The Complex Elegance and Constant Contradictions of Derek Sivers

Tim Ferriss says that Derek Sivers is one of his “all-time favorite humans… a philosopher-king, programmer, master teacher, and merry prankster.”

Derek is an international man of mystery, or maybe contradiction. He’s known and loved by millions, done three super-popular TED talks, but he prefers to be alone, certainly when he’s working and creating, or “playing” as he’d more likely call it.

Derek graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and has worked as a professional musician and plays a number of instruments. He started a record label, booking agency, and recording studio, and he is the accidental founder of CD Baby which became the largest seller of independent music on the web, with over $100M in sales for over 150,000 musician clients. He sold CD Baby in 2008 for $22 million, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education, as well as a more recent donation of a quarter-million dollars in book-sales to charity.

He’s been featured in the documentary “Your Own Way Out,” on the highs and lows of digital nomads. Derek launched another business, Wood Egg, publishing guides on how to do business in Asia. He’s lived all over the US as well as London, Oxford, Singapore, and currently New Zealand, with his son.