Leo Laporte - TechTV The Screen Savers host and Founder of TWiT

In this episode of Foundation, I sit down with a long-time mentor and friend, Leo Laporte. Leo was the star of TechTV and is the founder of TWiT. We discuss his early days as a fry cook at McDonald’s, how the concept of This Week in Tech was born, and the importance of keeping a positive attitude.

[@amjid300]

Watching this 8 years in the future (2024) and Leo is still around 👍🏽

[@NinjaForHire004]

He's retiring December 2024 buy I have hope to catch him in podcast here and there. Ask the tech guy is being past to new host. Long love Leo what a champ.

[@karlhadwen]

The last 10 minutes were full of just genuine candour, massive respect for Leo.

[@sonictonic_]

Another fan from the Screen Savers days here, and this was just fantastic. Thanks for doing this, Kevin! Leo, too. :)

[@762x51n8o]

In all of TV, one of the things I miss the most is TechTV, and Screensavers.

[@neutrinocoffee1151]

TWiT has a show called The New Screensavers that just came out!

[@762x51n8o]

neutrinocoffee wow, thanks for the heads up, that's awesome! I haven't watched an episode yet, but will

[@twhiteford]

Screensavers was so great. It could be a huge podcast today.

[@EddieG]

Loved this episode. Leo and Kevin are two of my favorite online personalities ever and having them in one show it's always a treat. Keep at it guys!

[@unlokia]

Dear, kind Leo, such a lovely man. I’ve been listening to your podcasts for years; I first found out about TWiT by watching your 2013 Mac Pro unboxing, and have been hooked ever since. It’s lovely to finally hear about your life. GOD bless you sir. Matthew

[@mattauckland]

Great to finally see Leo Laporte on the show, and a very relaxed and candid conversation about his career and TWiT. Very interesting, especially to a follow radio broadcaster like myself.

[@MrBlahblam]

So much nostalgia, I grew up in a rural area where being into tech was alienating, you guys on tech TV were a great outlet for me growing up!

[@JohnBignell]

A business tech interview that left me reflecting on life. Two amazing guys doing amazing things!

[@diegolara4202]

If it wasn't for ZDTV I don't think I would have ever got into computers. Because of these guys I now work in IT as a career. Its amazing to think they help direct the path I would end up taking in my life! Mind blowing.

[@kennethsundby5600]

What a great old gem to stumble upon! Amazing interview!

[@AndyFeliciotti]

This is awesome, loved you guys on Tech TV!

[@JosephTongret]

I'm so impressed with Leo and his network. What a cool guy who's pushed through barriers to do what he loves to do. I can't imagine life without TWIT!

[@paulelemmons650]

Absolutely loved every minute of the show. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the the history of Leo’s trip thru life thus far. I listen to every broadcast of TWIt that where I get all of my tech support from. Thank you both

[@wheredidileavemycell]

you don't get enough love. You're the og podcaster along with Alex. diggnation4eva!!!

[@AaronMcFarland]

Awesome video. I know Leo is the main reason I watch all the TWIT podcasts I do. Thank you for doing it.

[@RicardoAng]

*****, thank you for interviewing my hero, Leo Laporte. He inspired me to be a tech nerd/geek. In my spare time, I volunteer at a retirement community to teach computers to senior citizens. It's amazing how technology continue to provide interest to different age groups. Keep up the great work!

[@NinjaForHire]

Great job Keven I remember you from all my youthful tech years with Leo as well. You guys have always inspired me in tech and gave me a target outlook on the future and what I still want to accomplish.

[@mikieson]

I always hold on to the past..Ive never let ZDTV/TECHTV go..I remember being over at my inlaws and going through their oldschool satellite channels...I finally come across ZDTV..I was hooked immediately..From there I was obsessed..ALWAYS watched it..AND since its death ive looked up old episodes and the people from the shows.I just felt they were free,fun,entertaining,very knowledgeable and honestly my friends and family..LONG live ZDTV/TECHTV!!

[@michaelklein6244]

Thanks Kevin I have listened to twit from the beginning but this was very insideful

[@jerryfriedrich5462]

Kevin, thank you for doing this show, Leo is the greatest and his candid thoughts will make this a really historical show....great content !!!

[@Daluke61]

Been listening to Leo on and off for several years, a fan for much of that time. My thanks to Kevin for offering a very interesting Q and A; two fine techies!

[@adolfoforonda3363]

Leo is so great, huge fan of his since the early radio days, so appreciative of his work.

[@benjamingraner]

So glad that you did this interview - Leo is a national treasure and my main source for analysis on the world of tech. Leo, please don't shut it down!!

[@Fiscalfinn]

Damn' taking me back to high school. Love it.

[@rutatutut]

***** No lie! I miss those TechTV days! My dad & I would eat dinner while we watched The Screen Savers every evening.

[@dugger0]

This video really gave me some TechTV nostalgie from when I was a teenager. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

[@XavierGallegos]

BEST!! Brought back so many memories of you guys on TSS. I was really getting into my tech groove when it all went away. What a bummer it was. I remember I was actually pissed off for a few days. Loved everything from Leo Laporte and ***** was great with Dark Tips. Congrats on a fantastic interview Kev.

[@ric0000]

Kevin, this was such an excellent episode of foundation. Like most, The Screen Savers is where I discovered you, Leo, Patrick, Sarah, Prillo and others. I've learned so much from all of you, and has been exciting to watch you all succeed in your respective career paths.

[@JaredHolland618]

Great to see Leo talking tech with Kevin again.

[@Zobber]

Watch this kinda late but i must say Thank you Kevin for doing this I was watching tech Tv when i was 11 I'm 26 Now and I must say i still miss the old Tech tv

[@NinjaForHire004]

Been a Leo fallower since i was in my early teens now 36 its hard to think of him going, but hopefully we will see him now and then podcasting. Hes retiring radio December 2024.

[@AaronAmacUSER]

Great show Kevin,im glad you stopped by Leo's place,keep up the good work.

[@grahamh]

Hey folks! Please note KZbin is reprocessing the HD versions and it's causing the audio to go way off sync. It'll be back to normal shortly, but in the meantime you can watch the episode in 360p for synced audio. Thanks!

[@grahamh]

Graham Hancock Everything's back to normal now. Thanks!

[@DriftaBeatz]

This was definitely one of the most interesting interviews you've done so far i really enjoyed charisma in this 1!!!

[@doloreshernandezTV]

As a nerdy kid from the eighties that learned basic on an Atari 800XL, this interview is fantastic!

[@joeltb]

Leo is awesome! Kevin too!

[@pdiddles03]

joeltb Tell that to erik lanigan

[@JohannSc]

Damn, a billion a year? One thing is for certain, I'm going to miss TWIT & the content when ever it ends. Here's hoping for that massive boom of new followers, until then I have a new appreciation on enjoying the content each day that is provided.

[@duckman1221]

really enjoyable and informative interview Kevin. thanks so much for doing this. loved getting the additional background.

[@neutrinocoffee1151]

I hope TWiT's shows being featured on Spotify gives them an uptick in audience.

[@mtcampbell1]

This is so awesome Kevin. Miss you guys on Screen Savers!

[@navirosas5968]

You guys should make a Reunion Show of the Screen Savers. Just to remember the good times. Thank you Kevin and Leo.

[@markeaton6100]

Navi Rosas There is a New Screen Savers on the Twit Network now! Go check it out soon. Fun show to see again.

[@wyrenutz]

The best interview ever.

[@themarcinmm4840]

A great interview. I was much younger when I started using my first computer but the whole story sounds so familiar. Leo is roughly the age of my dad, who introduced me to tech when I was two. Gaming, BASIC programming... but my first modem was 14400KBps... though Win 3.1 + Trumpet Winsock was how it went on 🙂 And that was the time The Site came on. I remember taking notes and writing down the URLs of all the sites they would present on the show using my dad’s Casio digital organizer, then visiting them later on. Can you believe the current generation might never hear the modem connection establishing sound?

[@hesynergy]

Great show Kevin!...we have missed you! Chas

[@MrMricecreamman1]

Awesome on interviewing the man leo laporte!!!!

[@cryptoanomalous7906]

Fun to look back at this, Screen Savers was so awesome.

[@NinjaForHire004]

He's retiring December 2024 buy I have hope to catch him in podcast here and there. Ask the tech guy is being past to new host. Long love Leo what a champ.

[@themagnuspeter]

Leo is awesome! great episode :)

[@Ch28Kid]

I miss TechTV. I remember I use to watch Call for Help everyday after school, follow by the screen savers. I remember all those dark tips of modified xbox, cool gadget showcase. Thanks for the interview. My channel have 2 old TechTV clip if anyone is interested.

[@TimothyTomko]

"The guy who spins my hair works for me now" lol Leo

[@LordZarlon]

I love this insider stuff. Great detail!

[@J43rv1]

I want to hear some of Leo's stories of growing up in Santa Cruz! Sounds like he's got a few. Having gone to UCSC and lived there for years, I can only imagine what it's like growing up around there

[@306cuber]

I really enjoyed this. Good job!

[@essentialdang]

Leo seems like such a nice guy

[@inns1812]

+invalidusername just human like the rest of us

[@inns1812]

+Oliver Nielsen Me? I'm human...pretty sure...I've got emotions too! I just realized tho how mean my original comment sounds...oops.

[@ThomasAndersonPhD]

I loved Leo before this - such an influence on my childhood - but hearing about his background brought him to a whole new glorious level in my eyes. What a wonderful human being!

[@ykzcirip]

I think Bre Pettis should be on deck for an interview! Oh pretty please! (But YEAH was soooooooo happy to see this interview of Leo Laporte!)

[@stevemojo2638]

leo's contribution to the world is that he makes tech. interesting.

[@Setaone]

Awesome interview loved this episode!!

[@rightkidney420]

Leo in the beginning of this whole twit startup you said it was never about the money but I understand why you need it to be about the money now so you are secure for the future but please remember what you said in this interview about how you were doing this in the beginning with Davork and it was all about helping people, make your money you need and then continue to help people and yea I will want to watch you talk about tech in 10 years so please keep at it

[@rightkidney420]

Colin Hamilton and Lwo isnt that 5 million you spend a year from advertisers for the shows, you cant just pocket that money and keep going right?

[@PeterHopeTindall]

good interview!

[@kenkobra]

Okay, it's five years later. Does Leo still think that same?

[@carlhicks6909]

Great ep!

[@franksterlobo]

Thanks Kevin

[@christophergrandison]

I was trying to figure out how 11 people could find something to dislike about this interview but.. the internet.

[@AlainLafond]

Such a nice man...

[@hesynergy]

Kevin, I have loved you and Leo since the ZDTV days, but if I recall, he says thanks to AOL or some other bandwidth provider for the pipe that feeds us all....are they providing the bandwidth? If that's true, I wonder whether he would've survived with TWIT, if he had to pay for his bandwidth. Chas

[@13HatsStudios]

Kevin, was awesome seeing you on the "New Screen Savers" today 5/9 on TWiT.tv... great to see you in the Brickhouse!! twit.tv/tnss

[@Teslantir]

Are the foundation episodes coming back to KZbin?

[@RichardCallaby]

I so miss "The Screensavers" show. That show was awesome.

[@DigitalJesuit]

Richard Callaby Ya know... we've got "The New Screensavers" on the TWiT.tv network, with a lot of the original talent. :)

[@RichardCallaby]

Yes I found out about an hour after I posted this comment. Great work on that show, good content. I must make it to a live show sometime.

[@snooze0023]

Bring back dignation and totally rad show

[@bocamax]

Leo Laporte ***** That was amazing. I feel for Leo. Used to subscribe & watch a lot of his content. The content delivery world has clearly changed dramatically in a heartbeat. He is a true geek to the heart. But as he is well aware, the business model unfortunately is outdated. And Kevin's advise was more motivational than reality. IPTV isn't going to bring Twit any subs. It is outdated before it even becomes mainstream. Be a friend, tell him the truth. He knows it, you know it, we know it. In less than 10 years, radio is dead, television (not content but delivery) is dead, cable / satellite is dead, music sales are dead, magazines are dead, newspapers are dead, big box retail is close to dead. I turned on a radio station once this year & it was all ads for web services. 22 minutes of ads in an hour + traffic + weather. So 30 minutes of true content in an hour. Or I could watch KZbin with niche specific content with an ad I can block or skip after 5 seconds. Even if I watch, 15 seconds of ads for 30 minutes of content. There is no easy quick fix without a sale. Personally, I'd try to sell out to a major site / media company & launch your own MCN on KZbin. Dramatically reducing your costs (staff, HR, ad sales). The consolidation of media is happening yet again as KZbin & Twitch take over. But history repeats itself. The giants fall time after time. I'd sell out to KZbin or Yahoo or AOL or whoever, then launch my own MCN. Keep your network just not your physical assets. Tech Bubble 2.0 is so close to bursting. Apple stock went from a P/E of 8 to 17 in a year. Think about that. 70% of their revenue is based on a phone & expectations for a watch. The P/E shows investors expect dramatic growth in a saturated market. Nothing makes sense anymore, circa 1999. The bubble will burst soon. It's painfully obvious. Logic and valuations are oxymorons. Facebook paid $19B for WhatsApp. Google paid $3 billion for a thermostat. Last year, Netflix was valued at almost 400 their earnings (P/E). Interest rates are being held artificially low by the Federal Reserve. The dollar is strong. Oil is historically cheap. Exit now but don't leave us. Get while there is something to get. You've seen the pattern in the tech industry since the start. The only certainty is uncertainty. The only constant is the formerly unbeatable are now just footnotes on Wikipedia. You saw 1999, now you see what is happening now with Facebook, Netflix, and Amazon. Tick tock. A high cost media entity in the world of new media seems painfully outdated while just years ago it seemed innovative. So adapt. But whatever you do, don't go away. Sell your assets, cancel shows, get some stupid big media company willing to buy you out for $25 million. Right now the world is Facebook, KZbin, Amazon, Google and Apple. For those to young to see history repeating itself, how many of those names do you think will be part of your life 10 years from now. Maybe 2 of them? Maybe less. In 10 years, do you think anyone young will know the name "Netflix".

[@JohnnyUtah269]

Long live the Dark Tipper!

[@adulion]

will he crowd surf at the diggnation reunion?

[@deanpowell2962]

heck yea man!

[@danielvining]

One thing that will help TWiT continue past the Leo Laporte era is original content that is not derived from digest style reporting. If TWiT is to ever become like CNBC or MSNBC, then the network must create original stories and features rather than solely providing commentary on other news gathering and reporting agencies. Maintaining a digest style in the long term will not work. Having true journalists, rather than only hosts, going out in the field and finding the stories, doing the interviews and reporting the news with TWiT as the direct news source will help aide in the preservation of the network. Original news content, digest style commentary, reviews, how-to, call in Q&A and the occasional qwerky bits of geek culture will equal a more balanced product. Think of it as if TWiT was to become more like the Verge, Engadget or Gizmodo.

[@DigitalJesuit]

Daniel Vining Know How, Coding 101, This Week in Enterprise Tech, Android App Arena, iFive, Home Theater Geeks, Ham Nation, Before you Buy, Padre's Corner -- Those show are all currently on the TWiT.tv network... and they pretty much cover your list of original programming that TWiT needs. :)

[@danielvining]

I agree, Padre. Many of these offerings are providing original content... and I love that! :)

[@warwagon]

Leo should take lessons from Kevin on how you interview someone. You don't interrupt them every 5 words, just let them talk.

[@holdthelight11]

yay!

[@Spintown]

I miss Screensavers.

[@markeaton6100]

Spintown7 The New Screensavers is out now for about 3 weeks. Check it out.

[@RyanSpletzer]

What is that webcam on the iMac?

[@mballa105]

this might be a long shot but how about bringing Jeff Moss to the show

[@schlitz_mcgee]

Please forgive me, but from watching Screen Savers I always thought Leo was a bit douchey. For that reason I've avoided his work after the Screen Savers. I watched this one because I love the Kevin Rose Foundation series, and have discovered I was wrong. Excellent work here, and I have a new (positive) opinion of Leo Laporte. I guess I have to add TWiT to the lineup now!

[@triforcelink]

Interview Kevin Rose!

[@stevemojo2638]

leo is a great guy & remember him visiting the gateway store. i got his picture & autograph. i've told him jessica has the hots for him on the show. he said it's the other way around. he needs to work out & loose some weight nowdays.

[@FirstSecondHobo]

Have you looked into being a Hobo Leo?

[@jasonz001]

Finally! haha

[@SigKappel]

good interview... mind the lighting tho. You guys are looking pale. or maybe get some sun... damn you live sunny California looking like your fresh from Alaska.

[@PaulIstoan]

26:02 Kevin seems to be very interested about how to balance work and family life. Is Kevin going to be a father soon? :)

[@ecksit7637]

Wow! Wow! Wow! stop talking kevin I commend you for putting up with this guy. gg

[@fatbradlehs]

I miss Screensavers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@this_time_imperfect]

They should have sat closer together, too much space there.

[@Keef4Teef]

This is very out of sync for me.

[@grahamh]

Keef4Teef Watch in 360p, KZbin is reprocessing the HD files and it's causing the audio to go out of sync.

[@thelixir715]

42:40 well not live anymore :(

[@JohnnyPerth]

Leo's whole Twit gig seems to be tanking