The James Altucher Show

15 years young, Fark.com is still alive and growing.   With 45 million monthly downloads and 3 million unique visitors per month, it has an extremely loyal fan base.   Drew Curtis, the founder of Fark, has chosen a different path from most web startups. He shuns most advertising and is not interested in selling Fark and cashing out.   He just loves his lifestyle.   Journalists have gotten lazy with the advent of social media. ""Hey look what so and so said on Twitter' has got to be the laziest form of journalism ever," he says.   BuzzFeed, UpWorthy, Daily Beast, and Slate    and sites like them have news-jacked the media, Fark is different. They like to put a comedic spin on the headlines.   Here are a couple of Fark headlines vying for headline of the year:   *300 gallons of orange juice leaks into swamp after truck accident. Yeah, that's one screwed driver   *Obama launches air strike on Iraq, cementing his record as Nobel Peace Prize winner with the most confirmed kills   *Fight between family members

Adam Grant, the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School's youngest tenured professor, and author of one of the best books of 2013 - Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success - joins The James Altucher Show today.   Helpfulness is Adam's message.   James asks Adam how he got into a topic that resonates so much with people. He says it all started in his early life when he was a diver. He started giving pointers to his competitors, and eventually one of those he helped ended up beating him in the state finals.   This got him thinking...   Is giving a zero-sum game? If he wants to win, do other people have to lose?   Do you have a hard time asking people to help you? Adam talks about the huge difference between taking and receiving.     Some interviews James does make you think hard about yourself. This one takes that to the extreme ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to ou

Daniel O'Brien's love of presidents started early. As he recounts the story in his hilarious book, How To Fight Presidents, it all started when his American Government professor said on his very first day of class, "Not one of you is ever going to grow up to be president of the United States."   He never wanted to be president but when that professor told him he couldn't even if he wanted to, something triggered inside him and he thought...    "Oh, yeah? I'll show you. I'm going to be president. I'm going to be president all over this country and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."   On today's James Altucher Show, James and Daniel talk about our "badass" presidents and which ones Daniel thinks he could beat up.   In 2007, while still in college, Daniel wrote an article that he thought might work on Cracked.com. They bought it and a bunch more. He's now Head Writer and Creative Director of Video having written more than 200 articles to date and his article "The 5 Most Badass Presidents of All-Time"

Sam Harris, a brilliant and often controversial author and lecturer, joins James today to talk about science, religion, spirituality, and Ben Affleck.   Ted.com has said of him...   "Questions of good and evil, right and wrong are commonly thought unanswerable by science. But Sam Harris argues that science can - and should - be an authority on moral issues, shaping human values and setting out what constitutes a good life."   Sam is willing to take on the topics that most run from. Today he and James dive into all of them.   What is consciousness? How does something as simple as a thought take over you?   You have an angry thought and suddenly you're angry. How can a happy thought make you happy?   Is this controllable and should you want to control your thoughts?   Sam says yes...   The energy of anger can be very useful. There are times when you want to convey anger. Detaching yourself from passion can become a huge liability and often unhealthy.     This is an amazing interview. Open your mind and allow so

Dave Berg spent 18 years as Jay Leno's co-producer of The Tonight Show.    Everyone knows The Tonight Show; say the name and you immediately get an image to pop into your mind. But what was really going on behind the scenes?   Today, Dave gives us all some great insight...    You'll hear in his voice how much love and respect he has for Jay, who he called the hardest-working man in all of show business. The inside stories are fantastic, Dennis Rodman (the get), Bill Clinton (the get he never got), and the one person that took him six years to finally get on the show.   Who were Dave's favorite guests? I bet you'll never guess his first response. Dave talks about what makes for a great show and who were the greatest guests.   Click here to listen to Dave's stories.   And in his new book, Behind the Curtain: An Insider's View of Jay Leno's Tonight Show,  Dave reveals what it's like to produce a hit late-night entertainment show.   ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/lis

Podcasting's future is here and this time it's for real.   We've been podcasting for years now and we've grown a very successful business doing it, but we did it behind the scenes.   Alex Blumberg thought, why not invite the audience in and let them follow him build a podcasting company. He was never sure that idea would work and spent hours and hours editing the first few episodes before launch.   He took the leap of faith, the stars aligned, and Startup - Alex's first podcast - has become a huge success.    There's real value in running a podcast network. Alex raised $1.5 million to start Gimlet Media, his network of high-quality narrative podcasts, and just launched his second podcast, Reply All.   Alex and James talk today about the difference between running a for-profit vs. a non-profit company. What are you willing to give up for money; equity, lifestyle, family life? This is a tough question for every new entrepreneur to answer and Alex is still trying to figure it all out.   So far he's off to a grea

Your ups and downs are caused by brain chemicals inherited from earlier mammals.   What's exciting about that is, you can enjoy more happy chemicals if you learn how to manage your mammal brain.   Loretta writes a fantastic blog on her website Inner Mammal Institute where she digs deep into human emotions and the chemistry behind them.   She and James talk today about some of our happy chemicals: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphin.   "Reaching a goal triggers dopamine. That feels great, but the spurt soon ends. Then you become who you were before the spurt. If you're not comfortable with that, you can get caught up in endless efforts to stimulate more dopamine with more goal seeking."   "Unhappy chemicals evolved to alert you to survival threats. They feel bad because that gets your attention. Sometimes we can relieve unhappy chemicals by fixing the underlying problem, like eating when you're hungry or sleeping when you're tired. But some unhappy chemicals will always be there to remind you that lif

Biohacking is the art and science of taking control of your own biology and Dave's revolutionary diet will make you question everything you thought you knew about raw, vegan, paleo, and every other diet out there. Dave, a Silicon Valley investor and technology entrepreneur, has spent 15 years and over $300,000 to hack his own biology. Today you'll hear his story as he tells James why he has devoted his life learning to do those things that previously seemed impossible. The first weekend James drank Bulletproof Coffee, he wrote 170 pages for his new book. Consistently sick as a child, constantly losing his focus as an adult, Dave decided to see if he could rewire his mind and his body. His brand-new book, The Bulletproof Diet, is now available. Listen here to this podcast and tell us what you think. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting dir

Often many of the key people who help create great companies work behind the scenes, out of the publicity spotlight. Mitch Lowe is one of these people.  As fate often has it, Mitch was working to develop another idea. While displaying at a trade show, he met Marc Randolph who happened to stop by his booth. After a long talk about DVDs Marc started to walk away. Mitch grabbed him by the back of his backpack and said, "Wait a minute, we should talk some more."  That "grab" changed his life, and Netflix was born. James asks Mitch three things he's learned from building one of the most successful companies created in the last decade. Mitch gives huge credit for the growth of Netflix to another of the original founders, Reed Hastings.  #1) Focus. Find that one thing you know you can absolutely be the best at and force yourself to drop all the others. #2) Use analytics to make decisions. Use analytics directionally; don't worry about if they're 100% sure. Just use them to point you in a direction.  #3) Pour your mo

Carols' new book, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Crying offers great tips and tricks for getting ahead. Not everything in life is going to work in your favor but your attitude on how you deal with this can set you apart. Carol tells James, you can set you sights on - "This is The Thing", but if you don't get that all important "thing" you can stand often stand in your own way of success. They talk about creating a comedy-writing career. Pitching a concept is a job and you have to treat it serious and Jay Leno's "Rule of Ten". Do you the best you can and don't have an attitude, as it can often get in your way.  ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit&nbs

Emotions evoke an action, often an irrational one.    Irrationality is not all bad. Dan examines some of the positive effects irrationality has on our lives and offers a new look on the irrational decisions that influence our personal lives and our workplace experiences.   In this interview, Dan gives James some great examples.   Money is a relatively new invention. What's the real value of anything? Money is all about opportunity costs. You buy one thing, you give up the opportunity to spend that money on something else.   Why will you spend more money for the exact same thing if a great story is attached to it?   Dan describes what really drives us. We're driven not by reason but by reaction. Social proof is a herding invention.      This is a fantastic interview with a brilliant thinker. Listen here to the stories Dan tells. They'll change the way we see our actions, others, and ourselves. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short surv

Tucker Max, New York Times best selling author of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell promised James that he would talk about his private life publicly first on The James Altucher Show.   And he sure doesn't disappoint.   You'll have to tune in to find out what he reveals here first... ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post

James lands an interview with arguably the ultimate "Choose Yourselfer "and greatest modern-day motivational speaker, Tony Robbins.   Tony talks with James about his soon-to-be-released book MONEY Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom. This might be his best book yet. Tony interviews the 50 most successful people to learn what it takes to be financially secure, independent, and free.   Tony tells the story about the time he sold a two-star Army general on how he could take any training program they had and cut the time in half. The general didn't think Tony could succeed. After interviewing many soldiers, he discovered the key to success. It's the same key anyone can use to achieve financial freedom.   You'll also hear how Tony was forced to start over at the age of 39. He believes his newest book will help everyone that's in a similar position. Whether you're well off or trying to figure out how you're going to pay this month's rent, this episode has something for you.   He tells James why h

One of Forbes recent 30 under 30 Trip Adler is a real life success story. Growing up in Palo Alto and graduating with a biophysics degree from Harvard, it seemed a given that he'd create a successful startup. But locking in on the right idea wasn't easy. He contemplated a ride-share service, a social-media site, and as luck often has it, the best idea came out of solving a family problem. He tells James his startup story. In full disclosure, James is a small investor in Scribd, and as such, asks Trip if it would be OK if he pushes him a bit. In true Trip fashion, he answers "Sure, it sounds like fun." Listening to this interview, you'll hear the success story of a young startup company run by someone who admittedly doesn't have all the easy answers. The early years were challenging. Hiring the right team, instilling the right culture, and focusing in on the right strategy have been crucial keys to Scribd's success.  Trip tells James, "The main reason why companies fail is because they give up." As you'll hea

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the Force may just be against you.   Jim Luceno author of three Star Wars novels and a couple of feet of other books joins James today to talk about careers and everything Star Wars.   Sometimes hard work isn't enough. Often you need to look for out-of-the-box solutions...   You have to stick with it... you may get lucky.   They dive deep into the blockbuster Star Wars franchise. They go over all their favorite backstories and talk about their anticipation about what's coming next. James tries to get a little insight into the newest movie but Jim gives him nothing. You can hear his disappointment.   James and Jim geek out as they talk about Jim's newest book Tarkin and some future Star Wars movie ideas.   If you're a Star Wars fan then this show is a must-listen. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in get

James and Brian, although having never met before, instantly bond. They both, albeit at different times, played poker at the legendary Mayfair Club and relive some of those great stories.   As Brian says, "You'd leave early in the morning either with a gangsters roll in your pocket or knowing you'd just lost... but somehow as you'd walk out, four, four-thirty, five in the morning and get into a gypsy cab... something just felt right in the world..."   The Mayfair Club was Brian and his writing partner David Levien's inspiration for the hit movie Rounders starring Matt Damon.   Brian attributes a lot of his success to his ADHD. He's able to laser focus in things that fascinate him. When he came across the singer-songwriter Tracey Chapman, he was hooked. She had something very special and he "knew it." But "knowing it" and getting her to believe he knew it and that he could help her took years of hard work. She originally said no a hundred times in a row.   You've got to listen to Brian's story about Phillip

Clayton Anderson is the definition of a person who persevered and "chose himself." He applied 15 times before NASA finally selected him to enter the astronaut program in 1998.   He talks about the importance of never giving up on a dream. It wasn't easy and he admits he couldn't have done it without the support of his family. He tells James, "sometimes sacrifice is required to achieve your dreams." He provides valuable advice any entrepreneur can apply to their lives.   Clay also talks about the importance of setting goals and working toward them. Even though he wanted to be an astronaut, he knew he would have to take whatever job he qualified for and work his way up.   Veteran astronauts have a mantra, "Keep your head down and keep coloring"... In other words, don't stand out and keep grinding on the task at hand.   James and Clayton also talk about why being slightly above average and consistent can land you the opportunity of a lifetime. You don't have to be the best in order to be extraordinary.   This is

In the Choose Yourself era, there's no better resource than LinkedIn for connecting to new people and searching for fresh starts.   This episode of the James Altucher Show features Daniel Roth, the Executive Editor at LinkedIn. Daniel has been called the "most powerful business journalist on the Internet" by Business Insider.   Daniel and his team recently launched the Influencer program. He wanted to create a platform for original and curated content from 500 of the world's top thought leaders. They wisely reached out to James to become one of their hand-picked writers.   You'll hear James and Daniel discuss the inner workings of writing a great post. They talk about why you should consider writing posts on LinkedIn versus your own blog. They make a very compelling case that you'll want to hear.     If you're currently in search of a new career or are interested in becoming an entrepreneur, start by listening to this podcast. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/liste

  Most people will tell you there are no shortcuts when it comes to achieving success as an entrepreneur.   Shane Snow, author of the book Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success, will tell you differently. Shane set out to study entrepreneurs that successfully fast tracked their businesses.   He interviewed many successful people and found nine patterns that can be learned by anyone to help accelerate their businesses or personal careers.   Shane believes "paying dues" is an archaic practice. Shane and James break down case studies for listeners that show how quickly companies can grow by hacking the system.   Shane defines what an entrepreneurial success and failure look like. You'll learn the characteristics winning entrepreneurs have.   As usual, James brings his own unique insights to this interview.     You don't want to miss what they have to say. ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will h

Type almost anything into Google and you'll notice that often the first or second search result is a Wikipedia page.   Wikipedia has become the world's encyclopedia. It's written collaboratively by the people who use it, and because of that, it has gone viral.   Jimmy Wales no longer runs the day-to-day operations of Wikipedia, instead he spends his days traveling the world giving talks on free speech and Internet freedom. Although, he still spends an inordinate amount of time interacting with and thinking about the community.   Today, Jimmy shares his secret origin with James.   History is usually written by the winners. Wikipedia has changed that, and now everyone has an equal say.   James asks Jimmy what the real "hot button" topics are, and which cause the most arguments. I think you'll be surprised by his answers.     As usual, James' mind is always thinking of new business ideas. During the interview both he and Jimmy toss out a few that are just waiting for someone to grab up and run with. ------------