Big Shot

Bobby Kotick built a $69 billion empire from scratch—and the story is even crazier than it sounds.

In this episode of The Big Shot, we sit down with gaming’s ultimate entrepreneur. Bobby takes us from hustling snacks at baseball games to building one of the most iconic tech companies in the world: Activision Blizzard. Hear how he cold-called Nintendo, got investment from Steve Wynn on a private jet, took over a bankrupt video game company, and turned it into an empire that Microsoft bought for $69 billion.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Bobby’s early hustles: selling ashtrays, snacks, and party access in NYC

• Dropping out of college after Steve Jobs told him to

• Starting a dorm room company with Howard Marks

• Convincing Steve Wynn to invest $300K after a chance meeting

• Reviving Activision from bankruptcy using old IP and grit

• Why Pitfall and River Raid were billion-dollar blueprints

• How Activision became the first American Nintendo licensee

• The Apple boardroom showdown with John Sculley

• Turning Activision into a media empire: Call of Duty, Candy Crush, and Guitar Hero

• What it felt like selling the company to Microsoft for $69 billion

• His philosophy on leadership, loyalty, and building an enduring business

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In This Episode We Cover:

(00:00) Intro

(03:19) Selling ashtrays at playdates: Bobby’s first hustles

(06:39) Shadowing NYC real estate legends like Larry Silverstein

(09:59) Dorm room hardware startup with Howard Marks

(13:18) Inventing a typewriter-printer hack and launching via Byte magazine

(16:38) Meeting Steve Jobs

(19:58) Why Steve Jobs tells Bobby to drop out of school

(23:17) Getting featured in Forbes and making his parents panic

(26:37) The wild story of meeting Steve Wynn at a Texas cowboy gala

(29:57) The legendary $300K check in the basement of a casino

(33:16) Trying to sell to Apple (and the cigar moment with Sculley)

(36:36) Licensing games for EA and learning to be scrappy

(39:56) Black Monday, the Amiga, and a failed bid for Commodore

(43:15) Buying 20% of Nintendo’s U.S. licensing agent

(46:35) Discovering Activision buried inside a bankrupt company

(49:55) Why Bobby wanted to bring Pitfall and River Raid back to life

(53:14) The $400K move that changed gaming history

(56:34) A childhood connection saves the Activision bankruptcy deal

(59:54) Turning a bankrupt company into a profitable one in months

(01:03:13) Raising $40M and going on an acquisition spree

(01:06:33) How Bobby became the longest-serving tech CEO

(01:09:53) The Toy Story game meeting that cemented Bobby’s role

(01:13:12) Why Bobby never wanted to run a business that lost money

(01:15:32) Reflecting on the Microsoft acquisition and legacy

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Where To Find Bobby Kotick:

In today’s episode of Big Shot, we sit down with Mike Milken—legendary financier, philanthropist, and chairman of the Milken Institute.

Mike has been a driving force in medical research, public health, and education for over five decades. Fortune called him “The Man Who Changed Medicine,” and Forbes listed him among “Visionaries Reimagining Our Children’s Future.” 

Mike’s financial innovations helped launch industries like cable TV, homebuilding, and cellular technology. Beyond finance, he has led major philanthropic efforts, including the Prostate Cancer Foundation, FasterCures, and the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, set to open this year. A signatory of the Giving Pledge, he has committed much of his wealth to driving global impact.

In our conversation today, we talk about: 

• The childhood moments that shaped Mike’s curiosity and deep empathy

• How Mike mastered mental math through Holocaust survivor, Jakow Trachtenberg's technique

• How speech and debate sharpened Mike’s ability to communicate big ideas

• The impact of the Watts riots on Mike’s career path 

• How market crashes in 1974 and 1987 provided opportunities for significant gains

• Mike’s take on regulations and why he remains relentlessly optimistic about the free market

• A glimpse into Mike’s philanthropic work in medicine and education

• And much more!

In this episode of Big Shot, we’re thrilled to welcome the legendary marketing visionary Lynda Resnick. As the co-owner of The Wonderful Company, Lynda has shaped iconic brands like POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios, and FIJI Water into household names.

With her husband, Stewart, Lynda also turned The Franklin Mint into a cultural sensation and brought fresh ideas to the floral industry with Teleflora’s innovative, long-lasting gifts.

Join us as Lynda takes us on a journey through her extraordinary life—from her early days as a child actor to her recent retirement and her hands-on efforts to make communities healthier and stronger through impactful philanthropic initiatives.

• How Lynda built a successful business at the age of 19

• Turning The Franklin Mint into a cultural icon and making millions with a deluxe Monopoly game

• The incredible story of branding POM Wonderful and FIJI Water

• How she sold $150 million worth of Monopoly 

• Lynda’s commitment to quality 

• Why she’s never raised any outside capital 

• The childhood experience that shaped Lynda’s decision to always self-fund her philanthropy

• A life-changing epiphany inspired by philosopher Michael Sandel

• Lynda’s philanthropic work building healthier, safer communities for her workers

• The role Judaism plays in her life, her marriage, and advice for young people

• And more!

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In This Episode We Cover:

(00:00) Intro

(02:35) Lynda’s early years in Pennsylvania

(05:14) Lynda Limited, the company Lynda founded at the age of 19

(08:37) Lynda’s activism and her involvement with the Pentagon Papers

(13:06) Thinking inside the box

(15:35) How Lynda reinvented the floral business with Teleflora

(19:00) Taking The Franklin Mint beyond coins 

(24:00) The story of buying Jackie O’s pearls and making reproductions

(25:30) Why Lynda and her husband Stewart bought land in the Joaquin Valley

(28:58) How Lynda discovered the benefits of pomegranate 

(30:20) Building the Pom Wonderful brand, including the packaging

(32:18) Early obstacles Pom Wonderful faced, including the court battle 

(34:00) Why Lynda insisted on 100% pure pomegranate juice

(35:25) How Lynda was able to build brands around commodities

(39:11) The story about acquiring Fiji 

(43:27) Lynda’s philanthropic philosophy 

(45:10) Lynda’s epiphany inspired by Michael Sandel

(49:10) Lynda’s philanthropic work building better communities for her workers 

(52:50) Lynda’s experiences with antisemitism, including rejection from The Campfire Girls

(54:43) The role Jewish culture plays in Lynda’s life 

(56:07) Lynda’s time as a child actor—and an early lesson on always being prepared

(58:23) Lynda’s advice on staying true to your values

(59:10) How Lynda and Stewart have maintained their strong marriage and partnership

(1:02:40) Lynda’s thoughts on building lasting brands

(1:03:55) AI’s answer to what Lynda’s superpower is

(1:06:00) How “America’s Favorite Mom” got overshadowed by a golf game

(1:09:04) Why Lynda doesn’t have regrets

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Where To Find Lynda Resnick:

In this special episode of Big Shot, recorded live at the iconic Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., we’re joined by Uri Levine, the co-founder of Waze. Uri is a visionary entrepreneur whose journey includes building Waze, the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app, which Google acquired for over $1 billion. Beyond Waze, Uri has co-founded several impactful startups like Moovit (acquired by Intel), FeeX, and Engie. He’s also the author of Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution, a must-read guide for entrepreneurs.

In our conversation today, we cover: 

• Lessons on failure and prioritization from Uri’s father

• A clever hack he used to pitch Waze with an incomplete product

• The cultural drive behind the Jewish ambition to create positive change

• The story of the many millionaires created by Waze’s acquisition

• And so much more!

In today’s episode of Big Shot, we’re joined by Mindy Grossman, former CEO of Weight Watchers, who led the company’s transformation into a global wellness brand. Like many of our past guests, Mindy’s journey involves perseverance, bold decisions, and calculated risk-taking.

Mindy’s remarkable career began with a surprising choice—dropping out of college. She then worked up to executive roles at Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, the Home Shopping Network, and Weight Watchers. In our conversation today, we cover: 

• Why Mindy dropped out of college and the value of risk-taking 

• Mindy’s impact on Nike as the most senior woman executive

• The importance of rooting out toxic employees in your organization

• How Mindy revived the culture and inspired employees at HSN

• Taking Home Shopping Network public 

• Meeting Oprah, their arena tour, and keeping Weight Watchers alive during the pandemic

• Mindy’s sales philosophy, move to private equity, thoughts on family and the Jewish success story, and much more!

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In This Episode We Cover:

(00:00) Intro

(02:33) Mindy’s early years as an adopted child of working-class Jewish parents

(06:00) Why Mindy quit school and moved to New York 

(09:00) Mindy’s first job as an Executive Assistant 

(11:40) Mindy’s mantra, “passion, purpose, and impact”

(12:42) How Mindy landed her first sales role

(15:06) Bashert vs. self-determination

(15:44) The importance of calculated risk-taking

(17:26) Why Mindy left Tommy Hilfiger for Ralph Lauren

(20:40) The success of Mindy’s new category, main floor

(24:00) Why Mindy resigned from Ralph Lauren

(25:10) How Ralph Lauren retained Mindy by creating a new role for her

(26:50) Mindy’s time as CEO of Polo Jeans 

(28:44) “Intrapreneurship” and the excitement of working with visionaries

(31:30) Founders and boards Mindy works with 

(32:40) Mindy’s time at Nike and why she left Polo Jeans

(37:05) Mindy’s pitch to Barry Diller and her position at Home Shopping Network

(45:31) Reviving the culture at HSN

(50:10) The huge impact Mindy made on employee morale by buying new chairs

(52:18) The “There’s no place like HSN” campaign 

(54:40) The magic moment that affects human behavior to get a sale 

(57:11) Taking HSN public

(1:04:39) Meeting Oprah and joining Weight Watchers

(1:08:19) Mindy and Oprah’s arena tour 

(1:09:10) How Mindy kept Weight Watchers customers connected during the pandemic

(1:12:25) Mindy’s shift to private equity and advising

(1:18:30) Mindy’s thoughts on Jewish success 

(1:21:00) The death of her parents and the legacy of belief Mindy passes down 

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Where To Find Mindy Grossman: