About 18 minutes in (2x speed) and I already know I would run into battle for Jason. Such a genuine, passionate guy and a true gem in esports. He owns one of the only orgs that has me invested more in the org itself than purely the players. Wish him nothing but the best, what a legend!
Hearing Jason Lake getting emotional and sentimental over qualifying for the major and complexity being in the legends stage is so heartwarming. With all the snakes in the scene, it's great to hear and see someone real who actually cares and is rewarded for it. Thanks to both you Richard for conducting the interview and Jason for being willing to be so transparent and taking time to answer. Keep up the great work
As someone who works in corporate finance and has been watching esports since I was a damn child, the M&A talks are highly highly valued. Thank you for the conversation and open honesty Jason. And to Richard for hosting. How can I not root for Jason and his team's success after this? God speed, and if ever I can find myself in a position to step away from my skills in the tech world and help and provide my experience to an organization that has such an incredible and passionate leader, you bet your ass I'll look for an opportunity to work for someone like Jason. Wow.
I really love hearing Jason's take on how to run a business. After finishing my undergrad in Economics in 2021, it kinda blew my mind that more business people don't think like this. One of my professors said American Capitalism is defined by the 'desire to quit'. All of these businesses set their goal to basically sell off what they are doing and walk away with the bag. Gone are the days of making a business to actually accomplish something. It's so refreshing to hear a business leader thinking long term about sustainable cash flows and not just what looks good for a short term flashy metric to hit. That's the kind of leader I'd want to work under.
I think you used a key word in those final statements: Leader. The grifters in any business are as you said not there to lead but to get theirs and run away with it. Scam artists learned how to do it legally, and it'll all go to 0 one day as a result. People like Jason are going to be the ones to claw everything back out of that hole.
Its not even efficient short-term thinking. 90% of finance/economics in the corporate setting has become a grift to see if you can get away with shifting costs somewhere else. The amount of times ive seen decisions made to "cost-cut", when in reality its just shifting costs to another part of the balance sheet or another department or a third party is absurd. Running a business is hard. Running a business well is really hard. Running a grift? Not so much. Shout out NIP.
@@2639thebossHit the nail on the head here. Sustainable is the keyword that Jason used. It just blows my mind that more people don't realize that "the line" cannot go up forever.
Jason Lake is a legitimate national American treasure. I can’t get enough of his passion for cs. I will be a fan of Complexity for years to come. Still rocking a few of your stickers on some of my favorite skins. Keep pushing Jason. These trials help give legitimacy to the story of esports.
could listen to Jason ramble about acquisitions for hours, love the transparency and genuine love for esports also never expected he would be the one to make me look into the web3 games instead of dismissing it because the notion around crypto is just so negative. Hes definitely onto something with great potential, people just need to listen to people like Jason and not grifters
People argue about who the NA GOAT is, Elige, Twistzz, Stewie? All wrong answers of course, it's Jason Lake. EDIT: Massively looking forward to the Hello Kitty Adventure Island team in the coming years.
I haven't been much engaged in esports for the last two or so years due to the constant, depressing news of scammers, grifters and wankers drowning the scene. Hearing Jason again and seeing his passion for esports has somewhat reignited a spark in me and is a reminder how there are still good, genuine people in the space. I'll be watching the Major with the GOAT Richard co-hosting and supporting Complexity with a big smile. A great podcast with two legends.
What a banger, excellent episode. Well done, Richard. Fully respect the transparency and honesty from Jason. He is the real deal - true advocate for esports.
i got goosebumps during that convo about friday-monday after he re-bought the team. such a tough period to go through but those positive moments he touched on are truly priceless
This was awesome Rich, thank you. Reminiscing of coL in early 2000's in 1.6 is a nice feeling lol, it's cool people can know a little more about this org. Hats off to jlake, he is one of the greats. I wish them all the best in the major and moving forward into the future!
rare to get such insight into the mindset of the big industry player with this level of experience. this should be mandatory watching for anyone who wants to get into the business side of the scene
Complexity are my favourite team in NA purely because of Jason Lake’s passion and how much he cares for his team, you can tell everything he’s saying is genuine and isn’t corporate BS. I am a fan 😊
I watched this video as a distraction from studying for my CFA (chartered financial analyst) exam, so I really appreciated the merges and acquisitions talk - and that there's folks in business that both understand it and give a damn about their people. This dude is an inspiration.
Been a fan of Complexity since the 1.6 Frod, Sunman, Trip, Storm and Warden lineup and even moreso Jason Lake from all the old clips of his highly emotional moments standing behind his team so this was a pretty solid refresher of my respect for him
Thank you for being so genuine Jason I bought a jersey just to show support. It seems so hard to find people in the industry who care, but you do and that is special.
The only reason I've been wanting success for compLexity is because of Jason Lake,, usually you cheer for the players but coL is definitely Jason Lake. The man has been there since I started playing cs 1.6 like 20 years ago.. What a legend, all impression is he's just a good human being as well, all the best! Welcome addition back on the desk as well Rich!
At first I was only a fan of COL's Rocket League roster. I'm now a fan of their Apex and CS roster as well. And a reason why I became a fan of the org was because of Jason's passion. Amazing man.
Absolute love Jason Lake. Seems like such a passionate and stand up guy. Overall, it was a great interview and loved the insights. And to Jason, if you're reading this: the business side of things definitely was in boring, on the contrary, it was very interesting to hear about it.
Great interview! Jason Lake seems like a legit owner, as much as I like to follow players and then pick the team with the players I like, it gives me like extra 10% of affection when the owner is in it and runs everything smooth, this guy seems like the Mark Cuban of CS2.
loved this video. learning about complexity's story and jason's ideology with esports is really insightful. hopefully the winter ends and makes way for spring
Also I was extremely glad to see you Richard back at CS events. Can't think of a better fit hosting the the first truly big event for the new era of CS. You are a legend of your own.
Jason Lake is one of the main characters of eSports. He deserves hollywood budget level biopic when he leaves this industry behind, for everything he's done and likely will do
I think everyone dreams of the opportunity to work alongside someone like Jason who genuinely gives a fuck about what he's doing. Really easy to continue rooting for Complexity.
Be it Ence & Natu or Complexity & Jason, they're the reason I support both these teams. Don't stop sticking your neck out Jason, we recognise the passion and genuine effort to improve this space and your org by doing things the right way.
It's getting really hard to be down about esports with all these news. JL getting COL back, going to the major, RL back at the desk AND I am actually going to see the final, first time since 2019. Can't wait!
Jesus christ, I've always liked the COL boys since I use to run with some of their discord group for LoL when they use to have a challenger team when you could qualify for the LCS in early S3/4 but this interview made me a true fan of Jason Lake. Definitely going to be buying a sticker for em and I've never bought a CSGO skin before in my life dont even really fucking play the game.
If TL had to miss the major, I am glad it was to allow coL to make it. Complexity and Jason Lake represent what is good about esports. It is equally the reason I am a happy Liquid supporter despite some minor misgivings, they come across as such a caring org, especially unique for such a large company. Which only adds to the joy of coL because I still hold Grim and EliGE in the TL extended family and wish them well. Grim being one of those misgivings, I wish him such success.
Richard pumping out banger after banger, plus traumatizing all the Astralis fans by showing up to Copenhagen!
Hahaha couldn’t have written it a better way
King is back 🎉
Such a good comment 😂
Absolute Banger 🔥
RLEWIS BACK ON THE DESK!!!
I just read the news. Awesome :D :D
Gluck Gluck Gluck
About 18 minutes in (2x speed) and I already know I would run into battle for Jason. Such a genuine, passionate guy and a true gem in esports. He owns one of the only orgs that has me invested more in the org itself than purely the players. Wish him nothing but the best, what a legend!
He funded that whole team with his own money. Crazy passion, before many of us started following esports seriously.
Hearing Jason Lake getting emotional and sentimental over qualifying for the major and complexity being in the legends stage is so heartwarming. With all the snakes in the scene, it's great to hear and see someone real who actually cares and is rewarded for it. Thanks to both you Richard for conducting the interview and Jason for being willing to be so transparent and taking time to answer. Keep up the great work
As someone who works in corporate finance and has been watching esports since I was a damn child, the M&A talks are highly highly valued. Thank you for the conversation and open honesty Jason. And to Richard for hosting. How can I not root for Jason and his team's success after this? God speed, and if ever I can find myself in a position to step away from my skills in the tech world and help and provide my experience to an organization that has such an incredible and passionate leader, you bet your ass I'll look for an opportunity to work for someone like Jason. Wow.
I really love hearing Jason's take on how to run a business. After finishing my undergrad in Economics in 2021, it kinda blew my mind that more business people don't think like this.
One of my professors said American Capitalism is defined by the 'desire to quit'. All of these businesses set their goal to basically sell off what they are doing and walk away with the bag. Gone are the days of making a business to actually accomplish something.
It's so refreshing to hear a business leader thinking long term about sustainable cash flows and not just what looks good for a short term flashy metric to hit. That's the kind of leader I'd want to work under.
I think you used a key word in those final statements: Leader. The grifters in any business are as you said not there to lead but to get theirs and run away with it. Scam artists learned how to do it legally, and it'll all go to 0 one day as a result. People like Jason are going to be the ones to claw everything back out of that hole.
Its not even efficient short-term thinking. 90% of finance/economics in the corporate setting has become a grift to see if you can get away with shifting costs somewhere else.
The amount of times ive seen decisions made to "cost-cut", when in reality its just shifting costs to another part of the balance sheet or another department or a third party is absurd.
Running a business is hard. Running a business well is really hard. Running a grift? Not so much. Shout out NIP.
@@2639thebossHit the nail on the head here.
Sustainable is the keyword that Jason used. It just blows my mind that more people don't realize that "the line" cannot go up forever.
Jason Lake is a legitimate national American treasure. I can’t get enough of his passion for cs. I will be a fan of Complexity for years to come.
Still rocking a few of your stickers on some of my favorite skins. Keep pushing Jason. These trials help give legitimacy to the story of esports.
It was Mauisnake who put the note btw
could listen to Jason ramble about acquisitions for hours, love the transparency and genuine love for esports
also never expected he would be the one to make me look into the web3 games instead of dismissing it because the notion around crypto is just so negative. Hes definitely onto something with great potential, people just need to listen to people like Jason and not grifters
What a fantastic guest, you can tell how much passion Jason has for the scene just from the way he talks.
Jason is a class act, we need more people like him in the industry
Man, this made me incredibly happy to watch. Thank you both for caring about the things that matters guys.
Jason Lake an absolut legend. good to have u back
Jason is my hero. He was pretty much the very first to do it right in CS and is still around, which just goes to show he knows what he's doing
People argue about who the NA GOAT is, Elige, Twistzz, Stewie? All wrong answers of course, it's Jason Lake.
EDIT: Massively looking forward to the Hello Kitty Adventure Island team in the coming years.
nothing but love for jason lake, this man is esports and one of the very few real ones u meet at events.
I haven't been much engaged in esports for the last two or so years due to the constant, depressing news of scammers, grifters and wankers drowning the scene. Hearing Jason again and seeing his passion for esports has somewhat reignited a spark in me and is a reminder how there are still good, genuine people in the space. I'll be watching the Major with the GOAT Richard co-hosting and supporting Complexity with a big smile. A great podcast with two legends.
What a banger, excellent episode. Well done, Richard. Fully respect the transparency and honesty from Jason. He is the real deal - true advocate for esports.
i got goosebumps during that convo about friday-monday after he re-bought the team. such a tough period to go through but those positive moments he touched on are truly priceless
Jason Lake is one of the biggest legends of our scene. I don't think many people even release what a treasure he is for our beloved game.
Jason Lake is good for Counter-Strike. I'm glad he's back. Thanks for the great interview Richard.
This was awesome Rich, thank you. Reminiscing of coL in early 2000's in 1.6 is a nice feeling lol, it's cool people can know a little more about this org. Hats off to jlake, he is one of the greats. I wish them all the best in the major and moving forward into the future!
Great guest Jason is a real one.
rare to get such insight into the mindset of the big industry player with this level of experience. this should be mandatory watching for anyone who wants to get into the business side of the scene
Complexity are my favourite team in NA purely because of Jason Lake’s passion and how much he cares for his team, you can tell everything he’s saying is genuine and isn’t corporate BS. I am a fan 😊
I absolutely loved hearing Jason's personal side of the col aquisition
What a legend, I’m so happy for him
I watched this video as a distraction from studying for my CFA (chartered financial analyst) exam, so I really appreciated the merges and acquisitions talk - and that there's folks in business that both understand it and give a damn about their people. This dude is an inspiration.
Been a fan of Complexity since the 1.6 Frod, Sunman, Trip, Storm and Warden lineup and even moreso Jason Lake from all the old clips of his highly emotional moments standing behind his team so this was a pretty solid refresher of my respect for him
Thank you for being so genuine Jason I bought a jersey just to show support. It seems so hard to find people in the industry who care, but you do and that is special.
This guy is such a gem in our scene. Protect him at all costs!
The only reason I've been wanting success for compLexity is because of Jason Lake,, usually you cheer for the players but coL is definitely Jason Lake. The man has been there since I started playing cs 1.6 like 20 years ago.. What a legend, all impression is he's just a good human being as well, all the best! Welcome addition back on the desk as well Rich!
Jason’s passion is so genuine, love to see it
At first I was only a fan of COL's Rocket League roster. I'm now a fan of their Apex and CS roster as well. And a reason why I became a fan of the org was because of Jason's passion. Amazing man.
Great content as always. Any time we get to hear from Jason is a treat, guy just makes you want to run through brick walls for him
Absolute love Jason Lake. Seems like such a passionate and stand up guy. Overall, it was a great interview and loved the insights. And to Jason, if you're reading this: the business side of things definitely was in boring, on the contrary, it was very interesting to hear about it.
Good to see one of the real ones from the org side of things. Also... Jason AND Viktor? This is a great month.
Great interview! Jason Lake seems like a legit owner, as much as I like to follow players and then pick the team with the players I like, it gives me like extra 10% of affection when the owner is in it and runs everything smooth, this guy seems like the Mark Cuban of CS2.
Always excited to see Jason Lake on anything. Can't wait to hear about the direction of the complexity org
NA fans better be supporting CoL as much as they could. Dude went all in
Love this! Jason Lake is NA CS! Love Lake, happy to see him back owning col again👍🏻
Excited to hear Jason's thoughts, and delighted to see you at the major again!
Spent more than few nights hanging out with Jason in the early 10's. Great to see him still around and what a great dude.
God bless you Jason! Incredible passion like this is hard to come by
I've never been happier for an NA team to win than i was for this CoL win. Last real NA team clinching it at the most important time possible.
Cheering for complexity at the major now
This video made me a col fan❤
Time to buy some Complexity stickers folks
loved this video. learning about complexity's story and jason's ideology with esports is really insightful. hopefully the winter ends and makes way for spring
After just getting the Four Horsemen episode about Alex Garfield and now an interview with Jason Lake. Plus Rich back at another major, we are spoilt
the gold standard of journalism interviews the gold standard for org owners, hell yeah
Your content has been one of the few things that has been me feel anything lately, thanks for keeping me entertained for nearly 10 years now.
great interview as always and also excited to see you on the desk again
Mind blown at this episode. Amazing content
Also I was extremely glad to see you Richard back at CS events. Can't think of a better fit hosting the the first truly big event for the new era of CS. You are a legend of your own.
fantastic episode. thanks for the genuine honesty from both richard and jason.
Always a fan of Complexity as probably the only Rocket League and Rich enjoyer. Banger interview.
After listening to this I think I became a Complexity fan.
So happy to see you are going to be back on the desk Richard, now I'm super hyped for this major. Can't wait to see you there again!
Jason Lake is one of the main characters of eSports. He deserves hollywood budget level biopic when he leaves this industry behind, for everything he's done and likely will do
Straight fire, thank you Jason and Rich!
Jason Lake! What a legend
Saw you’re in the PGL talent pool. So fucking happy that made my day :)
What a legend
This guy's a legend.
You could make a documentary or movie about the re-acquisition of Complexity, culminating with the team making the major. I'd watch that
Jason is a legend. I use to be a team3d fan back in the day . But loved that col 3d rivalry!
watched compLexity: Redemption and Armageddon the other day. still holds up 20 years later. coL.1 forever!!!!!
Jason lake is what American Dream looks like. Hard and smart work and having trust in family and organization. He gets the same back too I guarantee.
Just remember to "Bring me the Pistol!"
I think everyone dreams of the opportunity to work alongside someone like Jason who genuinely gives a fuck about what he's doing. Really easy to continue rooting for Complexity.
Didn't know Richard would be in the desk this major. I'd say it's quite a treat to see him in the analysis segments. Almost like a third analyst.
Great perspective, thanks RL and Jason
yessss been waiting for this one, cheers rich
Jason is a true professional, setting the standards for this industry.
This is such a fresh of breath air, thank you for the interview Richard!
I am now a COL fan.
Jason lake W man , a great father and businessman
Jason lake is so real, he is the sole reason i like COL
Happy to see your back on the desk! Was pleasantly surprised when i pulled up liquipedia!!
Be it Ence & Natu or Complexity & Jason, they're the reason I support both these teams. Don't stop sticking your neck out Jason, we recognise the passion and genuine effort to improve this space and your org by doing things the right way.
Jason Lake is truly a goat of the scene
Great episode and very insightful.
good 2 show off the good apples we still have left, good vid brother
Glad to see Jason again!
Good show and will look forward to see what col becomes with Jason in the future. Also nice to have you at major! Back in the game :D
I love this, thank you Richard!!
People of the NA unite and support complexity ffs!
RICHARD LEWIS ON THE MOTHERFUCKING MAJOR LET'S GOOOOOOO
Great interview you two
It's getting really hard to be down about esports with all these news. JL getting COL back, going to the major, RL back at the desk AND I am actually going to see the final, first time since 2019. Can't wait!
Jesus christ, I've always liked the COL boys since I use to run with some of their discord group for LoL when they use to have a challenger team when you could qualify for the LCS in early S3/4 but this interview made me a true fan of Jason Lake. Definitely going to be buying a sticker for em and I've never bought a CSGO skin before in my life dont even really fucking play the game.
Looking forward to seeing you in Copenhagen!
Jason Lake - a real american hero!
If TL had to miss the major, I am glad it was to allow coL to make it. Complexity and Jason Lake represent what is good about esports.
It is equally the reason I am a happy Liquid supporter despite some minor misgivings, they come across as such a caring org, especially unique for such a large company.
Which only adds to the joy of coL because I still hold Grim and EliGE in the TL extended family and wish them well. Grim being one of those misgivings, I wish him such success.
The goat back at the major… just had feeling it was gonna happen 🎉🎉
Jason is a true G gotta cheer for Col going forward
nice to see richie lew is going to be back desk hosting, hopefully its the first of many :)
ABSOLUTE BANGOR episode as some german streamer might say.
Great and touching interview Richard