From: acquiredfm
The Acquired Live at Chase Center was a significant event, meticulously planned and executed through a strong partnership, transforming the podcast experience into a grand-scale physical instantiation [02:20:00].
Genesis of the Event
The idea for the Chase Center live show originated during a call between the Acquired podcast team and the JP Morgan Payments team, who initially suggested a small event in a corner of the arena [00:21:48]. This sparked the realization that the JP Morgan Payments team had access to the Chase Center [00:36:28]. The JP Morgan Payments team then developed a proposal for a dedicated “Acquired Live at Chase Center” event [00:41:48].
Partnership and Planning
The successful execution of the event was entirely contingent on effective partnering [01:49:03]. The Acquired team viewed JP Morgan Payments as an ideal partner due to their deep understanding of the show, many being listeners themselves [01:58:05]. This first official collaboration with JP Morgan Payments was described as “going well” [04:28:44], showcasing a partnership where both entities achieved something together that neither could have done alone [07:54:19]. JP Morgan Payments empowered Acquired to “just go be acquired” [08:31:07].
The planning involved a “mad dash” to create an amazing experience for thousands of attendees [02:17:48]. Key decisions included how to start the show [02:24:23], including whether to walk on stage with guest Tom Perkins [02:37:37].
Art and Design
A significant aspect of the event was the comprehensive art and design [02:44:03]. Collaborating with JP Morgan Payments allowed for the visualization of the brand at a “grand scale,” from the poster to the stage art [02:57:05]. The artist, Don, had previously worked on hundreds of album packaging and concert posters, but had never seen an entire stadium lit up with his work, finding it “very very cool” [03:07:05]. The visual design aimed to create a physical instantiation of the Acquired brand, allowing the audience to “live inside the Acquired brand” [03:21:05]. Early ideas included a silhouette of the hosts with imagery emitting from them, aiming for a “big and grandiose and bright” aesthetic suitable for a live event [03:37:44].
Guest Appearances and Unique Elements
The event featured several prominent guests:
- Jensen Huang [02:24:23]
- Tom Perkins [02:37:37]
- Emily Chang [04:20:53]
- Daniel X [04:21:40]
- Mike Taylor [04:23:44] – A major recording artist with hundreds of millions of Spotify listens, who sang the Acquired theme song live [04:50:00].
- Mark Zuckerberg – The highlight guest who “threw away the playbook” from the start [06:41:00]. During his segment, he made a notable statement about a “20-year mistake” regarding political miscalculations related to Facebook/Meta, which caused widespread surprise [07:22:00].
- Jamie Dimon (teased) – The CEO of JP Morgan Chase was jokingly mentioned as a potential guest, eliciting murmurs from the audience [08:56:00].
A pre-event tradition included a run with over 100 listeners, allowing the hosts to interact with the audience and work out nerves [05:36:00].
The Live Experience
The hosts, Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, were welcomed to the stage of the Chase Center in San Francisco [06:03:00]. The atmosphere was described as “unbelievable” [06:14:00] and “electric” [06:37:00], exceeding all hopes [06:30:00]. The event was deemed a “spectacle” unlike what typical podcasts or even major figures like Mark Zuckerberg do [05:08:00], embodying the philosophy of “great companies don’t follow the rules” [05:16:00]. The event was considered something that would never be forgotten [08:15:00].
Reflections and Future
While exhilarating, the organizers expressed a mix of wanting to “go big” and feeling “never again” after the intense planning [08:44:00]. Despite the exhaustion, there was consideration for another event in 2025 [09:13:00].