Kevin O'Leary opens up about the $12.9M card he wore to the Oscars, what he did that almost ended his engagement, and the moment his stepfather told him he'd never make it.
Before Shark Tank, before "Mr. Wonderful," Kevin O'Leary was a kid getting told by his stepfather that he wasn't good enough to be a photographer. In this episode of Build or Break, Kevin sits down with Daniel Lubetzky for a conversation that goes far past the TV persona — the $12.9M sports card he bought on a hunch (and turned down $21M for), the night he had to tell his fiancée he cheated, firing his best friend in the early days of his first company, and the "signal vs. noise" framework he learned from Steve Jobs that still runs his entire day.
You’ve never seen Mr. Wonderful like this. I’VE never seen him like this. This is Kevin without the edit — brutal honesty about business, marriage, grief, and the stepfather he says made him who he is.
Thank you for coming, Kevin!
https://www.instagram.com/kevinolearytv/
https://www.youtube.com/@kevinoleary
https://www.tiktok.com/@kevinolearytv
https://x.com/kevinolearytv
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinolearytv/
Personal site: https://kevinoleary.com
O'Leary Ventures: https://olearyventures.com
Shark Tank profile: https://sharktankgroup.com/kevin-oleary.html
Show Notes:
All images from Kevin’s Instagram page
https://www.instagram.com/DanielLubetzky
https://www.tiktok.com/@daniellubetzky
https://x.com/DanielLubetzky
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellubetzky
https://daniellubetzky.com/
🙋🏻Become a Builder: https://buildersmovement.org/
Music: Amos Cochran https://www.editscoremusic.com/
Production: Straybird Studios https://www.straybird.studio/
Post Production: Jennell Lewis & Scott Convery
Social Media Production: https://www.edits-etc.com/
Build or Break Team:
Executive Producer & Host: Daniel Lubetzky
Executive Producer: Kristin Schneider
Head of Programming & Production: Joel Rubin
Marketing & Communications: Sarah Black
Associate Producer & Social Media: Taylor Larned
Booking & Scheduling: Kayla Rose
Network Relations: Julianna Cohen
