# Tim Ferriss

> Tim Ferriss is a five-time #1 New York Times bestselling author, host of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast (1 billion+ downloads), early-stage investor in Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, and 50+ companies, and founder of the Saisei Foundation funding psychedelic research. Known for popularizing 'lifestyle design' with The 4-Hour Workweek, he is also a Guinness World Record holder in tango, a national kickboxing champion, and a polyglot who speaks five languages.

- **Role:** Host of The Tim Ferriss Show; Founder of Saisei Foundation
- **Organizations:** The Tim Ferriss Show, Saisei Foundation, Tim Ferriss Publishing, DonorsChoose (Advisory), QuestBridge (Advisory), Aspen Institute (Henry Crown Fellow)
- **From:** East Hampton, New York, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High School Diploma, St. Paul's School, B.A. in East Asian Studies, Princeton University
- **Known for:** Five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling books, The Tim Ferriss Show podcast exceeded 1 billion downloads, First business/interview podcast to surpass 100 million downloads

## Career timeline

- **1977** — Born in East Hampton, New York
- **1992** — Exchange student in Japan at age 15
- **2000** — Graduated from Princeton University with B.A. in East Asian Studies
- **2001** — Founded BrainQUICKEN (later BodyQUICK), an internet nutritional supplements company
- **2007** — Published The 4-Hour Workweek, which became a #1 NYT bestseller
- **2009** — Named Henry Crown Fellow, Aspen Institute; expanded edition of The 4-Hour Workweek published
- **2010** — Published The 4-Hour Body; sold BrainQUICKEN to London private equity firm
- **2012** — Published The 4-Hour Chef (winner of Gourmand Award)
- **2013** — Founded Tim Ferriss Publishing; appeared on HLN's The Tim Ferriss Experiment TV series
- **2014** — Launched The Tim Ferriss Show podcast; ranked #6 globally among angel investors
- **2015** — Declared hiatus from new investing; relocated from Silicon Valley
- **2016** — Published Tools of Titans; featured in Fortune's 40 Under 40; funded 145 classroom projects on Long Island
- **2017** — Published Tribe of Mentors; delivered TED Talk 'Why you should define your fears instead of your goals'; hosted Fear{Less} show
- **2018** — Founded Saisei Foundation to fund unconventional research
- **2019** — Donated $2M+ to Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research; organized $8M in additional commitments
- **2020** — Donated $1M to MAPS; issued $10M challenge grant; helped raise $30M for psychedelic research
- **2021** — Saisei Foundation committed $800K to UC Berkeley's Center for the Science of Psychedelics
- **2025** — Released card game COYOTE with Exploding Kittens (sold in 8,000+ retail locations; viral videos with 300M+ views)
- **2026** — Continues funding psychedelic research through Saisei Foundation; podcast surpasses 1 billion downloads

## Achievements

- Five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling books
- The Tim Ferriss Show podcast exceeded 1 billion downloads
- First business/interview podcast to surpass 100 million downloads
- Selected for 'Best of Apple Podcasts' three consecutive years
- National Chinese Kickboxing Champion (won by technical knockout)
- First American to hold Guinness World Record for tango (37 spins per minute)
- Early investor in Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ companies
- Ranked #6 globally among angel investors (2014)
- Fortune 40 Under 40 (2016)
- One of only two authors with two books on Amazon's Top-10 Most Highlighted Books of All Time
- Helped raise $30M+ for psychedelic research through philanthropy
- The 4-Hour Workweek translated into 35+ languages
- Henry Crown Fellow, Aspen Institute (2009)
- Guest lecturer in entrepreneurship and engineering at Princeton
- COYOTE card game viral videos exceeded 300 million social media views
- Wired described him as 'The Superman of Silicon Valley'
- New York Times described him as 'a cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk'

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Saisei Foundation continues funding psychedelic research; was cited as donor in May 2026 McGill University study on psychedelic therapies.
- **2026-01** — The Tim Ferriss Show podcast surpasses 1 billion total downloads.
- **2025-10** — Featured in Harvard Business Review podcast discussing career crossroads and next chapter.
- **2025-01** — Released card game COYOTE with Exploding Kittens, sold in 8,000+ retail locations with 300M+ social media video views.

## Links

- Website: https://tim.blog
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timferriss/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/tferriss
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@timferriss
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@timferriss

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tim-ferriss
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-19