Dynasties, Meritocracies, and Succession

On this episode of Live Players, Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg discuss the key aspects of succession for the Sulzberger family of the NYTimes, Samsung Lee family, and Sweden’s Wallenberg family. They debate the values of dynastic succession and touch on modern examples like Botswana. If you need an ecommerce platform, check out our sponsor Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period.

Live Players is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: www.eriktorenberg.com.

---

SPONSOR SHOPIFY: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/momentofzen

—

LINKS:

Samo’s Bismarck Brief: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/

—

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(00:29) Dynasties and Succession

(00:54) The Succession Problem and its Implications

(01:31) The Decay of Merit-Based Systems

(04:40) The Power of Familial Associations

(05:26) The Influence of Dynasties in Everyday Contexts

(06:00) The Transfer of Informal Aspects of Power

(07:15) The Role of Marriage in Transferring Personal Reputation

(07:45) The Influence of Parental Success on Children

(12:16) The Dynasty behind The New York Times

(21:00) Case study: Bostwana

(26:35) Sponsor: Shopify

(28:08) The Lee family behind Samsung

(35:27) The Wallenberg Family in Sweden