00:00A man applied for a job at Google, but was instantly rejected for one simple reason.
00:03He didn't have a college degree.
00:05But what Google didn't realize is, a programmer's skill isn't measured by a diploma.
00:08It's measured by his receding hairline.
00:10Angry and humiliated, Daniel decided to get revenge.
00:12He hacked Google's search engine, injecting 600 fake ads that redirected to his company,
00:16saving them a fortune in advertising.
00:18He expected praise.
00:19Instead, his boss yelled at him.
00:21No startup dares mess with a tech giant like Google.
00:23Frustrated, Daniel quit on the spot.
00:24If big tech looks down on me, and my own company doesn't respect me, then I'll build my own.
00:28He pinned Google's rejection email to his wall, and set a goal.
00:31In one year, I'll build and sell my own company.
00:33Within just six months, Daniel developed a powerful search engine,
00:36with an algorithm that could target ads.
00:37Based on users' interests, the idea came from the junk flyers stuffed under his door.
00:41What if ads only went to the right people?
00:43His system would take 10% of ad revenue, for every successful referral.
00:46In 2004, that made him a pioneer.
00:48Eventually, a Swedish firm noticed him.
00:50The company had just gone public in five years, and now, they wanted Daniel's algorithm.
00:54He arrived for a meeting, only to be mistaken for an intern.
00:56The CEO, Martin, even praised this genius Daniel guy, not realizing he was speaking to him.
01:01Daniel just smiled and listened.
01:02When the real intern arrived, Martin froze.
01:04That 22-year-old in front of him was the genius.
01:06They bought Daniel's company for $10 million.
01:08But Daniel didn't just want money, he wanted impact.
01:11He asked Martin,
01:12What does Silicon Valley have that we don't?
01:13Martin was stunned.
01:14Hugh dared to challenge the valley, but Daniel was one of them.
01:17Martin replied,
01:18If you ever have a new idea, I'm in.
01:19One night, Daniel saw a poster for an old friend,
01:22Poppy a struggling musician performing at a bar.
01:24She hated fans recording her shows, they always ended up pirated on a website called the Pirate Bay.
01:28No one paid for music anymore.
01:29Over drinks, Poppy asked what Daniel had been up to.
01:32He casually replied,
01:33I just sold my company for $10 million, but didn't say more.
01:36After watching her leave with her boyfriend, Daniel downed his drink.
01:38Even as a millionaire, he still felt empty.
01:40He bought a red sports car, a fancy watch, dinner at a roadside food truck.
01:44But none of it satisfied him.
01:45When he visited his mother, she could sense it immediately.
01:48Money's not what you really want, is it?
01:49Back home, a news report caught his attention.
01:51The Pirate Bay was booming, free music for everyone, but record labels and artists were fighting back.
01:56The site made millions through shady ads, yet violated nearly every copyright law.
01:59Even Poppy's songs were pirated on the site.
02:01Daniel realized, no one dared to fix the problem.
02:04Even Silicon Valley avoided it.
02:05No one wanted to challenge Pirate Bay.
02:07Why?
02:07Because it was profitable, but legally dangerous.
02:09Everyone hated Pirate Bay, but everyone used it.
02:12It was the only option.
02:13The site had 30 million monthly users, yet the experience was terrible.
02:16No streaming, only slow, unreliable downloads.
02:19And the ads?
02:19Inappropriate, low-quality garbage.
02:21Daniel saw an opportunity.
02:22He had already built a precise ad targeting engine.
02:24What if he created a better version of Pirate Bay, but legal, faster, cleaner, and safer?
02:28He rushed to Martin.
02:29What can't Silicon Valley do?
02:31Music, they're too afraid of copyright wars, so let's do what they won't.
02:34Martin was hesitant.
02:35Pirate Bay already won.
02:36People love it, but Daniel pushed back.
02:38People don't love it.
02:39They tolerate it, because it's the only choice.
02:41If we build a better platform, free, legal, smart, we could dominate the space.
02:45Martin had just sold his own company.
02:46He was restless, eager for something bold.
02:48He agreed, but to build a world-changing product, they needed world-class developers,
02:52outcasts, misfits, geniuses, people like Andreas, a brilliant coder from Sweden's top tech.
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