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How I Built This with Guy Raz

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How I Built This with Guy Raz

By: Guy Raz | Wondery
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Summary

Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimate moments of doubt and failure, and share insights on their eventual success. How I Built This is a master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership and how to navigate challenges of all kinds.

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©2026 Guy Raz | Wondery (P)2026 Guy Raz | Wondery Economics
Episodes
  • NVIDIA: Jensen Huang. From near collapse to becoming the world’s biggest company

    NVIDIA: Jensen Huang. From near collapse to becoming the world’s biggest company
    May 11 2026
    NVIDIA is one of the most valuable companies in human history. Its chips run the AI systems transforming everything from entertainment to warfare. But for years, almost nobody believed in co-founder Jensen Huang’s vision. Jensen spent nearly a decade pouring billions into a technology called CUDA, long before AI made it profitable. In this deeply personal conversation, Jensen tells Guy why NVIDIA’s very first chip was a catastrophic failure … and how at one point, the company was 30 days away from going out of business. Jensen also explains why he thinks fears about AI are overblown, and why he believes the next generation will have more opportunity — not less — because of AI. What You’ll Learn:Why NVIDIA nearly collapsed before becoming an AI giantHow researchers sparked the AI boom using NVIDIA gaming chipsHow to lead through uncertainty when a huge bet hasn’t yet paid offHow Jensen approaches hard decisions like an engineerWe’re “doing ourselves a disservice” by being afraid: Jensen on AI and job lossHow Jensen defends his demanding management styleWhy past failures still haunt him Key Moments From the Interview:00:05:26 — Jensen Huang’s childhood at an unusual Kentucky boarding school00:12:25 — Why Jensen left a stable career to help start NVIDIA00:14:49 — NVIDIA’s first failure: the NV1 disaster00:17:26 — The desperate trip to Japan that gave the company a lifeline00:20:46 — “The only idea we had” for prototyping: the emulator Hail Mary00:26:13 — The book that shaped Jensen’s thinking about innovation00:30:24 — Why NVIDIA kept investing in CUDA while Wall Street lost faith00:36:58 — The moment AI researchers discovered the power of NVIDIA’s chips 00:47:07 — Jensen on fear of job loss from AI, and why America risks falling behind00:55:46 — Knowing what he knows now, would he do it again? Yes — and no This episode was researched and produced by Alex Cheng with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Robert Rodriguez. Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com
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    1 hr and 7 mins
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  • Advice Line: New Offerings, Bigger Markets

    Advice Line: New Offerings, Bigger Markets
    May 7 2026
    Today’s callers: Kristina in Florida wants to take her local pottery workshops nationwide. Then Jim from Colorado wonders if retail is right for his quick release camera straps. And Will in Ohio hopes his business will change what consumers expect from tool rental services. Thank you to the founders of Seagrass Pottery, Lemur Strap and Tool Club for being a part of our show. If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode—where Guy and former show guests take questions from early-stage founders—leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com or call 1-800-433-1298. And be sure to listen to our episodes with Chieh Huang of Boxed, Hernan Lopez of Wondery and David Neeleman of Jet Blue. This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo. You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy’s free newsletter at guyraz.com or on Substack
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    41 mins
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  • Room & Board: John Gabbert. A Broken Deal, a Family Rift, and the Birth of a Furniture Giant

    Room & Board: John Gabbert. A Broken Deal, a Family Rift, and the Birth of a Furniture Giant
    May 4 2026
    John Gabbert built a massive furniture brand. But in order to do it, he had to defy his family. John grew up working at his dad’s furniture store in the suburbs of Minneapolis. It sold classic, American-made furniture, with flowery prints and curved legs. But in 1972, John took a life-changing trip to Sweden, where he discovered an obscure store called IKEA. It was selling an entirely different type of furniture: simple, modern, and inexpensive, with a manufacturing process they controlled. To John, it looked like the future of furniture. The only problem, his dad didn’t agree. That disagreement led to a 10-year family rift—but also a new business. In 1980—zafter a deal to buy out his dad broke down—John spun out his own furniture brand, Room & Board. Today, it sells hundreds of millions of dollars of furniture in its own classic designs, mostly made by small American manufacturers. This is the story of how John did it, without outside investors, and without chasing growth for growth’s sake. What You’ll Learn Why the right thing for your business might be the hardest thing for your family How John connected with young boomers—not their parents The key to long-term success: growing slow and saying “no” Why John refused private equity money Why Room & Board transitioned to employee ownership Timestamps: 00:03:45 - Gabberts: flowery furniture in a fake living room 00:07:16 - Becoming president of the family business at age 23 00:11:08 - A fateful trip to IKEA in Sweden: “That's what the future needed to be” 00:16:11 - John tries to buy out the family business… until his dad backs out 00:31:07 - Design inspiration from modern art—and steel frames 00:40:28 - Why making furniture in America makes sense 00:49:17 - Investors come to call… and John says no 00:55:38 - The decision that transferred ownership to employees This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant with research help from Rommel Wood. Our engineers were Patrick Murray and Kwesi Lee. Follow How I Built This: Instagram → @howibuiltthis X → @HowIBuiltThis Facebook → How I Built This Follow Guy Raz: Instagram → @guy.raz Youtube → guy_raz X → @guyraz Substack → guyraz.substack.com Website → guyraz.com
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    1 hr and 1 min
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