Muslim Founder
Muslim Founder
Podcast Description
Conversations with leaders who have built successful companies and organisations.
Our mission is to inspire Muslims to build things that empower the ummah.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers themes such as entrepreneurship, personal empowerment, and Islamic values with episodes exploring topics like the transition from traditional careers to entrepreneurship, social media's role in business, and building a community that supports Muslim entrepreneurs.
Conversations with leaders who have built successful companies and organisations.
Our mission is to inspire Muslims to build things that empower the ummah.
Yousef ”FaZe Apex” is a Palestinian-American YouTuber and entrepreneur and co-founder of FaZe Clan, one of the biggest gaming and entertainment brands in history.
He joined at 14, grew his channel to over 6 million subscribers, and over 15 years helped build it into a cultural phenomenon that peaked at a $2 billion valuation.
After the company collapsed, he walked away. Throughout his career, he kept his Muslim identity hidden – praying behind locked doors, never revealing his real name to his audience.
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Follow Yousef:
https://www.youtube.com/@apex
https://www.instagram.com/apex
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0:00 Introduction
1:07 Growing up Palestinian-American in Orange County
4:29 Visiting Palestine for the first time at 21
7:27 The story of his cousin who was killed
10:54 Studying Arabic and enrolling in Islamic studies
14:56 How 14-year-old Yousef discovered YouTube and gaming
16:58 Joining FaZe Clan
19:57 First $200 from YouTube
20:45 Why he hid his Muslim identity online
22:11 Getting hacked and swatted at his family home
24:03 Moving to New York at 18 and holding onto his faith
28:28 The moment a friend stopped him from smoking weed
30:10 FaZe Clan's explosive growth and business evolution
36:29 Learning business through experience vs education
39:49 The IPO, $2 billion peak, and the crash
44:55 Watching FaZe collapse and accepting Allah's decree
48:40 Why he deleted 1,200 YouTube videos after reading a Quran ayah
54:07 Advice to young Muslim creators on content
59:25 Khabib's influence and going public about being Muslim
1:04:29 Guilt over Palestine and trying to do enough
1:07:06 Building a new startup after FaZe
1:11:42 Why he paused content creation to focus on building
1:15:36 Applying to YC and learning the startup world
1:17:14 What legacy means to him
1:20:50 Stories of Abu Bakr and Omar that shaped his worldview
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Muslim Founder Socials:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohaibash/
https://www.instagram.com/muslimfounderpodcast/
https://twitter.com/sohaibashraf97/
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