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Artwork for Giant Ideas

Giant Ideas

Giant Ventures
Artificial Intelligence
Quantum Computing
Climate Change
Entrepreneurship
NBA
Sustainability
Philosophy
Psiquantum
LA Lakers
Shaquille O'neal
Wikipedia
Venture Capital
US Politics
Healthcare
Drug Discovery
Materials Science
Education
Architecture
Spacex
Nuclear Energy

Giant Ideas invites leading minds from tech, business, politics and beyond to explore the giant ideas that use technology as a force for good. Giant Ventures, founded by Cameron McLain and Tommy Stadlen, backs purpose-driven founders solving the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes80Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EntrepreneurshipBusiness

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Artwork for Giant Ideas

Latest Episodes

After more than 50 episodes interviewing founders, investors and leaders, Giant co-founders Tommy Stadlen and Cameron McLain turn the mic on themselves to ask what the best entrepreneurs have in common.

From resilience, storytelling, obsession and s... more

Today, we're joined by Steve Case, the co-founder of AOL, to talk about what the first internet boom can tell us about this one.

Steve started AOL in 1985, when 3% of people were online. He took it public in 1992 as the first internet company to lis... more

YouTube

Today, we're joined by Eric Ries, the author of The Lean Startup and the founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange.

Eric wrote the book that taught a generation of founders how to build under uncertainty, and he has spent the years since trying to fix... more

Today, we're back with Michael Moritz, the Sequoia investor who backed Google, Yahoo and PayPal, to talk about his family and his latest book.

Moritz has written a memoir, Ausländer, out in the US this month. It began with papers found when they cle... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Fareed Zakaria
CNN host and interviewer cited in episode title
CNN
Episode: "I Think of It More as Seduction": CNN Host Fareed Zakaria, on the Art of the Interview
Toyin Ajayi
Co-founder and CEO of Cityblock Health
Cityblock Health
Episode: Cityblock Co-Founder, Toyin Ajayi: What Happens When You Treat Healthcare as a Right, Not a Transaction?
Tony Fadell
iPod and iPhone inventor; former Nest executive
Nest, Apple (former)
Episode: iPod & iPhone Inventor, Tony Fadell: Why Saying No Was Steve Jobs' Biggest Skill
Jeff Lawson
Co-founder and former CEO of Twilio; founder of Inertia Enterprises
Inertia Enterprises / Twilio
Episode: Twilio & Inertia Co-founder, Jeff Lawson: Is Nuclear Fusion The Holy Grail of Energy?
Barry Eggers
Co-founder of Lightspeed Venture Partners
Lightspeed Venture Partners
Episode: Lightspeed Co-founder Barry Eggers: Are Billion-Dollar Seed Rounds the New Normal?
Ajaz Ahmed
Founder of AKQA; founder of Studio.One
AKQA; Studio.One
Episode: Drama Is Conflict, Brand Is Character: Lessons from Nike, Airbnb and Apple with AKQA & Studio.one's Ajaz Ahmed
Jimmy Wales
Founder of Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Episode: “I’m a Pathological Optimist” - Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales' Life Lessons
Baiju Bhatt
Robinhood co-founder and former co-CEO, instrumental in democratizing access to investing
Robinhood
Episode: "Hard Work, Grit, Tenacity and Not Giving Up" - Robinhood Co-Founder Baiju Bhatt's Life Lessons
Vivek Murthy
Former Surgeon General of the United States
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / United States Government
Episode: Former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy: Is Technology Fuelling a Loneliness Epidemic?

Hosts

Cameron McLain
Host of Giant Ideas; affiliated with Giant Ventures; leads discussions with a focus on technology-enabled impact and entrepreneurship.
Tommy Stadlen
Co-host of Giant Ideas; co-founder of Giant Ventures; engages guests on venture strategy, product storytelling, and market-building with a founder-first lens.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 46 ratings
  • Must listen if you’re a Founder!!

    Really enjoy the breadth of content across this podcast. It’s built for Founders by Founders, but isn’t just ‘this is how I started my business’, it’s much broader. Highly recommend!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Harri<3
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Floyd Steadman OBE

    Subject: Re: The Giant Ideas Podcast – Floyd Steadman OBE

    What a humbling listen. Floyd Steadman’s life story—told in that commanding, storyteller’s voice—was a masterclass in compassionate leadership. To have endured so much as a child and still rise to inspire generations of well-rounded young men is remarkable. His message—believe in yourself and go for it—landed powerfully.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Fi & Andy
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Top Notch

    Really insightful interviews on fascinating topics

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    El Lloydy69
    United Kingdom3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Insightful perspectives on AI, trust, and responsible innovation.
Thoughtful, founders-first storytelling with practical takeaways for building and scaling tech ventures.
Strong emphasis on real-world impact and executable strategies.
High-caliber guests and rich, candid leadership lessons.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

"I Think of It More as Seduction": CNN Host Fareed Zakaria, on the Art of the Interview
Q: Fareed, do you think there will be CNN in 20 years?
The future will likely feature a mix of formats and platforms, with audiences consuming news in more personalized ways, but a recognizable, trusted outlet like CNN may still exist alongside many niche and distributed formats.
Twilio & Inertia Co-founder, Jeff Lawson: Is Nuclear Fusion The Holy Grail of Energy?
Q: Why did you decide to leave Twilio and pursue fusion, and what does your roadmap look like for fusion commercialization?
The shift was motivated by a belief that scalable, clean energy is a fundamental societal need. The roadmap emphasizes starting from known physics, building the world's most powerful laser, creating a fusion fuel target factory, and then integrating these into a first-of-a-kind power plant with a cautious, under-promising, over-delivering mindset for timelines that are realistically 10-15 years to meaningful grid energy.
Twilio & Inertia Co-founder, Jeff Lawson: Is Nuclear Fusion The Holy Grail of Energy?
Q: What lessons do you bring from Twilio as a software founder to a very different space building hardware?
Entrepreneurship is universal across software and hardware: focus on culture, hiring great people, and iterating with agility. Use software-inspired approaches to manage ambiguity, run short, iterative sprints, and continuously connect each short-term achievement to long-term goals, while staying within the known physics and pushing the core manufacturing capabilities forward.
Lightspeed Co-founder Barry Eggers: Are Billion-Dollar Seed Rounds the New Normal?
Q: Barry, what is going on in the venture market?
The market features record-breaking seed rounds and high valuations, driven by a shift where private markets have attracted public-market style investors, and AI-enabled companies are fueling rapid growth and big rounds. It's a mix of rational momentum and a bubble-like vibe, depending on the company and how quickly markets expand.
"Mothers Can Do it All. They Just Shouldn't Do it On Their Own" - Former NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's Life Lessons
Q: What would those three photographs be and what do they represent in your life?
They symbolize childhood, time in office with its privilege and sadness, and family life; together they show how service, duty, and personal love interweave to shape a leader.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Giant Ideas

What is Giant Ideas about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A forward-looking show that spotlights founders, technologists, policymakers, and business leaders at the intersection of technology, society, and global impact. Episodes commonly explore how ambitious ideas translate into scalable solutions—whether reshaping healthcare with value-based models, mapping the trajectory of hardware-driven startups, or rethinking brand strategy in an AI-enabled world. Notable throughlines include practical entrepreneurship lessons, the ethics and economics of disruptive tech, and hands-on narratives about building durable organizations, manufacturing capabilities, and responsible innovation. Frequent guests span health-tech founders, iconic product designers, venture investors, and public leaders, creating a mi... more

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How many listeners does Giant Ideas get?

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Which podcasts are similar to Giant Ideas?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Giant Ideas:

1. Sourcery
2. Uncapped with Jack Altman
3. Dwarkesh Podcast
4. The a16z Show
5. The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

How many episodes of Giant Ideas are there?

Giant Ideas launched 3 years ago and published 80 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Giant Ideas?

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What guests have appeared on Giant Ideas?

Recent guests on Giant Ideas include:

1. Fareed Zakaria
2. Toyin Ajayi
3. Tony Fadell
4. Jeff Lawson
5. Barry Eggers
6. Ajaz Ahmed
7. Jimmy Wales
8. Baiju Bhatt

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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