46. The True Story of Athletic Greens (and the Real Estate Scam that Started it All)

If you’ve listened to just about any podcast in the last few years you’ve probably come across a green slurry macro-nutrient shake called AG1 (formerly Athletic Greens). The supplement shake has garnered endorsements from the most influential people in science communications—from Andrew Huberman and Peter Attia—and just about every health and wellness influencer open to an affiliate deal. AG1’s popularity stems from the simplicity of its marketing: claiming that one delicious powder-based smoothie can sort out all of your hidden nutrient deficiencies. For just three dollars a day you can start your morning right and thrive where you used to falter. Who wouldn’t want that? AG1 recently achieved a $1.2 billion valuation, but has experiences a bit of a backlash as experts and scientist have started to wonder if its claims of being the best formulated bio-available nutrient shake in the world really check out. The criticisms are fair and to some degree expected, with everyone from the Today Show to the New York Times (as well as a battalion of YouTube videos and blogs) digging into the company’s specific claims. But there is one story that they all missed. No one looked into the background of AG1’s founder. . .

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