Billionaire Memo
Painted portrait of Stephen Schwarzman Stephen Schwarzman · set in the movement 12 memos drawn
quoted verbatim

The Principals · Jewel XIX of XXI

Stephen Schwarzman

Co-founder and CEO of Blackstone Group.

Calibres
What It Takes
Jewels set
12 memos drawn to date
Most recent
March 2026

Drawn from Schwarzman

All memos →
Ref. 220 · deep dives

How 4 Billionaires Think About Scaling — And Where They Fundamentally Disagree

What It Takes, The Virgin Way, What I Know for Sure, Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Power reserve 13 min
Ref. 156 · versus

Schwarzman vs. Thiel: Learning From Failure vs. Never Accepting It

What It Takes, Zero to One

Power reserve 5 min
Ref. 98 · versus

Schwarzman vs. Zell: Pursuing Excellence vs. Embracing the Rebel Edge

What It Takes, Am I Being Too Subtle

Power reserve 5 min
Ref. 177 · Single Quotes

Stephen Schwarzman’s Definition of Character — It’s Not What Happens to You

What It Takes

Power reserve 2 min
Ref. 90 · Single Quotes

Stephen Schwarzman’s Quiet Rule for Achieving Excellence: Follow Enthusiasm, Not Prestige

What It Takes

Power reserve 2 min
Ref. 84 · deep dives

What Billionaires Really Mean When They Talk About Customer Obsession

Losing My Virginity, What It Takes, Measure What Matters, Principles: Life and Work

Power reserve 11 min
Ref. 263 · Single Quotes

Why Stephen Schwarzman Tells His Scholars to Embrace Failure First

What It Takes

Power reserve 2 min
Ref. 25 · deep dives

How 4 Billionaires Make Decisions When Nobody Knows What’s Coming Next

Losing My Virginity, Bloomberg by Bloomberg, Zero to One, What It Takes

Power reserve 12 min
Ref. 59 · deep dives

How Self-Made Billionaires Think About Customer Obsession — And Why Most Companies Get It Wrong

Am I Being Too Subtle, What It Takes, As I See It, Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Power reserve 11 min
Ref. 37 · versus

Sam Zell vs. Stephen Schwarzman: The Rebel vs. The Institution Builder

Am I Being Too Subtle, What It Takes

Power reserve 5 min
Ref. 56 · quick takes

Stephen Schwarzman’s Case for Relentless Daily Action

What It Takes

Power reserve 2 min
Ref. 50 · Single Quotes

Stephen Schwarzman on Why a Small Business Costs the Same as a Big One

What It Takes

Power reserve 2 min

Their calibres in the library

Cal. 001 What It Takes 5 memos drawn

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