From White House to Wall Street: David Rubenstein

David Rubenstein helped pioneer modern private equity—building The Carlyle Group into a $400B global investment firm from a modest D.C. office and a relentless fundraising streak. But beyond PE, his legacy spans presidential libraries, historic American artifacts, and a lifelong obsession with civic contribution. In this episode, David shares how he raised billions without a background in finance, why owning a baseball team was more than just a trophy purchase—and what building true generational success really means beyond wealth alone. Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 00:53 Introduction 01:40 Family, wealth, class 14:40 Happiness disparity and longevity 19:25 I need more to give away more 25:04 The relentless fundraiser 33:53 Kids and travel 36:06 No track record, the great white buffalo 38:59 Business and politics 43:53 Fired from Washington 45:52 Fundraising, presidents, podcast guests 48:04 Private equity and sports 53:44 Expenses — no charges 55:49 Waking up with energy 57:26 Preserving copies 1:02:05 Organizational architecture 1:03:41 Bury me in my plane 1:08:11 Not a big luxury spender 1:10:32 What “grit” means to David 1:10:50 Outro Mentioned in this episode: Andrew Rubenstein, Stanford University, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett, Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Procter & Gamble Company, Forbes 400, Duke University, University of Chicago, Harvard Corporation, Johns Hopkins University, California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, Jimmy Carter, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Arianna Huffington, Xi Jinping, Hank Greenberg, Stephen A. Schwarzman, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, Baltimore Orioles, Fred Trammell Crow, Harlan Crow, National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), Arctos Partners LP, Anthropic, Magna Carta Libertatum, Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln, US Constitution, National Archives, Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Mount Vernon, Monticello, Montpelier, Mark Cuban, Paul McCartney Connect with David: X: @DM_Rubenstein Connect with Joubin: X: @Joubinmir LinkedIn: Joubin Mirzadegan Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com kleinerperkins.com