The Why with James Hsu

RIOT Games Country Manager - Arun Rajappa (Interview)

Arun Rajappa is the Country Manager for RIOT Games India & South Asia. He is also the author of "Failing Well - A Short Book on Product Management."
0:00 Introduction3:09 Communicating as a leader5:49 Being in the back vs. front of the room9:11 Leadership unlocks great products for customers13:39 Product failure unlocked Arun's true potential20:14 Finding balance as a parent (or mentor) 23:34 Empathy is about recognizing differences 27:23 Coaching and understanding context31:09 How Arun improved his listening skills33:10 Meditation for beginners40:35 "Four Thousand Weeks" by Oliver Burkeman46:12 The ultimate meaning of it all48:59 Why frame the book around "failing well"?53:52 Process of writing and editing a book58:12 Getting feedback on the book1:02:31 On preserving one's legacy
Arun on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/arun-rajappa-bb9a822/
Arun's book, "Failing Well - A Short Book on Product Management" → https://www.amazon.com/Failing-Well-short-product-management/dp/B0D2LFCQM8?ccs_id=579cebd0-b1c5-4f0e-aed9-c2c7bfd800e4

BarBend Founder - David Thomas Tao (Interview)

David Thomas Tao is the founder of BarBend, a strength sports content site. David started the company in 2016 and had a successful startup exit in 2023.
0:00 Intro
1:00 David’s background
5:25 The truth about pre- and post-entrepreneur life
6:29 James’s story, mindset on building wealth
9:07 Life after the startup exit
10:52 BarBend origin story
13:07 The hardest things to do as the CEO
15:18 Mistakes were made
21:40 Guilt
22:53 Support system
25:01 Selling the company, transition period, walking away
28:45 BarBend’s legacy
32:06 Today’s fitness content industry
37:37 Journalistic standards
40:06 Advice for younger entrepreneurs
42:38 David and James get real
44:33 David’s family heritage, post-911 feelings

American Conservative & Gaming Content Creator - Dan Campbell (Interview)

Dan Campbell is the co-creator of the "Hobbies + Happiness" YouTube channel, which covers a wide range of tabletop and trading card games.

A Judge In The Criminal Justice System - Noah Weil (Interview)

Noah Weil is a magistrate judge based in Seattle, Washington.
I've known Noah for a few years and first connected with him from a shared interest we have in a competitive card game called Magic: The Gathering.
I'm honored to have this conversation with Noah to explore his "why."

The Creative Process - Josephine McAdam (Interview)

Josephine McAdam is an actor, performer, producer and streamer.
She recently produced and premiered a new film at Gen Con. If there's one overall theme to Josephine's creative output, it's that she's incredibly dynamic and intentional about her craft.
Here, Josephine talks candidly about the mental aspect of being an actor/performer, and shares some of her career aspirations. I had a great time chatting with her and I hope you enjoy this conversation.

An African President’s Daughter, Raised In North Korea - Monica Macias (Interview)

Monica Macias is the daughter of Equatorial Guinea's first president, Francisco Macias. She was raised in North Korea by Kim Il Sung.
Monica's new book, "Black Girl from Pyongyang," chronicles her childhood in North Korea and subsequent attempts to understand her father's complicated legacy.
Monica and I had a deep, nuanced conversation. Enjoy.

How I Raised $8,000,000 And Built My Startup - Ivan Lee (Interview)

Ivan Lee is the founder and CEO of Datasaur.ai, a data labeling and training data platform in the AI space.
Ivan previously co-founded Loki Studios and worked in various product management roles at Apple, GoButler and Yahoo.
Ivan offers MANY insights here for both startup founders and product managers. Enjoy.

Tech in China: What Happened? - Rui Ma (Interview)

Rui Ma is an angel investor, tech analyst and influencer. She is currently the COO of Alphawatch.AI.
Rui shares a number of insights about China tech -- where it was, and where it's headed. Enjoy.

Corporate Burnout: My Path To Entrepreneurship - Fernando Delgado (Interview)

Fernando Delgado is an entrepreneur based in Boulder, Colorado. He previously worked in product management roles at YouTube, Google and Yahoo.
I've known Fernando ever since our career paths intersected at Yahoo almost a decade ago. He is a good friend and mentor. It is my absolute pleasure to give Fernando a forum here to share his life and career lessons.

Finding Your Inner Artist - Joseph Johnson, Jr. (Interview)

Joseph Johnson, Jr. is a performer, actor, and comedian based in Los Angeles.