About this episode

Randall Kaplan shares his journey from a failed lawyer to co-founding a $35 billion tech company in this insightful interview.

Randall Kaplan, Co-Founder of Akamai Technologies, shares his extraordinary journey from failed lawyer to building a $35 billion unicorn company in this powerful No Vacancy Podcast interview with commercial real estate broker Taylor Avakian.From writing 300 personalized cold letters to land a dream job with Eli Broad at SunAmerica, to co-founding Akamai during the dot-com era, navigating massive success and setbacks, mentoring with Sam Zell, and lessons on extreme preparation, relationship building, and giving back — this is a masterclass in grit, opportunity, and long-term thinking.Chapters: 00:00 Intro & Welcome 01:15 The 300 Letters Campaign That Changed Everything 04:46 Landing the Job with Eli Broad at SunAmerica 11:45 Lessons from Working with Eli Broad & the AIG Sale 16:31 The Akamai Story: From MIT to $35 Billion Valuation 24:22 Meeting & Friendship with Sam Zell 31:18 Starting "In Search of Excellence" Podcast & Giving Back 33:18 Building Authentic Relationships (Not Transactional) 44:49 Real Estate Investing: LP to GP Lessons & Challenges 51:47 Advice for Young People & Where Opportunity Lies Today 1:01:52 How to Dominate as a Real…

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