The Dark Story Behind Pornhub’s $1.5B Business Empire

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Episode 548: Shaan Puri ( ShaanVP) and Sam Parr ( theSamParr) tell you the greek tragedy behind the Pornhub empire. If you like stories about nerds taking over, arson, secret billionaires and….foosball tables, you’re going to like this episode.
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Show Notes:
(0:00) Intro
(2:00) Who's the new king of porn?
(17:00) Bill Ackman vs Pornhub
(25:00) Pornhub's $77M exit
(30:30)The reality distortion of entertainment businesses
(36:30) Sam shrinks Shaan
(39:00) DuckDuckGo in the top 10?!?
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Check Out Shaan's Stuff:
• Try Shepherd Out - www.supportshepherd.com/
• Shaan's Personal Assistant System - shaanpuri.com/remoteassistant
• Power Writing Course - maven.com/generalist/writing
• Small Boy Newsletter - smallboy.co/
• Daily Newsletter - www.shaanpuri.com/
Check Out Sam's Stuff:
• Hampton - www.joinhampton.com/
• Ideation Bootcamp - www.ideationbootcamp.co/
• Copy That - copythat.com
• Hampton Wealth Survey - joinhampton.com/wealth
My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by The HubSpot Podcast Network // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano
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[@saymateo]

“If you can’t sell boobies, you can’t sell anything.” - Shaan Puri Put this on a shirt gentlemen 😂

[@AlexMcDaniels]

Hahahaha

[@mikefleck8765]

😊

[@guyacey]

Never thought I'd see this day coming. I love it! Shaan is such a master story teller

[@TechieGamersweb]

Going to do some hands on research after the pod.

[@haroldreighn7262]

I've been a listener to MFM for over 2 years and this is by and far THE most enthralling episode I've heard. Masterful storytelling by Shaan, exceptional 'therapy' message from Sam at the end, and overall vibe was great. Kudos gentlemen, well done.

[@David-ks6bw]

I love these kind of episodes. Shaan's storytelling is next level

[@olmzors]

I have listened to almost all episodes of the pod. This is at least top 5, so entertaining Sean's hype was awesome. Love these types of secret stories

[@abhayrohom]

Shaan's hoodie was up with the theme😂. Was fun listening to such amazing storytelling.

[@shashankaggarwal123]

Sam! really appreciate that monologue you went on - could feel your spirit backing it up!

[@dafish691]

Great deep dive, came from your short 👍🏼 The ring analogy sticks

[@AndyWardTenerifeEstateAgents]

That was a superb episode, really well researched and really well told! Very, very interesting - hats off!

[@PankajDoharey]

how are you able to do this day after day, sometines due to commitments i am not able to view the pod. So i listen to it in parts. Hats off to you.

[@Dan-Martin-2]

You guys are at your best just deep diving. I love your perspective.

[@2ru2pacFan]

That Manchester United manager after a loss analogy is gold! 😂 😂 😂

[@AllanJeremy]

This episode is the single of Shaan’s story telling. Absolutely loved it!!!! Takes notes (on the story telling of course 😂)

[@faisalislam9840]

Didn't expect 2 days in a row

[@AlexMcDaniels]

This episode was very unexpectedly interesting and funny. Loved it!

[@pierre-lucleboeuf4979]

Love the end part about finding the right projects. I’m going through the same questions for my current startup of 3 years and this was super relatable.

[@robro8]

Incredible storytelling Shaan. Absolutely hooked and laughing my ass off

[@Brewater]

Awesome therapy session Sam!!!!

[@BenjaminCano]

This should be a series!

[@JCV507]

Hot Money Season 1 is a great podcast that goes into the nitty gritty of this story.

[@wishes_._]

Got a link ?

[@itsJessicaMyers]

Thank you for these insights

[@MIDE..]

This is a great episode. One question though , how do you search for internee companies with revenue of 3-10m. Is this something you will be willing to talk about on the pod? Or just tweet a likely system ?

[@bangerpickleball]

26:04 had me dying laughing. when you google his name theres only one pic and its exactly what i would expect

[@Eugene_Liu304]

my fav episode of all time!

[@troywissenbach6242]

I’m convinced a successful pod for Shaan is measured by how many times Sam giggles uncontrollably😂

[@SixFootShort]

What an episode! 👏

[@moneycashson9480]

This was a banger!

[@progamer1196]

Fire episode 🔥🔥🔥

[@drumbassclassics953]

Great episode. ❤

[@Ashakib1573]

By far the best episode 🎉

[@CGStaggs]

At 37:16, Sam (in response to a GREAT perspective shared by Shaan) puts it all in perspective. Well done, gentkemen. Standing ivation

[@davidkuinn]

Great pod guys! What other way do X sites monetize apart from shitty banner ads?

[@benjaminhill3760]

I felt Shaan’s “please” at 37:16. That was real in the feels.

[@jakejake7289]

Great story told by a great story teller!

[@leviaiono5329]

I like to play a drinking game when I listen to the show. Its one shot for every time Sam says Alright

[@oidoy4970]

Where is the bryan johnson interview shaan mentioned awhile ago? Still not out.

[@Brodragon2225]

there is one

[@theace272]

I think he’s talking about the one where Shaan went to his house

[@meshachjones6909]

Awesome journalism

[@Soyunmaní777]

Damn Shaun, I was so hooked on your story, now I need you to write and produce the PornHub Curse Netflix series.

[@packagingunboxd]

Dude, your YT pics are hilarious. Are they increasing views or not really?

[@wagmi614]

the oh yeah from sam when shaan mentioned brazzers was hilarious

[@miximum1]

wow, now that's story telling! Enthralling!

[@chraesi]

this is actually better than the audio version

[@tommyrs20]

Yep! This was a good one.

[@meetthereqs]

Can you give us the name of the "Traction" book?

[@jakjakqqq385]

This one was a real banger xD

[@Musa_Media_]

The way Sam said “Oh yeah” at 7:30 you can tell he’s watched more than a few Brazzers videos in his lifetime

[@Brewater]

Bravo Shaan!!!!

[@Killacam1992]

thats a dope hoodie

[@iandaniels679]

Another great episode! I had a VERY early Snap guy come shopping with me once. Without saying his name, he was either employee..... 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. To talk to him was as if the guy walked on water. It was back when Facebook offered them 3 billion, complete insult from his attitude. I wanted to remind him YOU INVENTED AN APP WHERE A PICTURE DISAPPEARS!!! You would think they discovered immortality or nuclear fission. So obnoxious.

[@blkmagnum3370]

can someone help me? on one episode Sam mentioned he invested in a company that pivoted and now uses AI to summarize multiple research papers. Does anyone know which episode that was and the company name?

[@manuelmao4700]

consensus

[@BabarKhanJaved]

Need a dedicated episode of Sam the Shrink

[@lucasdelmas5398]

To help answer Sam's question at 28:45, I once met a guy who was doing SEO for Carpe Diem, a company that operates porn websites. Basically, his comment was "you get to laugh the first 2 months, then you get to cry the next 2 years when you see the horrors that people search, and then you quit".

[@The_Phill_A_Blunt]

Hats off to a fella that can do hundred million dollar deals

[@DJjussi1]

Shaan has got to be one of the world's best storytellers.

[@adama9032]

Shaan is the best story teller ever ..he could tell you a story about drying paper an it would sound interesting

[@fryderykchopin1381]

Bernd is a common name of older people in Germany and Austria, spelled burned

[@Solomonthe14]

Loved your episode Just stumbled upon Nat Friedman gem "Pessimists sound smart. Optimists make money." Sounds familiar ? Now, who really coined this first? Nat or Shaan ? My money's on some Ancient Greek philosopher or French guy. Either way, they’re probably kicking themselves in the afterlife, realizing the optimists funded their fancy mansions while they were left to ghostwrite history’s footnotes.

[@empiralaura_espiral_355]

does anyone know what page do they use to check the most trafic websites?

[@MyFirstMillionPod]

www.semrush.com/blog/most-visited-websites/

[@chefbrian26]

I loved this story time! My first biz was a network of porn blogs that funneled traffic back to my tube site. I had a community of 10k followers that I didn’t know how to monetize and the tube site getting 50k visits a day. During the porn hub roll up they bought my tube site for $3k 🤦🏻‍♂️then I eventually sold the blog network and community off and thought I was an 18yr old genius 😂 I still kick myself for selling it all off but in 09 no one really knew communities would become what they are today.

[@geoffroyraby8896]

Great episode and what a Story about PornHub. For sure one industry that will never desappear 🙂 Keep it up with all these great Stories.

[@Louisadamson]

This one might beat the one, Guy Makes $1.3M Every Day pod, but as you say, ya’ll be covering this sort of thing more than most. I wouldn’t want to have that label, and don’t get me wrong, I totally get the business story value. I totally listened start to finish. Get to Larry Janeski’s story, and have him on for an interview if possible. Mike Rowe would be great too, with all the practical success stories he could share for so many who could benefit. The lessons of the 8 to 10 or 11 figure stories applied to the cogs of the economy could be great to mix in as a theme semi-monthly or as a short series once a year. Those who relate with and come for those pods will learn from the rest.

[@ray-mc-l]

Shaan: "Brazzers" Sam: "Oh yeah" hahahaha

[@davidschy]

Great story

[@RahulKahani_]

Canadian Heritage Moment.

[@disparato]

Agree with Sam, amazingly told Shaan

[@CarlosRosario]

Shaan: Imagine running a NOT popular porn sight? Hilarity ensues. I love you, guys.

[@user-vr8dp2fq4f]

A Frank Amodeo episode would be 🔥

[@NA18NA]

Episode felt way too short 😩

[@socha9084]

needs to be movie

[@Ryan.G.Spalding]

So this is what Shaan meant by getting more into content. :)

[@alliyahaleciascott]

I’m on there and think it’s fine though it’s has it’s bad sides like technical difficulties

[@denisschonfelder4710]

Great explanation from Sam at the end that many business ideas have a right to exist as long as you have fun with it and you can tell Shaan a story. That's what I learnt from this pod. Choose your businesses based on the potential story, not the potential earnings. Even if you fail, at least you have a great story that makes you more interesting.

[@vkuse0]

😂😂😂😂 Shaan bringing everyone out of reality distortion. Like how Sam thinks and the fact that trading places w any of these is just so miserable! can y'all bring back under-the-radar businesses/ owner stories - kinda miss those

[@RichHxmie]

Google pays duck duck to be its main search engine or Firefox or both

[@dwayne9959]

He wasn’t rich when he bought those sites. He raised a lot of money and used seller financing. He found a PE guy who backed him.

[@jasonwarren8269]

MySpace was better than Facebook ever was😅

[@aditimascarenhas5608]

Howwww the fkkk did you do this research

[@Nawablala591]

Green VFX close 😂😂😂

[@SabLiJunior]

Guys, can you do a business ideas episode? Like if you agree.

[@gaboronem8615]

South Africa's has the same exchange rate arbitrage that Shepherd enjoys in the Philippines and a has please open up your recruitment to south Africa, It really wouldn't be hard

[@geraldlofton]

Show NOTES are WEAK for this POD guys get ur self together , who is doing ur show notes (SAD) where are the links!!!!

[@iamlasbrey6334]

I never thought i would be listening to story of porn today, lool

[@user-hi8zq1qy1i]

I think these guys aren’t cheaters

[@BasketballBusinessAndBossMoves]

Shaan is a storytelling savant! Chapelle is the only one who is better!

[@dr.jaycavanaugh1923]

Field trip?

[@JJ-rp2df]

PH's saving men from the far worse family court empire ftw

[@grantgrantgrantgrant]

Shaan is so thirsty for adult content businesses. Niiiiice.

[@Daniel-Davies-Gonstead-Student]

35:40 - "Don't optimise something that shouldn't exist" - Elon Musk

[@bendover6785]

Shaan knows a lot about the history and progression of porn lmao

[@sutats]

Interesting topic. Unzips pants.

[@sunidollfun]

If you charged every illegal immigrant coming into America through a gap in the wall bordering Mexico and the US you could make $1.5m a year. I don't understand why it is being allowed to happen.

[@TheMiccoliGroup]

I use DDG

[@grahamkennedy7221]

Don’t use DDG

[@josenegrete3694]

#LAKESHOW

[@stancuflorin]

haha great story

[@LogicVit]

Nice story but hurts my eyes watching it. Please remove that white frame or make it darker

[@As1fAhmad]

.

[@vortex8235]

Pal world please react to that

[@bullshark3000]

That story was fappinating