Episode Description

In this solo episode, Ben dives deep into Salman Khan's groundbreaking book "Brave New Words," exploring how artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize education as we know it. From the fundamental flaws in our current education system to the transformative potential of AI tutors, this episode unpacks why the next decade could be the most consequential in human history for learning and human development.

Book: "Brave New Words" by Salman Khan (May 2024)

Platform: Khan Academy and Khanmigo AI tutor

Research: Benjamin Bloom's 1984 study on personalized tutoring

Previous Episode: Interview with Dr. David Ruth on AI in education

Notable Quotes

"We're moving from passive consumption of information to active dialogue with the knowledge itself."

"AI doesn't take your job. AI enables you to do any job."

"This moment can be an existential risk or an existential opportunity for all of us."

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Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.

Dr. David Ruth, Dean of STEM at the University of Austin, joins the podcast to detail UATX's mission to rebuild higher education around the fearless pursuit of truth.

We explore their first-principles approach to curriculum (integrating "Homer and Python"), their controversial merit-based admissions, and why they believe traditional universities are failing. Dr. Ruth's commitment to open inquiry and empirical rigor offers a compelling vision for the future of universities.

Highly recommend checking out the University of Austin: https://www.uaustin.org

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Timestamps:

(00:00:00) - Intro / Dr. Ruth's Journey

(00:03:10) - Why Start UATX? (00:07:25) - What Universities Get Right

(00:12:30) - College vs. Working Right Away

(00:19:08) - UATX STEM Vision / Homer & Python

(00:24:07) - Building the STEM Program

(00:33:51) - Ideology vs. Empiricism in Science

(00:43:44) - Merit-Based Admissions

(00:50:31) - Student Qualities (Curiosity & Humility)

(00:56:05) - UATX Value & Network

Danielle Strachman joins the podcast to break down the flaws in traditional education pathways and explore how alternative approaches can unleash potential, particularly for young founders.

Danielle is Co-founder & General Partner at 1517 Fund, a venture capital firm backing young founders often working outside traditional institutions. She previously helped build and run the Thiel Fellowship alongside Peter Thiel and has deep roots in alternative education philosophies inspired by Maria Montessori, homeschooling, and student-led learning.

I felt Danielle was speaking directly to my own experiences wrestling with the traditional path. This conversation was a powerful reminder about making conscious choices, rejecting limiting labels, and the importance of finding work aligned with your core motivations – that "fire in the belly" she talks about.

Find out more:

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Mentioned: The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori

My conversation with Jason Zhao, co-founder of Story Protocol.

Jason breaks down the $61 trillion intellectual property market, explains how creators can better monetize their work, and shares a vision for making IP licensing as seamless as an API call.

We explore the balance between incentivizing creation and enabling access, why AI training data should include compensation for creators, and how the future might revolutionize digital ownership.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Defining intellectual property and its $61 trillion market

00:04:33 - Is IP necessary? Historical origins and balancing incentives

00:09:18 - Where's the line between ideas and protectable IP?

00:11:11 - The Studio Ghibli AI controversy and style protection

00:12:05 - How licensing fees might impact virality and distribution

00:17:13 - Big names using Story Protocol (BTS, Blackpink, Sabrina Carpenter)

00:17:38 - How Aria works: bringing music IP on-chain with revenue and control rights

00:21:31 - Future of digital creators: more lucrative than Hollywood?

00:24:17 - How Mr. Beast could leverage Story Protocol for monetization

00:27:20 - AI training data and Jason's background at DeepMind

00:29:10 - Story Protocol's biggest challenges: the cold start problem

00:31:46 - Will licensing become a primary monetization vehicle for creators?

00:35:45 - Story Protocol in 10 years: the invisible infrastructure of creation

Check out Story Protocol here: https://www.story.foundation/

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Subscribe to my channel if you haven't yet.

My conversation with Augustus Doricko, founder of Rainmaker.

Augustus shares his thoughts on higher education, what makes a successful founder, and his ambitious vision to "green the Great American Desert."

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - College admissions issues and higher education

00:04:01 - Leaving college for better opportunities

00:05:10 - Upskilling and human capital concentration

00:05:48 - Fellowship experiences: Thiel Fellowship and Z Fellows

00:07:55 - Who should be a founder? Qualities needed

00:11:58 - Augustus's journey to water scarcity solutions

00:16:32 - Clarifying cloud seeding vs. other weather modification technologies

00:21:05 - History of cloud seeding technology

00:27:04 - American revival and re-industrialization

00:32:13 - Systemic issues pushing talent into finance over innovation

00:36:25 - Rainmaker's vision: from water utility to terraforming company

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Ashley Rindsberg is the author of "The Gray Lady Winked: How the New York Times's Misreporting, Distortions and Fabrications Radically Alter History". I

n this episode he discusses how The New York Times has repeatedly misrepresented major historical events and why this matters.

Timestamps:

00:00:20 - The discovery of The New York Times repeating Nazi propaganda in 1939

00:07:32 - Responding to criticism of judging historical reporting in retrospect

00:12:22 - The Sulzberger family's relative obscurity compared to other media owners

00:15:43 - Personal consequences faced for criticizing The New York Times

00:19:01 - Self-publishing models versus traditional media incentives

00:24:58 - Wikipedia's "invisible power structure" and information control

00:31:48 - The debate about pseudonymous figures versus real identities online

00:35:34 - Jeff Bezos's statement about The Washington Post's direction

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Humans don't just want answers—they crave experiences.

Henry Modisett, the design mind behind Perplexity, explores how beautiful, intuitive software emerges from simplicity, restraint, and genuine understanding of user needs.

Why does great design demand saying 'no' more often than 'yes'? How can branding authentically represent what users already feel? Henry reveals how Perplexity leverages thoughtful AI integration and creative aesthetics, like Midjourney-inspired visuals, to craft products users truly love.

Discover why the future of AI-driven products hinges on design clarity and meaningful interactions.

Timestamps:

(0:00) - The Beauty of Software Design

(2:20) - Branding and User Experience

(5:34) - Philosophy of AI in Product Design

(8:19) - Navigating User Experience and Model Selection

(11:05) - The Evolution of Design Practices

(16:05) - Vibe Coding and Its Impact on Design

(20:01) - The Demand for Quality Design

(24:38) - Positioning in the AI Landscape