BTC253: Quantum Computing and Bitcoin w/ Charles Edwards (Bitcoin Podcast)
Host Preston Pysh speaks with Charles Edwards about what quantum computing is, how it works at a high level, and why it matters for Bitcoin's security. They distinguish physical from logical qubits, review industry forecasts for when quantum computers could break current cryptography, and examine Bitcoin's specific vulnerabilities and proposed upgrades like BIP360. The conversation also covers migration logistics, governance challenges for the Bitcoin community, and how to think about investing in quantum technologies as both an opportunity and a hedge.
#2409 - Brian Redban
Joe Rogan and Brian Redban have a wide-ranging conversation about emerging technologies, politics, media manipulation, culture, comedy, and everyday life. They discuss quantum computing, AI, phones, drones, surveillance, and SpaceX, alongside U.S. politics, media bias around Donald Trump, war in Ukraine, drugs, gambling, porn and OnlyFans, and the future social impact of AI and virtual reality. They also talk about cars and racing, simulation theory, AIDS/AZT controversies, aging pets, and Redban's current creative projects using VR and AI-generated music.
The Wubi Effect
The episode traces how China grappled with the challenge of fitting its logographic writing system into Western-designed computers and keyboards, focusing on Professor Wang Yongmin's Wubi input method that decomposed characters into components for fast typing. It connects earlier debates over abandoning Chinese characters, the proliferation of competing input methods, and the later shift to pinyin-based phonetic typing with broader political and cultural consequences. The story then explores how predictive and cloud-based input, as well as the QWERTY effect, show that our writing tools now subtly shape our language, behavior, and even thought.
We're doing AI all wrong. Here's how to get it right | Sasha Luccioni
AI sustainability expert Sasha Luccioni argues that current AI development is being driven by a "bigger is better" mentality that concentrates power in a few large tech companies while causing significant environmental and social harms. She contrasts massive, energy-hungry large language models and data centers with smaller, task-specific and open AI systems that can run on modest hardware and support climate solutions. Luccioni calls for transparent energy metrics, supportive regulation, and user choices that prioritize sustainable, equitable AI that serves all of humanity and the planet.
TECH006: Open-Source AI That Protects Your Privacy w/ Mark Suman (Tech Podcast)
Host Preston Pysh interviews Maple AI founder Mark Suman about building privacy-preserving, verifiable AI using trusted execution environments and secure enclaves. They discuss the cultural importance of privacy at Apple, the risks of feeding proprietary AI systems with intimate personal data, and how verifiable, open-weight models can mitigate manipulation and data leakage. The conversation also covers Maple's architecture, AI memory, the open-source vs proprietary model race, AI-assisted software development, and the potential future of running personal AI servers at home.
Deepfakes and the War on Truth with Bogdan Botezatu
The episode explores how scams and cybercrime are being transformed by AI, deepfakes, and global connectivity, with cybersecurity expert Bogdan Botezatu explaining the scale of financial losses and the sophisticated business structures behind modern scams. The conversation covers deepfake-driven fraud, psychological manipulation tactics like pig butchering romance scams, technical tools such as honeypots, and vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure like solar inverters. The guests also discuss the challenges of detecting deepfakes, the role of law enforcement partnerships, and why reporting scams is crucial despite the stigma victims often feel.
#2393 - Bryan Callen
Joe Rogan and Bryan Callen talk about aging while staying extremely physically active, emphasizing meticulous warm-ups, strength work, and recovery so they can still wrestle, kick, and train hard in their late 50s. They range into addiction and channeling obsessive tendencies into positive pursuits, debates over trans inclusion in sports and culture, government surveillance and censorship, war and Middle East politics, Jeffrey Epstein and intelligence agencies, drug policy and cartels, and inside-baseball comedy topics including personal beefs and the Austin comedy scene. Callen also plugs his new stand-up special "False Gods" and describes a live "acting competition" show he runs in Austin.
TECH005: What Tech Is Doing to Us with Justin Evidon (Tech Podcast)
Host Preston Pysh and guest Justin Evidon discuss how modern technology can be a double-edged sword, offering huge benefits while quietly reshaping behavior, privacy, and health. They cover social media recommendation algorithms, data sovereignty, decentralized protocols like Nostr, and emerging privacy-preserving AI tools. The conversation also explores physical impacts of technology such as LED light flicker, blue light, and electromagnetic exposure, along with practical strategies to protect circadian rhythms and use tech more intentionally.
How two straight guys bought Grindr and made $2B
The hosts interview two entrepreneurs and operators who led the acquisition of Grindr from its Chinese owner under a forced divestiture and then took it public for a $2 billion valuation. They explain Grindr's origin, why U.S. regulators forced the sale, how homophobia and perceived risks created a buyer's opportunity, and the operational turnaround they executed across talent, tech, product, trust and safety, and monetization. The conversation broadens into how they approach private equity deals vs. startups, the use of leverage and risk reduction, opportunities and disruption in AI, crypto, and healthcare, and reflections on long careers in tech, investing, and choosing the right partners.
OpenAI Backtracks, Elon's Netflix Boycott, and Instagram Safety Features
Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway discuss U.S. immigration crackdowns under President Trump, including National Guard deployments, ICE raids, and the use of masked agents, arguing these tactics are authoritarian and designed to inflame division. They examine how tech platforms and algorithms amplify rage, debate OpenAI's Sora copyright policy and its impact on Hollywood and creative workers, and analyze Elon Musk's call to boycott Netflix, SpaceX's Chinese funding, and SpaceX's growing power in satellite-based mobile service. The episode also covers Instagram's inadequate teen safety measures, the mental health impact of social media on youth, and a Trump-era higher education compact that would reshape university admissions, ideology on campus, foreign enrollment, and pricing.
#614 - New York Circus
Theo Von reflects on changes in the circus from his childhood to the present and uses that as a segue into describing a "circus" surrounding his recent comedy special taping in New York City. He explains how going off antidepressants, a viral Department of Homeland Security immigration video using an old joke clip of his, heightened security concerns, and performance struggles all contributed to a stressful night and a later viral clip of him joking about suicide. He clarifies that he is not suicidal, shares a personal story about a friend's sister who took her life, takes emotional calls from listeners about losing a son to suicide and a three‑year‑old finishing chemotherapy, offers prayer and encouragement, and notes that he is back on his medication and planning to rest while remaining hopeful about the future.
#482 - Pavel Durov: Telegram, Freedom, Censorship, Money, Power & Human Nature
Lex Friedman interviews Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, about his philosophy on freedom, discipline, technology, and the design of secure, scalable messaging systems. Pavel describes his strict lifestyle, his refusal to compromise on user privacy under pressure from powerful governments, and the technical and organizational principles behind Telegram's lean but highly productive engineering team. They also discuss government overreach, Pavel's legal ordeal in France, earlier clashes with Russia and Iran, the economics and crypto ecosystem around Telegram, and broader reflections on human nature, education, abundance, and mortality.
#2386 - The Red Clay Strays
Joe Rogan talks with members of the Red Clay Strays about their origin as a bar cover band on the Gulf Coast, how their manager learned booking from scratch, and how the group has stayed together through heavy touring by centering their faith and a service-oriented mindset. They discuss writing emotionally heavy songs that resonate with depressed and suicidal fans, the grind of driving Uber during COVID to survive, and broader topics including hospitals as profit-driven businesses, extreme body modification and gene editing, social media-fueled hatred, government surveillance, UFOs, ancient civilizations, the Book of Enoch, and controversies around religious relics and the moon landing.