
#248 – Norman Naimark: Genocide, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and Absolute Power
Norman Naimark is a historian at Stanford, specializing in the history of genocide. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Coinbase: https://coinbase.com/lex to get $5 in free Bitcoin - Quip: https://getquip.com/lex to get first refill free - Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings - NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour - ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free EPISODE LINKS: Norman's Website: https://history.stanford.edu/people/norman-naimark Stalin's Genocides (book): https://amzn.to/3oO0Hzb Stalin and the Fate of Europe (book): https://amzn.to/3pLbWrk Books & resources mentioned: The Origins of Totalitarianism (book): https://amzn.to/3oNDSvA Man's Search for Meaning (book): https://amzn.to/3pMzs7d Radio Majdanek (Research Paper): https://bit.ly/3GxPEAb PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (07:08) - Stalin and absolute power (21:05) - Dictators and genocide (45:31) - What is genocide (55:38) - Human nature and suffering (1:25:23) - Mao's Great Leap Forward (1:32:37) - North Korea (1:36:30) - Our role in fighting against atrocities (1:45:26) - China (1:49:35) - Hopes for the future and technology (2:04:28) - Advice for young people (2:07:15) - Love and tragedy
13 Dec 20212h 25min

#247 – Jamie Metzl: Lab Leak Theory
Jamie Metzl is an author specializing in topics of genetic engineering, biotechnology, and geopolitics. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Mizzen+Main: https://mizzenandmain.com and use code LEX to get $35 off - NI: https://www.ni.com/perspectives - GiveDirectly: https://givedirectly.org/lex to get gift matched up to $300 - Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit - Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium EPISODE LINKS: Jamie's Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamieMetzl Jamie's Website: https://jamiemetzl.com/ Jamie's lab leak blog post: https://jamiemetzl.com/origins-of-sars-cov-2/ Hacking Darwin (book): https://amzn.to/3lLqLsM PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (07:44) - Lab leak (1:06:18) - Gain-of-function research (1:15:49) - Anthony Fauci (1:25:31) - Francis Collins (1:30:13) - Joe Rogan, Brett Weinstein, and Sam Harris (2:00:10) - Xi Jinping (2:14:41) - Patient Zero (2:27:55) - WHO (2:51:45) - Government transparency (3:13:45) - Likelihood of a cover-up (3:15:34) - Future of reproduction (3:51:12) - Jon Stewart (3:56:31) - Joe Rogan and Sanjay Gupta (4:21:36) - Ultramarathons (4:31:38) - Chocolate (4:39:51) - One Shared World (4:54:54) - Hope for the future
8 Dec 20215h 1min

#246 – Peter Woit: Theories of Everything and Why String Theory is Not Even Wrong
Peter Woit is a theoretical physicist, mathematician, critic of string theory, and author of the popular science blog Not Even Wrong. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - The Prisoner Wine Company: https://theprisonerwine.com/lex to get 20% off & free shipping - Linode: https://linode.com/lex to get $100 free credit - Sunbasket: https://sunbasket.com/lex and use code LEX to get $35 off - BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off - SimpliSafe: https://simplisafe.com/lex and use code LEX to get a free security camera EPISODE LINKS: Peter's website: http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/ Peter's blog: https://bit.ly/3xCwm9F Not Even Wrong (book): https://amzn.to/3peDzZs Quantum Theory, Groups, and Representations (book): https://amzn.to/316iAjf Love and Math (book): https://amzn.to/3If7B8m The Second Creation (book): https://amzn.to/3rlWzIu PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (07:22) - Physics vs mathematics (21:51) - Beauty of mathematics (43:42) - String theory (1:12:15) - Theory of everything (1:32:23) - Twistor theory and spinors (1:48:50) - Nobel Prize likelihood for theory of everything (1:52:36) - Simulating physics (1:56:07) - Sci-Fi, aliens and space (2:05:19) - Responsibility of scientists
3 Dec 20212h 23min

#245 – Tom Brands: Iowa Wrestling
Tom Brands is an Olympic and World Champion in freestyle wrestling and the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - FightCamp: https://joinfightcamp.com/lex to get free shipping - InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex and use code Lex25 to get 25% off - ROKA: https://roka.com/ and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order - Theragun: https://therabody.com/lex to get 30 day trial - GiveWell: https://www.givewell.org/ and use code LEX to get donation matched up to $1k EPISODE LINKS: Tom's Twitter: https://twitter.com/tombrandshawk Hawkeyes' Website: https://hawkeyesports.com/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (10:08) - Motivation (24:08) - Mental toughness (28:36) - Weight cutting (30:24) - Olympic dreams (35:20) - 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta (38:24) - Brother (43:36) - Champion mindset (49:36) - Beyond limits (54:37) - Faith (56:06) - Family (1:00:11) - Brands vs Brands
30 Nov 20211h 3min

#244 – Robert Crews: Afghanistan, Taliban, Bin Laden, and War in the Middle East
Robert Crews is a historian at Stanford, specializing in Afghanistan, Russia, Islam, Central Asia, and South Asia. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - MUD\WTR: https://mudwtr.com/lex and use code LEX to get 5% off - Ten Thousand: https://www.tenthousand.cc/ and use code LEX to get 15% off - Four Sigmatic: https://foursigmatic.com/lex and use code LexPod to get up to 60% off - Magic Spoon: https://magicspoon.com/lex and use code LEX to get $5 off - Onnit: https://lexfridman.com/onnit to get up to 10% off EPISODE LINKS: Robert's Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertCrews22 Robert's Stanford page: https://profiles.stanford.edu/robert-crews Afghan Modern (book): https://amzn.to/3nYL5rX PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (06:42) - U.S. invasion of Afghanistan (21:30) - September 11 (39:05) - Bin Laden (1:14:35) - Withdrawal of U.S. troops (2:06:47) - War (2:18:01) - Leadership (2:34:11) - Afghan people (2:43:40) - Rumi
28 Nov 20212h 49min

#243 – Kevin Systrom: Instagram
Kevin Systrom is the co-founder and former CEO of Instagram. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Theragun: https://therabody.com/lex to get 30 day trial - NI: https://www.ni.com/perspectives - GiveWell: https://www.givewell.org/ and use code LEX to get donation matched up to $1k - Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium - Fundrise: https://fundrise.com/lex EPISODE LINKS: Kevin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevin/ Kevin's Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevin Kevin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinsystrom PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (08:26) - Origin of Instagram (50:33) - New social networks (1:09:38) - Selling Instagram to Facebook (1:32:40) - Features (1:36:47) - Facebook (2:13:28) - Whistleblower (2:24:47) - Machine learning (2:34:45) - Advice for startups (2:40:37) - Money (2:46:37) - Love (2:48:54) - Meaning of life
23 Nov 20212h 52min

#242 – Ben Askren: Wrestling and MMA
Ben Askren is a wrestler and MMA fighter, former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champion, a two-time NCAA wrestling champion and four-time finalist. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Notion: https://notion.com/startups to get up to $1000 off team plan - NI: https://www.ni.com/perspectives - Onnit: https://lexfridman.com/onnit to get up to 10% off - Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings - NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour EPISODE LINKS: Ben's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Benaskren Ben's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benaskren/ Ben's Website: https://www.benaskren.com/ Ben's Wrestling Academy: https://awawisconsin.com/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (06:59) - Woodley vs Jake Paul boxing match (10:48) - Askren vs Jake Paul boxing match (13:23) - Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake (24:37) - Askren vs Burroughs charity match (29:21) - Champion mentality and handling losses (43:40) - Future interest in competition (53:09) - Askren's early career (1:03:58) - Robots wrestling (1:18:39) - Olympics (1:24:46) - Dagestan wrestling (1:30:51) - Askren Wrestling Academy (1:46:32) - Khabib Nurmagomedov (1:53:08) - 2020 Olympics (1:54:49) - Wrestling dominance in MMA
20 Nov 20212h 21min

#241 – Boris Sofman: Waymo, Cozmo, Self-Driving Cars, and the Future of Robotics
Boris Sofman is the Senior Director Of Engineering and Head of Trucking at Waymo, formerly the Google Self-Driving Car project. He was also the CEO and co-founder of Anki, a home robotics company. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - LMNT: https://drinkLMNT.com/lex to get free sample pack - Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil - ROKA: https://roka.com/ and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order - Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit - BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off EPISODE LINKS: Boris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/bsofman Boris's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsofman Waymo's Twitter: https://twitter.com/waymo Waymo's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/waymo Waymo's Website: https://waymo.com/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: - Check out the sponsors above, it's the best way to support this podcast - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here's the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) - Introduction (07:32) - Robots in science fiction (13:13) - Cozmo (38:28) - AI companions (45:23) - Anki (1:10:56) - Waymo Via (1:42:34) - Sensor suites for long haul trucking (1:52:30) - Machine learning (2:10:26) - Waymo vs Tesla (2:21:02) - Safety and risk management (2:30:06) - Societal effects of automation (2:41:11) - Amazon Astro (2:45:35) - Challenges of the robotics industry (2:50:03) - Humanoid robotics (2:57:06) - Advice for getting a PhD in robotics (3:04:37) - Advice for robotics startups (3:15:43) - Advice for students
16 Nov 20213h 20min