The Profile: The billionaire soccer icon & the creator of the 'Founders' podcast
This edition of The Profile features David Beckham, David Senra, Sally Greenwald, Zuhair Lakhani, and Caryn Seidman Becker.
Good morning, friends!
This week, I’m publishing my new profile of Kevin O’Leary — or, as most people know him, Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful.
Over the course of several days, I shadowed O’Leary through New York City, following him from Fox News studios to Christie’s auction house, sitting in on business pitches, watching him make million-dollar decisions, and asking him about the moments that have defined his career.
He told me about the biggest mistake of his life, the crisis that almost destroyed his reputation, the childhood promise that still drives him, and the legacy he hopes to leave behind.
Spending time with him dismantled assumption after assumption. If all you see is a ruthless capitalist, you’re only seeing the character — not the person. I realized that Mr. Wonderful — the television character millions recognize — is only one part of the story.
Yes, this is Kevin O’Leary:
Most of all, this profile is about identity. It’s about what happens when the world decides who you are before you get the chance to tell your own story. How much of ourselves do we choose, and how much becomes a role we can never escape?
I think you’ll come away seeing Kevin O’Leary — and perhaps a little of yourself — a bit differently. In your inbox this week.
— Polina
THE PROFILES.
— The billionaire soccer icon [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The creator of the Founders podcast
— The founder who created an army of AI influencers
— The concierge gynecologist
— The self-made billionaire who saved Clear
THE PEOPLE.
The billionaire soccer icon: David Beckham was once one of the most famous athletes on the planet. Somehow, he’s become even more successful in retirement. The soccer icon has turned his fame into a $1 billion empire spanning brand deals, documentaries, startups, real estate, and a 26% stake in Inter Miami — the MLS club he spent more than a decade fighting to build. Beckham’s second act is a masterclass in turning celebrity into ownership. (Forbes)
The creator of the Founders podcast: For five and a half years, David Senra read one business biography a week, recorded a podcast about it, and published each episode to almost no one. Today, Founders is a cult obsession among some of the world’s most powerful CEOs and billionaires, and a one-man business generating millions in annual profit. Senra has turned down acquisition offers, refuses to chase a mass audience, and still reads, records, edits, and publishes every episode himself.
The founder who created an army of AI influencers: At 21, Zuhair Lakhani is building a business designed to manufacture virality. His startup, Doublespeed, operates thousands of smartphones that run armies of AI-powered social media accounts — watching, commenting, posting, and promoting products while posing as real people. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Lakhani has embraced the dystopian implications as a marketing strategy: Why pay human influencers when fake ones can work around the clock? (alternate link)
The concierge gynecologist: Silicon Valley’s obsession with optimization has found its next frontier: women’s sex lives. Dr. Sally Greenwald has built a wildly sought-after concierge gynecology practice treating sexual health as seriously as sleep, exercise, and nutrition. Her approach combines hormone therapy, emerging research, and frank advice on everything from libido to orgasms. (The New Yorker)
The self-made billionaire who saved Clear: In 2010, Caryn Seidman Becker bought Clear out of bankruptcy for $6 million. Today, the airport security company is worth $7.6 billion, making her one of America’s few self-made female billionaires. Now she’s trying to turn Clear into a universal identity company that uses your face to verify who you are everywhere from hospitals and government accounts to workplaces and stadiums. (Forbes)
