Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist

Ep 124: The Fearless Adversary of Venezuela's Dictators - A Special Interview with Maria Corina Machado

Ep 123: The New Space Age with Palantir Alum & Apex Space CEO Ian Cinnamon

Ep 122: The AI Services Revolution with Shreyas Parab & Anton Lin of DayDream

Ep 121: Reid Hoffman on AI Optimism & How the Democratic Party Alienated Silicon Valley

Ep 120: OMB Director Russ Vought on the Big Beautiful Bill, Making DOGE Permanent & the Looming Battle over Impoundment

Ep 119: Former Waymo Leader Boris Sofman on Autonomous Construction & Bringing AI into the Physical World

Ep 118: Marc Andreessen on AI, Robotics & America's Industrial Renaissance

Ep 117: Dave Rubin on the Woke Right, Free Speech vs Conspiracy Theories & His New Tequila Company

Ep 116: California — the Next Revolution? A Conversation with Steve Hilton

Ep 115: Scott Wu, Devin, and a Trillion-Dollar Opportunity

In this episode of American Optimist, Joe Lonsdale interviews Scott Wu, CEO and founder of Cognition AI, about his journey from competitive programming champion to leading one of the fastest-growing AI companies. They discuss the viral success of Devin, Cognition AI's AI software engineer, and its potential to revoluti...

Ep 114: Flying Cars Are About to Change the World — Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt

Ep 113: Why Sam Lessin Believes AI Isn't Disruptive & Venture Capital Is Fundamentally Changing

Ep 112: Peter Thiel on DOGE, Tariffs, Building Generational Companies & the Future of Civilization

This episode explores the state of broken institutions in American society and potential avenues for positive change. The conversation begins with a discussion of Elon Musk's Boring Company and the inefficiency of current tunnel-building practices, highlighting the vast potential for innovation in infrastructure. Aga...

Episode 111: Sen. Tom Cotton on DOGE, TikTok, and "Seven Things You Can't Say About China"

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

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

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

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

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

Ep 105: What Can Aristotle Teach Us About AI? Training "Philosopher Builders" with Brendan McCord of the Cosmos Institute