From Wall Street to Wordplay: Inside Pete Muller’s Mind

From Wall Street to Wordplay: Inside Pete Muller’s Mind

From Hey, Good Game by Nate Kadlac, Aaron Kardell, Joseph Rueter

July 15, 2025 · 49 min · Episode 71

About this episode

Pete Muller shares his journey as a quant hedge fund legend, musician, and puzzle constructor, exploring the connections between his diverse interests.

Pete Muller is not your average guest—he’s a quant hedge fund legend, a touring singer-songwriter, and a prolific puzzle constructor whose creations appear in The New York Times and The Washington Post. In this episode we dive into Pete’s polymath life: his journey from math to markets, from poker tables to music stages, and how puzzles tie it all together. We also discuss his latest creation, the “Think Twice” puzzle, and what drives him to keep solving, creating, and performing. Whether you love games, music, or stories about reinvention, this conversation will surprise and inspire. Check out Pete's Resources: https://petespuzzleplayground.com/ https://www.petemuller.com/ https://www.forbes.com/profile/peter-muller/ https://www.youtube.com/@PeteMullerMusic/featured https://www.pdtpartners.com/ Games Mentioned: Poker - Pete's favorite game to play Crosswords Variety cryptics Bridge Chess Ping pong Ultimate Frisbee Blackjack Wordle Letter Boxed Stray Cat Strut Meta Puzzle Scrabble Sudoku Spelling Bee KenKen -- (00:00) - Introduction to Pete Muller: A Modern Polymath (01:58) - Pete's Favorite Games and Puzzles (03:39) - From Poker to Quantitative Trading (06:05) - The Evolution of…

People in this episode

Hosts: Nate Kadlac, Aaron Kardell, Joseph Rueter

Guest: Pete Muller

Topics covered

  • polymath
  • puzzles
  • music
  • quantitative trading
  • reinvention
  • games

Keywords

  • Pete Muller
  • puzzles
  • quantitative trading
  • music
  • games
  • Think Twice puzzle
  • reinvention

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New York Times, The Washington Post, PDT Partners

More episodes of Hey, Good Game

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Hey, Good Game podcast page.