 Ads 01:03:28 Why Getting Back Into the U.S. Could Become a Problem 01:09:56 Prediction #3: Messi Becomes President of Argentina 01:12:47 Why China and Japan Could Go to War 01:20:57 How Far Would the U.S. Go to Defend Taiwan? 01:21:42 Could Russia Invade the Baltics? 01:25:32 Can Russia Make a Deal Instead of Going to War? 01:26:59 Does Trump Actually Want Ukraine to Win? 01:29:13 What Could Stop These Global Conflicts From Spreading? 01:35:42 How the Average Person Can Prepare for What’s Coming 01:41:03 How AI Changes the Global Power Struggle 01:42:46 Why AI Surveillance Could Be the Bigger Threat 01:46:33 The Biggest Personal Challenge—and How to Overcome It Follow Professor Jiang: YouTube - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/4JsRjcX Instagram - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/8w2GsYk X - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/CpR2Wf5 Substack (geo-political analysis) - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/3wjOVqX The Diary Of A CEO: ◼ Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ ◼ Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/BWjLTZK ◼ Shop The Diary Of A CEO collection: https://thediary.com/collections/shop ◼ Get email updates - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/5IB1H6E ◼ Follow Steven - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/AGU9QP4 Sponsors: Bon Charge: https://boncharge.com/DOAC for 20% off Stan - Visit https://coach.stan.store/?ref=stevenbartlett&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=episode11 Shopify - https://shopify.com/bartlett

    Professor Jiang: Three Predictions On the Collapse of the World Order
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About

Welcome to The Diary Of A CEO where you'll find raw, human conversations with the world’s most fascinating experts, storytellers, thinkers and business leaders. Hosted by Steven Bartlett (entrepreneur, investor, author, and founder of Steven.com and Flight Fund) this channel was created with a simple mission: to share personal lessons that help both you live better, more fulfilling lives. What is DOAC? Beyond Diary Of A CEO, the acronym reflects our core ethos: - Dreamers — Dream boldly. - Open-minded — Think without limits. - Awareness — Expand your perspective. - Connection — Feel more connected. This is your corner of the internet to dream boldly, think openly, expand your awareness, and feel more connected. The Diary Of A CEO: ◼ Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ ◼ Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/BWjLTZK ◼ Shop The Diary Of A CEO collection: https://thediary.com/collections/shop ◼ Get email updates - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/5IB1H6E ◼ Follow Steven - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/AGU9QP4

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