I was a broke, university dropout, at 18 I built an industry leading social media marketing company, and at 27 I resigned as CEO. At 28 I co-founded Flight Stor...
Snapchat CEO: Exact Formula Used To Build A $130 Billion Company! I Said No To $3 Billion From Mark Zuckerberg! It’s Time To Quit Your Job When You Feel This!
From turning down $3 billion from Facebook to building a $100 billion empire, Evan Spiegel reveals the blueprint behind Snapchat.
Evan Spiegel, co-founder & CEO of Snapchat (now Snap Inc.), founded the app while at Stanford and became the youngest billionaire at 25.
In this conversation, Evan and Steven cover how Snapchat almost didn’t exist, Evan’s ‘T-Shaped’ leadership style, getting bullied before founding Snapchat, and the harshest day of his CEO journey.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
02:29 The Dots That Got You Here
03:33 Did You Feel Like You Fitted In?
03:46 When Did Computers First Come In?
05:02 Things Aren’t as Complicated as They Seem
05:28 You Got Bullied
06:09 What Were You Like as a Kid
07:33 Why CEOs Don’t Do Many Podcasts
08:55 Why Did You Choose Product Design?
10:30 Your Class in Entrepreneurship
11:00 Key Lesson From Entrepreneurship Class
12:02 Big Ambitions
13:26 Entrepreneurship in Europe
16:00 Your First Failure
18:00 How to Know When to Quit
18:50 Why Love & Passion Matter
19:19 Launching Early & Getting Feedback Fast
20:39 How Initial Ideas Can Be Wrong
21:37 How You Started Snapchat
27:03 Customer Feedback to Implement
28:36 Raising Capital
29:46 Investor Feedback
30:17 Building a Social Network Sounds Delusional
31:51 Doubting Snapchat's Success
36:19 Quitting University for Snapchat
37:33 Advice for Young Entrepreneurs
39:27 Are Job Titles Limiting Creativity?
40:34 Hierarchy Issues in Companies
42:22 Innovating at Snapchat
47:59 Importance of Hiring
49:00 Hiring Mistakes to Avoid
51:06 Leadership Traits of a Perfect Hire
52:25 Being Nice vs. Being Kind
53:52 T-Shaped Leadership
56:44 Advice to Younger Evan
59:39 Embedding Company Culture Early
01:01:51 When Company Culture Dilutes
01:03:35 Company Incentives
01:04:25 Worst Early Advice
01:05:47 How Mark Zuckerberg Approached You
01:10:04 Saying No to That Offer
01:13:13 Youngest Billionaire at 25
01:14:19 Managing Romantic Relationships
01:19:23 Ads
01:20:21 Your LinkedIn Bio Joke
01:22:45 Messaging Zuckerberg When They Copied Features
01:26:57 Should Big Tech Monopolies Be Stopped?
01:29:25 Hardest Day When Copied
01:30:30 Leading in Tough Times
01:31:48 Content Moderation Challenges
01:36:28 Why Meta Rolled Back Moderation Policies
01:39:20 Optimism About America
01:40:08 Social Media & Your Kids
01:42:51 Is TikTok's Ban Good for Snapchat?
01:46:07 Snapchat Going Public
01:48:28 Killing Projects You Loved
01:50:15 How Do You Prioritize?
01:52:23 Ray-Ban Spectacles Launch Reaction
01:53:37 Will Kids Learn From AI?
01:56:34 Tradeoffs With AI
01:58:22 Ads
02:00:35 Snapchat in 2025
02:02:14 Importance of Counsels at Work
02:05:34 When to Listen to Your Team
02:06:22 Work-From-Home Policies
02:08:42 Principles of a Successful Entrepreneur
02:10:18 Managing Stress
02:13:10 Worst Days of Snapchat
02:13:50 Do You Have Imposter Syndrome?
02:15:08 Would You Start Another Tech Company?
02:17:23 Hardest Thing You’ve Overcome
02:18:17 Self-Awareness
02:20:45 Do You Feel Impatient as a Leader?
02:21:35 What Would Your Team Say About You?
02:22:12 What Are You Really Good At?
02:26:55 Biggest Question Entrepreneurs Should Ask
Follow Evan:
Twitter - https://g2ul0.app.link/hnvyN8X8SRb
More about Snap's new glasses - https://g2ul0.app.link/GDzqC6XeTRb
Watch on YouTube:
https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
Get My Book & Cards:
'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook
Conversation Cards: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
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2:28:57
Moment 205: Neuroscientist Reveals 4 Hacks to Rewire Your Brain For Growth & Success! - Dr Tara Swart
Your thoughts are more powerful than you think! Neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart reveals how positive language, visualisation, and certain foods and exercises can supercharge neuroplasticity, rewiring your brain for growth and success.
Listen to the full episode here -
Spotify - https://g2ul0.app.link/GRR8PSOdTRb
Apple - https://g2ul0.app.link/lY2wnQVdTRb
Watch the Episodes On YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/%20TheDiaryOfACEO/videos
Dr. Tara Swart - https://www.taraswart.com/
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26:25
EMERGENCY DEBATE: They Lied About The Economy Recovering! Is A Financial Apocalypse Coming?
Is the economy on the brink of collapse? Gary Stevenson and Daniel Priestley break down the emergency financial crisis no one is talking about
The Diary Of A CEO’s economics debate is joined by 2 experts: Gary Stevenson and Daniel Priestley. Gary Stevenson is a British economist, former financial trader, and author of The Trading Game. Daniel Priestly is an award-winning serial entrepreneur who has written 5 books on starting and scaling businesses.
In this conversation, Gary, Daniel, and Steven discuss topics such as, whether there is a financial apocalypse looming, if both the US and the UK are running out of money, how the next financial crash could be worse than 2008, and why millionaires are fleeing the UK.
00:00 Intro
02:10 Who Is Gary Stevenson?
07:30 Who Is Daniel Priestly?
10:04 The Importance of Economic Freedom
11:56 Who Are We Blaming for the Economic Situation?
13:32 The UK & US Debt We're Carrying From COVID
17:44 Is There Financial Security for Most of Us in 2025?
26:13 What Does Gary Think of Daniel's Views?
28:58 The Current Homeownership Situation
34:21 US vs UK Market With Building Technology
36:38 Taxing Billionaires
41:03 Do You Tax Their Value or the Countries Where They Trade?
45:36 Why Are Millionaires Leaving the UK?
48:49 Stopping Profit Shifting of Companies
52:40 How $10M+ Companies Avoid Taxes
58:01 Where Is the Biggest Amount of Money Going?
01:00:06 How to Bring Big Tech Companies and Entrepreneurs to the UK
01:04:45 Are Tax Evasions Causing Issues With NHS, Education, and Higher Crime?
01:10:31 Why Poor People Are Struggling to Build Wealth
01:19:49 Ads
01:20:53 How to Create Wealth in the Economy
01:37:17 Monopolies
01:40:18 Advice to Younger People
01:45:02 What to Do as a Young Person
01:47:12 Take Action: Play the Cards You Are Dealt
01:51:45 Do We Have Personal Responsibility to Change This?
01:54:05 Is the Current Education System Failing Us?
02:00:56 Inheritance Taxes
02:04:50 Ads
02:10:05 America's Approach to Building Wealth
Research Document: https://stevenbartlett.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/DOAC-debate-Gary-Daniel-Independent-research.pdf
Follow Gary:
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Follow Daniel:
X - https://g2ul0.app.link/3ui4EJjERRb
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Website - https://g2ul0.app.link/jUbxNu8GRRb
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook
You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
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2:25:57
The Speaking Coach: The One Word All Liars Use! Stop Saying This Word, It's Making You Sound Weak! The More You Do This, The More You Sound Like A Liar!
How do you communicate like a top lawyer and command respect? Jefferson Fisher reveals the courtroom-tested tricks that win cases AND everyday conversations
Jefferson Fisher is a trial lawyer, communication expert, and host of ‘The Jefferson Fisher Podcast’, where he teaches how to communicate with confidence. He is also the bestselling author of the upcoming book, ‘The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More’.
In this conversation, Jefferson and Steven discuss topics such as, how to make people agree with you instantly, the body language tricks that make you sound powerful, the habits that make you sound like a liar, and how to stop people from walking all over you.
00:00 Intro
02:17 Who Is Jefferson Fisher and What Is His Mission?
02:41 What Is a Trial Attorney?
03:24 My Job Is Convincing People to Believe Me
03:54 Where Jefferson Learned His Skills
04:57 Why Communication Matters
06:48 The Importance of Being a 10/10 Communicator
08:06 Negative Feelings From Poor Communication
09:00 Why Do People Listen to Jefferson? Why Do They Come to Him?
10:01 First Impressions vs. the Next Conversations
11:32 The Pause and Breathing Technique (Actionable)
17:18 Making Others Trust You
22:45 How Insecurities Affect Your Communication
24:24 How to Say Anything With Confidence
28:54 Why You Need to Say Fewer Words
33:00 Having an Assertive Voice
35:50 What Do the Most Successful People Have in Common?
37:19 Say Things to Connect
40:01 Should Our Aim Be to Win the Argument?
42:30 Why Winning the Argument Can Feel Bitter-Sweet
45:31 How to Have an Effective Conversation
52:23 How the Past and Your Identity Can Trigger You
58:50 What to Do When You're Disrespected
1:07:11 Why People Are Rude to You
1:14:50 How to Prepare for Any Difficult Conversation
1:17:28 Pause for a Second When You're Being Disrespected
1:25:50 Ads
1:26:49 The Importance of Body Language
1:30:18 Famous Cases Supporting This Body Language Principle
1:35:54 The Counterintuitive Technique to Win in Life
1:41:04 Become a Master of Small Talk
1:44:39 What I Learned From Abraham Lincoln
1:47:25 You Control the Power of the Tongue
1:49:13 How to Implement All the Tricks and Advice Into Your Life
1:51:09 Ads
1:53:19 How to Say No
2:02:23 Filler Words
2:07:02 What You Say to Your Kid Will Have a Huge Impact
2:10:07 What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?
Follow Jefferson:
Instagram - https://g2ul0.app.link/Uh6ulIkkJRb
YouTube - https://g2ul0.app.link/c9fYOfmkJRb
You can pre-order Jefferson’s book, ‘The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More’, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/xO1NLrikJRb
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook
You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
Follow me:
https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsors:
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Vivobarefoot - https://vivobarefoot.com/DOAC with code DOAC20 for 20% off
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2:17:51
Moment 204: How To ALWAYS Have Great Sex: The Orgasm Queen, Susan Bratton
"Orgasm Queen" Susan Bratton reveals the key to better intimacy: start small, build connection, and bring back the fun. From sexy bucket lists to no-pressure cuddles, her advice will help you reignite desire and deepen your bond.
Listen to the full episode here -
Spotify - https://g2ul0.app.link/0QJE6LDXHRb
Apple - https://g2ul0.app.link/aXHeFbyXHRb
Watch the Episodes On YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/%20TheDiaryOfACEO/videos
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I was a broke, university dropout, at 18 I built an industry leading social media marketing company, and at 27 I resigned as CEO. At 28 I co-founded Flight Story – a marketing and communications company, and thirdweb - a software platform, making it easy to build web3 applications. I then launched private equity fund, Flight Fund, to accelerate the next generation of European unicorns. During this time I decided to launch 'The Diary Of A CEO' podcast with the simple mission of providing an unfiltered journey into the remarkable stories and untold dimensions of the world’s most influential people, experts and thinkers.
If you enjoy the show, please hit the follow button! That's a small way you can help us carry on doing this, thank you for listening.
My New Book: https://g2ul0.app.link/DOAC
IG: https://www.instagram.com/steven
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenbartlett-123