logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2021
1h 23m

Michael Mauboussin Master Class — Moats,...

Ben Gilbert And David Rosenthal
About this episode

We sit down with the one & only Michael Mauboussin to dive deep into his incredible body of work: untangling skill and luck, measuring moats, persistence of returns in venture capital, decision making and — particularly timely — expectations investing and how to think about valuations in the current 2021 market environment. (!!) Michael's work is maybe our most frequent carve out on Acquired, so we're pumped to finally have a chance to interview the man himself. Big thank you to Patrick O'Shaughnessy and Brent Beshore for introducing us all at Capital Camp this year! 


Sponsors:

Anrok: https://bit.ly/anrokacquired
WorkOS: https://bit.ly/workos25
Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24


More Acquired!:

© Copyright 2015-2025 ACQ, LLC


Links:

 ‍Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.

Up next
Jun 30
Google
We tell the story of the single greatest business ever created: Google search. From its origins as a Stanford research project called BackRub, Google became the front door to the internet. Today it’s an essential service for over half the world, and one that generates more profit ... Show More
3h 39m
Jun 2
The Steve Ballmer Interview
We sit down with Steve Ballmer, the legendary former Microsoft CEO and owner of the LA Clippers, for an epic conversation covering his 34 years at Microsoft. Steve listened to our Microsoft episodes and had some thoughts to share — and boy, did he deliver. Steve takes us point-by ... Show More
2h 59m
Apr 28
Announcement: Acquired Live at Radio City Music Hall!
A few weeks ago, we told you that Acquired is doing something in New York City on July 15 with our good friends at J.P. Morgan Payments. Well, the big announcement is finally here: We are doing our 2025 Live Show… at Radio City Music Hall!Radio City is of course the iconic New Yo ... Show More
4m 25s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Gavin Baker - AI, Semiconductors, and the Robotic Frontier - [Invest Like the Best, EP.385]
My guest this week is Gavin Baker. Gavin is the managing partner and CIO of Atreides Management, and he has been on the show many times before. He is one of my favorite investors to talk to and this may be my favorite conversation with him. Gavin first started covering Nvidia as ... Show More
1h 31m
Jul 2024
Hemant Taneja - Engineering Global Resilience - [Invest Like the Best, EP.382]
My guest today is Hemant Taneja. Hemant is the CEO and Managing Director of General Catalyst, the global venture capital firm you’ll hear us refer to as GC. GC has set out to build resiliency across critical industries worldwide. The firm leverages technology to retool sectors su ... Show More
1h 3m
Jul 2024
Martin Casado - Entering Uncharted AI Territory - [Invest Like the Best, EP.381]
My guest today is Martin Casado. Martin is a partner at Andreessen Horowitz and first joined me on Invest Like the Best in 2022. So much has changed since then, and it was awesome to have Martin back to discuss all of the different implications of this AI revolution. Before joini ... Show More
1h 6m
Jun 2024
Robert Greene - Optimizing Your Reality - [Invest Like the Best, EP.379]
My guest today is Robert Greene, author of many books but perhaps most famous for his books "48 Laws of Power" and "Mastery." He has spent his life studying why people behave like they do and why some go on to build great things. I love his idea of finding your life's purpose, wh ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2024
Kareem Zaki - Small Ideas Attract Competition - [Invest Like the Best, EP.392]
My guest today is Kareem Zaki. Kareem is a General Partner at Thrive Capital and has been at the firm for a decade. In an episode last year, Thrive's founder, Josh Kushner, told me he is the best healthcare investor in the world. Kareem has co-founded three healthcare businesses ... Show More
1h 26m
Feb 2025
Graham Duncan - Talent Whisperer - [Invest Like the Best, EP.409]
My guest today is Graham Duncan. This conversation will make you think about your life in new ways. This is a two-hour segment of a 4.5-hour interview I did with Graham last year. It stands alone as remarkable, but those who subscribe to Colossus Review will gain access to the fu ... Show More
2h 17m
Dec 2024
Jack Kokko - Building AlphaSense - [Invest Like the Best, EP.404]
My guest today is Jack Kokko. Jack is the CEO and Founder of AlphaSense, an AI-powered search engine for market intelligence. He shares how AlphaSense began by aggregating fragmented financial data sources and evolved with the advent of large language models to change the researc ... Show More
49m 12s
Dec 2023
#190 Top Investment Stories of 2023: A Stock Club Recap
Dive into 2023’s most insightful conversations on investing and personal finance with the "Stock Club" podcast's special year-end episode.  Relive the top highlights featuring industry experts like Michael Lucas, James Early, Derek Riley, and acclaimed author Brian Ferroldi as th ... Show More
32m 56s
Dec 2024
Chetan Puttagunta and Modest Proposal - Capital, Compute & AI Scaling - [Invest Like the Best, EP.400]
My guests today are Chetan Puttagunta and Modest Proposal. Chetan is a General Partner at venture firm Benchmark, while Modest Proposal is an anonymous guest who manages a large pool of capital in the public markets. Both are good friends and frequent guests on the show, but this ... Show More
1h 35m
Aug 2024
$100M CEO’s Brutally Honest Business Advice to Get To $1B | Alex Hormozi
#97 What’s holding you back from building the business that will change your life? Alex Hormozi, monetization expert and the CEO of Acquisition.com shares his inspiring journey of going from the security of his 9-5 job to building a multi-million dollar business empire in the fit ... Show More
48m 31s