INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVES. ONE READING ROOM.From The Perimeter journal
Perimeter Desk
My Desk
Menu
Podcast directory
Acquired podcast cover artwork

Perimeter Listening / Business

Acquired

Ben Gilbert · David Rosenthal

Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal trace the histories and strategic choices behind influential businesses. Episodes follow a single company from its origins to the present, combining research from primary documents with original interviews and occasional conversations with the people who built the company.

Meet the hosts

Listen for

Company historiesBusiness strategyCompetitive advantage

The show

Company-history deep dives and occasional interviews · Acquired

The Desk’s listening note

Make time for a complete company story, then compare the narrative with its financial filings.

From connected public feeds

Latest collected episodes

Loading collected reading…

The people behind the microphone

Meet the hosts.

All host profiles
Ben Gilbert wearing a dark pinstripe suit and headset microphone backstage.

Co-founder and co-host, Acquired

Ben Gilbert

Ben Gilbert co-founded and co-hosts Acquired, where he and David Rosenthal research the histories and strategies behind influential companies. Before podcasting became his focus, Gilbert worked as a software engineer and venture capitalist. At Microsoft he helped develop Office for iPad, and he later built and invested in startups at Madrona and Pioneer Square Labs. His background spans product development, company building, and technology investing.

Host profile Official profile
David Rosenthal smiling backstage in a dark suit and patterned tie.

Co-founder and co-host, Acquired

David Rosenthal

David Rosenthal co-founded and co-hosts Acquired with Ben Gilbert. A former venture capitalist, he helps research the business histories, strategic decisions, and competitive advantages explored in the show’s long-form episodes. Rosenthal studied French literature at Princeton and earned an MBA at Stanford. His work on Acquired brings together primary-source research, financial documents, and interviews to explain how enduring companies were built and why they succeeded.

Host profile Official profile

Sources & further reading

Profile checked September 18, 2026. Editorial notes are Perimeter’s interpretation.