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Why Did Russ Roberts Start Econ Talk Podcast · Y Combinator

Y Combinator

Russ Roberts (@EconTalker)

Russ Roberts is the host of the podcast EconTalk ( iTunes , RSS , and YouTube ), a research fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution , and the author of several books, including How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life . You can find Russ on Twitter @econtalker . The YC podcast is hosted by Craig Cannon . Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a…

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Notes

  1. Why Do Entrepreneurs Start Copmanies at 0:55

    Most entrepreneurs don't seem to have money as their primary motivator. Money is just the means of keeping the business moving. Full answer

  2. Why Did Russ Roberts Start Econ Talk Podcast at 3:28

    Russ realized there was a sizable audience willing to listen to what he had to say, and it was exhilarating! Full answer

  3. Why Do So Many People Listen to EconTalk Podcast at 8:02

    The podcast started with basic economic ideas which were useful in business (some examples below) but have since transitioned into interesting topics that… Full answer

  4. What Is Opportunity the Cost and Why Is It Important at 10:29

    Opportunity cost is the idea that when you do something, you can't do something else. It sounds trivial, but It's not in practice, and it's easy to forget that. Full answer

  5. What Is Comparative Advantage at 10:43

    Comparative advantage is the idea that there are things that are too expensive for you to do for yourself, and you should pay someone else to do them for you. Full answer

  6. What Is the Idea of Emerging Order at 11:19

    Russ says that the most interesting thing that people have found useful in his podcast is the idea of emerging order. Full answer

  7. What Does EconTalk's Russ Roberts Say Economics Class Is for? at 14:09

    Russ Roberts told the Y Combinator podcast that a teacher can give exams for 30 years and still fool himself. Full answer

  8. What Makes Russ Roberts a Great Economics Teacher at 16:09

    Instead of asking his students to memorize concepts, Russ tries to explain his view through a narrative, so that consumers could really understand what he… Full answer

  9. What Is the Point of Economics at 18:46

    "The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design." ~ Friedrich Hayek Full answer

  10. How Do You Get to Be Loved at 22:06

    The answer to this question lies in a question of itself. How do you get people to pay attention to you? How do you get to be honored? Full answer

  11. Where Do Economists Fail Today at 26:20

    Economists focus too much on thing that are measurable, and forget about other things. Full answer

  12. What Are the Unintended Consequences of Startup Growth at 36:23

    Investors often have expectations different from those of a founder, and as a company gets bigger, the nature of work and focus of a founder has to change. Full answer

  13. What Does Russ Roberts Worship at 53:27

    We all have a desire to be part of something larger than ourselves, something that's transcendent in history. It. Full answer

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