Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist

• Ep 110: Dr. Mike Israetel on Miracle Drugs, the Aesthetic Revolution, Living to 200 & New Frontiers in AI-Powered Medicine

  Dr. Mike Israetel is one of the most influential voices in health and fitness. What are the "miracle drugs" he thinks will upend modern medicine? Why is he outspoken on AI and the coming "aesthetic revolution"? And what does he think of Bryan Johnson and living to 200? We discuss some of the most interesting developments in health science with Dr. Mike, co-founder of Renaissance Periodization, his health and strength lab for training athletes and professionals, while sharing his insights with millions online. He earned a PhD in Sport Physiology from East Tennessee State University and later taught at Lehman College, Temple University, and the University of Central Missouri. He also pushes his own body to the limits as a competitive bodybuilder and professional Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grappler. How did Dr. Mike become a leading authority on strength training? By following the science, he says, and debunking common myths and faulty logic. Learn about the most common misconceptions and why he believes nearly all of health and fitness boils down to a few fundamental principles. Next, Dr. Mike outlines the science behind everyday issues — sleep, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, testosterone — before diving deep into GLP-1s, steroids vs peptides, cutting-edge drug discovery, and why living to 200 is not as far-fetched as we think. Finally, he explains his journey into AI and philosophy, and why he believes the coming aesthetic revolution will transform the world for the better starting in the 2030s. Check out Dr. Mike's newest nutritional product, Genius Shot, here. 0:00 Episode Intro 01:32 Debunking fitness myths 04:23 Health Science that will change your life 07:44 Health Impacts: Alcohol, Sleep, Caffeine, and Nicotine 14:44 Testosterone Decline 16:41 Why Dr. Mike Is Obsessed with AI 21:00 AI Misuse, Threats, and Capabilities 24:27 Aesthetic Revolution, Modern Drugs, and Anti-Aging Technologies 32:48 Bryan Johnson and Longevity 37:28 Biggest Potential for Fitness & Nutrition Startups 41:10 Cybernetics, Prosthetics, and the Future of Human Enhancement This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

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• Ep 109: Anson Frericks on the Rise & Fall of Budweiser; Milton Friedman vs Klaus Schwab; and How to Save Corporate America

  Budweiser was the undisputed king of American beers, until one controversial ad campaign erased $40 billion in market cap and thousands of jobs. How did this happen? Where did top-down frameworks like ESG and DEI originate? And how can we get corporate America back on mission?This week we're joined by Anson Frericks, a former president at Anheuser-Busch and author of the new book: “Last Call for Bud Light: The Fall and Future of America’s Favorite Beer." He recently founded Athletic Capital and co-founded Strive Asset Management with Vivek Ramaswamy.After graduating from Yale and Harvard Business School, Anson quickly ascended the ranks at AB InBev, which acquired Anheuser-Busch in 2008. But he began to notice the beer brand straying from its all-American roots. The culture shifted dramatically after InBev moved sales and marketing from St. Louis to New York City, and Budweiser became emblematic of a decades-long battle over the purpose of a corporation dating back to Milton Friedman's shareholder primacy theory versus the World Economic Forum's embrace of stakeholder theory. Anson explains how the latter captured boardrooms across Europe, spread to America, and led to the proliferation of ESG and DEI within our largest financial institutions.He details how BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard wield their outsized influence to force stakeholder theory on corporate America, and explains why, shortly before Bud Light's historic collapse, he left to launch Strive Asset Management as an alternative asset manager focused solely on maximizing returns for shareholders. Anson provides an important case study in what went wrong on Wall Street and in boardrooms across the country, and more importantly, how we can get back on track.00:00 Episode Intro 1:57 The rise & fall of Bud Light 08:50 What is the purpose of a corporation? 10:48 Milton Friedman vs Klaus Schwab13:50 How BlackRock manipulates investors & companies 16:15 What went wrong at Bud Light 19:00 Costco doubling down on DEI 23:35 How to fight back 28:10 Why Anson left to start Strive 35:38 How to save corporate America This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

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• Ep 108: Tim Urban on Superintelligence, Mars, Fermi Paradox & How to Conquer a Society

  My friend Tim Urban is one of the most influential writers and public intellectuals of the past decade. In 2015, his predictions about the coming AI wave shaped how many builders thought about the future. What happens next in the AI revolution? What new possibilities is he excited about and what concerns him the most? And why, despite technological progress, has our culture and politics descended into tribalism? We explore these questions and more with the writer and illustrator of the popular "Wait But Why" blog and author of "What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies." Tim's unique illustrations translate complex, technical topics in ways that are accessible and insightful to everyone from the layperson to our country’s top innovators. After studying government at Harvard, Tim noticed a glaring hole in online discourse: content was everywhere, but quality was lacking. So he began to write in-depth about pressing intellectual questions and debates. What is the nature of intelligence? Why does Mars matter? What does the Fermi Paradox teach us about the universe? His research led him to viral success and carved out his reputation as one of the most forward-thinking writers online, followed by Elon Musk and millions more. After exploring these themes, he noticed a troubling trend: technology was progressing but our culture and politics were not. He then dedicated six years to writing "What's Our Problem?" and developed powerful frameworks for understanding human nature, political dysfunction, and how illiberal movements conquer institutions. And he doesn't just diagnose our collective ailments, but also offers an antidote for how we can all draw from the higher aspects of our mind to transcend tribalism and move society forward. Tim's writings have been instrumental in the country's "vibe shift" and restoring sanity and intelligence to our national discourse. 00:00 Episode Intro 01:35 From Harvard to blogging 04:57 Understanding the Fermi Paradox 09:46 How Tim predicted the AI revolution 13:30 Narrow vs general intelligence 17:30 Should we pause AI research? 26:00 What's Our Problem? 31:00 Higher-rung vs lower-rung thinking 34:20 America vs wrecking balls 41:50 How to conquer a society 51:20 Tim's $10k bet on Mars & optimism for the future This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

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• Ep 107: Off-Road Autonomy & Saving Soldiers' Lives with Overland AI CEO Byron Boots

  Self-driving is an immensely complex challenge; Tesla, Waymo, and others are locked in a years-long race. But equally challenging, and less known, is the race to develop off-road self-driving. How do you build systems that can navigate unmapped terrain, dodge boulders, and see behind trees — all at high speeds? And how can our military deploy this technology to enhance lethality and save soldiers' lives?We discuss these exciting breakthroughs with Byron Boots, Co-Founder & CEO of Overland AI — one of the most exciting new U.S. defense companies. Byron holds a PhD in machine learning from Carnegie Mellon and also teaches machine learning and robotics at the University of Washington.We begin with Byron's background as a philosopher-builder, and how he created the top ground autonomy research group in partnership with the Department of Defense. We dive into the engineering challenges of off-road self-driving, and Byron reveals what sets Overland apart from the competition. Next, we cover the strategic significance of Overland's work and how it will abstract humans from dangerous ground operations, like breaching, and transform warfare. If Overland is successful, thousands of autonomous vehicles, each with an elite operator controlling his own smart fleet, could replace the traditional ground campaigns of tanks, infantrymen, and heavy casualties — and that's something we can all be optimistic about.00:00 Episode Intro01:30 Byron’s Philosopher Builder Background05:32 DARPA challenge & Overland origin story08:15 On-road vs off-road self-driving13:08 How ground autonomy changes warfare18:59 Engineering challenges in off-road autonomy23:30 AI-enabled swarming & the future of warfare29:03 Building with the Pentagon32:37 Optimism for the future This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

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• Ep 106: Zac Bookman on Advice for DOGE & Building OpenGov into a $1.8 Billion GovTech Leader

  In 2012, Zac Bookman and I set out to bring efficiency and transparency to state and local governments using the best of Silicon Valley technology. Some said we were naive; others laughed when we tried to raise money from them. Over a decade later, OpenGov is a govtech leader, recently acquired by Cox Enterprises for $1.8 billion. And now, government efficiency, namely DOGE, is all the rage! What does it take to bring government out of the stone ages and into the cloud? And how can DOGE and the new administration seize upon this cultural and political sea change? We discuss this and more with OpenGov co-founder and CEO Zac Bookman. A litigator by training, Zac fought corruption as a Fulbright fellow in Mexico and as an advisor to General McMaster in Afghanistan. As we launched OpenGov, Zac was recruiting candidates on his cell phone from NATO HQ — reflective of his intense work ethic and leadership. We start with Zac's entrepreneurial journey and key lessons from Afghanistan, before diving into the make-or-break moments in building OpenGov. We also discuss his remarkable M&A track record and strategy of buying tiny govtech companies and helping them scale. Next, we explore Zac's advice for DOGE and how to effect meaningful and lasting change within government. Finally, Zac outlines how OpenGov is harnessing AI and the new possibilities for more functional and responsive governments around the country. 00:00 Episode intro 01:45 Zac's story 07:10 Fighting corruption in Afghanistan 11:30 The origins of OpenGov 19:35 Make-or-break moments 26:35 Understanding how local government works 28:10 Zac's unique M&A strategy 32:24 Advice for DOGE 37:35 Pivoting OpenGov to AI first 44:45 Biking across America & optimism This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.joelonsdale.com

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