The Builders
The Builders
Whose imagination do you want to live in? In this new series, bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson sits down with the most consequential names in AI and tech to understand the futures they're racing to build. Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, Fei-Fei Li, Dario and Daniela Amodei, and more open up about their ambitions, what frightens them, how they think about humanity, and what drives them to …
Alex Karp: Silicon Valley Broke Its Promise to America
To outsiders, Alex Karp seems an unlikely choice to lead Palantir. A philosopher by training, the billionaire co-founder has built his business at the intersection of intelligence, warfare and AI. To supporters, his software helps defend open societies. To critics, it gives governments troubling po…
49:58
Garry Tan Decides Who Gets to Build the Future
As the leader of Y Combinator, the startup accelerator behind Airbnb, Stripe and DoorDash, Garry Tan backs founders with the ambition to change how we live. Tan wants more billionaires, but he also believes big tech has too much power. So, how does he square that? Garry and Walter discuss how a 1…
39:45
Mustafa Suleyman: AI Should Serve Humanity, Not Replace It
As a co-founder of DeepMind, Mustafa Suleyman helped launch the modern AI race. Now, he’s challenging the way it’s being built. As CEO of Microsoft AI, Suleyman believes the technology needs to be harnessed to transform medicine, energy and education. But he also warns that believing in AI consciou…
52:12
Dario & Daniela Amodei: "This Is Gonna Determine the Fate of Nations and the Future of Humanity”
Dario and Daniela Amodei, the siblings behind Anthropic, left OpenAI to pursue a different, “more human” approach to the technology. Their promise is to put AI safety and ethics at the center of the tech race… but with an IPO around the corner, can those principles survive the pressure to win? Wa…
40:27
Peter Thiel: “We Need to Hit the Accelerator As Hard As Possible” on AI
Peter Thiel has become one of the most mysterious and controversial figures in tech. He’s a visionary investor who recognizes transformative ideas before everyone else. But he’s also seen as a shadowy figure whose network has accumulated extraordinary influence across Silicon Valley, national secur…
57:47
Elon Musk: "Humans Won't Be in Control" When AI Becomes Smarter Than Us
Elon Musk has spent his career turning improbable ideas into companies that reshape the world. To some, the entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX is an engineering genius whose ambitions have transformed electric cars and space travel. To others, his politics and extraordinary influence raise seriou…
40:06
ON MUSK Episode Four: What is Musk's Legacy?
As a teaser to our upcoming series The Builders-- which kicks off with an interview with Elon Musk, we're re-airing our critically acclaimed 2023 podcast On Musk, Walter Isaacson's behind-the-scenes telling of writing the Elon Musk biography. We hope you enjoy it! Which of Musk’s efforts will mar…
44:01
ON MUSK Episode Three: Storytelling and Hot Takes
As a teaser to our upcoming series The Builders-- which kicks off with an interview with Elon Musk, we're re-airing our critically acclaimed 2023 podcast On Musk, Walter Isaacson's behind-the-scenes telling of writing the Elon Musk biography. We hope you enjoy it! Be a storyteller, not a preacher…
45:17
ON MUSK Episode Two: Demons
As a teaser to our upcoming series The Builders-- which kicks off with an interview with Elon Musk, we're re-airing our critically acclaimed 2023 podcast On Musk, Walter Isaacson's behind-the-scenes telling of writing the Elon Musk biography. We hope you enjoy it! What kind of titan of industry h…
43:30
ON MUSK Episode One: Genius
As a teaser to our upcoming series The Builders-- which kicks off with an interview with Elon Musk, we're re-airing our critically acclaimed 2023 podcast On Musk, Walter Isaacson's behind-the-scenes telling of writing the Elon Musk biography. We hope you enjoy it! Space travel, electric vehicles…
32:21