Grit explores what it takes to create, build, and scale world-class organizations. It features weekly episodes highlighting the leaders who are pushing their companies to make a difference. This series is hosted by Joubin Mirzadegan, go to market operating partner at Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm investing in history-making founders.

David Rubenstein helped pioneer modern private equity—building The Carlyle Group into a $400B global investment firm from a modest D.C. office and a relentless fundraising streak. But beyond PE, his legacy spans presidential libraries, historic American artifacts, and a lifelong obsession with civic contribution.In this episode, David shares how he raised billions without a background in finance, why owning a baseball team was more than just a trophy purchase—and what building true generational success really means beyond wealth alone.Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 00:53 Introduction 01:40 Family, wealth, class 14:40 Happiness disparity and longevity 19:25 I need more to give away more 25:04 The relentless fundraiser 33:53 Kids and travel 36:06 No track record, the great white buffalo 38:59 Business and politics 43:53 Fired from Washington 45:52 Fundraising, presidents, podcast guests 48:04 Private equity and sports 53:44 Expenses — no charges 55:49 Waking up with energy 57:26 Preserving copies 1:02:05 Organizational architecture 1:03:41 Bury me in my plane 1:08:11 Not a big luxury spender 1:10:32 What “grit” means to David 1:10:50 OutroMentioned in this episode: Andrew Rubenstein, Stanford University, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett, Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Procter & Gamble Company, Forbes 400, Duke University, University of Chicago, Harvard Corporation, Johns Hopkins University, California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, Jimmy Carter, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Arianna Huffington, Xi Jinping, Hank Greenberg, Stephen A. Schwarzman, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, Baltimore Orioles, Fred Trammell Crow, Harlan Crow, National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), Arctos Partners LP, Anthropic, Magna Carta Libertatum, Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln, US Constitution, National Archives, Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Mount Vernon, Monticello, Montpelier, Mark Cuban, Paul McCartneyConnect with David: X: <a href="https://x.com/DM_Rubenstein">@DM_Rubenstein</a>Connect with Joubin:X: <a href="https://x.com/Joubinmir">@Joubinmir</a>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854/">Joubin Mirzadegan</a> Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com<a href="https://www.kleinerperkins.com/">kleinerperkins.com</a>

Grit

From White House to Wall Street: David Rubenstein

<a href="https://amplitude.com">Amplitude</a> helped define the modern analytics stack, powering digital products with deep behavioral insights. But in a world shifting toward agentic interfaces and vertically integrated AI, even a category leader has to evolve.In this episode, CEO Spenser Skates shares how he’s rethinking AI within the constraints of a 13-year-old codebase, why analytics remains Amplitude’s competitive edge—and why taking the company public early was a risk worth taking. Links:Connect with Spenser<ul><li><a href="https://x.com/spenserskates">X</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/spenserskates/">LinkedIn</a></li></ul>Connect with Joubin<ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/Joubinmir">X</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854/">LinkedIn</a></li><li>Email: <a href="grit@kleinerperkins.com">grit@kleinerperkins.com</a></li></ul> <a href="https://www.kleinerperkins.com/">Learn more about Kleiner Perkins</a>

No Reset Button: Reinventing Amplitude in a Post-AI World

<a href="https://flexport.com">Flexport</a> was a breakout success—reimagining global trade with tech at its core. But when the freight market cooled and efficiency overtook service, things started to unravel. Founder Ryan Petersen stepped aside, handing the CEO role to former Amazon exec Dave Clark. Months later, he was back at the helm.In this episode, Ryan explains what went wrong, how he’s rebuilding Flexport—cutting $300M in costs, restoring customer focus—and why promoting from within beats chasing outside stars. He also weighs in on Trump’s proposed tariffs and what they could mean for the future of global trade.Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 00:31 Introduction 02:07 Meeting smart people, seeing the world 03:40 Eroded margins 09:52 Charismatic and overconfident 15:32 Not an overnight decision 20:08 The founder has returned 23:10 Redoing the hiring 26:38 No substitute for passion 31:00 Working for and with my brother 37:28 Working with forwarders 42:14 Being a founder can be lonely 47:49 Life’s work 54:06 The right person for the job 1:00:55 19 countries 1:04:57 Blowing people up 1:07:24 Work and being a good dad 1:08:34 Not doing it for money and loving money 1:17:52 Import and export tariffs 1:22:57 De minimis 1:25:54 Panama and the Suez Canal 1:36:50 Going public 1:42:24 Who Flexport is Hiring 1:42:42 What "grit" means to Ryan 1:43:06 Outro Mentioned in this episode: Founders Fund, Amazon, Toyota Motor Corporation, Slack, Brex, Pedro Franceschi, Henrique Dubugras, United States Customs and Border Protection, ImportGenius, Michael Kanko, Y Combinator, Paul Graham, Intel Corporation, Shopify, Geely Holding (Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd.), The Volvo Group, Intuit TurboTax, David Petersen, BuildZoom, TechCrunch, Google, Figma, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Jimmy Carter, Panama Canal Authority, United States Navy, Coinbase, Uber, Airbnb Links:Connect with Ryan<ul><li><a href="https://x.com/typesfast">X</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rpetersen/">LinkedIn</a></li></ul>Connect with Joubin<ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/Joubinmir">Twitter</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854/">LinkedIn</a></li><li>Email: <a href="grit@kleinerperkins.com">grit@kleinerperkins.com</a></li></ul> <a href="https://www.kleinerperkins.com/">Learn more about Kleiner Perkins</a>

Flexport’s Third Act: Winning in a Broken Global Trade System

Guest: Pedro FranceschiPedro Franceschi is the co-founder and CEO of Brex, a fintech company reshaping how businesses manage their finances. Originally from Brazil, Pedro went from teenage hacker to leading one of the most well-known names in modern financial technology—building a platform trusted by startups and enterprises alike. In this episode, Pedro shares what it took to launch “Brex 3.0,” why he moved to a single-CEO model, and how tough structural changes set the stage for leaner, faster growth.Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 00:46 Introduction 01:45 Startup roller coaster 05:21 Founders know how to have fun 07:12 Belief barrier evolution 12:00 Early state of life in Brazil 13:23 Controlling variables 15:32 Screen time 19:23 Making small decisions 23:27 Learning raises the bar 26:15 People manager 38:49 Getting underwater 42:05 Growth accelerated 47:51 Vision from the top down 52:13 Leadership organization 54:01 AI software engineering physics 54:43 People complain about change 59:42 Believers and non-believers 1:04:09 Equity and bonus controversy 1:08:40 Big swings and going public 1:14:15 Control in unpredictability 1:18:04 Living in a pixel1:19:52 Meditate, sleep, diet, exercise1:24:36 Mental health and stress 1:33:12 Who Brex is hiring 1:33:49 What "grit" means to Pedro 1:34:39 OutroMentioned in this episode: Silicon Valley, Facebook, Meta Platforms, Inc., Mark Zuckerberg, Mastercard, Rio de Janeiro, iPhone, Bill Gates, Tim Urban, Jony Ive, Apple Inc., LinkedIn, Salesforce, Brian Chesky, Airbnb, Anthropic Claude, Cursor, Codeium Windsurf, Cognition Labs Devin, Vercel, Retool AI, Amplitude, Spenser Skates, Elon Musk, Tesla, Inc.Links:Connect with Pedro:<ul><li><a href="https://x.com/pedroh96">X</a></li><li><a href="http://linkedin.com/in/pfranceschi">LinkedIn</a></li></ul>Connect with Joubin:<ul><li><a href="https://x.com/pedroh96">X</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854/">LinkedIn</a></li><li>Email: <a href="grit@kleinerperkins.com">grit@kleinerperkins.com</a></li></ul>This episode was produced by Kleiner Perkins and edited by IQvideo.The trailer and distribution for this episode were handled by Atomik Growth.<a href="https://www.kleinerperkins.com/">Learn more about Kleiner Perkins</a>

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Grit by Kleiner Perkins

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