The James Altucher Show Podcast

A Note from James:

Michael Dell. Founder of Dell. I remember in college, hearing about this kid who was building computers in his dorm and making millions. I thought it was a myth. It wasnt. Hes the real thingand he just kept going.

I wanted to understand what drove him, what it felt like to deal with Carl Icahn trying to wrestle his company from him, and what success feels like after decades of being in the game. Also: I had to ask why Dell didnt invent Google. That, plus how hes now thinking about AI, cancer, and what focus really means.

Episode Description:

James Altucher sits down with Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, to trace the entire arc of Dell's careerfrom building computers in a college dorm room to defending his company against Carl Icahn and taking it private. In this candid conversation, Dell shares how early obsession with tech and business turned into a multibillion-dollar global enterprise, the lessons hes learned about leadership, and how hes positioning for the future with AI, cybersecurity, and gene tech on the horizon.

This is more than a business story. Its about risk, conviction, reinventionand knowing when to walk away from Steve Jobs.

What Youll Learn:

• How Dells dorm-room business scaled to $80,000/month before he even left college
• What Michael Dell really thought during his showdown with Carl Icahn
• Why most big companies fail to innovateand how to keep a startup mindset
• How Dell Technologies is preparing for the explosion in AI and edge computing
• What makes a good leader at the head of a $100 billion company

Timestamped Chapters:

• [00:00] James introduces Michael Dell and the origin story of Dell Computers
• [01:00] The economics of building PCs in the early 1980s
• [03:00] Winning state bids with a bike and a dorm room
• [05:00] Pressure to become a doctorand the 10-day intervention
• [10:00] Meeting Steve Jobs and licensing DOS from Bill Gates
• [13:00] Dells early B2B focus and international expansion
• [15:00] Going public and the Icahn showdown
• [18:00] How activist investors play poker with billion-dollar stakes
• [21:00] What focus really means in business
• [24:00] Defining leadership at global scale
• [26:00] Encouraging innovation inside massive companies
• [28:00] The failed Mac OS licensing deal
• [30:00] Philanthropy, education, and urban poverty
• [33:00] COVID lockdowns and a $100M response
• [35:00] The future of work and city migration
• [39:00] AI, edge computing, and exponential data
• [42:00] Gene editing, mRNA vaccines, and solving cancer
• [45:00] Blockchain in enterprise (no bitcoin on Dells balance sheetyet)
• [47:00] Why cybersecurity is an arms race\

Additional Resources:

• Play Nice But Win Michael Dells memoir (Amazon)
• Dell Technologies Official website
• Judge rejects Icahn's move on Dell buyout CT Insider
• Richard Florida on the future of cities Vital City NYC interview
• What is CRISPR? Broad Institute
• History of MSDOS Wikipedia

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Notes from James:

Most people get stuck at the idea stage. That’s why I’m sharing frameworks—so you’re not staring at a blank screen. These techniques have helped hundreds of people (including me) go from idea to published book in just 30 days.

Episode Descriptions:

In Part 5 of my 30-day writing series, I unveil four of the most powerful book-writing frameworks I’ve ever used or taught—and they’ve helped hundreds of people write their first book in just a month. These aren’t theoretical. They’re real-world, repeatable methods that have led to bestsellers, media appearances, consulting gigs, and new careers.

From the "101 List Technique" to the "Jesus Diet" method, each framework simplifies your creative process, helps you structure your ideas fast, and shows you how to turn your interests into income. I even share how you can write a book using past podcast interviews or unreadable academic research.

If you’ve ever thought, “I have an idea, but I don’t know how to turn it into a book,” this episode gives you the blueprint—four times over.

What You’ll Learn:

• The “101 List” format and why people LOVE books with lists
• How to turn your podcast (or other content) into a book—step by step
• The “Jesus Diet” method and how to combine timeless concepts with trending topics
• Why academic research papers are gold mines (and how to use them to write your book)
• How to choose a niche, research efficiently, and find your book’s unique angle
• The truth about book length—and why shorter can be better

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Excitement

00:17 Bonus Framework: The Podcast Technique

04:43 Framework 1: The 101 Technique

13:30 Framework 2: The Habits Technique

18:30 Framework 3: The Jesus Diet Technique

27:37 Framework 4: The Academic Research Technique

33:00 Conclusion and Encouragement

P.S. Want to go deeper? Check out my full course on Udemy or visit chooseyourselfacademy.com: How to Write and Publish a Book in 30 Days – available now.

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Episode Description:

James reconnects with entrepreneurs Michael and Kass Lazerow, whose journey spans selling Golf.com for $24 million, launching and pivoting Buddy Media into a $700 million Salesforce acquisition, and now investing in breakout brands like Liquid Death. This episode isn’t about startup clichés—it’s about emotional resilience, firing with kindness, how marriage can (barely) survive co-founding, and how to spot a trend before the world does.

They break down their “Go Gauge,” the six-part test they use before investing in a company. They talk about the trauma of being betrayed by family. And they reveal the surprisingly simple cheat codes they’ve used to keep building—and keep loving each other—across decades of risk. Whether you're building a business, looking for one good idea, or wondering what failure really feels like behind closed doors—this episode will give you a few new answers.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why transparency—not optimism—is a founder’s best crisis tool
• The six traits every idea needs to pass their “Go Gauge”
• How to fire someone with empathy and still tell them the truth
• What to do when your startup fails and the investors vanish
• Why the best startup strategy might be launching a pizza shop

Timestamped Chapters:

• [00:00] Bacon, milkshakes, and a first meeting
• [03:00] The Golf.com collapse and family betrayal
• [07:30] The psychology of failure and the will not to quit
• [12:00] Buddy Media’s pivot: from Facebook games to SaaS
• [15:00] Why failure sucks—but trends are your friend
• [21:00] Surviving marriage while surviving a startup
• [26:00] Emotional awareness, therapy, and not “shining the turd”
• [33:00] The $500M pizza truck startup fail
• [38:00] The truth about hiring, firing, and reorganizing
• [44:00] The death of venture capital—and rise of bootstrapping
• [50:00] Investing in pets, ice cream, and par-3 golf
• [54:00] Why Liquid Death is a billion-dollar brand
• [57:00] The Go Gauge: 6 filters for a fundable idea
• [01:02:00] Friendship, failure, and why they finally wrote the book

Additional Resources:

• 📘 Shoveling Sh*t: A Love Story About the Entrepreneur’s Messy Path to Success by Michael and Kass Lazerow
• 💧 Liquid Death – The canned water startup redefining beverage branding
• 🧾 Slice – Supporting independent pizza shops with tech
• 🐎 Commonwealth – Fractional ownership of racehorses and athletes
• 🍦 Van Leeuwen Ice Cream – The indie creamery with 70+ locations

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Notes from James:

Let’s be honest: most people who write a book never make money from it. Why? Because they stop at the last page. I want you to go further. In this episode, I show you how I turned my books into speaking gigs, consulting work, investment deals, and more. You don’t need a big publisher or a massive budget—just the right strategy.

Episode Descriptions:

In Part 4 of my 30-day writing series, I tackle one of the biggest questions aspiring authors face: Should you self-publish or go the traditional route? I’ve done both—some of my books were published by big-name houses, others I put out myself. This episode breaks down the pros, cons, and misconceptions of each approach—and how to make the smartest decision for your goals.

You’ll also learn exactly what to do after the writing is done. I cover how to market your book, build buzz, land media, grow your audience, and ultimately make your book work for you—financially, professionally, and personally.

Whether you're writing your first book or your fifth, this episode lays out the modern publishing roadmap and how to turn your words into real-world results.

What You’ll Learn:

• The truth about traditional publishing—what it offers and what it takes away
• Why self-publishing can earn you more money and give you more control
• What agents, publishers, and bookstore placement actually mean today
• How bestseller lists really work (and why most are just marketing tools)
• Exactly how to market your book after it’s published: newsletters, podcasts, and more
• How to build momentum before your book even comes out

Timestamps

00:00 Traditional vs. Self-Publishing: The Debate Begins

00:41 The Evolution of Self-Publishing

01:10 Benefits of Traditional Publishing

03:17 Challenges with Traditional Publishing

06:58 The Power of Self-Publishing

15:09 Steps to Professionally Self-Publish

16:34 The Importance of Audiobooks

21:15 Marketing Your Book: An Overview

21:53 Building and Utilizing an Email List

24:48 Leveraging Online Platforms for Book Promotion

27:08 The Power of Podcasts and Public Speaking

32:31 Maximizing Social Media for Book Sales

38:47 Final Thoughts on Book Marketing

P.S. Want to go deeper? Check out my full course on Udemy or visit chooseyourselfacademy.com: How to Write and Publish a Book in 30 Days – available now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Note from James:

Well, you can't get more information about tariffs and the economy than what I just got and you're about to listen to. Wilbur Ross, who was Secretary of Commerce under the first administration of Trump, just came on the podcast. I got to ask any question I wanted—about tariffs, the economy, everything.

Don't forget, in Trump’s first administration, we saw steel and aluminum tariffs, and there were all the same concerns—about the economy, inflation, political blowback. Wilbur Ross was right at the center of it. And now, he’s giving me the full picture on what’s happening today and where it’s all heading.

This is a guy who built entire industries, served in the Cabinet, and is worth billions. He’s also the author of Risks and Returns: Creating Success in Business and Life, which I highly recommend. He’s an economic and business inspiration. I learned a lot from this conversation—I’m sure you will too.

Please share this episode with anyone who wants to better understand what’s really going on with tariffs and the economy. Enjoy!

Episode Description:

James sits down with Wilbur Ross, former Secretary of Commerce and seasoned investor, for a candid and highly detailed discussion on tariffs, China, inflation, pharmaceutical policy, and the state of the U.S. economy. Ross offers a firsthand look at the economic strategies being proposed for a possible second Trump administration—explaining why blanket tariffs might make sense, what’s really going on with China and rare earths, and how executive power is being used to bypass bureaucratic gridlock.

Listeners will get a rare window into how economic policy is being formed, the political forces shaping it, and what it all means for growth, inflation, and American manufacturing.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why blanket tariffs are being reconsidered—and how they differ from past policies
• The strategic role of tariffs in foreign policy, especially with China
• How U.S. dependence on China for pharmaceuticals and rare earths is being challenged
• What role executive orders and emergency powers play in trade and healthcare reform
• The real economic trade-offs between inflation, recession, and reshoring production

Timestamped Chapters:

• [00:03] Complexity of Tariffs and China's Role
• [03:18] Trump's Tariff Strategy and Economic Impact
• [07:21] China's Influence on Global Supply Chains
• [16:13] Pharmaceutical Dependencies and Economic Policies
• [26:47] Impact of Tariffs on Inflation and Recession
• [45:18] Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Additional Resources:

• Wilbur Ross’s Book: Risks and Returns: Creating Success in Business and Life
• International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA): Legal summary on IEEPA
• Naked Wines (Podcast Sponsor): https://www.nakedwines.com/james

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