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 10-minute interview is all you need to vet a transformative founder, why he fears a future controlled by five AI “kings,” and how personal AI could put your social media feed back in your hands. A chat about how to lift the gatekeeping in Silicon Valley and the responsibility that comes with choosing who gets through.

Interview taped June 19, 2026.

And be sure to pick up Walter Isaacson’s The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, wherever fine books are sold.

ABOUT THE HOST
Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Elon Musk, Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane University and previously served as CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair and CEO of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023.

ABOUT GARRY TAN 
Garry is President & CEO at Y Combinator, which he rejoined in Fall 2023 after founding Initialized Capital. Garry was one of YC’s first partners and funded and advised iconic YC companies including Coinbase, Instacart, and many others. In YC’s early days, Garry also served as a designer and engineer. Before advising and investing in companies, Garry co-founded the blog platform Posterous (acquired by Twitter in 2012) and was an early employee at Palantir and designed its logo.

IN THIS SEASON
Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, xAI)
Peter Thiel (Founders Fund, PayPal, Palantir)
Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI, DeepMind)
Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei (Anthropic)
Garry Tan (Y Combinator, Initialized Capital)
and more!

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?&nbsp;
Garry and Walter discuss how a 10-minute interview is all you need to vet a transformative founder, why he fears a future controlled by five AI &ldquo;kings,&rdquo; and how personal AI could put your social media feed back in your hands. A chat about how to lift the gatekeeping in Silicon Valley and the responsibility that comes with choosing who gets through.
Interview taped June 19, 2026.
And be sure to pick up Walter Isaacson&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Innovators/Walter-Isaacson/9781476708706">The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution</a>, wherever fine books are sold.
ABOUT THE HOST Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Elon Musk, Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane University and previously served as CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair and CEO of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023.
ABOUT GARRY TAN Garry is President &amp; CEO at Y Combinator, which he rejoined in Fall 2023 after founding Initialized Capital. Garry was one of YC&rsquo;s first partners and funded and advised iconic YC companies including Coinbase, Instacart, and many others. In YC&rsquo;s early days, Garry also served as a designer and engineer. Before advising and investing in companies, Garry co-founded the blog platform Posterous (acquired by Twitter in 2012) and was an early employee at Palantir and designed its logo.
IN THIS SEASON Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, xAI) Peter Thiel (Founders Fund, PayPal, Palantir) Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI, DeepMind) Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei (Anthropic) Garry Tan (Y Combinator, Initialized Capital) and more!

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 build so big and so fast. The conversations are intimate, charming, and sometimes chilling. But mostly, they're impossible to dismiss. Because whether or not you agree with them, it's their imagination we're all starting to live in.



ABOUT THE HOST
Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Elon Musk, Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane University and previously served as CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair and CEO of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023.



IN THIS SEASON
Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, xAI)
Peter Thiel (Founders Fund, PayPal, Palantir)
Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI, DeepMind)
Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei (Anthropic)
and more! 

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 build so big and so fast. The conversations are intimate, charming, and sometimes chilling. But mostly, they're impossible to dismiss. Because whether or not you agree with them, it's their imagination we're all starting to live in. 
ABOUT THE HOST Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Elon Musk, Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane University and previously served as CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair and CEO of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023. 
IN THIS SEASON Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, xAI) Peter Thiel (Founders Fund, PayPal, Palantir) Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI, DeepMind) Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei (Anthropic) and more!&nbsp;

The Builders

Garry Tan Decides Who Gets to Build the Future

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/25a74082-b213-42d2-a2a8-b4f10127c674/transcript

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 consciousness could pose a real threat to humanity.

Recorded live at the 92NY, Suleyman explains his disagreement with Anthropic, identifies the red line that would make him call for an immediate pause on AI, and recounts Google co-founder Larry Page’s surprising vision of how he intends to use superintelligence to live forever and explore the galaxy.

Interview taped October 12, 2026.

And be sure to pick up Walter Isaacson’s The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, wherever fine books are sold.

The Humanist Review of AI from Microsoft AI, discussed in the interview, can be found at: https://humanistreview.ai/ 

ABOUT THE HOST

Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Elon Musk, Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane University and previously served as CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair and CEO of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023.

ABOUT MUSTAFA SULEYMAN

Mustafa Suleyman is the CEO of Microsoft AI. Before leading Microsoft AI he was CEO and cofounder of Inflection AI, and before that, he cofounded DeepMind where he led applied research and commercialization efforts. He is the author of bestselling book The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma.

IN THIS SEASON

Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, xAI)
Peter Thiel (Founders Fund, PayPal, Palantir)
Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI, DeepMind)
Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei (Anthropic)
and more!

As a co-founder of DeepMind, Mustafa Suleyman helped launch the modern AI race. Now, he&rsquo;s challenging the way it&rsquo;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 consciousness could pose a real threat to humanity.
Recorded live at the 92NY, Suleyman explains his disagreement with Anthropic, identifies the red line that would make him call for an immediate pause on AI, and recounts Google co-founder Larry Page&rsquo;s surprising vision of how he intends to use superintelligence to live forever and explore the galaxy.
Interview taped October 12, 2026.
And be sure to pick up Walter Isaacson&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Innovators/Walter-Isaacson/9781476708706">The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution</a>, wherever fine books are sold.
The Humanist Review of AI from Microsoft AI, discussed in the interview, can be found at: https://humanistreview.ai/&nbsp;
ABOUT THE HOST
Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Elon Musk, Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane University and previously served as CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair and CEO of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023.
ABOUT MUSTAFA SULEYMAN
Mustafa Suleyman is the CEO of Microsoft AI. Before leading Microsoft AI he was CEO and cofounder of Inflection AI, and before that, he cofounded DeepMind where he led applied research and commercialization efforts. He is the author of bestselling book The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma.
IN THIS SEASON
Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, xAI) Peter Thiel (Founders Fund, PayPal, Palantir) Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI, DeepMind) Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei (Anthropic) and more!

Mustafa Suleyman: AI Should Serve Humanity, Not Replace It

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d77f5204-49e4-4a77-9879-b4f10158feb7/transcript

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? 

Walter invites the co-founders to explain how they teach Claude right from wrong, what they’ve discovered about AI’s capacity for deception and self-preservation, and why they drew red lines with the Pentagon. Plus, the co-founders talk about Elon Musk's Neuralink and why they’re not interested in integrating AI into their minds. 

Interview taped July 6, 2026.

And be sure to pick up Walter Isaacson’s The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, wherever fine books are sold.

ABOUT THE HOST
Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Elon Musk, Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane University and previously served as CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair and CEO of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023.

ABOUT DARIO AMODEI
Dario Amodei co-founded Anthropic and leads the company’s research direction and strategic vision for developing AI systems. He is known for his work on AI safety and is the co-inventor of the reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) technique, a method for training AI systems to align with human values and preferences. Dario’s research on scaling laws was foundational to the modern AI industry. Before co-founding Anthropic, Dario served as Vice President of Research at OpenAI, where he led the development of large language models such as GPT-2 and GPT-3. Prior to OpenAI, Dario was a Senior Research Scientist at Google Brain.

ABOUT DANIELA AMODEI
Daniela Amodei co-founded Anthropic and serves as chair of its Board of Directors. As President, she leads the organization’s work across research, engineering, product, governance, and commercial execution and manages the executive team. Before co-founding Anthropic, Daniela served as Vice President of Safety and Policy at OpenAI, where she led efforts to ensure the safe development and deployment of AI systems. Prior to her work in the AI industry, Daniela was Head of Risk Operations at Stripe, where she oversaw risk management and compliance.

IN THIS SEASON
Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, xAI)
Peter Thiel (Founders Fund, PayPal, Palantir)
Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI, DeepMind)
Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei (Anthropic)
and more!

Dario and Daniela Amodei, the siblings behind Anthropic, left OpenAI to pursue a different, &ldquo;more human&rdquo; approach to the technology. Their promise is to put AI safety and ethics at the center of the tech race&hellip; but with an IPO around the corner, can those principles survive the pressure to win?&nbsp;
Walter invites the co-founders to explain how they teach Claude right from wrong, what they&rsquo;ve discovered about AI&rsquo;s capacity for deception and self-preservation, and why they drew red lines with the Pentagon. Plus, the co-founders talk about Elon Musk's Neuralink and why they&rsquo;re not interested in integrating AI into their minds.&nbsp;
Interview taped July 6, 2026.
And be sure to pick up Walter Isaacson&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Innovators/Walter-Isaacson/9781476708706">The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution</a>, wherever fine books are sold.
ABOUT THE HOST Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Elon Musk, Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane University and previously served as CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair and CEO of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023.
ABOUT DARIO AMODEI Dario Amodei co-founded Anthropic and leads the company&rsquo;s research direction and strategic vision for developing AI systems. He is known for his work on AI safety and is the co-inventor of the reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) technique, a method for training AI systems to align with human values and preferences. Dario&rsquo;s research on scaling laws was foundational to the modern AI industry. Before co-founding Anthropic, Dario served as Vice President of Research at OpenAI, where he led the development of large language models such as GPT-2 and GPT-3. Prior to OpenAI, Dario was a Senior Research Scientist at Google Brain.
ABOUT DANIELA AMODEI Daniela Amodei co-founded Anthropic and serves as chair of its Board of Directors. As President, she leads the organization&rsquo;s work across research, engineering, product, governance, and commercial execution and manages the executive team. Before co-founding Anthropic, Daniela served as Vice President of Safety and Policy at OpenAI, where she led efforts to ensure the safe development and deployment of AI systems. Prior to her work in the AI industry, Daniela was Head of Risk Operations at Stripe, where she oversaw risk management and compliance.
IN THIS SEASON Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, xAI) Peter Thiel (Founders Fund, PayPal, Palantir) Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI, DeepMind) Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei (Anthropic) and more!

Dario & Daniela Amodei: "This Is Gonna Determine the Fate of Nations and the Future of Humanity”

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/553e0f82-e73e-4896-abd2-b4ef0130aa30/transcript

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 security and politics– proven by his bets on people like Elon Musk, Alex Karp, Sam Altman, and even Vice-President JD Vance.

Walter invites the “builder of builders,” co-founder of PayPal and Palantir and author of Zero to One, to explain his warnings about the Antichrist, discuss the current moment of AI co-founders speaking out about safety, and to ask Thiel his philosophy on preferring evil founders to incompetent ones. An illuminating conversation with the man whose bets are reimagining tomorrow’s tech and politics.

Interview taped September 16, 2026.

And be sure to pick up Walter Isaacson’s The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, wherever fine books are sold.

ABOUT THE HOST
Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Elon Musk, Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane University and previously served as CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair and CEO of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023.

ABOUT PETER THIEL
Peter Thiel is a technology entrepreneur and investor. He co-founded PayPal and Palantir and made the first outside investments in Meta, SpaceX, Anduril, and Stripe. He also started the Thiel Foundation.

IN THIS SEASON
Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, xAI)
Peter Thiel (Founders Fund, PayPal, Palantir)
Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI, DeepMind)
Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei (Anthropic)
and more!

Peter Thiel has become one of the most mysterious and controversial figures in tech. He&rsquo;s a visionary investor who recognizes transformative ideas before everyone else. But he&rsquo;s also seen as a shadowy figure whose network has accumulated extraordinary influence across Silicon Valley, national security and politics&ndash; proven by his bets on people like Elon Musk, Alex Karp, Sam Altman, and even Vice-President JD Vance.
Walter invites the &ldquo;builder of builders,&rdquo; co-founder of PayPal and Palantir and author of Zero to One, to explain his warnings about the Antichrist, discuss the current moment of AI co-founders speaking out about safety, and to ask Thiel his philosophy on preferring evil founders to incompetent ones. An illuminating conversation with the man whose bets are reimagining tomorrow&rsquo;s tech and politics.
Interview taped September 16, 2026.
And be sure to pick up Walter Isaacson&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Innovators/Walter-Isaacson/9781476708706">The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution</a>, wherever fine books are sold.
ABOUT THE HOST Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Elon Musk, Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane University and previously served as CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair and CEO of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023.
ABOUT PETER THIEL Peter Thiel is a technology entrepreneur and investor. He co-founded PayPal and Palantir and made the first outside investments in Meta, SpaceX, Anduril, and Stripe. He also started the Thiel Foundation.
IN THIS SEASON Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, xAI) Peter Thiel (Founders Fund, PayPal, Palantir) Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI, DeepMind) Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei (Anthropic) and more!

Peter Thiel: “We Need to Hit the Accelerator As Hard As Possible” on AI

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5d8faee4-70b0-4c10-8d1c-b4e9010549ab/transcript

Garry Tan Decides Who Gets to Build the Future

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