Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal
Hosts, Acquired Podcast
This episode will air May 8, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Acquired today is the outcome of two guys who really want to understand why the world is shaped the way it is, and we're studying it through the lens of all these companies that shaped it along the way.
Summary
In this episode of Leadership Matters, Alan Fleischmann sits down with Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, co-founders of the top-ranked business podcast, Acquired, to discuss what they’ve learned from years of studying the world’s most iconic businesses—from Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway to Nintendo, Epic Games, and Activision Blizzard. Ben and David reflect on their journey building Acquired into a globally respected business podcast, known for its extraordinary depth of research and storytelling. They share how their work has shaped their own views on leadership, risk-taking, and long-term thinking—and why diving into the full, unfiltered history of a company often reveals the most important lessons.
Mentions & Resources
Guest Bios
Ben Gilbert
Ben is the co-host and co-founder of the Acquired podcast. Acquired tells the stories and strategies of great companies in long-form, three-hour episodes.
Previously, Ben was a co-founder and a managing director at Pioneer Square Labs, a Seattle-based venture fund and startup studio, where he currently serves as a venture partner. Ben began his career as an entrepreneur and independent iPhone developer, with the productivity app "SeizeTheDay" being used by over a million people. He also has a background in product management from Microsoft where he shipped the first version of Office for iPad and ran The Garage, the company’s grassroots innovation program.
Ben was named the 2017 Young Entrepreneur of the Year by GeekWire and 40 Under 40 by Puget Sound Business Journal. He is an Eagle Scout and holds a BS in Computer Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University.
David Rosenthal
David Rosenthal is the co-host of the Acquired podcast, which tells long-form stories of great companies ranging from Standard Oil to Nvidia to The NFL. The show has over a million listeners and has been ranked the #1 Technology show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. In addition to Acquired, David angel invests in companies of all stages via his AngelList fund Kindergarten Ventures. Before going full-time on Acquired, David was a professional venture capitalist for 10+ years, and holds an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and undergraduate degree from Princeton University. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, daughter and goldendoodle.
Transcript
Transcript will be uploaded upon the episode’s premiere.