Exploding Kittens: Elan Lee. How cat-themed Russian Roulette changed game night forever

In this episode of How I Built This, Guy Raz interviews Elan Lee, the co-founder of Exploding Kittens, about the origins and growth of his game company. Lee recounts his early interest in taking things apart, his work at Industrial Light & Magic and Microsoft, and how a trip to Hawaii led to the creation of the Exploding Kittens card game with Matt Inman of The Oatmeal. The discussion covers the game's unexpected success on Kickstarter, the challenges of scaling production, marketing strategies, and the decision to expand into new games and entertainment formats, including a Netflix show, while maintaining a focus on face-to-face interaction and community building. The episode also features a segment on Stemple Creek Ranch, a family-owned business that adapted to the pandemic by selling beef directly to customers.