A 32-Year Overnight Success

Just hit 200,000 followers, pretty pretty crazy. I’m a 32-year overnight success, so thought I’d re-introduce myself and help you understand the man behind the content. My life is a collection of four chapters and many inflection points.

Privilege and Pain

My teen-to-early adult life was a tale of two realities. Privilege and pain.

I was privileged to grow up in an upper-middle class family of four with incredible parents who loved me unconditionally and a sister I call a best friend.

I also experienced real pain. I was bullied from 4th grade until 12th. I felt unworthy, unattractive, and unintelligent.

I went to the University of Michigan, yearning for a fresh start. I found that. Community. Close friends. School spirit. It was magical until a week before my junior year. I wake up to 20 phone calls from family. It was about my dad. He suffered a major stroke. He passed 24 hours later. 46-years-old. Completely healthy. No warning.

The Brew

I became an accidental entrepreneur.

I grew up in a Wall Street family, went to college for business, and started my career as a Bond Trader at Morgan Stanley. Market Corner, a PDF newsletter I started as a Senior in college turns into Morning Brew.

Austin Rief and I quit our jobs and build the business together for several years, a journey peppered with pinch me moments.

The Brew became the most engaging business media company in the world with 341m impressions, dozens of franchises, and the largest daily business newsletter in the U.S. We sold the business to Axel Springer, growing revenue to $70m and 300+ employees.

Lost Identity

I should have been completely fulfilled and happy. Set financially. Very happily married to my best friend. Complete freedom for how I spend my time.

But I felt lost. Very lost. My identity had been so inextricably linked to the Brew for a decade, and without it, I was like a lost puppy.

Without a clear north star, I wasn’t growing. And when I don’t grow, I feel like I’m atrophying.

I ended up launching a startup playground, where I incubated various business ideas from the insane (i.e. a plunger throwing game) to the intelligent (i.e. storyarb and Tenex). I’ve learned a lot about running multiple businesses through this experience.

New North Star

The path to parenthood wasn’t all smooth sailing. My wife experienced a third trimester pregnancy loss, which shook us to our core and had us yearning for a child more than ever.

Arman Hezarkhani and I cofound Tenex, McKinsey for AI, which takes off like a rocket ship immediately. I’ve never seen anything like it. Through this work, I’ve developed strong beliefs on AI and where it’s headed.

My wife and I welcome Brooke Spencer (named after my dad, Bruce Spencer) to our lives. Our hearts are inexplicably full.

My new mission is simple: prove that I can be an A+ family man and an A+ entrepreneur, in that order.

Final Thoughts

My journey has been shaped by privilege and pain, accidental entrepreneurship, loss of identity, and finding a new north star. Through it all, the inflection points have defined who I am today.

I am so grateful for my life and the part that creating content and building audience on LinkedIn has played in shaping it.

Happy to answer any questions you have about my story if helpful.