# Patrick Bet-David

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, often featuring celebrity guests. In 2009, he founded PHP Agency, a multi-level marketing company selling life insurance and financial services. Bet-David's podcast frequently hosts political figures, such as Donald Trump.

## Early life

Patrick Bet-David was born in Tehran, Iran on October 18, 1978. He was born into a Christian family of Assyrian and Armenian descent. Bet-David and his parents left Iran as refugees during the Iran-Iraq War. In 1989, they spent time in a refugee camp in Erlangen, West Germany, before eventually immigrating to the United States and settling in Glendale, California.
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 Angeles cocaine dealer. This period, according to Bet-David, contributed to his worldview.
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.

## 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.

### Multi-level marketing agency

Bet-David founded PHP Agency in 2009, focusing on life insurance and financial services. The company, a multilevel marketing organization, was acquired by Integrity, another MLM company, in 2022.
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 a multilevel marketing (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.
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.

### Political podcasts and interviews

On November 9, 2012, Bet-David launched the Valuetainment channel on YouTube, which features commentary by Bet-David and interviews. It eventually grew into a larger media company, which hosts conventions featuring speakers including Dwayne Johnson and Nick Saban.
As Valuetainment grew, Bet-David ventured into political commentary, launching the PBD Podcast, which hosts debates and interviews on American politics and cultural issues. On the podcast, Bet-David has interviewed guests including retired U.S. Secret Service agent Clint Hill, Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran, Bishop Mari Emmanuel, Sammy Gravano, Stephen Baldwin, and Donald Trump. He has established himself as a staunch ally of Trump.
According to the MIT Technology Review in May of 2020, Valuetainment and Bet-David have promoted conspiracy theorists and failed to challenge their views on-air. According to Media Matters, Bet-David has provided a "safe space" for far-right figures. In an interview with white supremacist Thomas Rousseau, Bet-David walked through how people can apply to his group, Patriot Front.

## Books

* Bet-David, Patrick (2012). The Next Perfect Storm. Open Road Integrated Media, Incorporated. ISBN 9780615650975.
* Bet-David, Patrick (2012). Doing the Impossible: The 25 Laws for Doing the Impossible. Valuetainment Publishing. ISBN 9780997622300.
* Bet-David, Patrick; Ellsworth, Thomas N. (2016). The Life of an Entrepreneur in 90 Pages: There's An Amazing Story Behind Every Story. Valuetainment Publishing. ISBN 9780997441000.
* Bet-David, Patrick; Ellsworth, Thomas N. (2017). Drop Out and Get Schooled: The Case for Thinking Twice about College. 2B Consulting LLC. ISBN 9780997441024.
* Bet-David, Patrick; Dinkin, Greg (August 18, 2020). Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy. Gallery Books. ISBN 9781982154806.
* Bet-David, Patrick; Dinkin, Greg (December 5, 2023). Choose Your Enemies Wisely: Business Planning for the Audacious Few. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 9780593712849.
* Bet-David, Patrick (2024). The Academy. Permuted Press. ISBN 9798888455609.