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Episode 279: Peter Rojas – Founder of Gizmodo and Engadget

Peter Rojas, the Serial Entrepreneur and Founder of Gizmodo and Engadget, joins the show to share his journey from being intrigued by the early days of Wi-Fi to starting some of the most popular tech blogs on the planet. Hear how to decide what to post about, how to grow your audience quickly, the time Peter interviewed Bill Gates, his favorite gadget of all time, and the coolest city in Peru. This episode covers everything from ethernet cables to video games. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• When was the first time Peter heard about a blog
• How did he decide to start Gizmodo and Engadget
• What’s the best business lesson he learned from those companies
• Inspector Gadget 1, 2, and 3
• HTML
• White Hat SEO
• Lots of Stars Wars & Star Trek references
• What is Peter’s favorite video game

Connect with Peter at Roj.as.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Blogs
  • [0:33] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:44] Connect with Peter at Roj.as
  • [1:53] Inspector Gadget
  • [2:12] Inspector Gadget 2
  • [2:29] Inspector Engadget
  • [2:43] RSS Feed
  • [2:50] When was the first time Peter heard about a blog
  • [3:28] The New Yorker, Evan Williams (Ev Williams), Jason Kottke, Blogger
  • [3:35] Blogger
  • [3:55] Xerox
  • [4:03] Continuous Sound
  • [4:17] Red Herring Magazine
  • [4:24] Content Management System (CMS)
  • [4:35] Matt Mullenweg – Wild Business Growth Podcast #179: Co-Founder of WordPress, Founder and CEO of Automattic
  • [4:45] HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
  • [5:25] Dave Winer, weblog
  • [6:58] DIY (Do It Yourself)

• The Gizmodo & Engadget Stories
  • [7:23] How did Peter decide to start Gizmodo & Engadget
  • [7:50] Nick Denton, Gawker Media
  • [8:11] Wi-Fi Networking News, Glenn Fleishman
  • [8:25] Wi-Fi
  • [8:35] PCMCIA Card (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association)
  • [11:54] Weblogs, Inc., Jason Calacanis
  • [12:04] Money Magazine, TIME Inc.
  • [12:55] How did Gizmodo and Engadget grow a huge audience that quickly
  • [13:11] Twitter (X), Facebook, TikTok, Newsletter
  • [14:35] “Engadget Podcast 026 – 05.05.2005 / Special Bill Gates Edition” (look at that date!)
  • [15:01] AIM (AOL Instant Messager)
  • [15:35] Inside Baseball
  • [16:07] White Hat SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
  • [16:23] Google
  • [16:42] Apple iPod, Apple
  • [17:15] Inspector Gadget 3
  • [17:40] How do you decide what to blog about
  • [17:59] Joystiq
  • [18:29] Crowdfunding
  • [19:16] Style Guide
  • [19:55] Star Wars, Star Trek
  • [20;07] Star Trek Communicator
  • [20:16] “It’s a trap!“
  • [20:31] Bluetooth Speaker
  • [20:47] What’s the best business lesson Peter learned from Gizmodo & Engadget
  • [21:44] VC (Venture Capital)
  • [22:55] Entrepreneurs
  • [23:25] Come to CEX (Content Entrepreneur Expo) May 5-7, 2024 in Cleveland, OH! Save $100 off the in-person ticket price by registering at CEX.Events and using the coupon code: MAX100
  • [23:27] The Wild Business Growth Podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Peter
  • [24:20] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • [24:22] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23

• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [24:28] Palm Treo 600
  • [25:52] Arequipa, Peru, Ciudad Blanca
  • [26:42] Red Dead Redemption 2
  • [27:28] Connect with Peter at Roj.as
  • [27:47] What are Peter’s Final Thoughts
  • [28:31] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [28:35] Come to CEX (Content Entrepreneur Expo) May 5-7, 2024 in Cleveland, OH! Save $100 off the in-person ticket price by registering at CEX.Events and using the coupon code: MAX100
  • [28:40] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [28:43] The Wild Business Growth Podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Peter
  • [28:45] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [28:48] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [28:53] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Peter Rojas on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And get nostalgic about early 2000s tech with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!