New York Billionaires Street Interview: Take-Two's Leader Talks GTA Business Empire, Freshly's Founder Cashes Out $1.5 Billion and the Truth of Faith

"Asking NY Billionaires If They Believe in God!" (School of Hard Knocks street interview video hosted by James, interviewing several billionaires and entrepreneurs), here are the key points summarized: 1. Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive (a $40 billion gaming giant and publisher of GTA) • Business Achievements and Long-Termism: • As the core leader of Take-Two (which owns Rockstar Games and the GTA series), he has been at the helm for 19 years, with a company valuation of about $40 billion and annual revenue reaching $6.7 billion. • There is no such thing as getting rich overnight: all worthwhile endeavors are extremely difficult and require long-term commitment. The real breakthrough came five years after taking over the company. • Leadership principles not taught at Harvard Business School: • Never compromise personal integrity: integrity is the only core asset you have in business. • Referring to employees as "Colleagues": The company has 20,000 employees but never refers to them as "employees" because everyone is a partner in creating value. • Three elements of leadership framework: a clear and concise mission, a strategy that can be summarized in "three words," and a corporate culture that everyone believes in and practices. • The misconception and truth about passion: • Blindly "chasing passion" is often bad advice. The real answer is to find the intersection of "what you're good at" and "what you enjoy," with a focus on "what you're good at." • Spiritual and faith life: • Believe in controlling your "wingspan"—you can control your desires, actions, goals, and plans, but you cannot control the final outcome. 2. Michael Wystrach, co-founder of Freshly (sold pre-made meal empire for $1.5 billion) • Rebounding from $1 million in debt at age 35: • When he founded Freshly at 35, he had only $15 left in his bank account, having previously gone through bankruptcy and carrying $1 million in debt. The urgency of being "backs against the wall" drove extreme execution. • The company grew sales from $0 to $550 million in five years and was ultimately sold to Nestlé for $1.5 billion. • Stop "wishing" and start "deciding": • Losers always "wish" to become entrepreneurs, while winners directly "decide" and take immediate action. • Meta effect advertising and data-driven approach: 99% of early growth relied on precise Meta/social media advertising, achieving extreme data transparency, rapid testing, and quick elimination. • Equity dilution and partnership wisdom: • From initially holding 100% to only 10% at the time of sale (but 10% of $1.5 billion still brought immense wealth). Giving up 90% equity was to bring in smarter professionals and investors to grow the pie. • Ultimate advice: enjoy the process of climbing: • If you're climbing a mountain just for the thrill of reaching the top, don't bother. The excitement of receiving a wire transfer lasts only a day; the next day, you still face new problems. You must learn to enjoy every step along the way. 3. 1980s computer distribution tycoon (annual revenue of $650 million) • Mortgaged his mother's house to start a business: When founding National Data Products in 1979, he mortgaged his mother's only property for a loan. "We could not fail, or my mother would be on the streets." • The only two assets you fully control in life: There are only two things in life that you completely control—your credit and your reputation; everything else can be influenced by external factors, but only you can destroy these two. • Firm faith: Unapologetically expresses his strong Christian faith, believing that money will eventually fade, but faith and personal character will endure. 4. Renowned art creator (daily sales exceeding $1 million) • "You must believe first to see": In a world where most people need to see to believe, exceptional creators must possess a steadfast vision of "believe it to see it." • Reverse psychology in pricing high-end art: • Higher prices often make it easier to sell: limited edition artworks priced above $25,000 sell more easily than those priced below $10,000. High pricing and scarcity give works a special sense of value in high-end circles. • Embrace "comfortably uncomfortable": As entrepreneurs and artists, one should never be in a state of comfort, as no success or failure is truly final.