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Tim Ferriss

Roelof Botha — Investing with the Best, Ulysses Pacts, The Magic of Founder-Problem Fit, How to Use Pre-Mortems and Pre-Parades, Learning from Crucible Moments, and Daring to Dream (#618)

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Artist's rendering of Roelof Botha.
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“If you’re not a little discontent, I don’t think you’re alive.”

— Roelof Botha

Roelof Botha (@roelofbotha) has spent over 20 years building companies in Silicon Valley. He began within the walls of nascent PayPal, which he joined in March of 2000 while completing his MBA at Stanford. He became CFO in 2001 and led the company through both its IPO in early 2002 and subsequent acquisition by eBay.

Roelof joined Sequoia Capital in 2003 to help founders build enduring businesses. He leads the US/Europe business as Managing Partner and serves as Senior Steward of the global Sequoia Partnership. Roelof is a director of 23andMe, Bird, Ethos, Evernote, Inside.com, Landis, mmhmm, MongoDB, Natera, Pendulum Therapeutics, Square, and Unity Technologies. Previously, he was a director of companies that include YouTube, Tumblr, Xoom, Assurex, and Eventbrite. He also led Sequoia’s investment in Instagram.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.

Brought to you by Wealthfront‘s high-yield savings account, Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, and Shopify global commerce platform providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business. More on all three below.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

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#618: Roelof Botha — Investing with the Best, Ulysses Pacts, The Magic of Founder-Problem Fit, How to Use Pre-Mortems and Pre-Parades, Learning from Crucible Moments, and Daring to Dream

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront is a financial services platform that offers services to help you save and invest your money. Right now, your cash can earn 3.30% APY—that’s the Annual Percentage Yield—with the Wealthfront Cash Account from its network of program banks. That’s 8 times more interest than a typical savings account at a bank, according to FDIC.gov as of 1/22/2026 (Wealthfront’s 3.30% APY vs. 0.39% average savings rate). Right now, for a limited time, Wealthfront is offering new clients that use my sign-up link an additional 0.75% boost over the base rate for three months, meaning you can get up to 4.05% APY, limited to $150,000 in deposits. Terms & Conditions apply. Visit Wealthfront.com/Tim to get started. 

The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”), member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The 3.30% Base APY on cash deposits is as of January 30, 2026, is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum balance. The overall boosted rate is subject to change if the base rate decreases during the three-month promotional period. Tim Ferriss, who’s not a client, receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, which creates an incentive that results in a conflict of interest. Tim expresses his own opinions and Wealthfront does not endorse, sponsor, or promote them. This ad may not reflect the experience of other Cash Account clients, and similar outcomes are not guaranteed. Investment advisory services are provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, not bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value. See full disclosures here. 

This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep. Temperature is one of the main causes of poor sleep, and heat is my personal nemesis. But a few years ago, I started using the Pod Cover, and it has transformed my sleep. Eight Sleep has launched their newest generation of the Pod: Pod 5 Ultra. It cools, it heats, and now it elevates, automatically. With the best temperature performance to date, Pod 5 Ultra ensures you and your partner stay cool in the heat and cozy warm in the cold. And now, listeners of The Tim Ferriss Show can get $350 off of the Pod 5 Ultra for a limited time! Click here to claim this deal and unlock your full potential through optimal sleep.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. Go to Shopify.com/Tim to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It’s a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting Shopify.com/Tim.

You can also check out my interview with Mike Maples, Jr., from venture capital firm Floodgate, the man who taught me how to invest. 

#286: The Man Who Taught Me How to Invest — Mike Maples

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

  • Connect with Roelof Botha:

Sequoia | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

SHOW NOTES

  • [07:25] What’s the right way to say Roelof Botha?
  • [08:14] 10 to the ninth: motivation in the margins of a Monday meeting notebook.
  • [11:16] The Ulysses Pact.
  • [13:38] Who was Roelof’s grandfather?
  • [15:47] What is actuarial science, and why did Roelof choose it as his major?
  • [20:05] Advice for young, aspiring entrepreneurs.
  • [21:44] Don Valentine and his 2×2 matrix.
  • [24:59] The founder-problem fit.
  • [27:33] Don Valentine’s succinctness writ green.
  • [29:46] Pre-mortems and pre-parades.
  • [32:40] Why Sequoia is aptly named.
  • [36:38] Keeping the team small can be such a big deal.
  • [41:34] Book recommendations.
  • [44:07] Finding balance in the relentless pursuit.
  • [46:37] What it was like for Roelof to finally achieve his “10 to the ninth.”
  • [47:40] The Sequoia Capital Fund.
  • [49:40] How Sequoia’s fee structure maximizes value for clients and keeps the company strong.
  • [58:15] Failure? It all depends on the scale of your ambition.
  • [1:01:37] How Roelof guides founders who wants to sell too soon and for too little.
  • [1:06:48] Founders Roelof considers influential.
  • [1:09:39] Growing up Afrikaner.
  • [1:12:43] How Roelof set his sights on graduating school in first place.
  • [1:14:24] Silkworms.
  • [1:16:40] What Roelof’s TED Talk about a secondary interest would entail.
  • [1:18:05] Rugby.
  • [1:21:26] Roelof’s physical routines for staying in shape.
  • [1:24:17] Crucible moments.
  • [1:27:18] How Roelof wound up in the world of Silicon Valley startups.
  • [1:34:01] Early days (and challenges) at PayPal.
  • [1:38:05] Memorable failures and the lessons they imparted.
  • [1:44:32] Coping with VC’s high rate of failure as someone who hates to lose.
  • [1:48:01] In case of doldrums, please present homemade pesto.
  • [1:49:15] What Peter Thiel taught Roelof about changing his mind.
  • [1:56:01] How professionalization in VC has developed over time.
  • [2:02:25] Roelof’s billboard.
  • [2:04:58] Parting thoughts.

MORE ROELOF BOTHA QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“If you’re not a little discontent, I don’t think you’re alive.”
— Roelof Botha

“There are so many problems to be solved. As long as there are problems, there are opportunities.”
— Roelof Botha

“At Sequoia, one of our cultural frameworks is maintaining tension between individualism and teamwork. It’s not either/or, it’s and. We want both. You need to stick your neck out, you need to do exceptional work, you need to be accountable for what you do. But you also need to be supportive as a team member because that’s part of why we’ve been able to endure as a partnership.”
— Roelof Botha

“Dare to dream.”
— Roelof Botha

“Get over it. Go do it.”
— Roelof Botha

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.

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