🎙️ My Podcast with Seth Levine & Elizabeth MacBride

↓

A simple conversation about opportunity, capitalism, and the world founders are building in

​

Who is the system really built for?

On Friday I had a long, honest conversation with Seth Levine and Elizabeth MacBride, the authors of The New Builders and their new book Capital Evolution.

Both books focus on something I deeply care about: how real founders build, what they face, and how the system around them shapes their chances.

I enjoyed this episode because nothing felt theoretical.

Everything was grounded in real life.
Real people.
Real struggles.
Real opportunities.
And real limits.

The world is changing faster than we think

Both Seth and Elizabeth said it clearly:
Capitalism is shifting.
Not the word — the way it actually works.

The old “shareholder first” mindset is breaking down.
New expectations are rising.
Founders feel this every day — even if they can’t put words on it.

They call this moment a transition period.
I agree.
Things are moving.
Old rules don’t work.
New ones are not fully formed yet.

For founders, this means:
You need to understand the system you are building inside.

Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not.

This was the strongest part of the conversation.

Elizabeth talked about the opportunity gap — how where you start still matters more than talent. We see this in Türkiye, MENA, Africa, India, everywhere.

People have skills.
People have ideas.
People have energy.

But the system doesn’t always open the door.

This is why founders feel frustrated.
You are not crazy.
The gap is real.

Who is the system really built for?

I asked them a direct question:

“If the American Dream is now mathematically very hard, why do we still tell the story?”

Their answer was honest:
Because stories are powerful.
Stories keep people hopeful.
Stories also hide deeper problems.

This is true in every country.
We have our own version of the dream here too.

But dreams must connect to reality.
Otherwise people burn out.

Complete by today or you're already behind.

Capitalism Is Changing — Her... Nov 23 · Brainwaves 45:31   ​ This is not a conversation only about the U.S. It’s global. The themes in Capital Evolution affect founders everywhere: access class capital mobility long-term thinking building from emerging markets creating your own chance If you are a founder in any emerging ecosystem, this episode will give you a bigger map of the world you are building in. You will see that your struggles are structural, not personal. And you will see where the opportunities are moving. Subscribe