"As we come out of the pandemic, instead of just absentmindedly letting your time get filled back up for you, maybe choose to keep a few things compressed and use that time for something else. I am looking forward to having my life back, but also looking forward to having more control over the things I don't want to do."
Inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Jim McKelvey is here. In this wide-ranging conversation, he and Daniel talk about what it means to be faced with what Jim calls "a perfect problem," and how certain people are able to see the solution right in front of them. What is an inventor in modern times? Why is Square, the company he cofounded with his friend Jack Dorsey, such a game changer when it comes to small merchants being able to thrive? What does true vision look like? The conversation takes some unexpected turns as well, as Jim and Daniel discuss everything from glass blowing to musical timing to the great pianists of the past.
James McKelvey is a serial entrepreneur, inventor, philanthropist and artist. He is the cofounder of Square, was chairman of its board until 2010, and still serves on the Board of Directors. In 2011, his iconic card reader design was displayed at the Museum of Modern Art. In 2016, McKelvey founded Invisibly, an ambitious project to rewire the economics of online content. In 2017, he was appointed as an Independent Director of the St. Louis Federal Reserve.
