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14
Guy Kawasaki
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Why This Episode Matters
Guy Kawasaki evangelized the original Macintosh alongside Steve Jobs, wrote 16 books on entrepreneurship, and has advised hundreds of startups on how to make things people actually want.
In this conversation, he reveals why AI is bigger than the PC, internet, and social media combined, the real reason venture capital is mostly blind luck, and how a sixth-grade teacher set the trajectory for everything that followed.
For founders, creators, and anyone who wants to make a genuine difference, this is a masterclass in turning remarkable thinking into remarkable impact.
Key Takeaways
Plant acorns, not saplings
Kawasaki plants hundreds of oak acorns knowing only 1 in 50 will become a tree. That's the metaphor for life: you have to start many things to get a few great outcomes. Venture capital works the same way.
There are only two functions in a startup
"Somebody's got to make it and somebody's got to sell it. Everything else is bullshit." At Apple, Wozniak made it, Jobs sold it. That's all you really need.
Be a mission-driven asshole
If you have to be demanding, be demanding about the mission—making customers happy, solving problems—not about your ego. Steve Jobs was the ultimate example.
The hard-ass teachers are the ones who make you grow
It takes 20 years to truly appreciate tough teachers. The one who threw keys at you taught you more than the easy one.
AI is bigger than everything combined
Kawasaki uses AI every day and says it's bigger than the PC, internet, and social media revolutions combined. He even consults his own AI clone (KawasakiGPT) for answers.
Conversation Outline
00:00 — The funniest compliment Guy receives (it's not about his book)
03:00 — Rich Dad, Poor Dad? That's not his book.
05:00 — The acorn philosophy: planting hundreds to grow a few great trees
08:00 — Why venture capital is primarily blind, dumb luck
10:00 — Growing up in Hawaii and the sixth-grade teacher who changed everything
12:00 — Getting into Stanford and falling in love with Silicon Valley
14:00 — How a friend hired him into Apple's Macintosh division
20:00 — Why "Think Remarkable" uses 88 tactics in just 170 pages
25:00 — Growth, Grit, Grace: the alliterative structure of the book
27:00 — Why there are only two functions in a startup
34:00 — Jane Goodall, the swallow tattoo, and putting life in perspective
38:00 — Why AI is bigger than PC, internet, and social media combined
40:00 — How Guy used ChatGPT to create 99 interview questions about his book
43:00 — Working with Steve Jobs: the mission-driven asshole
47:00 — Jane Goodall's video from Tanzania (drilling for water next door)
48:00 — Starting surfing at 60: "Don't be a chicken shit"
Guy Kawasaki
→ Former Chief Evangelist at Apple — worked directly with Steve Jobs on Macintosh
→ Author of 16 books including "The Art of the Start" and "Think Remarkable"
→ Chief Evangelist at Canva
→ Host of the "Remarkable People" podcast featuring Jane Goodall, Carol Dweck, and more
→ Venture capitalist and advisor to dozens of startups
→ Created KawasakiGPT — an AI trained on his entire body of work
Show Notes & Links
Mentioned In This Episode
→ Apple — where Guy was Chief Evangelist for the original Macintosh
→ Steve Jobs — the "mission-driven asshole" Guy worked with at Apple
→ Steve Wozniak — "Somebody's got to make it" — the maker at Apple
→ Canva — where Guy currently serves as Chief Evangelist
→ Jane Goodall — primatologist and close friend who wrote the book's foreword
→ Carol Dweck — Stanford psychologist who created the growth mindset framework
→ Angela Duckworth — psychologist behind the "grit" concept
→ KawasakiGPT — AI trained on Guy's entire body of work
→ Stanford University — where Guy discovered Silicon Valley
→ Iolani School — Hawaii private school, "the school Barack Obama couldn't get into"
→ Andrea Lytle Peet — woman with ALS who ran marathons in all 50 states
→ Boston Marathon — rejected Andrea, so she ran the course unofficially the day before
→ The Art of the Start — Guy's most popular book on entrepreneurship
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