Blake is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist who has founded and sold businesses exceeding $1.1 billion. He shares his journey from small-town beginnings to building Byte into a billion-dollar company without outside funding, and discusses lessons in entrepreneurship, resilience, leadership, and giving back.
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53:55
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53:55
#80 - Andrew Metrick: Master Class in Financial Crises & Bank Runs
Andrew is the Janet Yellen Professor of Finance and Management at the Yale School of Management and Director of the Yale Program on Financial Stability, specializing in financial crises. He discusses the vulnerabilities of the banking system, lessons from recent crises like SVB and the GFC, the government’s role in crisis management, and the biggest risks facing today’s financial system.
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1:27:42
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1:27:42
#79 - Jon Gray: Leadership, Scaling Blackstone, Market Trends
Jon is President and COO of Blackstone—one of the world’s largest and most highly valued investment firms, managing over $1.1 trillion in assets (as of 3/31/25). He shares his career journey, insights on leading through rapid growth, and his outlook on the evolving landscape of investing and innovation. Listen for a candid take on leadership, culture, and the future of finance.
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59:18
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59:18
#78 - Leonard Kleinrock: Internet Creation, AI Future
Dr. Leonard Kleinrock, a distinguished professor of computer science at UCLA, helped invent the Internet and supervised the sending of its first message in 1969. In this episode, he shares stories from those early days, reflects on the evolution of the Internet, and discusses what the rise of AI means for the future of technology and society.
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1:38:48
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1:38:48
#77 - Charlie Ruffel: Asset Management Industry Evolution, Alternatives
Charlie is founder, Chairman and Managing Partner of Kudu Investment Management and a board director of Charles Schwab. Drawing on decades of experience as a financial journalist, asset management executive, and private equity investor, he shares unique insights shaped by viewing the industry from multiple angles. In this episode, Charlie discusses the evolution of the industry and the growing role of alternative investments.
The Insightful Investor is a weekly podcast hosted by Alex Shahidi, Co-CIO of one of the nation’s leading RIAs. In a conversational, “fireside chat” format, Alex interacts with some of the world’s premier investors and business icons to share market insights rarely found elsewhere. While many investors echo common sentiments, our “insights” include concepts that we believe are counterintuitive, widely misunderstood, or underappreciated. With over two decades of experience managing billions of dollars in client assets, Alex offers unique access to some of the industry’s top thinkers. He has authored two investment books and contributed to leading journals, and he consistently ranks among the elite financial advisors by Forbes and Barron’s. As an independent and innovative voice, Alex offers a fresh take on investing. We invite you to tune in and would love to hear your feedback.
https://insightfulinvestor.org/
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