SatPost by Trung Phan

J.R. Simplot Became A Billionaire Selling Potato Chips (and then Semiconductor Chips)

How J.R. Simplot went from the largest seller of french fries to McDonald's in the 1960s to the largest shareholder of Micron Technology in the 1990s.

Oct 17 • 

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September 2025

"One Battle After Another" Review

The latest from Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio is probably the best film of the 2020s.

Sep 30 • 

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Lee Kuan Yew and the Making of Changi (The World's Best Airport)

The story behind Changi Airport, which Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew called one of the country's best investments ever.

Sep 26 • 

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The Day Quentin Tarantino Became A Filmmaker

"Instead of falling back into my routine, I decided to change my life. I [decided] to move to Hollywood and meet other people in the business."

Sep 18 • 

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The iPhone 17 and iPhone Air Are New (Enough)

PLUS: SpaceX's $17B Telecom Deal, Larry Ellison's $400B+ HODL.

Sep 11 • 

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America’s $37B Football Obsession

The top two sports-leagues by revenue in the world are NFL ($23B)...and College Football ($14B), the latter alone makes more than NBA, MLB or English…

Sep 5 • 

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August 2025

How Costco Won In Japan

Costco had to re-think its real estate, merchandising and warehouse design to succeed in Japan, which is now its largest market outside of North…

Aug 29 • 

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SharkNinja’s $16B+ Product Machine

The strategy behind how SharkNinja operates in 37 categories and has seen sales grow 24x from $250m in 2008 to ~$6B in 2025.

Aug 22 • 

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South Park and The Greatest TV Contract Clause Ever

Matt Stone and Trey Parker became billionaires by making 27 seasons of the funniest shows ever (and signing a first TV deal with an improbable clause).

Aug 14 • 

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June 2025

Hayao Miyazaki: 9 Creative Lessons

Notes on the creative process for the legendary Japanese filmmaker and founder of Studio Ghibli.

Jun 28 • 

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Best of SatPost (First Half of 2025)

PLUS: Novo vs. Eli Lilly, Din Tai Fung's $28m Stores, RIP Fred Smith (FedEx), Appel's $40m Sponsorship for "F1".

Jun 27 • 

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Booking: The $170B+ A/B Testing Machine

How A/B testing turned two Priceline acquisitions (totalling $294m) into the world's most valuable travel company ($170B+ market cap).

Jun 20 • 

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