What do Airbnb, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, and Khan Academy have in common? Yes, they’re wildly successful, and yes, their founders were once on the verge of giving up. But more importantly, they’ve all sat down with Guy Raz to tell the real story of how it all happened. How I Built This isn’t just a business podcast; it’s the emotional blueprint of what it takes to create something from scratch.
Hosted by one of NPR’s most beloved journalists, this long-running podcast has built a reputation not on overnight success, but on the ugly, chaotic, and deeply human moments that happen before the win. If you’ve ever thought about quitting your job to start something new, or just wondered how anyone actually survives the startup grind, this is the show for you.
What is “How I Built This”?
At first glance, How I Built This might seem like just another business podcast, but it’s far more than startup buzzwords and Silicon Valley jargon. Hosted by veteran NPR journalist Guy Raz, this long-running show dives deep into the human side of entrepreneurship. Each episode invites a guest, often the founder of a wildly successful company, to unpack the real, often messy journey of building something from nothing.
From multi-billion dollar tech giants like Airbnb and Rivian to feel-good brands like Ben & Jerry’s or Chobani, How I Built This isn’t about selling the dream. It’s about showing how brutal, chaotic, and unexpectedly rewarding the road to success can be. As Raz himself puts it, the show is about “the stories behind the people who create the things we love.” And often, those stories are anything but polished.
Who is Guy Raz?
Guy Raz is a journalist, author, and one of the most well-known voices in podcasting. While you might know him as the host of How I Built This, where he interviews founders and creators behind some of the world’s most iconic brands, his career started long before podcasting took off, he was a foreign correspondent for NPR, reported from places like Berlin and London, and later hosted All Things Considered.
Over the years, he’s created several hit podcasts, including TED Radio Hour, Wisdom from the Top, Wow in the World, and The Great Creators. His shows reach millions of listeners every month, and he’s even had three shows in Apple’s Top 20 at the same time.
Beyond audio, he’s also a two-time New York Times bestselling author and has interviewed everyone from startup founders to presidents. At his core, Guy’s gift is helping people tell the story of how they got where they are, and making it feel honest, human, and full of insight.
What Makes It Different
Unlike the rapid-fire Q&A style of many business podcasts, How I Built This prioritizes depth. It’s not afraid to linger on failure, financial flops, investor rejections, existential doubt. There are tears. There’s burnout. And there’s almost always a moment when it seemed like everything would fall apart. That’s exactly what makes it so compelling.
What truly sets it apart, though, is Guy Raz’s approach. His interviews aren’t just informative, they’re intimate. Guests open up not because they’re performing, but because Raz is genuinely curious. He listens closely, asks follow-ups that go beyond surface-level hustle talk, and gives space for silence when it matters.
In a sea of motivational noise, this podcast offers something more grounded: vulnerability. It’s less about building an empire and more about what it costs to try.
The Stories It Tells
There’s no one formula for a How I Built This episode, which is probably why it works so well. The show covers a wide range of industries, tech, food, fashion, health, transportation, education, and guests come from all walks of life.
A few standout stories include:
- Airbnb: How three roommates turned a blown-up air mattress into one of the most disruptive companies in travel history.
- Chobani: The tale of a Turkish immigrant who bought a defunct yogurt plant in upstate New York and created an empire, with no outside investors.
- Patagonia: The inner workings of a founder who built a billion-dollar brand by putting sustainability first.
- Mark Cuban: His unfiltered take on entrepreneurship, risk, and building wealth with purpose.
- Noom, ClassPass, Khan Academy, Dutch Bros., Away, and more: Each with their own flavor of chaos and creativity.
But it’s not just the household names that leave a mark. Some of the most powerful episodes are about founders whose names you’ve never heard, but whose stories are unforgettable. Because How I Built This doesn’t just track success. It dissects it.
Who It’s For?
This is the kind of podcast that resonates with a wide net of listeners:
- Budding entrepreneurs who want a realistic view of what launching a business actually entails
- Creatives and freelancers navigating self-employment
- Corporate professionals looking to pivot or find inspiration
- Anyone who’s ever had a wild idea and wondered, Could I make this work?
It’s also surprisingly relatable for people outside of the business world. Because at its core, How I Built This is about ambition, failure, and persistence, things that apply whether you're pitching a startup, starting your own podcast or just trying to get through the week.
This tone,hopeful but not naive,is what keeps listeners coming back. It's business talk without the BS.
How I Built This Stats: Episodes, Listeners, and More
Since its debut in 2016, How I Built This has grown from a niche NPR show into one of the most influential business podcasts in the world. With its mix of storytelling and entrepreneurial insight, the show has become a staple for founders, dreamers, and podcast enthusiasts alike. Here's a closer look at its impact:
- Launched: September 12, 2016
- Total Episodes: Over 750 episodes released as of mid-2025
- Release Schedule: New episodes drop weekly, typically on Mondays and Thursdays
- Listener Reach: Nearly 19 million monthly listeners across Guy Raz’s podcasts
- Notable Guests: Founders of Airbnb, Patagonia, Chobani, Rivian, Khan Academy, Ben & Jerry’s, and many more
- Top Rankings: Consistently ranked among the top 20 most-downloaded podcasts in the U.S.
- Awards: Winner of 4 podcast industry awards, including the 2023 Webby Award for Best Business Podcast
- Live Events: Hosts the How I Built This Summit, a high-profile gathering of past guests, entrepreneurs, and listeners
- Book: In 2020, Guy Raz released How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success, based on lessons from the show
- Network Partnerships: Signed a licensing deal with Wondery in 2022, with continued NPR radio distribution
Best Episodes of How I Built This
With hundreds of episodes under its belt, How I Built This has become a treasure trove of entrepreneurial insight and storytelling. While each episode offers a unique perspective on resilience, risk, and innovation, a few standout interviews have especially resonated with listeners, not just for the companies they highlight, but for the unexpected human stories behind them. Here are five fan-favorite episodes worth starting with:
1. Lululemon: Chip Wilson
Before athleisure became a global trend, Chip Wilson made a risky bet on yoga apparel for young women in Vancouver. In this episode, Wilson walks through how a small pop-up store evolved into a multibillion-dollar empire. He also opens up about the brand’s early stumbles, controversies, and his personal evolution as a founder.
2. Instagram: Kevin Systrom & Mike Krieger
What began as a crash-prone photo-sharing app eventually became one of the most influential platforms of the decade. In this episode, co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger retrace their journey from scrappy prototypes to a $1 billion Facebook acquisition, all while confronting growing pains and ethical dilemmas along the way.
3. Patagonia: Yvon Chouinard
Not many CEOs prefer rock climbing to boardrooms. Yvon Chouinard shares how he built Patagonia with a guiding philosophy of minimal harm and environmental activism. This episode explores how purpose can drive profit, and how staying true to your values can set a brand apart in the corporate world.
4. Airbnb: Joe Gebbia
Faced with unpaid rent, Joe Gebbia turned his San Francisco apartment into a temporary bed-and-breakfast by renting out air mattresses. That scrappy side hustle became Airbnb, a company that would upend the hospitality industry. His interview is a raw, revealing look at how necessity fuels invention, and how trust became Airbnb’s secret weapon.
5. Rivian: RJ Scaringe
Electric truck startup Rivian didn’t roll off the line without resistance. Founder RJ Scaringe talks about the nearly impossible feat of launching a car company from scratch, with massive capital needs, supply chain nightmares, and moments of near-collapse. The episode captures what it means to build something audacious in an industry dominated by legacy giants.
How I Built This Reviews
How I Built This is widely praised for its inspiring stories and thoughtful interviews that showcase the highs and lows of building a business. Still, not everyone is sold. Some critics feel the show leans too heavily on feel-good narratives, sometimes romanticizing the founder’s journey and often overlooking the teams and structural advantages that also play key roles in success.
“How I Built This is the perfect way to start the week to get the gears turning when you’re still a little bleary-eyed from the weekend and probably recovering from the Sunday evening blues.
Not because this podcast is all “RAH RAH RAH success and positivity!” but it’s actually about the existential crisis we all face periodically even if you’re the big name behind a giant success story.” – Sunta Sem
“I love listening to this podcast regularly, Guy Raz is an excellent host. Some episodes are more interesting to me than others, but it is definitely some motivation material! I enjoy that they keep the story under an hour generally, though it makes me wave to know more detail on the ones I relate to more closely! A few of my favorites are Five Guys, AirBnB, and Sam Adams.” – Socceric007
“The host, Guy Raz, struggles to contain his giddy enthusiasm for the world of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The New York Times remarked that he “sounds like no matter what he is saying, he is also saying ‘Wow,’” and he seems positively agog whenever a guest cites some absurdly large valuation or sales figure. Raz is captivated by the drama of business, saying he is interested in “human experiences” and narratives.” – Current Affairs
What People Like About How I Built This
People love How I Built This for the mix of great stories and real talk. It’s not just about the wins, it’s about the tough stuff too, like doubts, near-failures, and big risks. Guy Raz has a way of making guests open up, and his interviews feel more like conversations than business lectures. The variety is also a big plus, you’ll hear stories from tech founders, food brands, fashion startups, and everything in between, so there’s always something that hits close to home, whether you’re building your own thing or just curious how others did it.
What People Dislike About How I Built This
Despite its popularity, the podcast has faced criticism for being too founder-focused, often sidelining the roles of workers, teams, and systemic advantages that shape a company’s success. Some listeners argue that How I Built This leans into a feel-good, bootstrapped mythology that amplifies the “lone genius” narrative while rarely questioning broader labor practices or power structures. Guy Raz’s reverent tone and reluctance to push back on problematic claims can leave the show feeling more like a brand-boosting platform than a journalistic deep dive. For those looking for a more critical or inclusive view of how businesses are actually built, this podcast might feel incomplete.
Parting Thoughts on How I Built This
Before we wrap up, here’s a quick look at what makes How I Built This stand out, and where it gets mixed reactions.
Pros
- Inspiring founder stories
- Wide variety of industries
- Great storytelling and pacing
- Guy Raz’s engaging interview style
Cons
- Can feel overly polished
- Tends to center only the founder’s perspective
- Lacks critical questions about labor and ethics
Still, How I Built This delivers a compelling look at what it really takes to build something from scratch. Whether you’re dreaming big or just love a good origin story, it’s an easy and motivating listen.
