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Interview · Europe

In Good Company

with Nicolai Tangen

The chief executive of Norway's sovereign wealth fund interviewing the leaders of the largest companies in the world — an unusual show made possible entirely by who is asking.

Format Weekly, roughly 30 to 45 minutesListen nbim.no ↗

Why an angel should listen

The host runs one of the largest single investors on earth, which means he gets access that no journalist would and asks questions no journalist could. Chief executives of enormous companies answer him differently because he is a shareholder rather than a reporter.

For an angel the value is at the other end of the telescope. Everything else on this list is about companies at the beginning; this is about what they are trying to become, described by the people running the finished article. The perspective on capital allocation, long-term thinking and what actually endures is a useful counterweight to a diet of pre-seed optimism.

It is also a rare example of a large institution publishing something genuinely interesting rather than marketing, which is worth supporting on principle.

Where to begin

Start with these

  • Any interview with a chief executive of a company you own indirectly through an index fund.
  • Episodes on capital allocation — how very large companies decide where money goes.
  • Anything on long-term thinking, as an antidote to venture's time horizons.

In short

Good for

Long-term perspectiveLarge-company thinkingCapital allocation
Listen at nbim.no

In Good Company: common questions

What can a sovereign wealth fund's podcast teach an angel?
Perspective at the other end of the telescope. Everything else you listen to is about companies at the beginning; this is the finished article described by the people running it, which recalibrates what you are actually betting on.
Why do the guests speak so candidly?
Because the host is a shareholder rather than a reporter. Chief executives answer an owner differently, and that access is the entire reason the show exists in this form.