Ziade and Ford Advisors Paul Ford and Rich Ziade

This episode pays tribute to Paul's late father. Rich and Paul discuss the influence that their fathers had on their lives, and how they now see their dads reflections in themselves. They talk about the difficulties that come with being a father and how it is important to be compassionate and understanding towards them, that at some point, they were doing the best they could, with what they had.

Rich and Paul discuss the reality of your money in the bank-- it's just in a database. They delve into the formal and informal systems of financing, highlighting the challenges faced by immigrants and small businesses. They advocate for the balance between regulation and privatization, recognizing that while regulations are important, they can sometimes create friction for entrepreneurs looking to build a growing business and drive economic growth.

The internet is a huge customer support platform. When people online subscribe to an idea they tend to over-identify with it, and build a strong emotional connection to them. This turns into an unhealthy community when the users approach the platform as theirs and forget about the administrators.

Rich and Paul, founders of a new software startup called Aboard, discuss the importance of creating something that is simple and resonates with people. And the challenge of accepting that not all ideas will be successful, that the important thing is to put our ego aside and have the humility and discipline to continue working on our ideas until they are simple.

Rich and Paul follow Jane as she takes initiative on a project at Microsoft. Jane is met with disinterest from her team and is... done with microsoft. The episode offers valuable advice for both Jane and her boss, highlighting the importance of working on something you care about and recruiting passionate team members to produce impactful work.

The decline of humanities majors is resulting in a lack of diverse perspectives, since they play a crucial role in cultivating more well-rounded individuals. This decline may be contributing to the growing polarization and intolerance we see online today.