On our Novo Nordisk episode, we covered the business of Ozempic, the GLP-1 taking the world by storm. On this episode, we dive into the science of the molecule semaglutide (and its predecessor liraglutide) with the world expert on the topic, Lotte Bjerre Knudsen. Lotte is Novo Nordisk’s Chief Scientific Advisor, and led the research group back in the early 1990s that first invented the molecule. A few topics from our conversation:

• The science behind what is happening in the body that causes weight loss while on Ozempic
• What it was like in the 1990s and 2000s believing in a drug for a problem that the rest of the industry (including her own company) had written off
• How weight loss was actually a goal from the very start — not just a side effect of diabetes medication like you often read today!

Sponsors:

• Quartr

We’re joined by Imprint cofounder and Thrive General Partner Gaurav Ahuja to dive deeper into the modern payments ecosystem and Visa’s current place within it. Gaurav was one of our research sources for the Visa episode, and we wanted to bring his insights to you all too. We discuss whether Visa really should be worried about eroding interchange fees, the impact of realtime payments systems, opportunities for startups and whether the Visa / Mastercard duopoly could really be overthrown. Tune in and enjoy!

Links:

• https://www.federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/files/Avg_IF_by_PCN.pdf

Sponsors:

• Quartr

We sit down with Morgan Housel, who is one of our very favorite authors and has also become a good friend of the show over the past few years. Morgan’s last book The Psychology of Money had a huge impact on both of our personal financial philosophies (and by extension Acquired’s!), and Morgan was kind enough to give us an advance copy of his new book launching tomorrow, Same as Ever. It’s equally as good, and maybe even more relevant in the current environment for thinking about what’s not going to change as we cycle through vastly different macro financial environments. Tune in and enjoy!

Links:

• Morgan’s new book Same as Ever
• The Psychology of Money
• Morgan’s blog on Collaborative Fund and on Twitter
• Morgan’s new podcast!

Sponsors:

• Quartr