Patrick Bet-David (born October 18, 1978) is an Iranian-American businessman and podcaster. He is the host of the PBD Podcast and Valuetainment, which cover topics such as current events, business, and pop culture, commonly featuring celebrity guests. In 2009, he founded PHP Agency, a multi-level marketing company selling life insurance and financial services.[1]
During his early adulthood, he lived a lifestyle which he has said was focused on partying before joining the United States Army. He claimed to have briefly worked as a bodyguard for a leading Los Angelescocaine dealer. This period, according to Bet-David, contributed to his worldview.[1][8]
Bet-David said that, after his time in the U.S. Army, he reconnected with a high school friend who re-introduced him to Christianity.[1][8]
Career
Early career
On September 10, 2001, Bet-David was hired as a financial advisor at the Glendale branch of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. He later went on to work at Transamerica for nearly eight years.[1]
Multi-level marketing agency
Bet-David founded PHP Agency in 2009, focusing on life insurance and financial services. The company, a multilevel marketing (MLM) organization, was acquired by Integrity, another MLM company, in 2022.[1][9]
Bet-David has faced criticism over his business practices, particularly regarding his insurance company, PHP. Prominent critics, including YouTuber Coffeezilla, have pointed to PHP as a prime example of an MLM scheme. In a three-hour interview with Bet-David, Coffeezilla showed filings according to which most of PHP's agents made virtually no money. Bet-David does not dispute this, but argues that other industries, such as real estate and insurance, also utilize MLM structures.[1] Coffeezilla (Stephen Findeisen) referred to PHP as “a failing business model that doesn’t work unless you’re at the tippity tippity top.”[1]
A 2019 article in The Daily Beast argued that PHP Agency’s business model is more reliant on recruitment fees than on selling insurance products, and much of the company's income appears to come from fees paid by the recruits themselves. Critics, such as Douglas Brooks, an attorney specializing in multilevel marketing lawsuits, described the model as similar to a lottery, where only a few people succeed while the majority lose money.[10]
Valuetainment
On November 9, 2012, Bet-David launched the Valuetainment channel on YouTube, which features commentary by Bet-David and interviews. A 2015 video titled *“The Life of an Entrepreneur in 90 Seconds”* went viral, significantly increasing his public profile.[1] The platform eventually grew into a larger media company, which hosts conventions featuring speakers including Dwayne Johnson and Nick Saban.[11][12][13]
Bet-David expressed skepticism about the 2020 U.S. presidential election results. In an interview with *The Spectator*, he cited the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story on Twitter as evidence of election interference, framing his view as "Rigged Lite," similar to Tucker Carlson's position.[1]
In a July 2024 interview on *Fox News*, Bet-David advised Donald Trump to return to 2016-style messaging, stating: "Trump needs to go back to 2016 speeches, sell me on the concept of the American Dream."[15]
Criticism
Media Matters and MIT Technology Review have both criticized Bet-David and his platform for promoting conspiracy theories and failing to challenge controversial guests. According to Media Matters, his podcast has been a "safe space" for far-right figures to promote bigotry, including white nationalist rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theories.[16][17]
Progressive commentator Sam Seder remarked, “He and his crew have a pretty superficial understanding of even the things they purport to believe, so it was pretty easy for me to twist them in knots.”[1]
An unnamed GOP insider told *The Spectator*: “The guy is clearly not intelligent, but the same scammy, shameless, unethical attributes that make someone a successful mortgage shyster are also great for the media industry.”[1]
Bet-David has also made controversial remarks about LGBTQ+ visibility in America, stating: “If you try to do LGBTQ with Muslim parents, good luck. See what happens. We have a day in America called the Gay Uncle Day. We have a coming out of a closet day. We have all these weird days.”[1]
Books
Bet-David, Patrick; Dinkin, Greg (August 18, 2020). Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy. Gallery Books. ISBN9781982154806.
Bet-David, Patrick; Dinkin, Greg (December 5, 2023). Choose Your Enemies Wisely: Business Planning for the Audacious Few. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN9780593712849.
Bet-David, Patrick (2024). The Academy. Permuted Press. ISBN9798888455609.
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