The Profile: The king of online poker bending federal law & America’s sweetheart raising her voice
The Profile: The king of online poker bending federal law & America’s sweetheart raising her voice
Good morning friends!
I read 8.9 million words last year, which is the equivalent to 121 books. I do that for two reasons: One, my writing suffers if I don’t read enough. Two, I need to read many, many articles in order to find ones worthy of inclusion in this newsletter.
Recently, Sar Haribhakti asked whether I’ve shared the weekly process that goes into compiling articles for The Profile.
The answer is no, so I decided to log a week of how exactly this beast of a newsletter comes together.
Dig through the internet: I don’t read on Mondays. I typically spend the day browsing some of my favorite publications for interesting, longform content. They include GQ, Fortune, Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, TIME, The New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic, Outside Magazine, and Wired. I scan quickly and save as many articles that catch my eye into Pocket, an app that acts as my dossier of the week’s stories. It looks like this:
The selection process begins: I don’t have a super long commute, but I do have 15 to 20 minutes several times per day that I spend in transit that I use for reading. At this point, I’ve saved ~50 pieces of journalism in Pocket. So while on the subway, I do a preliminary skim of a few articles and read the first 300 to 400 words. I then have two choices: keep or discard.
There are a lot of articles masquerading as well-reported profiles … until you start reading. Let me give you several examples from this week. First, there was this Outside Magazine story titled, The Mystery of the Pro Runner and the Electric Shock. At first glance, it appears as though it’s a profile on middle-distance runner Rebecca Mehra who suffered an electrocution accident. But it’s not. It’s actually a broad story on muscle damage and electric injuries, and you learn very little about Mehra. This one doesn’t make the cut.
Then, there’s this 5,000-word Variety story on Taylor Swift. That one confused the hell out of me during the initial culling because I couldn’t tell if the writer actually spoke with Swift or if these were quotes pulled from her new documentary, Miss Americana. This one stays for now until I have a chance to read more.
At this point, I create a Google Doc where I make (really) rough notes about things that stood out to me during my initial reading.
Sit down and write: By Thursday, I have a pretty good idea of what articles will make the final cut, so I take time to sit down and read every word. I typically write really late at night because there are fewer distractions and my brain isn’t occupied with other priorities.
Conduct a final scan and send: Often times, publications release their longform features on Saturdays, so I do a final scan of my main publications plus a select sub-list just in case they have something deep and thoughtful. The secondary list includes Institutional Investor, Variety, Vogue, The Verge, and The Guardian.
I read several more profiles that are interesting but don't really have a point beyond providing entertainment value. (They’re typically of the true crime sort.) I always ask, “Will the reader learn something from this?” If the answer is no, I don’t include it.
I finish sometime on Saturday evening, and I schedule the newsletter for 7:03 a.m. EST on Sunday. Why 7:03? It’s early, and it’s consistent. Every week, readers expect excellence from The Profile, and my job is to make sure it doesn’t disappoint. I hope you enjoy:
PROFILES.
— The king of online poker bending federal law [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The Uighur daughter fighting the system
— America’s sweetheart raising her voice
— The fake meat tycoon
— The queen of diamonds
— The billion-dollar horse gambler
👉 If you enjoy reading profiles of the most interesting people and companies, tweet to tell others about it:
PEOPLE TO KNOW.
The king of online poker bending federal law: Isai Scheinberg, the 73-year-old cofounder of PokerStars, has spent years steering clear of American soil especially since U.S. federal prosecutors indicted him on gambling, bank fraud and money laundering charges in 2011. Now, he’s decided to turn himself in and face the charges. This story is a high-stakes corporate and legal drama involving billions of dollars that marks the end of one of the wildest sagas in internet history. (Forbes)
“Foreign firms that choose to operate in the United States are not free to flout the laws they don’t like.”
The Uighur daughter fighting the system: Zulhumar Isaac’s Uighur family did everything by the book. And then one day her mother disappeared amid a wave of detentions of ethnic minorities in China. Then her father. This is the story of a daughter taking on the state to free her parents from the vast internment camp system. It’s a tough, but important read. (The New York Times)
'The last survivors were never heroes; they were just normal people who managed to hold on. For now, holding on is the only way to resist.'
America’s sweetheart raising her voice: As an up-and-coming artist, Taylor Swift was quiet, polite, and respectful. At 22 years old, she didn’t dare touch politics out of fear of ostracizing her fans. Eight years later, it’s her biggest regret. In this profile, Swift opens up about her political awakening, her sexual assault trial, and her current battle with Scooter Braun. Here’s why Swift believes digging up the past isn’t a form of giving in to narcissism — it’s a way of warding off commodification. (Variety)
“I think it’s important to put yourself out there to people who don’t care at all about you.”
The fake meat tycoon: David Yeung is on a mission to convince people to eat fewer pigs. Yeung is a pioneer of a new kind of protein, a plant-based product called Omnipork that tastes like pork. “We’re looking at a collective survival issue of the planet,” Yeung says. “Pork today becomes a very urgent issue.” But shifting ingrained behavior and eating habits is easier said than done. Can his startup’s “social venture” model actually work? (Bloomberg)
“Everybody has plant-based foods on their menus now.”
The queen of diamonds: Eira Thomas is the CEO of Lucara Diamond, a publicly-traded diamond exploration and mining company. Thomas’ company has used radical new methods to find some of the biggest uncut gems in history. Here’s how she built a diamond empire that has turned the industry — and its gatekeepers — on its head. (The New Yorker)
"In one sense, diamonds are baubles—vulgar totems of wealth. In another sense, they are vessels of deep time."
THROWBACK.
The billion-dollar horse gambler: Veteran gamblers know you can’t beat the horses. Play for long enough, and failure is inevitable. Bill Benter took that challenge — and won. He wrote an algorithm that couldn’t lose at the horse track. A billion dollars later, Benter tells his story for the first time. (Bloomberg)
“Gambling has always been the domain of wise guys from the wrong side of the track.”
MULTIMEDIA.
— Nick Saban’s pursuit of excellence
— Amanda Lindhout’s escape from captivity
— Debbie Millman on designing a purposeful life
— Sam Esmail’s secret early lives
— Elon Musk’s relentless persistence
— Taylor Swift’s rejection of the conventional
— Kobe Bryant’s life of obsession
— Cyan Banister’s journey to wealth
AUDIO TO HEAR.
Nick Saban’s pursuit of excellence: What makes a champion? Who makes a champion? This three-part podcast series goes inside the mind of Nick Saban, one of the greatest college coaches in history. In a rare interview, Saban reveals the keys to excellence at the highest levels. It’s not just about the physical training — so much of Saban’s “process” focuses on building up his players’ mental strength. Here’s his psychological recipe for success.
“The mind gives up long before the body does.”
Amanda Lindhout’s escape from captivity: Working as a freelance journalist in Somalia, Amanda Lindhout was abducted by a group of masked men along a dusty road. Amanda spent 15 months as a hostage, subjected to harrowing tortures, physical and sexual abuse, and death threats before being freed. Following her release, she chose to respond to the brutality of a life torn apart with a message of forgiveness for her captors. Hers is an amazing story of mental fortitude which she shares in one of the best memoirs I’ve read called A House in the Sky.
“I realized that my mind had a lot of power to carry me through those moments. My house in the sky was the place I could go to mentally.”
Debbie Millman on designing a purposeful life: Tim Ferriss says this episode “may be the most important podcast episode you ever listen to.” Design legend Debbie Millman talks about recovering from rejection, overcoming personal crises of confidence, and why sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith to achieve greatness. You don’t want to miss this one.
“Hard decisions are only hard when you’re in the process of making them.”
Sam Esmail’s secret early lives: Today, we know Sam Esmail as the director and screenwriter of the popular TV series Mr. Robot. The show turned him into one of the most in-demand showrunners in Hollywood. But he had to hit a lot of dead ends before getting there, including failed careers as a startup founder and porn film editor. In this Without Fail episode, Esmail explains why he couldn't quit trying to make movies, even when success was a long way off.
“I’m either going to do this or die trying. I’m just not going to stop trying.”
VIDEOS TO SEE.
Elon Musk’s relentless persistence: This fascinating (free) documentary gives us an inside look at SpaceX's plan to get humanity to Mars. Filmed over the course of three years, this film takes us behind the scenes with Elon Musk and his engineers as they persevere amidst both disheartening setbacks and huge triumphs to advance the space industry.
“This window of opportunity is open for life to go beyond Earth, but who knows how long that window will be open?”
Taylor Swift’s rejection of the conventional: By the time Taylor Swift had entered her 20s, she was everything she thought the world wanted her to be. She craved praise and lived for external validation. In this Netflix documentary, Swift reveals intimate details of her life by showcasing the daily turbulence of global fame.
“I had to deconstruct an entire belief system, toss it out and reject it.”
Kobe Bryant’s life of obsession: This Showtime documentary gives an intimate look at Kobe Bryant's career, exploring the mentorships, allies and rivalries that have helped shape his stellar decades-long tenure in the NBA. He also discusses the Mamba mentality, the desire to be excellent, and how he dealt with the hardest personal challenge of his life.
“There is power in understanding the journey of others to help create your own.”
Cyan Banister’s journey to wealth: In this 20-minute speech, Founders Fund’s Cyan Banister tells her powerful origin story. She was once a homeless teenager who thought companies were the root of all evil. Ironically enough, she says capitalism saved her life. Here’s how Cyan became a respected venture capitalist who’s invested in startups like Uber, SpaceX, and Niantic.
“Ultimately, I realized that corporations and capitalism were the keys to my success in this world.”