Cliff Weitzman23 February 2023

You're Not Lazy: How To Learn Anything Faster - Cliff Weitzman Founder of Speechify

6Frameworks

13Insights

Episode overview

Ali Abdaal interviews Speechify founder Cliff Weitzman about growing up with dyslexia, learning English through Harry Potter audiobooks, and building text-to-speech tools to make reading accessible. They examine how deliberate practice can increase listening speed and how books, podcasts, experts, and repeated exposure build an interconnected mental model. The conversation then turns to Cliff's unusually intentional approach to friendship, cold outreach, scheduling, gratitude, and creating value through generosity.

Key ideas

Dyslexia made decoding text slow and exhausting for Cliff, while simultaneous listening and highlighted text helped him develop sight reading.
Listening speed and comprehension can improve through gradual, deliberate practice, making otherwise unused time available for learning.
New information sticks more readily when it connects to an existing tree or mental model of knowledge, and concentrated reading builds that context.
Cliff learns new company functions by studying books, contacting leading practitioners, experimenting, and then recruiting stronger operators to lead them.
Short, specific cold messages grounded in genuine curiosity can create relationships with experts regardless of their fame or status.
Relationships become easier to sustain when plans are placed on the calendar early and low-friction contact, such as gratitude messages, becomes habitual.
Cliff frames Speechify as founder-product fit: he built the reading assistance he needed as a dyslexic child and uses it to help others with the same problem.
Both speakers argue that sharing useful work before it feels perfect can create compounding value and unexpected relationships.

Transcript available · source text is retained privately and is not published

Frameworks in this episode

Influence6 steps

Cold Outreach Friendship Method

Build a global network with three-line messages and shameless follow-up

Read →

Self-Mastery5 steps

Comfort-Muscle Building

Kill social fear by deliberately practising small acts of boldness

Read →

Productivity6 steps

Dynamic Calendar Control

Own your calendar, book relationships weeks ahead, and stay free to move

Read →

Peak Performance6 steps

Learning Through Listening

Turn dead time into deep learning by training your ears to read at speed

Read →

Self-Mastery6 steps

Master Any Field Playbook

Read 100 books, befriend the top 100 practitioners, then rewrite the playbook

Read →

Mindset5 steps

Tree of Knowledge

New information only sticks where you already have branches to catch it

Read →

People & resources mentioned

Attributed to the moment in the episode. Timestamps are approximate.

People · 19

Cliff WeitzmanMentionsHe is the founder and CEO of Speechify, which is an app that helps basically convert the internet into audiobooks.
“What you're about to hear is an interview between me and Cliff Weitzman, who is a friend of mine.”
▶ Watch at ~0:00approx.
Ali AbdaalMentionsthe ongoing podcast where every week I get the chance to sit down with inspiring authors, entrepreneurs, creators, and other inspiring people.
“Cliff, thank you so much for being on the podcast.”
▶ Watch at ~2:00approx.
Jim DaleMentionsthis incredible Shakespearean actor named Jim Dale does all the Harry Potter narration.
“this incredible Shakespearean actor named Jim Dale does all the Harry Potter narration.”
▶ Watch at ~12:00approx.
Tyler WeitzmanMentionsHe now leads the AI team at Speechify.
“My younger brother, Tyler, is 18 months younger than me.”
▶ Watch at ~14:30approx.
Friedrich NietzscheMentionsmentioned
“I'd have like philosophy classes with super dense material from like Aristotle or Nietzsche or whatever”
▶ Watch at ~17:30approx.
AristotleMentionsI think Aristotle used to use um emonic happiness
“I'd have like philosophy classes with super dense material from like Aristotle or Nietzsche or whatever”
▶ Watch at ~17:30approx.
Dale CarnegieCoinedmentioned
“I listened to How to Win Friends about once a year by Dale Carnegie cuz I just think it's a great book.”
▶ Watch at ~25:00approx.
Ben WilsonCoinedmentioned
“my favorite is How to Take Over the World by Ben Wilson.”
▶ Watch at ~36:30approx.
Barack ObamaMentionsmentioned
“I listen to the book Obama wrote before he became president, that book is 8 hours long.”
▶ Watch at ~38:00approx.
Morgan HouselMentionsmentioned
“if Tim Ferriss is interviewing Morgan Housel about the psychology of money”
▶ Watch at ~39:00approx.
Tim FerrissMentionsramit sethi or tim ferriss guy kawasaki a lot of these guys i just helped promote them and connect with them really early on
“if Tim Ferriss is interviewing Morgan Housel about the psychology of money”
▶ Watch at ~39:00approx.
Cal NewportMentionskind of like C newort around you know technology and addiction
“when Cal Newport is interviewing Tim Ferriss about something, I'm very familiar with both of their work.”
▶ Watch at ~39:30approx.
Joe RoganMentionsmentioned
“you can see every time that Joe Rogan or Tim Ferriss or Cal Newport or you talked about, you know, whatever nootropic”
▶ Watch at ~42:00approx.
Orlando BloomUsesmentioned
“I'm going to go meet like Orlando Bloom in LA cuz he's a big user of Speechify.”
▶ Watch at ~52:00approx.
Isaac NewtonMentionsmentioned
“every 13-year-old already gets to read everything that Newton ever wrote about geometry.”
▶ Watch at ~54:00approx.
Don KatzCoinedDon Katz who is the founder of Audible.
“Don Katz who is the founder of Audible.”
▶ Watch at ~57:30approx.
Austin KleonCoinedmentioned
“it was Austin Kleon's book Show Your Work which told me which gave me the model”
▶ Watch at ~1:13:30approx.
Matt MocharyMentionsI had a CEO coach, Matt McCherry, for the first 2 years of working at Speechify.
“I had a CEO coach, Matt McCherry, for the first 2 years of working at Speechify.”
▶ Watch at ~1:22:00approx.
J. K. RowlingMentionsmentioned
“I was messaging with J.K. Rowling's team cuz I'm trying to get Harry Potter on Speechify as an audiobook.”
▶ Watch at ~1:29:30approx.

Resources · 28

SpeechifyCoinedsoftware · Cliff Weitzman and Tyler Weitzman
“ended up building Speechify as a way of helping himself get through school and college and university.”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
Harry PotterUsesbook · J. K. Rowling
“every night I'd fall asleep listening to my dad reading Harry Potter.”
▶ Watch at ~3:30approx.
Sons of ProvidenceUsesbook
“we had this book called Sons of Providence and I spent all summer trying to read it.”
▶ Watch at ~6:00approx.
Brown UniversityUsesplace
“I studied renewable energy engineering. So, it's a mix of physics, engineering, computer science. Yeah. Brown is a very interesting spot”
▶ Watch at ~12:30approx.
Rhode Island School of DesignUsesplace
“I took a lot of industrial design and graphic design courses at RISD.”
▶ Watch at ~13:00approx.
Black SMSCoinedsoftware · Tyler Weitzman
“one was ranked in the top 10 social networking category of the App Store called Black SMS”
▶ Watch at ~15:00approx.
Startup Weekend ProvidenceMentionsevent
“one was by this place called Startup Weekend Providence.”
▶ Watch at ~16:00approx.
UdemyUseswebsite
“I just took a bunch of courses on Udemy on how to build iPhone apps and how to build websites”
▶ Watch at ~16:00approx.
AudibleUsesproduct · Amazon
“I just had never discovered the speed function on Audible before this. And then I was a complete convert.”
▶ Watch at ~20:30approx.
The Wheel of TimeUsesbook · Robert Jordan
“I was getting through the Wheel of Time series and I was like okay this is getting really slow.”
▶ Watch at ~20:30approx.
BlinkMentionsbook · Malcolm Gladwell
“I think Malcolm Gladwell in one of his books I think it's Blink”
▶ Watch at ~21:00approx.
HamiltonRecommendsother · Lin-Manuel Miranda
“my favorite piece of art ever is Hamilton the musical. I'm obsessed.”
▶ Watch at ~22:30approx.
Gone with the WindMentionsfilm
“it used to be that the number one movie in the world was Gone with the Wind.”
▶ Watch at ~23:30approx.
How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleRecommendsbook · Dale Carnegie
“I listened to How to Win Friends about once a year by Dale Carnegie cuz I just think it's a great book.”
▶ Watch at ~25:00approx.
The BombRecommendsbook
“there's this really good book called The Bomb which came out recently that charts the history of nuclear war from the 1960s onwards.”
▶ Watch at ~27:00approx.
HuelRecommendsproduct · Julian Hearn
“if you like the idea of getting these cheap and healthy and nutritionally complete meals in your diet, then head over to huel.com/deepdive.”
▶ Watch at ~30:30approx.
How to Take Over the WorldRecommendspodcast · Ben Wilson
“my favorite is How to Take Over the World by Ben Wilson.”
▶ Watch at ~36:30approx.
The Psychology of MoneyMentionsbook · Morgan Housel
“if Tim Ferriss is interviewing Morgan Housel about the psychology of money”
▶ Watch at ~39:00approx.
Apple NotesUsessoftware · Apple
“For note-taking, I take notes on all my Zoom calls on Apple Notes.”
▶ Watch at ~41:30approx.
The 4-Hour WorkweekUsesbook · Tim Ferriss
“right before that I'd read The 4-Hour Workweek for the first time and How to Win Friends.”
▶ Watch at ~48:30approx.
Speechify Principles essayCoinedother · Cliff Weitzman
“I distilled them down into the 28 principles that I believe the most other people don't believe. And you can find this on Medium.”
▶ Watch at ~56:00approx.
BrilliantRecommendswebsite
“it's the best app I've ever found for online courses in maths and science and computer science.”
▶ Watch at ~59:30approx.
Introduction to AlgorithmsRecommendscourse · Brilliant
“they've got a fantastic course, Introduction to Algorithms.”
▶ Watch at ~1:00:00approx.
WeWorkRecommendscompany
“if you're looking for a co-working space for you or your team, then I'd 100% recommend WeWork.”
▶ Watch at ~1:02:00approx.
Show Your Work!Recommendsbook · Austin Kleon
“it was Austin Kleon's book Show Your Work which told me which gave me the model”
▶ Watch at ~1:13:30approx.
Lime Connect FellowshipMentionsevent · Lime Connect
“One of the scholarships was for the Lime Fellowship.”
▶ Watch at ~1:16:30approx.
Humans of New YorkMentionswebsite
“there's a Instagram page, Facebook page called Humans of New York.”
▶ Watch at ~1:40:00approx.
SpeechifyRecommendssoftware · Cliff Weitzman and Tyler Weitzman
“check out Speechify, speechify.com or Speechify on any of the app stores.”
▶ Watch at ~1:42:30approx.

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Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Myth Buster· 3

Myth Buster07:00

Dyslexia is a decoding disability, not a reading one

Weitzman debunks the idea that dyslexia makes words flip or jump on the page. In reality it makes decoding phonemes as effortful as doing long division in your head, so reading a page is like doing twenty multiplications in a row. He ties it to brain 'mini columns' being longer and further apart, which weakens phonemic awareness and short-term memory.

Words don't flip; the challenge is breaking a word into phonemes
Reading one sentence costs as much energy as a long-division problem
Dyslexics have longer, further-apart mini columns and weak phonemic awareness
It affects speed, energy, spelling and remembering names
Recognising a word by sight, like an emoji, is the workaround

“Reading a sentence takes me as much energy and brainpower as most people take to do a long division equation in their head.”
Cliff Weitzman · 07:00

“Dyslexia is not a reading disability. It's a decoding disability.”
Cliff Weitzman · 09:00

#dyslexia#neurodiversity#learning#brain

Myth Buster10:00

Why neurodiverse kids get wrongly labelled lazy

Weitzman explains that the number one word attached to dyslexic and ADHD kids is 'lazy'. Teachers think they're slow and parents think they don't care, when in fact they care intensely. His own father grew frustrated and asked why he wasn't paying attention, never suspecting a decoding disability.

Teachers read slowness as stupidity; parents read it as not caring
The child usually cares more, not less
The mislabel is common across dyslexia, ADHD and other neurodiversity
Weitzman was good at plays, art and acting but couldn't learn to read on schedule

“Your teacher thinks you're slow, your parents think you're lazy... your parents just think that you don't care. But, I really cared.”
Cliff Weitzman · 10:00

#dyslexia#adhd#parenting#neurodiversity

Myth Buster18:00

Does listening at 3x actually stick? He says 100%

Weitzman answers the common jab that fast listeners retain nothing. He claims near-total recall, memorising most of what he hears and all of it after three passes. The trick is reading and listening simultaneously so a dyslexic brain learns to sight-read words like emojis, raising retention while removing fatigue.

Claims ~100% comprehension, full memorisation after three listens
Reads and listens at once to reinforce recognition
Seeing a word hundreds of times plus hearing it enables sight-reading
Retention, comprehension and speed all rise together with no fatigue
Once fluent you can listen while walking, driving or cooking

“If I listen to things, I will have most of it memorized. If I listen to something three times, I'll have it memorized.”
Cliff Weitzman · 18:00

#comprehension#speed listening#retention#dyslexia

Hot Take· 3

Hot Take22:30

Listening fast isn't toxic hustle, your brain just adapted

Responding to critics who call speed-listening toxic productivity that betrays the artist's intent, Weitzman argues half his library is fantasy he consumes for love, not output. His brain has simply adapted to take in the same information faster, exactly as society has: reading-for-fun collapsed from 60% of teens to under 6%, and slow classics like Gone with the Wind would flop today.

Half his library is fantasy consumed purely for enjoyment
The brain adjusts to intake the same information faster
If you can follow fast TikToks or 2x podcasts, you already have the skill
Society's information appetite has risen; adapt and reap the rewards
Slow-paced classics would struggle to hold modern audiences

“My brain has just adjusted to intake the same amount of information but faster. That's it.”
Cliff Weitzman · 22:30

#productivity#hot take#attention#media

Hot Take42:30

Why he's skeptical of second-brain note apps

Weitzman keeps his mental model of the universe in his head, not an app, and Ali agrees that after three years of dabbling, no note tool ever created a link he wouldn't have made himself. The genuine utility is searchable transcripts and tagged recall years later, not machine-generated connections. Weitzman's real 'CRM' is memory hooks stored in his phone contacts.

Note apps rarely surface a connection you wouldn't make yourself
Real value is searchable, tagged transcripts you can retrieve later
Weitzman stores memory hooks in contacts, e.g. 'yellow hat, Gangnam Style'
He organises contacts by the date he met them to jog memory
Most of his knowledge is linked to the people who taught it to him

“I've never once had a situation where my computer has created a link that I would've created in my head.”
Ali Abdaal · 43:00

#note-taking#second brain#productivity#crm

Hot Take1:26:30

Treat the airline system like a subway system

Weitzman books flights the day of travel and treats air travel as casually as catching a train, letting him say yes to spontaneous trips. He once flew to Ukraine under martial law two days after a teammate tried to quit, kept him on the team, then hopped onward to Beijing and Turkey. Most meetings are movable, so he chases whatever gives him energy.

Books most flights the day of travel
Treats planes like a subway to enable spontaneity
Flew to Ukraine under martial law to retain a key teammate
Chains onward trips once already travelling
Nearly everything is movable if you communicate well

“I treat the airline system like it's a subway system. I book all my flights day of.”
Cliff Weitzman · 1:27:00

#travel#spontaneity#relationships#decisions

Explainer· 1

Explainer38:30

When to use books, podcasts, or audiobooks to learn

Ali and Weitzman map out which medium fits which job. Books give dense foundational context on a new topic; podcasts carry the newest, cutting-edge ideas because their lead time from discovery to publication is far shorter, and interviews spark connections a solo book can't. You need the book's groundwork before a podcast on the same topic makes sense.

Books are best for foundational, broad understanding of a new topic
Podcasts surface cutting-edge ideas faster than books can be published
Interviews spark new thoughts even on material you already know
A podcast on an unfamiliar topic is useless without the book's groundwork first
Podcast quality has risen sharply, some now teach more current material than books

“The lead time from something being discovered to appearing in a podcast is faster than the lead time for something being discovered to be published…”
Cliff Weitzman · 38:30

#books#podcasts#learning#media

Story· 2

Story03:30

How he learned English by listening to Harry Potter 22 times

Moving from Israel to the US at 13 speaking no English, Weitzman found the Harry Potter audiobooks and listened to them 22 times in a row, which is how he learned the language. He began at 0.75x because he couldn't follow faster, then practised his way up. His love of audiobooks started with cassette tapes of his deep-voiced father reading to him at night.

Arrived in the US at 13 with no English and severe dyslexia
Listened to the Harry Potter audiobooks 22 times to learn English
Started at 0.75x speed and gradually climbed
The habit began with his father recording bedtime readings on cassette
Now listens to roughly 100 audiobooks a year, and has for 16 years

“I listened to that thing 22 times in a row and that's how I learned English.”
Cliff Weitzman · 03:30

#audiobooks#language learning#harry potter#childhood

Story55:00

His three life goals: be your best, maximise love, create value

Weitzman names three top goals: becoming the best person he can be and raising kids greater than himself; maximising love, which he says grows the more you give like a flame lighting others; and creating as much value in the world as possible, which he frames as loving people you've never met. He points to Speechify reviews where 15% of users say they cried using the app.

Goal one: be his best self and raise kids greater than him
Goal two: maximise love, which multiplies the more you give it
Goal three: create value, which he sees as a function of love
15% of Speechify App Store reviews mention users crying at its impact
Uses a renewable-energy metaphor: love, like a jug that grows as you pour

“Love is magic. So maximize love in my life, whether it be with my friends, with my users, with my kids.”
Cliff Weitzman · 55:00

#values#love#purpose#meaning

Tool· 2

Tool1:18:30

He locks his own phone like a five-year-old's

To defend his attention, Weitzman set his phone's parental controls as if he were a child and deliberately does not know the passcode; his brother, girlfriend and team do. He gets two minutes each of Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok per day before they lock, and must ask someone to unlock them for a specific task.

Uses Apple parental controls / Focus mode to hard-limit apps
Doesn't know his own unlock code; trusted people do
Two minutes per social app per day, then locked
Must ask someone to unlock for a specific need
Has run this setup for about five years

“I set my phone as if I'm a five-year-old and parental controls and I do not know the code to open that parental control thing.”
Cliff Weitzman · 1:18:30

#focus#phone#social media#attention

Tool1:40:00

Skip small talk: bond over vulnerability or ambition

Weitzman gets to the meat of a person fast by bonding over either vulnerability or ambition. Sharing something you're willing to be vulnerable about, going 'low status', is powerfully attractive and pulls people toward you. He keeps a list of deep questions reverse-engineered from Humans of New York to skip small talk entirely.

Bond over vulnerability or over ambition
Going low-status by sharing a struggle is attractive, not weak
Reverse-engineer deep questions from Humans of New York posts
Ask things like 'What's your biggest struggle right now?' and 'Your top three goals?'
Doing this over hundreds of dinners built genuine fast connection

“You bond over ambition or you bond over vulnerability... If you're able to share something vulnerable, people gravitate towards you.”
Cliff Weitzman · 1:40:30

#relationships#vulnerability#conversation#connection

Takeaway· 2

Takeaway1:17:30

The gratitude-text habit that replaces doomscrolling

Instead of procrastinating on social media, Weitzman opens iMessage and sends specific gratitude notes to people he loves. It costs nothing, makes their day, and maintains connection even with people he rarely sees. He also texts people any positive thing said about them in conversation, on the spot.

When low-energy or procrastinating, send gratitude notes instead of scrolling
Be specific about what you're grateful for
It maintains relationships you'd otherwise let slide
Relay compliments to their subject immediately, it costs nothing
A positive default 'thumb action' compounds into good outcomes

“If I'm procrastinating... I'll just send gratitude notes to people that I love.”
Cliff Weitzman · 1:14:30

#gratitude#relationships#habits#phone

Takeaway1:22:30

Design your workflow around your zone of genius

Weitzman advises building your workflow so you spend time in your zone of genius and hand everything else to the team. He never forced inbox zero, which literally made him ill; instead he plays to a neurodiverse brain's strengths. When a high-pressure, live opportunity appears, his zone of genius, he clears the calendar and goes full force.

Design work around your strengths; delegate the rest
Inbox zero made him physically ill, so he abandoned it
Every person learns and works differently; copy no one's system wholesale
His zone of genius is live, high-pressure, real-time situations
He clears the calendar to go full-force when that work appears

“Design your workflow to allow you to work on the things that are your zone of genius. And have the team work on everything else.”
Cliff Weitzman · 1:22:30

#zone of genius#productivity#delegation#workflow

Key ideas

Frameworks in this episode

Cold Outreach Friendship Method

Comfort-Muscle Building

Dynamic Calendar Control

Learning Through Listening

Master Any Field Playbook

Tree of Knowledge

People & resources mentioned

People · 19

Resources · 28

Insights & moments

⚡Myth Buster· 3

Dyslexia is a decoding disability, not a reading one

Why neurodiverse kids get wrongly labelled lazy

Does listening at 3x actually stick? He says 100%

◆Hot Take· 3

Listening fast isn't toxic hustle, your brain just adapted

Why he's skeptical of second-brain note apps

Treat the airline system like a subway system

✶Explainer· 1

When to use books, podcasts, or audiobooks to learn

❝Story· 2

How he learned English by listening to Harry Potter 22 times

His three life goals: be your best, maximise love, create value

✦Tool· 2

He locks his own phone like a five-year-old's

Skip small talk: bond over vulnerability or ambition

▲Takeaway· 2

The gratitude-text habit that replaces doomscrolling

Design your workflow around your zone of genius

Myth Buster· 3

Hot Take· 3

Explainer· 1

Story· 2

Tool· 2

Takeaway· 2