Flying the World, Finishing Shas | Yossi (Joseph) Landes

From Shtark Tank with Yaakov Wolff by Yaakov Wolff.

• Published: Mon, 09 Feb 2026 05:15:00 GMT
• Duration: 00:54:23
• Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/e45c8048/podcast/play/115212535/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-1-8%2F417711649-44100-2-128b610b3a874.mp3
• Page: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yaakov-wolff/episodes/Flying-the-World--Finishing-Shas--Yossi-Joseph-Landes-e3eqgpn
• TorahApp: https://torahapp.org/share/p/3P_shtark_tank/e/897fbde1-778e-40f1-9f86-02daf6c7a41b

In this episode, I sit down with Yossi (Joseph) Landes—President and co-founder of Nerdio (a unicorn), and a 23-year veteran of Microsoft.

But this conversation isn’t mainly about startups.

It’s about growing in Gemara when you don’t see yourself as “the best learner,” and building a life where Torah stays at the center—through airports, moves abroad, pressure, and big responsibility.

We talk about:

• “I might be the worst learner in the whole yeshiva.” And how that humility became fuel—not a stop sign.

• Daf Yomi as identity: train rides, flights, gates, and “downtime” that turns into real learning time.

• Awe for talmidei chachamim: the pictures on his desk, and what they remind him of when work gets loud.

• Lessons from Satya Nadella + lessons from yeshiva—especially the mindset of being a learn-it-all, not a know-it-all.

• What it takes to stay frum while living around the world—plus huge hakaras hatov to Chabad for making that possible.

• “Truth is found in the field”: how empathy, listening, and outside-in thinking shaped his leadership style.

• The long game: building a unicorn company, and still saying, “When I’m done, I want to learn full time.”

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