How I Built This with Guy Raz

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Business #6All Genres #148

Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimate moments of doubt and failure, and share insights on their eventual success. How I Built This is a master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership and how to navigate challenges of all kinds.
New episodes on Mondays and Thursdays for free. Listen 1-week early and to all episodes ad-free with Wondery+ or Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.
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Recent Reviews
  • notulip
    Great show!
    I really enjoy this podcast. Guy Raz is well prepared and asks enough tough questions to make it interesting. And, you really get a feel for the difficulties that people face when starting a business. The Thomas Keller episode was really good!
  • ProTipTrader
    Interesting topics and could use editing improvements
    I find the topics interesting, but I find some of the interjections sound inserted during editing. Some “ums”, “hums” and “yups” just sound like they were inserted into a string of dialog from the guest after the fact. Not sure if this was actually the case, but sounds assembled to me.
  • mitchell.33
    Affirm: a cautionary tale
    Really interesting to go back and listen to the Affirm episode in the era of high interest rates. It gives you a great sense of how blind FinTech entrepreneurs are to the “Fin” side of their profession. Levchin, who sounds like an amazing guy in general, claims that Affirm’s profitability trajectory is essentially guaranteed by the unit economics of the company’s business model. He calls it a fun math problem. Obviously he knows very little about cost of funding. The roughly 20% of his workforce that was recently laid off probably wishes he had taken at least one finance class to balance his programming genius.
  • Jac/Rose
    What has happened to Guy?
    I used to Love this podcast… listen every day on my walks. But now I’m finding it almost unbearable. Guys questions go on and on and on… interrupting the guest constantly and he stumbles over his questions with “like” ..my goodness ! The show used to be a bit crisper, but now this is so hard to listen to!! I find myself screaming “STOP TALKING -let your guest finish a thought!!!!” and “Get your questions printed out so he can read them!” Please watch YouTube channel Diary of a CEO.. the host is an industrial strength listener. Questions are well thought out and no stumbling along. It’s not endearing…it’s juvenile.
  • jzneater
    The antidote for the negative news cycle
    See title
  • E Galley
    ES
    I love it!
  • Old F'er
    Interesting Topics
    I enjoy listening to different topics without options thrown in. Most topics are very interesting. Thanks to the podcast crew for all they do.
  • Kungfugeisha
    Stop saying yah, please
    Want to like this podcast but the host saying yah constantly has is so grating, I can’t make it past episode one. Would be much better without the host interview style.
  • Sinsara Reviews
    Great stories! Way toooooo long of an intro!
    Love this concept. Love the stories. Love the host! Unfortunately the show has an insanely long intro which is incredibly frustrating for someone like me who tries to listen on the way to work-30 minute drive. 15 minutes of it are commercial and lead up blah blah. So I have to go back and listen when I have a full hour to do so!
  • dumbusernameforapp21
    Pod Interesting and is so well done.
    Guy does a deep dive into each Pod and is a master interviewer. I look forward to all of shows. I learn so much. Thank you Guy & Pod Crew!
  • jellooooooooooooooooooooo
    💕💕💕💕
    This is my favorite podcast!!!! I listen every night and my favorite episode is Milk Bar with Christina Tosi!!!
  • leaf 9
    Too much interruptions
    Guy needs to let the person tell the story and not interrupt so much.
  • AleksandraSara
    Guests are amazing but Guy needs to learn etiquette
    Is it possible for Guy Raz to have a guest on his show and not interrupt them? Similarly is it possible for him to have a non American and not re-say everything they say as if they don’t speak English? His guests are amazing but the etiquette is awful. I could scream.
  • crt2102
    Inspiring
    Love love love this podcast. Great stories
  • Othfan171
    Enjoy this
    I really enjoy this podcast when it is a company I am interested in. Also can you please look into Melissa
  • wakeele
    Guest lineup isn’t getting any better
    Maybe it’s my own interests, but I’m finding the show is losing my interest, seemingly mostly from the guests they get. Less and less appeal to me and it feels like they’re scraping the bottom. Sure, these people are successful by some people’s measure, but they sure don’t inspire me like some guests they’ve had on.
  • teslapple
    Stop the background effects please
    Interesting content/guest ruined by intermittent/random audio overlay makes it too distracting to listen to.
  • Fieri555
    Guy ruins this show
    It blows my mind that this show gets some of the most interesting and accomplished founders on the planet, only to have Guy ask naive / hungover-sounding questions. Stop dumbing everything down — this isn’t a podcast for 4 year olds
  • Lois Weissberg
    Always a favorite
    It’s my go-to podcast. It’s fun and I learn something new about businesses I know and don’t know with every new listen.
  • Dfales
    OK
    Just OK
  • Indyeche
    Love the interviews
    Enjoy every single moment of each interview And I learned so much about everything Thank you Pink is a fun and very intelligent person Amazing story and courage Bravo Pinky
  • Johhny64
    was a good show
    Adding to my review. I am going to drop listening to the Lab shows because they are now close to an hour long. The main show is 1.5 hours and if the quality continues to decline I will drop podcast all together. 2.5 hours is too much to ask of listeners. Anyway it is a shame since this was my favorite podcast. The quality of quests is lower and length is increasing. The quality is going down hill. Double whammy. The stories are not as interesting and the length is way to long. Too much background. We don’t need to know the guests entire life history. I can’t listen any longer. I can’t believe that Guy has the nerve to believe that he can waste over 1.5 hours of our time. His shows keep getting longer. Too much detail that is not important. Need better editor. This is what I wrote a 6 months back. Guy is making these shows TOO LONG. 49 mins tops should be the target. Shows are know about 1.5 hours. I can’t deal with that. Too many shows with 3 per week. Over load. Shows continue to get longer. Well he know is putting out 2 shows a week. The main show released on Monday are close to 1.5 hours. Way too much background of the individual in them. 2nd show is the right length but so far they haven’t been very interesting. I am seriously thinking about unsubscribing because I can’t justify the use of my time. It is a shame because this was one of my favorite pod casts. I think it is now about how we can capture more of the listeners time.
  • Dave873903
    Guy is insufferable.
    The guests and companies profiled are awesome. I only wish Guy understood the role of an interviewer. Ask a question, then get out the way and let the guest tell his/her story. STOP interrupting the guest by trying to finish his/her sentence! This habit is annoying enough with a dinner party companion. It’s only worse with a podcast host.
  • 38;894
    Must listen!
    Great podcast to learn about the fundraising world! Thanks!
  • CAM-NYC
    Great
    Loved the MK episode.
  • Clara, 10 years old
    Person5
    I am just a kid, and i love listening to Planet Money, it is really great and fun
  • Joan from Maine
    My favorite show
    I am a podcast nerd and this is my favorite.
  • SeanCastillo
    Used to be great
    Early episodes of this show were incredible. Then they started doing a bunch of filler live episodes. Now, all the sudden there is a paywall with no explanation. New episodes are blocked unless you subscribe to Wondery. Not cool.
  • really pround aunt
    Please do a show
    I’ve always really enjoyed listening to your show on the radio (guess that reveals my demographic) and just discovered the podcasts. Listing a new way as I move towards retirement. I’ve a suggestion about a company Flowfold that started making wallets out of recycled high end sail cloth.
  • Nycopenears
    Great interviews but audio background is distracting
    Let the interviews speak for themselves. The audio overlay is particularly distracting when listening through earbuds.
  • afdybfuh
    Good show but lot of profanity
    The shows lately have had a lot of swearing. I know Fword is mainstream but I don’t want my kids picking up bad habits. We used to listen to this together but not anymore. Still good interviews
  • gibbe22
    Please do a story with the Jordan Carriers owner
    I love this podcast . I would love for you to do a pod cast with the Jordan Carriers owner.
  • Golfin4Life
    One of The Best!
    Guy Raz is a fantastic host with a fantastic tone, cadence and inflection. The production quality is top notch and love the cold opens. Great work to everyone involved on the podcast!
  • agushen
    Love the show but…
    Love the show but I refuse to pay extra for access to a podcast
  • starki11
    Well done
    Interesting story telling Recommended
  • Kati3yang
    Love the show, host is distracting
    I love the companies and content of this show. I wish Guy Raz was a better interviewer - he was "like" ALOT, and he does not get to the point. It's actually really distracting and limits my enthusiasm for the podcast. The Chobani episode was probably the best one I’ve ever listened to. What an amazing story
  • DanDanknick
    This could be so much better
    I believe Guy Raz is intentional but he operates in both a vocal and intellectual vacuum. Hire a VO coach as your inflection is flat but then the occasional vocal fry. Millenenial. It’s like listening to Jacinda Ardern. Also there is a fundamental problem of you posing low IQ questions to self-described high IQ cats. This show is akin to a 50% puff piece for Holmes at Theranos. You had every chance to ask WHEN the “low carbon footprint” of Rivian trucks would cross the threshold given all “high carbon footprint” it took to fabricate one. It is a deep “carbon ROI” issue.
  • veeeeduuub
    Bring A Trailer
    Love the show. Please do one on bringatrailer dot com! Regardless, keep up the great work!
  • shurx
    Never gets old
    The show is inspiring and a lovely reminder of who is behind the companies of this great country. Keep ‘em coming.
  • The Delivery Guy
    Anthony Wood revised to include Chelsea Fagsn
    I would like to add my previous criticism of the Anthony Wood interview with my deepest appreciation for the Chelsea Fagan interview. It is in stark contrast to the former that I was compelled to amend my review. Chelsea Fagan should be commended for her approach to entrepreneurship. Her point of view is so refreshing. It is an approach that I have strived for in my own entrepreneurial journey. The growth at all cost narrative is arguably the single largest factor when it comes to contributing to wealth inequality. Creating a business on sustainable and inclusive principles is entirely what is needed to solve wealth inequality and Chelsea has an insightful grasp on this approach to growing a business. The growth at all cost narrative divides and distracts and not amplifying that fact perpetuates it. Chelsea is amplifying this in a way that isn’t too preachy. But I digress. Thanks again Guy for amplifying her voice. Previous review. The Anthony Wood episode was insightful - I appreciated question about his wealth, I did not appreciate the answer. When founders sign term sheets they more often than not wire inequity into their business models as well. When there is someone as brilliant as Anthony is, he has more power than most to set the operating terms for investors. But because we do not hold founders accountable for this aspect of contributing to the wealth divide, they do not take this great power with the great responsibility that it deserves. (Sorry for quoting Spider-man), hence they end up with more money than they can spend in several lifetimes. in addition they leave the decisions for how that wealth gets distributed to a wealthy few and the industry of philanthropy which perpetuates harm. If we hold these billionaires more accountable for the decisions they make before they become billionaires (at the startup stage) then we will start to see a society with more balanced equity. Listen to my Podcast Spread Love FM for more on this. Episodes 10 & 12 with more on this coming. Thanks for reading.
  • Bofa D Nuhtz
    My Favorite Podcast
    How I Built This is easily my favorite podcast. Hands down the best podcast for entrepreneurs, creatives or anyone who just enjoys a great story. The production is perfect, and Guy Raz is an exceptional, respectful host who lets the guests shine each and every episode. So much wisdom and story packed into each episode that relistening is just as good as the first play through.
  • mike01010
    Update Hacking
    I really enjoy both this podcast and business wars, but the two podcasts are ALWAYS at the top of my long library list as being recently updated. For some time that deceived me into thinking there was a new episode. There was not. I understand the motivation behind whatever daily updates you put out in order to keep these podcasts at the top of everyones list and therefore get more listens (or perhaps the updates are completely innocuous), but youre ruining the whole point of the update list. Its quite frustrating. Also, in my case, i actually listen less because i rarely actually click on these podcasts anymore assuming there is not really a new episode.
  • Eitansays
    LOL
    Been listening to HIBT for years and never checked out the ratings and my goodness, the things people find to complain about… Just insane. This podcast is an absolute blessing for any entrepreneurially minded person, or really anyone who simply enjoys story telling. The episodes are NOT too long, the depth is fascinating, the candor Guy brings out in his guests is refreshing, and the show is consistently insightful. Some episodes are more interesting than others, sure, but so what? Find one slow or boring? Turn it off and pick another from among the hundreds in the catalogue. I’ve recommended this to so many friends over the years with positive feedback. Stoked to have this one in my line up. Keep it up, HIBT team 👍
  • LankyLance95
    Great show, getting a bit stale unfortunately.
    I’ve been listening to HIBT for years and I’ve taken so much inspiration from it. The storyline, the drama, the highs and lows really makes for an interesting journey. However, I do feel like lately the episodes have been getting a bit boring. Particularly the last one with the Grow inc CEO. I felt like even Guy wasn’t even that interested in her story. Other than that I still highly recommend this show.
  • Mallarie121
    Famous Dave’s More Like Famous Yawns
    I have listened to and enjoyed quite a few of these shows but this episode made me sleepy. Not entertaining in the slightest.
  • Shao0424
    Awesome Storytelling and Inspiring!
    Guy Raz has done such an amazing job to bring out the essence and challenge each companies have faced. The stories are easy to digest and the challenges each founders met seem to be an exciting adventure through Guy’s carefully crafted conversations.
  • BugsM90
    Chobani is a great story
    The episode with Hamdi Ulukaya was the best one I have listened to. Growing up in the area I knew of the Chobani story but not to the detail revealed in the podcast. I had tension listening just thinking of the decisions Hamdi had to make. Great listen and love the show!
  • redheadagent
    Top Notch
    The research that goes into Guy’s presentations is top notch. I learn so much from these podcasts and I learn about so many new people and businesses. Thanks for a great podcast.
  • Nomadiction
    Love
    Love listening to stories like this
  • Surls
    Showing the Real Journey
    Connecting us with companies and brands by showing the story behind each companies rise to success is so empowering to a new small business like me. Learning that the fulfillment is in the journey not the finish line. Thank you for sharing your gifts in this show.
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