Acquired Live at Radio City Music Hall (Presented by J.P. Morgan)
It’s finally here! Today we are releasing Acquired’s first “concert film” — the full video recording of our Radio City live show from this summer with Jamie Dimon, Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien, Barry Diller, and cameos from around the Acquired Cinematic Universe including Christina Cacioppo, Ben Clymer, and Howard Schultz.
To watch the full production on any device, please head over to Spotify where you’ll find it available for free in the Acquired feed right alongside all our other episodes: https://open.spotify.com/episode/77Kl3BsiEQLpli2Q2ozZuf?si=4f4609e343504fd0
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Live Show Presented By: J.P. Morgan
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Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.
Barry Diller - Building An Entertainment Empire - [Invest Like the Best, EP.441]
My guest today is Barry Diller. Barry is the former CEO of Paramount Pictures, Fox Broadcasting, and the founder of IAC. He has been at the center of every major media transformation over the past five decades, from creating the Movie of the Week format to building the fourth broadcast network to executing 150 internet-era deals. Barry reveals his "creative conflict" philosophy - pushing smart, opinionated people past their endurance point to generate breakthrough ideas. He also shares stories of working alongside media titans like Rupert Murdoch and Bill Gates. We discuss his current portfolio strategy, innovation in media, and how personal struggles can become professional superpowers. Please enjoy my conversation with Barry Diller.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus.
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Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Show Notes:
(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best
(00:05:02) Early Career in Entertainment
(00:06:33) Defining Moments and Fearlessness
(00:09:18) Personal Reflections and Family Impact
(00:12:37) The Magic of Interactivity
(00:14:44) Creative Conflict and Instinct
(00:19:24) Breaking Down Complexities
(00:21:35) Innovations in Television
(00:23:37) The Fox Network and Murdoch's Gamble
(00:29:37) The Value of Money and Motivation
(00:30:17) The Leap to Independence
(00:32:28) QVC and the Internet Revolution
(00:33:37) The AI Opportunist Approach
(00:36:55) The Rise of Match.com and Tinder
(00:38:57) The MGM Investment and Future of Entertainment
(00:41:21) Negotiation Lessons from Lou Wasserman
(00:43:47) The Simpsons: From Doubt to Success
(00:44:25) The Changing Landscape of Media
(00:51:53) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Barry
Ambition, Media, and What’s Left of Hollywood — with Barry Diller
Barry Diller, a businessman known for his influential roles in media and entertainment and also the chairman and senior executive of IAC, joins Scott to discuss his origin story, the current state of media and streaming, and his new book, Who Knew.
Help us plan for the future of The Prof G Pod by filling out a brief survey: voxmedia.com/survey.
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Barry Diller Unfiltered: on Family, Fortune, Elon, Trump & AI
Barry Diller’s fingerprints are all over pop culture. From inventing the Movie of the Week and pioneering the television mini-series to launching the FOX broadcast network, redefining home shopping channels, and popularizing dating apps — Diller has had a hand in shaping the American experience for decades.
His memoir, Who Knew, takes readers from his difficult childhood through his meteoric rise in Hollywood and finally, his reinvention as a groundbreaking internet entrepreneur.
And although much of the press around the book has focused on Diller’s sexuality and his relationship to his wife, Diane von Furstenburg, nothing in his personal life is anywhere near as fascinating as his singular career.
Kara and Barry discuss his life, his family, his approach to business, and his take on Trump and how to beat him.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
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Barry Diller on Biden, AI and the Hollywood Shutdown
Billionaire mogul and power broker Barry Diller doesn’t hold back (at all) as he takes us inside Washington, Silicon Valley and Hollywood. The legendary executive breaks down why Biden isn’t his “fave,” how we can save the news business and “the republic” from AI, and how the “evil genius” of Netflix factors into the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes. That, and more, in what Kara and Nayeema dub “the Mediterranean ‘ratf*ck’ episode.”
Questions or comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza
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20VC: Why Value Investing is BS, The Most Insane Elements of SPACs, Why Simplification is the Secret to High Margins & Why Good Values Should Make You Uncomfortable with Joey Levin, CEO @ IAC
Joey Levin is the CEO of IAC where he has overseen the constant evolution of the company, including the initial IPO and subsequent spin-off of Match Group, the spin-off of Vimeo, and the acquisitions of Angie's List and Care.com. If that was not enough, in October 2022, Joey was also appointed as CEO of Angi Inc. In addition to this, Joey also serves on the boards of IAC, Turo, and MGM Resorts International.
In Today's Discussion with Joey Levin We Discuss:
1.) The Makings of a Great Leader:
When Joey was younger, what did he want to be when he grew up?
What is Joey's biggest advice to people coming out of college/university at this time?
What 1-2 things does Joey credit his internal and fast rise in IAC to?
2) Value Investing is BS & The Markets Today:
Why does Joey believe the idea of "value investing" is BS?
What 1-2 behavior traits of investors in the last few years were most dangerous?
Why does Joey believe that the current market is reasonable and now is the new normal?
How does Joey keep internal morale high when people have become accustomed to high stock prices?
Does Joey believe in the statement, "be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy"?
3.) Simplification is the Secret to Margin & Messaging 101:
Why does Joey believe simplification is the core of high margins?
How can startups and scale-ups identify where to simplify first? What are the subsequent steps?
Why does Joey believe that the best values should make you feel uncomfortable?
What is a lesson from Joey's father on what makes truly great messaging?
4.) Parenting, Money and Marriage:
How does Joey reflect on his own relationship to money today?
What are 1-2 lessons taught by his mother on how to approach money and wealth?
What does Joey believe is the secret to truly happy marriages?
What are Joey's biggest lessons on what it takes to be an effective and good father?
Joey Levin - Building an Anti-Conglomerate - [Invest Like the Best, EP. 264]
My guest today is IAC’s CEO, Joey Levin. IAC is a unique business in that it’s a holding company which builds world-class digital businesses. Since Barry Diller created IAC over two decades ago, it has produced 11 public companies, including Match Group, Expedia, and Live Nation. Today, the business is comprised of category-leaders like Angi, Dotdash Meredith, and Care.com.
Joey joined IAC in 2003 and became CEO in 2015. We talk about why he tries to avoid centralization between businesses, what he's learned from Barry Diller, how he approaches capital allocation, and so much more. This conversation serves as an excellent reminder that there’s no formula to company building. Everything is idiosyncratic and requires its own best decisions. Please enjoy this great discussion with Joey Levin.
For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.
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Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.
Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more.
Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.
Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus
Show Notes
[00:03:05] - [First question] - The unique nature of IAC; the business of building businesses
[00:05:27] - The first business spun out of IAC and its bottom-up philosophy
[00:06:41] - The differences of IAC and how they manifest
[00:09:39] - Agility and history of respecting the core functions of the internet
[00:12:36] - Simplified, faster, and larger choice digital experiences
[00:15:57] - His thoughts on the shared characteristics amongst their winners
[00:18:26] - Lessons from building competitive products in online dating simultaneously
[00:21:37] - Navigating customer acquisition cost and embracing change
[00:24:04] - What makes someone great at customer acquisition
[00:26:26] - Fostering a unique approach compared to typical customer funnels
[00:27:48] - What most explains his move from a pip-squeak to CEO
[00:29:44] - The process he uses to get to know the critical aspects of a new business
[00:31:59] - Indications that a leader may no longer be suited to run a business
[00:33:13] - Characteristics of vertical markets that he finds attractive to get involved in
[00:34:08] - The early stages of incubating a new business and an overview of their process
[00:38:10] - Enabling new consumer experiences and infrastructure fading away
[00:40:17] - Distilling big ideas down to streamlined approachable consumer products
[00:42:22] - High-level internal conversations around capital allocation
[00:45:06] - Quantitative versus qualitative analysis in their decision-making process
[00:46:50] - What idea felt the most right but turned out to be a disaster
[00:51:26] - Brand rollup versus brand consolidation and when either strategy is appropriate
[00:54:03] - Having a good sense of identifying, defining, and positioning categories
[00:56:23] - Which aspects of his perspectives have shifted since becoming CEO
[00:57:59] - Thoughts on the toolkit available for sourcing and the cost of capital
[01:01:08] - What personally brings him the most joy in what he does
[01:02:37] - Working with Barry Diller and what it taught him
[01:06:39] - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for him
The infinite learner, w/Barry Diller (Part 1 of our interview)
Tinder. Top Gun. Roots. The Simpsons. What do they have in common? Media icon Barry Diller. We're re-airing a classic episode with some wise words. Barry is what we call an "infinite learner." He’s only interested in things he's never done before. And if they’ve never been done by ANYONE? Better yet. He succeeds by embracing that he is, in fact, a master of nothing. Entrepreneurs, take note: You just might be an infinite learner yourself, and Barry shares a lesson or two you can use.
Listen to Part 2 of this interview, "Learn to unlearn": https://mastersofscale.com/learn-to-unlearn/
Read a transcript of this episode at https://mastersofscale.com
Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter at https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Recode Decode: IAC chairman Barry Diller
Barry Diller, the chairman of IAC and the Expedia Group, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the state of the tech and media industries, problematic people in power and why Diller is building a new public park in New York.
In this episode: What does he do as chairman of those companies?; the future of dating apps; how Diller evaluates the travel industry and Airbnb; how did Diller anticipate how the internet would change media?; why Netflix is beating Amazon and will beat all other competitors; "Hollywood is now irrelevant"; techlash and criticizing Mark Zuckerberg; how Facebook and Google should be regulated; Amazon's power and Jeff Bezos' battle with the National Enquirer; how he has run the Washington Post; Rupert Murdoch and Marc Benioff; Diller is writing a book; President Trump is "thoroughly rotten" and "an accident of history"; Mike Bloomberg, Howard Schultz and billionaire backlash; saving the High Line in New York City; public spaces and civic responsibility; "we're building an island off the Hudson River."
Click here to vote for Kara Swisher in the Shorty Awards! You can vote once per day between now and Thursday, February 21.
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Learn to unlearn (Part 2) w/Barry Diller
To move from one success to another, you have to learn to unlearn. Take everything that helped you win the first time, then discard it and learn a new way. That's how Barry Diller, a titan of "old media" (at ABC, Paramount and Fox), mastered the new dot-com world — with everything from Expedia to Match.com. This is Part 2 of our epic interview with Barry Diller, and it features cameos from Uber's Dara Khosrowshahi and serial entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan.
Listen to Part 1 of this interview: "Infinite Learner": https://mastersofscale.com/barry-diller-infinite-learner/
Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/learn-to-unlearn/
Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The infinite learner, w/Barry Diller (Part 1 of our interview)
Tinder. Top Gun. Roots. The Simpsons. What do they have in common? Media icon Barry Diller. Barry is what we call an "infinite learner." He’s only interested in things he's never done before. And if they’ve never been done by anyone? Better yet. He succeeds by embracing that he is, in fact, a master of nothing. Entrepreneurs, take note: You just might be an infinite learner yourself, and Barry shares a lesson or two you can use. This is Part 1 of our epic interview with Barry Diller, and it features cameos from Drew Houston (Dropbox) and Alexa Christon (GE).
Listen to Part 2 of this interview, "Learn to unlearn": https://mastersofscale.com/learn-to-unlearn/
Read a transcript of this interview at: https://mastersofscale.com/barry-diller-infinite-learner/
Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
