The Business Brew Jacob Shapiro - A "Geopolitical Cousin" Joins the Show
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Mar 6, 2026 Jacob Shapiro, a geopolitical analyst who advises investors and companies, joins to explore geopolitics' ripple effects. He discusses food-supply consolidation and agriculture investing. He reevaluates Iran and the risks of prolonged conflict. He examines Mexico beyond cartels, multipolarity versus U.S. policy shifts, and future threats from AI and WMD proliferation.
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How A Lucky Stratfor Internship Launched His Career
- Jacob Shapiro started at Stratfor as an unpaid intern thanks to his father's connection with George Friedman and timing during the 2008 job drought.
- He leveraged a medieval Islamic philosophy background to analyze the Arab Spring, which accelerated his career into geopolitics and consulting.
Be Confident Then Be First To Admit You're Wrong
- Do be both confident and humble as an analyst: speak up quickly but be first to admit when you're wrong and pivot your analysis.
- Jacob trains analysts to balance speedy judgment with willingness to recheck and change conclusions when new evidence appears.
Why He Misread The Iran Escalation
- Jacob admitted he underestimated the Iran escalation because he thought the policy was 'dumb', underestimated decision‑makers' willingness, and was distracted by other regional strategies.
- He now sees the conflict as potentially internationalized and much more consequential if it lasts beyond a few weeks.