The Profile: The 26-year-old who created a ‘smart gun’ & the founders building a $40-million luxe utopia

This edition of The Profile features Magnus Carlsen, Kai Kloepfer, Lil Dicky, and more.

Good morning, friends!

Yes, I recorded my own audiobook. In the process, I have realized a great deal about myself, including that I cannot for the life of me pronounce the name “Gilles Deleuze,” the word “bewilderment” and the phrase “an incapacitated crew rescue.”

English is hard, man. It’s even harder when you have to pronounce everything out loud for the world to hear. (Like do you know how to say ‘echelon’ because I certainly didn’t.)

But I digress. After many, many, many excruciating hours of recording and editing (shout out to my audio engineer Jordy Long), we have come to this moment right here.

🎉🎉🎉 THE HIDDEN GENIUS AUDIOBOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!!! 🎉 🎉🎉

As a thank you to all of you who have been with me on this journey forever, I have several pieces of exciting news.

1. Listen to Chapter 2 for Free!

You can listen to an entire chapter titled “Mastering Mental Toughness” to get an idea of what the book is about or to evaluate the quality of narration. Please listen and don’t be shy about sending me your feedback (only the compliments though…the complaints can be forwarded straight to my husband).

2. Get an Audiobook for Free!

I will select 10 Profile readers to receive discount codes for a free Hidden Genius audiobook, but of course, we gotta have some fun with it. Here are the rules: You tweet the book link (https://www.hiddengeniusbook.com), and the people with the funniest/most original commentary will get a code. The more clever the tweet, the more likely you are to be selected. Easy. (Easier than saying ‘an incapacitated crew rescue’ three times fast.)

3. Meet Me in Person! (Also free! Unless you want a book)

For now, I’ll be going to three cities — Miami (my current home), NYC (my old home), and Atlanta (my OG home). (Yes, I realize Sofia, Bulgaria — the OG-est of homes— is not here, but I will make this happen eventually do not worry!)

MIAMI: Tuesday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Books & Books Coral Gables

NEW YORK CITY: Saturday, June 24 at 6 p.m. at P&T Knitwear

ATLANTA: Details coming soon!

As always, thank you all for being on this journey with me. You are truly my favorite people, and I have made so many new friends thanks to this newsletter. I hope you all get only good things coming your way for being so kind & generous with your time ❤️

— Polina

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THE PROFILE DOSSIER: On Wednesday, premium members received The Profile Dossier,  a comprehensive deep-dive on a prominent individual. It featured Judy Blume, one of the most banned authors of the 20th century. Read it below.

Judy Blume, One of the Most Banned Authors of the 20th Century

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PROFILES.

— The 26-year-old who created a ‘smart gun’ [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The internet’s favorite mystic
— The founders building a $40-million luxury utopia
— The chess king choosing to abdicate his throne
— The self-proclaimed creative genius
— The school offering students complete freedom

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The 26-year-old who created a ‘smart gun:’ Smart guns can identify their registered users and won’t fire for anyone else. The weapons carry the hope that an extra technological safeguard might prevent a wide range of gun-related accidents and deaths. But making a smart gun that’s good enough to be taken seriously has proved beyond difficult. Meet Kai Kloepfer, the 26-year-old founder and CEO of Biofire, a company he’s been working on since he was 15. Today, Biofire has raised $30 million in venture capital and private funding, and Kloepfer has reached a moment of truth. (Bloomberg; reply to this email if you can’t access the article)

“I do think America has a unique ability to solve some complicated sociopolitical problems with technology.”

The internet’s favorite mystic: Jagadish Vasudev, the Indian mystic better known as Sadhguru, has built a global following and a horde of celebrity fans (Matthew McConaughey! Will Smith! SZA!) with his fresh, Instagram-friendly approach to spirituality. This is honestly a fantastic read with lessons on marketing, growing a legion of followers, and the questionable tactics used by those building a cult following. (GQ)

“If you look down on traffic from an airplane, it can be very beautiful. But if you’re in traffic, you hate it.”

The founders building a $40-million luxury utopia: Just four years after a group of idealistic entrepreneurs in their early twenties started Summit Series, it had grown into a phenomenon: an invite-only multiday conference with an eye-popping guest list of CEOs, founders, wellness gurus, philanthropists, and celebrities. At an annual Summit Series conference or a “Summit at Sea” cruise, one might find oneself in a meditation session with Jeff Bezos, learning about indigenous peoples’ rights from Harrison Ford, or petting puppies with A$AP Rocky. To create this “eco-friendly utopia,” the founders bought a $40 million mountain Utah in 2013. But a decade later, the investors and the county are still waiting for the promised utopia to materialize. (Fortune; reply to this email if you can’t access this story)

The chess king choosing to abdicate his throne: For the last 10 years, Magnus Carlsen has stood head and shoulders above the world’s best chess players. The 32-year-old Norwegian currently holds chess’s top Elo rating, 2853, more than 50 points higher than either of the current competitors for the world championship. Carlsen is without rival, living or otherwise. Why, then, would he walk away from the title he spent much of his life pursuing and then defending (The Ringer) (For more, check out my Profile Dossier on Magnus Carlsen here.)

“The conclusion is—it’s very simple—that I’m not motivated to play another match.”

The self-proclaimed creative genius: Is Dave Burd, who performs under the stage name Lil Dicky, the greatest rapper alive? Unlikely. The comedic voice of his generation? Maybe. The star of one of TV’s most subversively hilarious hits? No doubt. This profile is a deep dive into the neurotically immodest mind behind FX's ‘Dave,’ Burd’s more-than-semi-autobiographical FX series. (The Hollywood Reporter)

“I mean, I named my production company Gr8 Films because I want to be synonymous with the best level of art.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The school offering students complete freedom: Spring Valley School, a Tampa-based private school, operates on the Sudbury model, which trusts children to find their own way to learning what’s important to them. The school has no classes, grades, or homework, and students decide when it’s time to graduate. Democracy rules, and students’ voting power far outweighs that of the school’s four adults. The kids at Spring Valley can fire or hire staff, admit or expel students, and spend its budget. How does it all work?! (Tampa Bay Times)

“You need more rules when you have more freedom.”

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