Business of Story · 2026-06-22 · 55 min
Brett Hurt got the Lamborghini. He got the exits, the valuations, everything a tech titan is supposed to want. And then he felt nothing. That emptiness became the most important moment of his career - and the catalyst for his new book, Love Conquers Fear: Humanity, AI, and the Age of Abundance for All. Brett is the co-founder of data.world (acquired by ServiceNow), Bazaarvoice (unicorn IPO), and Coremetrics (acquired by IBM). He has invested in 151 startups, backed 52 VC funds including SpaceX, and was named Austin's Best CEO. In this conversation with host Park Howell, Brett makes the case that the most urgent upgrade of the AI age is not technological - it's personal. We explore why love, not fear, is the only leadership strategy built for what's coming, why nuclear weapons are a greater existential threat than artificial intelligence, and how psychedelic therapy and Vedantic philosophy transformed the way Brett thinks about building companies, raising consciousness, and saving humanity from itself. If you've ever wondered what you're actually building your work for, this episode is your answer.
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