In this episode of pplpod, we profile Stephen A. Schwarzman, the co-founder and CEO of Blackstone Inc., who built a financial empire managing over $1.1 trillion in assets. We explore Schwarzman’s rise from a dry-goods store family in Philadelphia to becoming the highest-paid CEO in the United States, with a net worth exceeding $40 billion.

Tune in as we discuss his aggressive business philosophy—once stating he “wants war” against competitors—and his lavish lifestyle, which includes multimillion-dollar birthday parties and shipping water tankers to his private estate during a drought. We also examine his influential political maneuvering, from chairing Donald Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum to funding a new White House State Ballroom in 2025. Finally, we look at the tension between his massive philanthropic gifts to institutions like Yal ...