Learn Speak Teach Episode #69 with Jimmy Soni

Watch The Episode on Youtube:

In this incredible episode, we are joined by Jimmy Soni, a speechwriter, speaker, and author of The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley.

Jimmy walks us through a gripping account of PayPal’s origins and a vivid portrait of the geeks and contrarians who made its meteoric rise possible. These include Elon Musk, Amy Rowe Klement, Peter Thiel, Julie Anderson, Max Levchin, Reid Hoffman, and many others whose stories have never been shared.

These founders, who started out with a vision to revolutionize how people send and receive money, have become iconic figures in today’s tech world. They have formed, funded, and advised the leading companies of our era, including Tesla, Facebook, YouTube, SpaceX, Yelp, Palantir, and LinkedIn, among many others.

Jimmy shares what inspired him to write The Founders, the power of peer groups, and how to find the right peer group. Additionally, he discusses the unique culture at PayPal that set its founders up for success and why PayPal succeeded when so many other startups failed.

The story of PayPal and the entrepreneurs who shaped Silicon Valley is one of the most inspiring stories of our time.

Tune in!

During this episode, you will learn about:

[04:08] Get to know our guest; Jimmy Soni

[05:30] Surprising finding that Jimmy discovered while researching for his book; The Founders

[08:50] What inspired Jimmy to write The Founders?

[12:21] Jimmy’s first move in writing his book

[19:18] The power of peer groups and how to find the right peer group

[25:15] The backstory that led Jimmy to become a curious person

[30:53] The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley

[31:19] The meaning of “PayPal-Mafia”

[35:22] Elon Musk’s fascination with the letter ‘X’

[37:45] Why Confinity Inc. merged with X.com to form PayPal

[42:04] The unique culture at PayPal that set its founders up for success

[44:44] Why PayPal succeeded when so many other Startups failed

[47:19] How to support and connect with Jimmy Soni

Get a copy of The Founders: https://bit.ly/420w1LR

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimmyasoni

[48:32] Rapid Fire Round

[52:56] Grab a copy of The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley

Key Takeaways:

“The role of peer groups is more powerful than mentors.”~ Jimmy Soni [17:18]
“It does help to try to choose peers and friends who are the kind of people you aspire to be.”~ Jimmy Soni [20:39]
When starting a company, you don’t need to have a road up. [42:33]
When you are starting a company, your answer is wrong, and what you do is you course correct and improve to figure out the right answer. [43:25]