{"podcast":{"title":"First Principles","slug":"first-principles-7708985","podcast_index_feed_id":7708985,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN4765221373","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/06eebd2a-0779-11f1-826e-37926ac18342/image/fca7c8febd1441fc3b0d54084418b06d.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Adrian Wells","episode_count":426,"summary":"First Principles isn't another business podcast recycling the same startup stories. Adrian Wells takes the fundamentals that actually matter and breaks them down like you're having coffee with the smartest professor you ever had. Wells spent twelve years teaching philosophy and critical thinking before ditching the lecture hall for the microphone. Turns out, the same principles that help you think clearly about ancient Greek ethics also work pretty well for modern business decisions. Who knew? Every episode strips away the latest trends and buzzwords to focus on the core ideas that don't change. How to actually evaluate evidence when everyone's throwing around statistics. Why most \"revolutionary\" business advice is just old wine in new bottles. The thinking patterns that separate smart decisions from lucky guesses. You won't get hyped-up success stories or flavor-of-the-month strategies. Instead, you'll learn how to think through problems the way philosophers have for centuries, applied to the stuff that matters in your work and life right now. Multiple new episodes drop daily, so there's always something fresh when you need it. Follow now if you're ready to think better, not just…","last_synced_at":"2026-09-20T02:18:54.580675+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985"},"episode":{"title":"Tom Blomfield's $5 Billion Mistake: Why Building Monzo Almost Killed Him","slug":"tom-blomfield-s-5-billion-mistake-why-building-monzo-almost-killed-him","published_at":"2026-09-07T18:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/tom-blomfield-s-5-billion-mistake-why-building-monzo-almost-killed-him","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN5195413453.mp3?updated=1776257879","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN5195413453.mp3?updated=1776257879","summary":"What if the price of building a $5 billion company was nearly losing your mind? Tom Blomfield turned Monzo into one of the UK's most successful fintechs, but the personal cost almost destroyed him. Adrian Wells sits down with Blomfield to uncover the brutal reality behind the startup success stories everyone celebrates. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why Blomfield walked away from Oxford and how his first startup failure shaped his approach to Monzo • The exact moment Monzo hit critical mass (and why 5 million customers brought death threats, not celebration) • How regulatory compliance turned customers into enemies overnight • The depression that hit at Monzo's peak success and what it taught him about sustainable leadership 👤 Perfect for: lifelong learners and anyone passionate about personal growth who wants to understand the real cost of entrepreneurial success. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Adrian Wells introduces the dark side of fintech success [01:45] From Oxford dropout to startup failure: Blomfield's early mistakes [03:30] Monzo's explosive growth: 0 to 5 million users in 6 years [06:00] When customers turn violent: death threats over frozen accounts [08:15] Clinical depression at the height of success [10:30] What sustainable leadership actually looks like [11:45] Key lessons for anyone building something big Blomfield's story strips away the Silicon Valley mythology to show what building a company actually costs. Not just money or time, but pieces of yourself you might never get back. His honesty about the mental health toll is rare in a world that celebrates hustle culture without counting the casualties. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow First Principles on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: entrepreneur…","meta_description":"What if the price of building a $5 billion company was nearly losing your mind? Tom Blomfield turned Monzo into one of the UK's most successful fintechs,…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1338,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-principles-7708985/episodes/tom-blomfield-s-5-billion-mistake-why-building-monzo-almost-killed-him/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/tom-blomfield-s-5-billion-mistake-why-building-monzo-almost-killed-him.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}