Divot

Eric Ries created the Lean Startup methodology and wrote "The Lean Startup," a New York Times bestseller that has sold more than a million copies in over 30 languages, teaching a generation of founders the MVP and build, measure, learn. He later founded the Long Term Stock Exchange, an SEC-approved exchange that has raised over $170 million, and just published his newest bestseller, "Incorruptible."
In this episode with Derek Andersen, Eric explains why "Lean Startup" has held up in the AI era, why AI has made building software nearly free while learning what customers truly need remains the real bottleneck, and why founders chasing AI-generated demos are skipping the customer validation that actually determines survival. "The learn step," he says, "has always been the rate-limiting step."
The conversation goes deeper into "Incorruptible," Eric's new book on why good companies get taken over, gutted, and hollowed out once their founders lose control. He reveals the sentence hidden in nearly every corporate charter that legally forces companies to maximize shareholder value over mission, and lays out the purpose, coherence, and integrity every founder needs to build something that lasts.
Follow Blaine - X (Twitter): https://x.com/ericries
Follow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen
Episode Partners:
Google for Startups
If you’re building applications with generative media or considering it, Google just released a brand-new technical guide. You can download it at https://goo.gle/genmediaguide
Timestamps:
02:05 — Why "Build, Measure, Learn" Still Wins in the AI Era
04:18 — The One Thing AI Still Can't Speed Up: Learning
05:57 — Why Software Is Getting More Expensive, Not Less
10:01 — Why Talking to Customers Is Still the Rate-Limiting Skill
13:20 — What "Incorruptible" Actually Means
19:21 — The Sentence Hidden in Every Corporate Charter
20:52 — Would You Sell to the Company You Hate Most?
25:33 — How the Credo Collapsed Into a Cover-Up
28:13 — The Tylenol Recall That Built a Century of Trust
30:36 — The Blueprint: Purpose, Coherence, Integrity
31:41 — What a Public Benefit Corporation Actually Does
34:10 — Anthropic's Mission Guardian and the Companies That Copied It
42:57 — How Eric Ries Measures His Own Life
Follow Divot:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Divotpod
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg
Hashtags:
#EricRies #LeanStartup #Incorruptible #BuildMeasureLearn #LongTermStockExchange #PublicBenefitCorp #JohnsonAndJohnson #StartupFounders #FounderMindset #AIandStartups #CorporateGovernance #MissionDriven #Entrepreneurship #DivotPodcast

Blaine Anderson is the Shark Tank dating coach for men who built Dating by Blaine from a COVID-forced career pivot into a company with 7,000 clients and over 1 million followers. She accepted Mark Cuban's $100,000 offer on stage and became the first credible female voice on social media telling men the truth about what is actually going wrong in their dating lives.
In this episode with Derek Andersen, Blaine breaks down why the most accomplished men often have the worst dating lives, and what it costs them. She explains why dating apps are designed to keep you searching rather than matched, how the checklist approach to first dates kills attraction before it starts, and the real reason high-achieving men get ghosted after dates that felt genuinely great.
The conversation goes deeper than dating tips. Blaine argues that the real problem is a life built without room for another person, career optimized, routine locked in, checklist assembled, and no understanding of why that approach fails in relationships. The episode leaves you with something harder to ignore than any tactic: what you are building right now either makes love possible or makes it harder.
Follow Blaine - X (Twitter): https://x.com/datingbyblaine
Follow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen
Episode Partners:
Google for Startups
If you’re building applications with generative media or considering it, Google just released a brand-new technical guide. You can download it at https://goo.gle/genmediaguide
Timestamps:
03:43 – Why Fewer People Are Getting Married Than Ever Before
05:44 – Why Dating Apps Are Making Commitment Harder
12:14 – "I Felt Like He Was Interviewing Me"
14:18 – The Real Reason She Disappeared After a Great Date
15:47 – What a First Date Is Actually For
23:22 – How to Approach a Woman You Don't Know
31:38 – Why "Nice Guys" Actually Finish Last
34:41 – The Investment Areas Framework
36:21 – Why You're Texting Yourself Out of Dates
39:23 – The Uber Text That Went Viral
49:43 – The Age Men and Women Should Start Taking Dating Seriously
54:44 – Why Building the Perfect Life First Backfires
1:02:28 – The Pretzel Bar That Ended a Date Before It Started
1:08:20 – What Nobody Tells You About Pitching on Shark Tank
1:10:39 – The Failure That Accidentally Built Her Company
1:18:04 – One Idea She'd Implant in Everyone on Earth
Follow Divot:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Divotpod
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg
Hashtags:
#DatingAdvice #DatingCoach #ModernDating #RelationshipAdvice #DatingByBlaine #BlaineAnderson #SharkTank #MarkCuban #DatingApps #HowToAttractWomen #MenAndDating #Divot #DerekAndersen #LoveAndRelationships

Daniel Kottke met Steve Jobs at Reed College in 1972, traveled with him to India, and spent the summer of 1976 hand-assembling the very first Apple computers in the Jobs family garage in Cupertino, for $3 an hour. He was among Apple's earliest employees, hand-wired the Macintosh prototypes, and left his signature cast inside every original Mac ever made. Apple is now worth $5 trillion.
In this episode with Derek Andersen, Daniel reveals what Steve Jobs was really like before Apple: the India trip, Steve's unexplained three-day disappearance in the Himalayas, and the private spiritual life behind the man. He walks through the Apple IPO stock option situation, why Steve, as head of the compensation committee, refused to discuss it, and how Steve Wozniak later quietly made it right.
The conversation goes deeper than Apple's mythology. Daniel reflects on what it means to be present at the birth of something historic and still leave without the rewards others received, and how a lifetime of curiosity became a richer kind of wealth than any stock certificate. "Luck often shows up wearing overalls, looking like hard work."
Follow Daniel - X (Twitter): https://x.com/dkottke
Follow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen
Episode Partners:
Google for Startups
If you’re building applications with generative media or considering it, Google just released a brand-new technical guide. You can download it at https://goo.gle/genmediaguide
Timestamps:
00:01:58 — How Daniel Kottke First Met Steve Jobs
00:06:33 — Why Steve Jobs Kept Everything Secret
00:10:05 — The India Trip That Shaped Steve Jobs
00:17:07 — Why Steve Jobs Spent $1,000 on Primal Therapy
00:21:36 — Lost in Delhi: Steve Had Shaved His Head
00:23:55 — Steve Left for Three Days and Never Said Where
00:27:18 — Inside the Apple Garage in Summer 1976
00:29:15 — Who Really Worked in the Apple Garage
00:32:25 — How Wozniak Built Two Computers Simultaneously
00:38:10 — The Homebrew Club and Apple's First $25,000 Sale
00:45:28 — Why Steve Jobs Refused to Discuss His Stock
00:49:22 — How Wozniak Gave What Steve Jobs Never Would
00:55:25 — What Daniel Would Tell Every Young Founder
Follow Divot:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Divotpod
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg
Hashtags:
#SteveJobs #Apple #AppleHistory #DanielKottke #SiliconValley #AppleGarage #SteveWozniak #HomebrewComputerClub #AppleFoundingStory #TechHistory #SiliconValleyHistory #Entrepreneurship #FounderStory #Divot

Grant Cardone grew up in the bayous of Louisiana with no money, no connections, and no plan, and spent a decade battling drug addiction before rebuilding from scratch. Today, his privately held companies generate $750 million in gross annual revenue, Cardone Capital manages more than 15,000 apartment units, and the 10X brand has shaped how millions of founders think about ambition and scale.
In this episode with Derek Andersen, Grant explains why failing to pursue massive success is somewhat unethical, why the worst advice he ever took came from someone who stopped growing, and how he combines real estate with Bitcoin to hit bigger targets. He also breaks down the twice-daily goal-writing practice, dreams, not to-do lists, that he credits with materializing everything he has ever put on a vision board.
The conversation goes deeper than ambition. Grant opens up about losing his father at 10 and his brother at 20, fighting addiction from 15 to 25, and surviving three overdoses. What emerges is a portrait of someone who had every reason to stop, and chose to build instead. Where you are going always matters more than where you are.
Follow Grant - X (Twitter): https://x.com/GrantCardone
Follow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen
Episode Partners:
Google for Startups
If you’re building applications with generative media or considering it, Google just released a brand-new technical guide. You can download it at https://goo.gle/genmediaguide
Timestamps:
00:01:47 — Why Grant Cardone Avoids Silicon Valley at All Costs
00:04:28 — The First Rule of All Success: Just Show Up
00:08:21 — The Soil You Grow In: Why Your Environment Shapes Your Ceiling
00:20:52 — How to Create an Experience 34,000 People Pay For
00:44:06 — Why Failing to Pursue Massive Success Is Unethical
00:46:25 — The Revenue Reveal: $750M Gross and $4 Billion in Value
00:49:24 — The Advice That Cost Him Millions in Real Estate
00:55:28 — Why Thinking Small Is Still Going to Cost You Everything
00:57:49 — The Real Estate-Bitcoin Hybrid Strategy Explained
00:59:24 — Writing Goals Twice a Day: Dreams, Not To-Do Lists
01:10:41 — The Losses That Built Everything He Has Today
Follow Divot:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Divotpod
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg
Hashtags:
#GrantCardone #10X #Divot #DivotPodcast #CardoneCapital #10XRule #RealEstate #Bitcoin #Entrepreneurship #Founder #GoalSetting #10XGrowth #EntrepreneurMindset #BigThinking #UndercoverBillionaire

Mark Manson is a three-time NYT number one bestselling author whose book "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" has sold more than 20 million copies across 65 languages, hitting number one in 14 countries. He co-wrote Will Smith's memoir and recently co-founded Purpose, an AI mental health startup that hit seven-figure revenue in 12 days.
In this episode with Derek Andersen, Mark breaks down the business mechanics behind 20 million books sold, why he treats every book as a product, why aspiring authors must study copywriting, and what deep market research gave "The Subtle Art" its best shot at success. He also explains why the therapy market is fundamentally broken and what his AI startup Purpose is doing to fix it.
The conversation goes deeper into Mark's philosophy on happiness, why chasing it makes you less happy, why struggle is not something to avoid but to choose deliberately, and how his most meaningful career moments came through things he would never willingly repeat. Ultimately, this is a conversation about building work that lasts and a life that means something.
Follow Mark - X (Twitter): https://x.com/Markmanson
Follow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen
Episode Partners:
Google for Startups
If you’re building applications with generative media or considering it, Google just released brand-new technical guide. You can download it at https://goo.gle/genmediaguide
Timestamps:
00:01:39 — Why He Turned His Attention to AI Mental Health
00:06:09 — Meeting His Co-Founder at a Poker Game
00:10:47 — How Purpose Hit 7 Figures in 12 Days
00:12:15 — Why the Therapy Industry Is Fundamentally Broken
00:20:05 — What Most Authors Get Wrong About Books
00:32:15 — Inside the Will Smith Memoir
00:37:45 — The Take on the Oscars Slap He's Never Shared
00:47:48 — The Biggest Lie About Happiness
00:50:29 — Why Wanting Happiness Makes You Less Happy
00:54:50 — Why Happiness Is the Wrong Question
01:03:41 — The Real Mechanism Behind All Self-Help
01:17:39 — "Ironically, He Gave a F*ck"
01:24:08 — Struggle Is Inevitable - Choose Your Struggles
Follow Divot:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Divotpod
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg
Hashtags:
#MarkManson #SubtleArt #Purpose #AIStartup #MentalHealth #BookMarketing #SelfHelp #Entrepreneurship #CreatorEconomy #Divot #DivotPodcast #AITherapy #PersonalDevelopment #FounderStory #StartupLife