What David Rubenstein has said about Entrepreneurship

Rubenstein says he started Carlyle at 37 because he had read that people who have not started a company by that age probably never will.

“If you haven't done it by 37, I read, you probably will never start a company”

My First Million: David Rubenstein: We took $5M and turned it into $500B (Sep 14, 2026) · Listen from 5:32

Rubenstein asserts that nearly all U.S. startups fail within five years.

“remember 99.9% of the companies that started the United States are not in business five years later”

My First Million: David Rubenstein: We took $5M and turned it into $500B (Sep 14, 2026) · Listen from 6:33

Rubenstein argues that company builders share extraordinary self-confidence.

“if you go back and look at anybody that built a company, they have self-confidence that is staggering”

My First Million: David Rubenstein: We took $5M and turned it into $500B (Sep 14, 2026) · Listen from 15:58

Rubenstein says entrepreneurs constantly expect something bad to happen and he still worries every day.

“No, because if you're an entrepreneur, you always think something bad is going to happen”

My First Million: David Rubenstein: We took $5M and turned it into $500B (Sep 14, 2026) · Listen from 20:12