How I Built This

How I Built This is an interview podcast hosted by Guy Raz that chronicles the origins and growth of notable companies, brands, and organizations through long-form conversations with founders and entrepreneurs. The series explores personal journeys, creative processes, and organizational challenges by placing individual narratives in relation to broader developments in technology, commerce, and culture. Episodes often connect entrepreneurial stories to events, institutions, and works that shaped the creators’ paths.

Background and Concept

Raz conceived the series following a career at National Public Radio and This American Life-adjacent reporting, drawing on experience with narrative interviews such as those on TED Radio Hour and profiles in Planet Money. The program frames each installment as a founder-centric oral history that situates startups and ventures alongside influences including founders’ education at institutions like Harvard University and Stanford University, mentorship from figures associated with McKinsey & Company and Sequoia Capital, and encounters with cultural touchstones such as The New York Times coverage, Forbes profiles, and presentations at South by Southwest. The concept emphasizes origin myths in which entrepreneurs recount interactions with investors from Y Combinator or Kleiner Perkins and market shifts catalyzed by events like the 2008 financial crisis or legislative changes such as the Sarbanes–Oxley Act.

Format and Production

Episodes typically run between 30 and 90 minutes and feature in-depth interviews produced by a team at NPR in collaboration with independent producers and audio engineers who have worked on programs like Radiolab and The Moth. Production values reflect techniques pioneered by documentary series such as This American Life and Hidden Brain, including narrative stitching, archival audio, and music cues licensed from labels like EMI or sourced through rights affiliates of Sony Music. Recording locations span studios in New York City, Los Angeles, and remote settings when guests are on-site at headquarters of companies like Airbnb, Uber, or Shopify. Editing workflows often involve coordination with publicists from agencies tied to organizations like William Morris Endeavor and legal review for statements touching on entities such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon.

Notable Episodes and Guests

The series has featured a wide array of founders, CEOs, and creatives, including conversations with figures behind companies and ventures associated with Netflix, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, WhatsApp, Snapchat, SpaceX, Tesla, Inc., Apple Inc., Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Adobe Inc., Shopify, Etsy, Ebay, PayPal, Square, Inc., Stripe (company), Dropbox, Slack Technologies, Zappos, Warby Parker, Blue Apron, Peloton Interactive, Patagonia (company), Nike, Inc., Adidas, Levi Strauss & Co., The North Face, Ben & Jerry's, Chobani, Starbucks, Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonald's, KFC, Subway (restaurant) and creators from cultural institutions like Penguin Random House, Walt Disney Company, Marvel Comics, and HBO. Guests include founders connected to accelerators such as Techstars and investors affiliated with Andreessen Horowitz and Benchmark (venture capital firm). Episodes spotlight pivotal moments—product launches tied to Apple Store, fundraising rounds with firms like Sequoia Capital, legal battles invoking United States Supreme Court precedents, and IPOs listed on exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.

Reception and Impact

The program received critical acclaim across media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and trade publications like Wired and Fast Company. It earned high download numbers on platforms operated by Apple Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A., and recognition from industry awards presented by organizations such as the Peabody Awards and Webby Awards. Academics and business schools at institutions like Harvard Business School and Wharton School have cited episodes in case studies, while entrepreneurship programs at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and London Business School assign installments as supplemental listening. The series influenced contemporary startup culture narratives alongside titles such as The Lean Startup and journalistic works like Bad Blood.

Distribution and Adaptations

Distributed through public radio channels and podcast platforms operated by entities including NPR and Apple Podcasts, the show also spawned live events hosted at venues like Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, and festivals such as SXSW and Web Summit. Adaptations include curated compilations, episode-themed books published by houses like Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, and short-form video episodes produced for streaming services affiliated with YouTube (service) and Netflix. International editions and translated transcripts have circulated via public radio partners including BBC Radio 4 and Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and commercial tie-ins with conferences organized by Fast Company and TechCrunch.

Category:American podcasts