Best Federico Eisner Podcasts (2025)

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S1:E28 Marcos Galperin: The future of Mercado Libre. And Marcos' future 24:06

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14d ago24:06

24:06

What makes Mercado Libre transform itself again after having already achieved almost everything? In this episode of Climbers & Scalers, Marcos looks back on key stages in Mercado Libre’s history and explains why he believes a new one is just beginning. He talks about the moment they rewrote their tech architecture, the impact of smartphones and app…

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S1:E27 Marcos Galperin: Artificial intelligence and Chinese competitors. Welcome 38:21

14d ago38:21

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Holding your ground is sometimes a strategy. But other times, it’s a message. In this episode of scalers & climbers, Marcos recalls the toughest years against Amazon, the decisions made when the numbers didn’t add up, and why they chose to invest where others would have walked away. He also talks about the Chinese e-commerce giants, about how they …

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S1:E26 Marcos Galperin: The easiest letter to write and the hardest decision to take 32:31

14d ago32:31

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On May 21, 2025, Marcos surprised everyone by announcing that he was stepping down as CEO of Mercado Libre. He did it with a short letter, written in fifteen minutes with the help of artificial intelligence. In this episode, he tells for the first time how that process unfolded: what personal, family, and strategic factors led him to the decision, …

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S1:E25 Linda Rottenberg: Paying it forward and helping build the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Latin America 38:03

14d ago38:03

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Linda Rottenberg is the founder and CEO of Endeavor, the leading global community of high-impact entrepreneurs. In the late 1990s, Linda flew down to South America and settled in Argentina. She began working in the social sector, until she concluded that what the region needed was not more microcredits, but more Microsofts being launched locally. S…

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S1:E24 Ari Szarfsztejn and Juan Martín de la Serna: The best is yet to come 24:22

14d ago24:22

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They have a genuine calling to change the lives of millions of users. They look ahead. They love to compete and are far from being intimidated. They constantly re-prioritize. Because the context shifts so much, every year they redesign the org chart. They’d rather not hire than lower the bar. They sit side by side, argue fiercely, and from that cla…

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S1:E23 Ari Szarfsztejn and Juan Martín de la Serna: Building a strategic asset with technology 23:13

14d ago23:13

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For any logistics department, having demand double overnight is a nightmare. It’s impossible to scale warehouse and transportation capacity at that pace. Unthinkable — until a pandemic hits and it happens. Mercado Envíos not only managed to meet that demand, but grew 5X. In this episode, Ari and Juan Martín tell you how they pulled it off. Producer…

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S1:E22 Ari Szarfsztejn and Juan Martín de la Serna: Starting to get involved in logistics 18:00

14d ago18:00

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Ari Szarfsztejn went from presenting recommendations to making things happen. Juan Martín went from helping with the family’s real estate business to diving straight into the garage with Marcos from day one. Today, both of them have led the odyssey of making sure that the things we buy with just a few clicks on Mercado Libre arrive at our doorstep …

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S1:E21 Sean Summers: The user's problem before a million issues 29:20

14d ago29:20

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Everyone gets a complaint, a rant, or a request for help every week. Everyone — from the first to the last. In many places, people assume the user experience team will take care of it. At Mercado Libre, Sean says, you take care of it yourself. You might have a million things going on in your day-to-day, but the first thing Sean wants to understand …

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S1:E20 Sean Summers: Founder's mentality permeating the entire organization 34:46

14d ago34:46

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Sean Summers trained at PepsiCo through three different cycles. But when he arrived at Mercado Libre, he sensed a founder’s mentality infused throughout the organization — something he hadn’t found anywhere else with professional managers. From his position as the top leader of marketing and the advertising business, Sean shares some of the element…

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S1:E19 Stelleo Tolda and Germán Spataro: Competing against the best in the world 23:57

14d ago23:57

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To compete with Amazon, they needed to bring in talent with deep knowledge of how it operated. One of them was Germán Spataro, who had worked at Amazon UK, Amazon Spain, and Amazon Brazil. From his encounter with Jeff Bezos to the differences in culture, Germán shares why Mercado Libre beats Amazon. But Stelleo is clear about one thing: today, ever…

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S1:E18 Stelleo Tolda: Preparing for Amazon's arrival in Brazil 14:48

14d ago14:48

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Stelleo knew that one day Amazon would arrive, and sure enough, in 2012 they finally came to Brazil. Stelleo and the team had prepared. They studied every case of Amazon’s market entries around the world and learned that to really be competitive, they would have to deeply localize their business model for Brazil. And that’s where Mercado Libre had …

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S1:E17 Stelleo Tolda: From the American dream to an early return to Brazil 19:20

14d ago19:20

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Two passions live within Stelleo: math and the humanities. It’s no coincidence that he’s a mechanical engineer and the son of a music store owner. With his logical, mathematical mindset, he decided to shift the course of his career toward the financial world. But his intuition would take him somewhere very different. Producer & Host: Federico Eisne…

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S1:E16 Nico Szekasy: The IPO as an alternative to the sale that wasn't 29:25

14d ago29:25

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From earning less than the corner pizza shop to having a giant like eBay want to be your partner. From having that giant as your partner and wanting to buy you out, to becoming much bigger than that giant through the independence of your IPO. From helping change the way people buy and sell, and the way they pay and get paid, to helping create the n…

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S1:E15 Nico Szekasy: Surviving the nuclear winter 22:35

10d ago22:35

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Nico Szekasy left his corporate life to become an entrepreneur in a start-up that earned less than the corner pizza shop. And the minute he stepped in, he helped change Mercado Libre’s course so it could survive the nuclear winter. Producer & Host: Federico Eisner | https://www.linkedin.com/in/feisner/…

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S1.E14 Ozzie Gimenez and Pau Arregui: Opportunities, when seized, are multiplied 27:28

14d ago27:28

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Mercado Libre transformed the way we buy and sell. Mercado Pago transformed the way we pay, get paid, and invest our money. Many believe that such a colossal transformation can’t be repeated. Ozzie and Paula don’t think so. On the contrary, they believe the transformation is only just beginning. Producer & Host: Federico Eisner | https://www.linked…

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S1.E13 Ozzie Gimenez and Pau Arregui: Breaking down walls with technology 21:38

14d ago21:38

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Mercado Libre wasn’t going to survive if it couldn’t solve online payments. And solving online payments meant nothing less than solving fraud. When there are only a few transactions, it’s simple. But when there are millions, you have to think beyond common sense—until you get to neural networks. Producer & Host: Federico Eisner | https://www.linked…

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S1.E12 Ozzie Gimenez and Pau Arregui: A new start-up within a start-up 30:55

14d ago30:55

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Buying groceries, getting a haircut, a book, a cooking class, or shopping on Mercado Libre. Whatever you want can be paid for with nothing but your phone. Mercado Pago is a revolution in simplicity. But getting here was anything but easy. And Ozzie Giménez and Paula Arregui tell us how they made it possible. Producer & Host: Federico Eisner | https…

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S1:E11 Nico Berman: The call to Google during a break at university 24:54

14d ago24:54

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Nico Berman had a position at a major company, where he was earning an excellent salary. But one day he decided to quit that job to join a company whose offices were in a basement, with no windows and no bathrooms. The salary? Seventy percent less. Why did he go? Because he saw a billboard on the street. One of the first things he did? Call Google …

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S1:E10 Nico Berman: Willing to invest everything he saved to be able to learn 18:40

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Nico Berman was the eighth person to join Mercado Libre. He didn’t study at Stanford, but at the University of Buenos Aires. There’s a saying that it doesn’t matter where you come from, but where you want to go. And where did Nico come from? From being one of the best salespeople at Mercado Libre. And how far did he get? All the way to vice preside…

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S1:E9 Pedro Arnt and Karen Bruck: One step at a time goes a long way 25:02

14d ago25:02

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Karen Bruck shares how she managed to convince Mercado Libre that she could lead a team of more than three hundred people when she had only been managing a team of two. Something that still amazes her is the extraordinary talent of the Mercado Libre team. Pedro adds to her story, sharing the challenges that lie ahead. Producer & Host: Federico Eisn…

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S1:E8 Pedro Arnt: The fear of the Lake Como moment 29:05

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Pedro explains, among other things, the concept of permanent beta. And why being in a spectacular hotel on the shores of Lake Como in Italy, drinking incredible wines and eating dishes prepared by international chefs, is the greatest fear everyone at Mercado Libre has. Producer & Host: Federico Eisner | https://www.linkedin.com/in/feisner/…

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S1:E7 Pedro Arnt: No titles, doing a little bit of everything 30:27

14d ago30:27

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Mercado Libre needs to find a CFO, the top executive in charge of the company’s finances. What kind of profile should they look for? Probably someone who studied political science and Latin American literature wouldn’t be the most logical choice. Pedro Arnt explains how he managed to convince not only those who had to choose him, but also himself. …

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S1:E6 Hernán Kazah: Technology will save us 20:17

14d ago20:17

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For someone who was able to see the future more than twenty years ago, it would be very easy to just sit back and enjoy the results of that vision. But Hernán Kazah has another idea: to use his experience to find and support those who are seeing the future today. And, along the way, to tell us what that future will look like. Producer & Host: Feder…

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S1:E5 Hernán Kazah: Good luck can help you, but bad luck can kill you 21:12

14d ago21:12

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What happens when the world changes and no one is interested anymore in investing in your organization, your people, or your idea — no matter how exceptional they are? You find yourself an exceptional partner who buys into your company, you learn from their mistakes, and then you surpass them. Hernán Kazah, co-founder of Mercado Libre, explains thi…

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S1:E4 Hernan Kazah and Susan Segal: Entrepreneurship in the desert 25:54

14d ago25:54

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Hernán Kazah explains how you go from being a middle-class kid in public school to raising seven million dollars for your startup in its first funding round. Susan Segal says she bet on them because she saw exceptional people, with an exceptional idea, and an exceptional organization. Producer & Host: Federico Eisner | https://www.linkedin.com/in/f…

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S1:E3 Dani Rabinovich and Sole Dematteo: Racing a regatta or sailing on a cruise 29:06

20d ago29:06

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Dani doesn’t really enjoy awards, or celebrations. Not even results. For him, the key to success is sustainable enjoyment. A much-needed concept whether you’re running a regatta, managing the systems of a company like Mercado Libre, or playing the tango El Choclo on a guitar duo. Producer & Host: Federico Eisner | https://www.linkedin.com/in/feisne…

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S1:E2 Dani Rabinovich and Sole Dematteo: The app you get fired or rewarded for 23:44

20d ago23:44

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Mercado Libre needed to develop a mobile app. The company’s future depended on it. Consultants and specialized firms charging millions couldn’t find the solution. Until Dani Rabinovich discovered that three of his employees were doing something behind his back. Any other boss would have fired them on the spot. But Dani isn’t just any boss. That’s w…

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S1:E1 Dani Rabinovich: The grill designed 19 times 29:58

20d ago29:58

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One of the most important companies in the world. And a tech giant. Very few people can grasp the size and complexity of its systems. To build and oversee them, you'd need more than just a systems engineer — you’d need a programming genius. Or a magician. Luckily, Mercado Libre found someone who is all three. Please welcome, Dani Rabinovich. Produc…