One of One

Over 13 years, Jack Conte has built Patreon into a platform that has paid out more than $10 billion to creators. When Jack was 10 years old, the cool kids wore Nike and Adidas. Jack didn't. He wore Court Classics from Costco. Not because they were better, because the brand worship simply didn't make sense to him. That same voice, the one that says this isn't right, has run through his entire life. Today, it fuels his fight to build a platform that truly serves creators in an industry he says plainly is bad for humans. In this conversation, Darren and Jack explore the public stance Jack is taking against industry orthodoxy, the business he has built to reflect them, the inner work that has shaped how he leads, and the choices and trade offs he has made over 13 years.Jack’s New York Times Opinion piece: “I’m Building an Algorithm That Doesn’t Rot Your Brain” text and videoRecommended Reading:The Courage to be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro KishimiWhen I Say No, I Feel Guilty by Manuel J. SmithThe Power of a Positive No by William UryKegan’s Theory of Adult Development by Natali MoradFind out more about the Trium Group at triumgroup.comOne of One is produced by Darren Gold, Emily Shaw, and Karen Welsh. Engineering by Aja Simpson.

Doug Conant stepped into the CEO role at the Campbell Soup Company in 2001, inheriting a toxic culture and a workforce that had lost faith in its leadership. Over the next decade, he engineered one of the most remarkable turnarounds in modern business history. But what makes Doug's story so compelling is not just what he accomplished, but the inner journey that made it possible. A lifelong introvert who, after being fired at age 32, learned the importance of living his authentic life story, and in so doing, built a philosophy grounded in deep listening, relentless self reflection, and an unshakable belief that to win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace. In this conversation, Darren and Doug explore the crucible moment that forged everything, what it really means to be tough minded on standards and tender-hearted with people, and what 50 years in the arena has taught Doug about the inner work that great leadership demands.Find out more about the Trium Group at triumgroup.comOne of One is produced by Darren Gold, Emily Shaw, and Karen Welsh. Engineering by Aja Simpson.

Mark Pincus is one of the most distinctive founders and product builders of the past three decades. He has written a remarkable new book called Life at the Speed of Play: Launch Products People Love! Most people assume that the willingness to stand for what you know to be true, even when the world is calling you crazy, is a quality common to all founders. In Darren’s experience, it isn't. It is rare. And Mark possesses it in a form he’s encountered in very few leaders. Mark is also a man doing the harder, quieter, inner work, asking what his soul actually needs, sitting in what he calls “the abyss,” examining the relationship between the conviction that built his companies and the integrity he is now bringing to the rest of his life. They talk about where that conviction came from, the moral contract Mark made with the people who built Zynga, and what it means at sixty to keep showing up in pursuit of something your soul still needs you to build.Find out more about the Trium Group at triumgroup.comOne of One is produced by Darren Gold, Emily Shaw, and Karen Welsh. Engineering by Aja Simpson.

Eric Ries is author of The Lean Startup, founder of the Long Term Stock Exchange, and now author of a terrific new book called Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great. Eric's central argument is that even the most mission driven companies will, over time, succumb to what he calls financial gravity and lose their soul. The solution, how to become incorruptible, is to design structural protections early. The good news is that there are numerous examples hiding in plain sight. Eric and Darren talk about Sol Price and Costco, Novo Nordisk, Eric's work with Anthropic, and what he calls a spiritual holding company. And in the last stretch, they explore Eric's own inner journey, deeply personal and spiritual, that sits underneath all of it.Find out more about the Trium Group at triumgroup.comOne of One is produced by Darren Gold, Emily Shaw, and Karen Welsh. Engineering by Aja Simpson.

In nearly 15 years, Wade has grown Zapier from a side project at a Missouri hackathon into one of the most capital efficient software companies ever built. Essentially bootstrapped, Zapier now helps millions of customers automate their work by connecting the thousands of apps and tools that businesses use every day.In this conversation, Darren seeks to understand Wade as a leader: a man who grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri with no entrepreneurial blueprint, who built something genuinely countercultural by trusting what he knew to be true before the evidence arrived. They talk about the “Code Red” Wade declared in March of 2023, the prescient decision to enact a company wide pause that has led to 100% AI adoption across the organization, what it takes to lead people through that kind of change, and the critical distinction between personal and institutional AI adoption.Find out more about the Trium Group at triumgroup.comOne of One is produced by Darren Gold, Emily Shaw, and Karen Welsh. Engineering by Aja Simpson.