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How I Built This

Inspiring stories from the world's best-known entrepreneurs

★ 4.8 / 5.0 Editors' score

How I Built This is a Business podcast hosted by Guy Raz. Inspiring stories from the world's best-known entrepreneurs It has 520 episodes on a weekly schedule, averaging 60 minutes per episode, with its first episode in 2016-09-05. It is rated 4.8/5. Known for interviews with famous founders, behind-the-scenes business stories, npr quality production.

Key Facts

Host Guy Raz
Category Business
Episodes 520
Frequency Weekly
Avg. duration 60 minutes
First episode 2016-09-05
Rating 4.8 / 5.0
Last updated 2026-02-24

Overview

How I Built This is a podcast hosted by Guy Raz that provides a detailed, narrative look at the origins of influential companies and brands. It does this through long-form interviews with founders, exploring the real-life challenges, pivotal decisions, and often unexpected journeys behind their success. The show moves beyond simple success stories to reveal the practical hurdles and personal sacrifices involved in building a business. Key features include its in-depth, conversational interviews that often last over an hour, allowing for comprehensive storytelling. It covers a wide range of companies, from globally recognized names like Airbnb and Spanx to beloved niche brands. The archive also includes "How You Built That," featuring smaller startups and solo entrepreneurs. This tool is for aspiring entrepreneurs, business students, current founders, and anyone interested in the human stories behind products they use. The main benefit is gaining actionable insights and motivation from candid accounts of perseverance, strategy, and problem-solving, without encountering polished corporate myths. A standout use case is a new founder feeling isolated in their early struggles. Listening to an episode about a now-successful company’s near-failures or early rejections provides both practical lessons in resilience and the reassurance that such challenges are a normal part of the process.

Visit How I Built This →

Where to Listen

spotify →apple →

What Makes It Stand Out

  • ✓Interviews with famous founders
  • ✓Behind-the-scenes business stories
  • ✓NPR quality production
  • ✓Actionable insights
  • ✓Inspiring narratives

Pros

  • ✅ World-class guests and stories
  • ✅ Guy Raz is an excellent interviewer
  • ✅ Educational and motivating

Cons

  • ❌ Can focus too much on outlier success
  • ❌ Episodes can be lengthy

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the How I Built This podcast about?
How I Built This is a podcast hosted by Guy Raz that provides a detailed, narrative look at the origins of influential companies and brands. It does this through long-form interviews with founders, exploring the real-life challenges, pivotal decisions, and often unexpected journeys behind their success. The show moves beyond simple success stories to reveal the practical hurdles and personal sacrifices involved in building a business. Key features include its in-depth, conversational interviews that often last over an hour, allowing for comprehensive storytelling. It covers a wide range of companies, from globally recognized names like Airbnb and Spanx to beloved niche brands. The archive also includes "How You Built That," featuring smaller startups and solo entrepreneurs. This tool is for aspiring entrepreneurs, business students, current founders, and anyone interested in the human stories behind products they use. The main benefit is gaining actionable insights and motivation from candid accounts of perseverance, strategy, and problem-solving, without encountering polished corporate myths. A standout use case is a new founder feeling isolated in their early struggles. Listening to an episode about a now-successful company’s near-failures or early rejections provides both practical lessons in resilience and the reassurance that such challenges are a normal part of the process.
Who hosts How I Built This?
How I Built This is hosted by Guy Raz.
How often does How I Built This release episodes?
How I Built This publishes on a weekly schedule, with 520 episodes to date, averaging 60 minutes each.
What are the downsides of How I Built This?
Some listeners note: Can focus too much on outlier success; Episodes can be lengthy.
What podcasts are similar to How I Built This?
See our full list of How I Built This alternatives, with side-by-side details and ratings, on the How I Built This alternatives page.

Last updated: 2026-02-24