Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast. Transcript: lexfridman.com/walter-isaacson-transcript 0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions: - MasterClass: masterclass.com/lexpod to get 15% off - NetSuite: netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour - BetterHelp: betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off - ExpressVPN: expressvpn.com/lexpod to get 3 months free - Shopify: shopify.com/lex to get $1 per month trial 3:00 - Difficult childhood 20:04 - Jennifer Doudna 23:01 - Einstein 28:20 - Tesla 45:24 - Elon Musk's humor 49:34 - Steve Jobs' cruelty 52:58 - Twitter 1:05:07 - Firing 1:07:52 - Hiring 1:16:55 - Time management 1:24:39 - Groups vs individuals 1:28:25 - Mortality 1:31:57 - How to write 1:52:56 - Love & relationships 1:57:50 - Advice for young people

@EddieExplores

8 ай бұрын

I recently begun making KZread videos of my travels. Any advice on how I can improve them would mean a lot!

@ercanarisoy

8 ай бұрын

Painter's self-portrait is an excellent choice, I guess, as the cover of Dr. Isaacson's Da Vinci biography. Nasa has also chosen this very painting to represent Curiosity mission on Mars nearly a decade ago. We're living in an age that can easily consume everything but we couldn't yet fully absorb Leonardo's mysterious legacy. I want to read the book as soon as possible. Maybe I'll also learn some new things about 'Sacred Geometry'? 🤫😊

@danieltoran7260

8 ай бұрын

😊

@janetstanley5727

8 ай бұрын

Has anyone talked about folding space?

@janetstanley5727

8 ай бұрын

Elon will suffer a burn out if he doesn’t focus on other projects and that would be sad, although he could kick start a new way of thinking with bi polar

The only true long format interviewer I enjoy enough to watch and listen to repeatedly. Thank you Lex for your wide variety of guests and subjects.

@aendoh

8 ай бұрын

Give modern wisdom also a try. :)

@Rohit__4748

8 ай бұрын

I feel Same

@birbluv9595

8 ай бұрын

Lex is a true gift to those of us who love long-form interviews of a wide variety of people. I’ve learned so much from his podcasts. Thank you, Lex.

@carvalhoribeiro

8 ай бұрын

Mr. Isaacson was a master in 43:07

@johnmcwade1

8 ай бұрын

@@TormentalityYou go first.

This conversation felt like a 2 hour book. One of the best ever from Lex. Bravo.

@aditichawla5836

8 ай бұрын

Love to know about elon musk

@nicomal

7 ай бұрын

I was thinking the same thing. One of my favorite conversations I have heard in this podcast. I'll be revisiting it in the future.

@The_Quaalude

5 ай бұрын

Well his guest does write books for a living

This is such a legendary collab. Read the Steve Jobs and Benjamin franklin biographies he wrote last year. Read the Davinci one this year and now working on the Einstein one. The amount of research this man must do to write such in-depth and easy to digest pieces of work is astounding. He will be a major reason why these legends are not forgotten hundred of years in the future! Thank you lex for having this conversation.

@grayowl108

8 ай бұрын

Ditto! His biographies of both Jobs and Franklin were outstanding. Walter has the gift of making you feel like you're part of the subjects inner circle.

@thomasjones4570

8 ай бұрын

His work is highly questioned though. Many inaccuracies made to fit a modern audience...aka, not true. He actually said Da Vinci was gay. its 100% false. It comes from Freud who wrote a paper about it and some moronic modern moralistic re-writing of history using assumption that because he did not marry it meant he was gay and hiding his sexual nature. A biographer should never make ASSUMPTIONS.

@snewze323

7 ай бұрын

@@thomasjones4570is it 100% false?

@thomasjones4570

7 ай бұрын

@@snewze323A person cant be 5% gay.

@animeyoverload9820

7 ай бұрын

What was his first bestselling book? Second is Elon still going

Excellent interview and video. Profoundly informative as always

@mathieutyler8745

8 ай бұрын

Blah.

@peredavi

7 ай бұрын

@@mathieutyler8745You should stick to cartoons and porn.

@Creole_Rebellion

6 ай бұрын

@@mathieutyler8745why Blah?

Dude I love this show. It's good when the interviewer just let's the interviewee roll.

"I always respect those in the arena." No better way to start this talk.

@johnlymanfraser

8 ай бұрын

There is a great tyranny in creativity.

@johnlymanfraser

8 ай бұрын

One has to be thoughtful of collateral damage.

@lindyswing4368

8 ай бұрын

Are we still talking about Chamath

@danlovaj

8 ай бұрын

Definitely above the line

@scottrerickson9626

8 ай бұрын

@@johnlymanfraser 25:28 😅 35:38

Now this is QUALITY YT content, actually worth a damn and definitely educating.

@catchaser52

5 ай бұрын

BUT. Does it belong here ?

@voltski

4 ай бұрын

Are we talking about Howard Hughes ??

One of the best interviews I've watched this year. I love that Walter gives back to the community he grew up in. Keep it up!

@catchaser52

5 ай бұрын

Walter is transparent too.

8 minutes in and I already know this will be one of my favourite interviews.

@phillmeredith

8 ай бұрын

Yep

One of, if not the best, conversation I've ever listened to. Just incredibly awesome in every sense of the word.

His biography of Steve Jobs was really inspiring to me as a teenager. I can’t believe he’s written so many others! Now I’m doubled inspired, both by jobs, and Isaacson himself as a writer. It shows the impact you can have if you follow your passion. As Lex said, I’m sure many of us have been inspired to self actualize by Isaacson’s biographies of world changing people.

@michaelowens5394

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for saying this. I feel this, but in my tiny corner of the world it seems silly to compare myself to Jobs.

@joshiasbaja3934

3 ай бұрын

When I first moved to San Jose, California-the capital of Silicon Valley, I found a copy of Steve Jobs’ biography at a Goodwill and read it in two weeks. It was exciting to learn about Steve Jobs as I explored the San Francisco Bay area. At first I wanted to find some of Steve Jobs residences but then lost interest. I found the ‘Museum of Computing History’ at Mountain View and it was exciting to see so many original computers and electronic devices. I also got to meet some interesting Uber passengers at Apple, Facebook, Google; a mix of engineers and employees. Also the Stanford University students were fun especially after parties.

@driliagor

Ай бұрын

Einstein and Leonard da Vinci are axtremely well written as well

There's nothing like reading a good biography. Informative, inspirational, and insightful. 🙌

Hi Lex, I am from Ethiopia. Thank you for this amazing podcast. It's such an inspiration for all of us, and it's a rare product

@ead630

8 ай бұрын

ሰላም የኔ ወንድም

@yimingzeng3811

8 ай бұрын

Dr.Abiy said hi.

@danielmulu1311

8 ай бұрын

ኢትዮጵያዎች ዝም በሉ, አትረብሹ ከዚህ

@NeilRaouf

8 ай бұрын

🇪🇹❤

This episode will humanize greatness. Thank you Lex!🎉

Love when the conversation steered into Lex asking him about his interviewing/writing process. Conversations where an enthusiastic student engages the mind of an expert who is passionate to pass down the knowledge they have are priceless.

I really enjoy Walter Isaacson’s work. He adds a ton to the world. The problem I worry about is he is committed to writing something entertaining, not necessarily what’s objective. So his writing, like many from fellow journalists, tend to overstate the importance of interesting-looking things and understate the boring explanations. That’s OK. It’s not dishonesty, it’s just how the world works. But it would be wise for younger readers to be aware of this bias and make sure they understand journalism is not history and not science, so take it with a grain of salt.

So far I'm very impressed by Walter Isaacson having never heard of him before. He has deeper insights than I ever expected.

@Darwin_is_my_copilot

8 ай бұрын

😂

@walkerblack47

8 ай бұрын

how could you have expected anything if you had never heard of him? and why are you impressed people you haven’t heard of have deep insights. wtf

@sean7098

8 ай бұрын

What makes you think that?

@Browny84

8 ай бұрын

His book on Da Vinci is amazing. Such a deep dive.

@LtBlue14

8 ай бұрын

Greatest biographer alive, or maybe of all time

I like how Walter very gently introduces Lex to the idea that you can be brilliant and not intense. It is a great motivation to change the world, but we can't all be trail blazers, so we should also give credit to those who just do the right thing.

@SerenityDreaming

8 ай бұрын

Why not both?

@sirishgreen

8 ай бұрын

@SerenityDreaming Good question. I don't think I imply that these things are exclusive, so there is no problem with both. My focus was more on how inspiring it can be when you hear a story of someone doing the right thing, regardless of how many people it directly impacts. Of course, we should admire people who achieve and aspire to great things. We would be lost without them, but there is a balance. If, instead of launching rockets to Mars, for example, you are helping your local community, friends, or strangers, you are also inspiring people. I think it's important to remember this.

@jacquelyngutierrez5427

8 ай бұрын

I don’t agree, I think Walter is a trail blazer in every sense of the word. He’s just a different kind of trailblazer with possible different motivations. You don’t get to the heights he’s gotten without intensity but channeling it and distributing it differently

@sirishgreen

8 ай бұрын

@jacquelyngutierrez5427 No doubt, Walter has intensity. Everyone has it to a certain degree, but there is a big difference in the amount of intensity between Elon and Walter. You can still be brilliant, and Walter is obviously brilliant, and so was the procrastinator Da vinci.

@juliahello6673

8 ай бұрын

Just doing the right thing doesn’t change very much. Just because we can’t all have a huge impact doesn’t mean we can’t acknowledge that we would be better if we could.

I became a full-fledged multidimensional person that I am today due to the 8 years I spent in New Orleans. Walter's tribute to New Orleans at the end brought tears to my eyes. Thank you both for this beautiful conversation.

@GZWA

8 ай бұрын

504

@BetaBuxDelux

8 ай бұрын

What the heck happened in New Orleans?

@TeeTV22

8 ай бұрын

@@BetaBuxDeluxHer first BBC experience, what do you think..

@TheSteinbitt

4 ай бұрын

@@BetaBuxDeluxhookers and blow

Damn, Walter Isaacson knows exactly how to be the fly on the wall that we'd all like to be AND he knows how write it up well.

“I work hard to improve “. Amen. I live by that

1:22:55 he's smiling and observing you, amused at your intensity, what a great episode. I gotta learn all new superlatives to praise you with. Also I'm watching this 2 more times today.

@gabrielbrina

8 ай бұрын

I was just thinking that

As a wedding officiant who writes countless lovestories i got a lot out of this interview. From "let me tell you a story" through just listening in silence and letting them talk to quoting T.S. Eliot in the end there are so many gems in here. Time well spent - Thanks Lex & Walter!

I’m so grateful to have discovered this podcast. As someone who has often felt like a misfit and struggled, but wants to contribute in the way your guests have, this place inspires me and makes me feel part of something meaningful, which is invaluable. Thank you Lex for making this freely available. You are doing so much good by sharing these conversations with everyone.

never been more excited for a book than this one

One of my favourite interviews so far. What a humble and great man. Examining and admitting to his own strengths and weaknesses and being open about that - and then moving on his strengths and having a real impact. An excellent example.

What a beautiful conversation. Thank you both.

Took a break from the pod for a bit. This was the best reintroduction I could’ve asked. Walter is incredible.

Lex brings on the most interesting intellectuals

Never tire of W. Isaacson. Outstanding writer, interviewer, speaker and human being. Totally enjoyed this interview

@12801270able

8 ай бұрын

Until he started tarnishing his credibility by kowtowing to Elon's panic-driven quims on the Starlink-Crimea thing; in which case, he's doled out three entirely different narratives on how Elon handled the situation; each with an increasing amount of divorcing Elon's liability to what happened. Even in absence of the terms of the agreement between Starlink, the Pentagon, and the Ukrainian government, it's a shame we live in a moral-less era where people prioritize relationships and money above values and character. This "outstanding writer" of yours either published false - and deathly incriminating - information in the book and is now backtracking on it to correct the record (indicating incompetence for someone of his stature), or he's lying now to cover Elon's ass and retain the access that he has to him (which is more on the nose with Musk). "Outstanding" indeed, for someone with his reputation, making an elementary mistake usually more constrained to neophyte or sophomoric writers.

Mr Isaacson is an extraordinary writer! Thank you sir for your work, it's very much appreciated.

@devilsolution9781

Ай бұрын

Cheers, cutie

Jesus this was sensational. The 6 words "Let me tell you a story" are going to be with me for the rest of my life. Thank you Lex and thank you Walter. I guess I have a series of biographies to read now!

Such a beautiful conversation between two beautiful beings.

Two nice people talking intelligently. It's a joy to listen in!

This is becoming the absolute best show/podcast on any medium. You're great and getting greater at this stuff, Lex. Well done!!!

@AESETC

3 ай бұрын

All podcasts are in their own rights, no need for comparisons, something can just be good, doesn’t have to try and tear down other things/podcasts.

Thank you so much, Mr. Fridman and Mr. Isaacson. Thanks for the remarkable interview.

".....will ever result in sacrificing my integrity" Love this man, absolutely amazing! Thank you Lex

Hats off Lex, this was greatly deep and meaningful conversation

One of the best interviews Lex. It was amazing to know more about W. Isacsson. How he can switch from Leonardo Franklin Einstein to Mask detailed stories. Love it

One of the best from Lex.

Oh wow!!! My favourite biographer!!! I’ve read nearly all his books. Thanks for this Lex!!!❤

@obakengsmasekos5382

8 ай бұрын

Why not all, you loser👀

Thank you so much for this, both Lex and Walter! This was truly inspiring two hours!! ❤️

This gentleman is an exceptional story teller

It has been a while since I have been so engaged in a podcast. Very well done, amazing conversation.

Walter Isaacson of Podcast having a podcast with Walter Isaacson. Amazing :)

@sosospacesheep2344

8 ай бұрын

Well put

@user-dm2id9oq3q

8 ай бұрын

Cudnt agree more

Fascinating. Bought an advance copy of the Musk biography - not something I would normally do - but Isaacson is so respected [and the advance price was a 3rd off] that it was a no-brainer.

@briangrimmer8225

8 ай бұрын

As for Elon, What a joke😂 The daft one can’t even put a sign on his own building let alone monetize an already global platform with whopping brand equity he then set fire to. The rest… Tesla, SpaceX was done by real engineers who he happens to mistreat and then takes their credit. He was ousted from PayPal early on when he went on honeymoon the rest has been nothing but Fierce Surrogacy 😂

I find your podcast quite soothing.

This is one of the most enlightening and fascinating conversations I have ever been a part of -- and I am 81 years old.

Lex! Love the podcast! Have you ever considered having on Hamilton Morris? I think a conversation between you two would be excellent. Pharmacology, medical chemistry, psychedelics and prohibition or something like that? Thanks for all the content!

I appreciate you Walter. And thank you Lex!

Incredible interview, so much information, Walter range of interaction with so many projects across the board is Astounding !! Thank you Lex !

Amazing podcast as always Lex. After reading Walter Isaacson's biography on Steve Jobs, I must say that my perspective on how I view problems and tasks changed. It takes me less than a minute I approach tasks now as being solvable if only I stay long enough to decipher its intricate parts.

The perfect prelude to getting the book on tuesday! Thanks Lex, another killer podcast.

This is right up there at the top of the list of Best Podcasts Ever! A truly enlightening and inspiring conversation of ideas that matter to humanity. My deepest gratitude to you and your guest.

Thank you very much, Lex. Just got done listening to this very energized interview with Issac and found the wisdom so enriching and nourishing of my spirit. Thank you 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏, Lex. Keep marching forward knowing, in fullness, that we all must crossing that waiting threshold onto the Great Seamless Quality. 🧘🧘🧘🧘🧘✨✨✨✨👍👍👍👍👍

Lex doing the most. Keep up with the good work.

I wonder if Walter Isaacson has ever considered writing the biography of Nikola Tesla, another fascinating genius.

@barrym3651

8 ай бұрын

Musk is not a genius

@thomastran1344

8 ай бұрын

@@barrym3651umad?

@bobparker6922

8 ай бұрын

By "another" you would insinuate that Musk is a genius, which he most definitely is not. What is wrong with all these comments??

@thomastran1344

8 ай бұрын

@@bobparker6922 He is genius level… Individuals with an IQ of 145 or more are considered to be geniuses. Elon Musk's IQ falls between 150 - 155, making him one of the most intelligent people on the planet. Why everyone so mad?

@ZuduOoT

8 ай бұрын

@@bobparker6922 29:58 To recognize not just that something may be off ("6 bolts seems unnecessary - let's look further"), but to mentally "simulate" phenomena like this to come to the conclusion that 4 bolts would work, seems like a simple example of genius, especially when considering all the other anecdotal accounts of high intelligence. I suppose we need to first define what "genius" even means - Musk may not be a Newton or Mozartian prodigy - but by any conventional metric e.g. 145+ IQ, or intelligence+innovative streaks... give me a break. He's genius level intellect. He's a genius.

Such a humble man. Really nice conversation and a pleasure to listen to.

Great interview with Walter Isaacson and his display of interviews with Genius people and allowing us to get to know you both better!

Thanks Lex for the great content and for being such a good interviewer

40:08 "I think Boeing and NASA and others have become unwilling to enter your dark room without knowing exactly where the exit is and the lighted path to the exit." Incredible insight!

Fascinating conversation, packed with great insights, stories and lessons!

Absolutely brilliant episode. So inspiring. Walter is just incredible.

Never clicked as fast to listen to every minute... Let's go! ❤

@nikolasraposense

8 ай бұрын

Exactly!

Walter Isaacson should do a biography on Larry Ellison.

I think it’s great that Isaacson is documenting the lives of such important people, in history. I ran out and got the Musk book and intend to read the others too. ☺️💕 Great interview.

This is such a nice conversation to be a part of! I have such a great appreciation for Walter and Lex.

Listening to two Lex podcasts in 12 hours 😂

Спасибо🙌🏼 обожаю засыпать под ваши подкасты и после дослушивать их на следующий день 💙

I learned so much in this interview. Thank you both.❤Big hugs And blessings

Excellent conversation. Truly enjoyed this one & actually listened 2x.

No doubt, Walter Isaacson is a good observer, so he can be an amazing story teller. I thoroughly enjoy all the stories about these great people of their time. There's always a reason for each madness. Their drive to be achievers seems to come from a terrible place - trauma in childhood. Love this episode with delight. Thank you so much Lex.

Excited to see new content from you Lex! Thanks for your hard work.

What an amazing personality, a great story teller!And so humble and kind

Thank you Lex for bringing such incredible people to my (and others) attention. Time to read Steve Jobs - that has been sitting on my bookshelf for quite some time…

Thank you for these conversations. I have two kids in high school and elementary. Listening to long format podcasts on any topic would be such a great way to expand the new generations worldview. I’m wondering if any school has it as part of their curriculum.

This is going be a nice distraction for the next couple houra of house work I have to take care of. I appreciate the effort you put into these podcasts, there's talks for everyone. A noteable one is your talk with Kanye, your ability to keep the conversation progressing positively was amazing and perhaps teach him a few things along the way. Sidenote, it'd be amazing to see you come out to Reno for a TedX event in January.

@2pool777

8 ай бұрын

Yep been listening to this while doing cooking ironing and hoovering

I am a huge fan of your work. There has been a handful of people that I can go back and listen to their podcasts, but with what Walter Isaacson said in the last few seconds of this podcast really rings true. "I am a big fan, especially a big fan because you take people seriously" ... and I think anybody that listens to your podcasts know this and appreciate the true raw honesty that you bring out in people. Don't change, and please don't stop doing this.

I continue to appreciate all the interviews you have conducted but being a huge fan of Walter Isaacson’s writing this was a real treat. Great guest choice! Thank you.

I just happened to be reading his book, an elaborate biography of Leonardo da Vinci, so it's really timely. I would like to read other biographies of his books. His books are logical and easy to read. thank you. Lex.

@lawrencefrost9063

8 ай бұрын

That is on my to-read list! I'm still reading his biography on Benjamin Franklin.

Would never doubt your integrity Lex, keep doing you and thank you for all the work it takes to put out these incredible podcasts out, I hope you feel the love and respect you receive 10 fold.

One of the best interviews I've ever listened to.

What an amazing heartfelt conversation - Thank you 🤩🌱

This is a great podcast Lex, your kindness, empathy and reflection is excellent - inspirational for others.

Thanks for making this happen! 🙏

Amazing conversation, thank you Lex! I'm really happy to hear you asking about writing process, interviewing, listening, etc. Been requesting that for awhile here in the yt comments :) Thanks again man!

Another beautiful conversation. Thank you both for sharing your minds, hearts and love.

Two of the most inspiring and deep thinkers we have the pleasure of sharing our time with.

Great Pod Lex, thanks for sharing!!

What a great interview. What a gem and a gift that we get to listen to it.

Lex and Walter, excellent conversation, congratulations!

One of the common symptoms for any of us from troubled families is the lack of emotional regulation, sudden wide mood swings and abrupt lack of empathy.

@midmomom2490

8 ай бұрын

Facts…that describes me to a certain extent

@UnMoored_

8 ай бұрын

@@midmomom2490 Although I am sorry to read that, I do compliment you on your self-awareness.

@midmomom2490

8 ай бұрын

@@UnMoored_ the lack of empathy is me, the others not so much. It’s my wall I put up probably to avoid being hurt…which doesn’t work well 🤷🏻‍♀️

@UnMoored_

8 ай бұрын

@@midmomom2490 Yes, this is our dilemma. At first it is effective, as it helps to create some kind of sanity, but later in life, it gets in the way.

@midmomom2490

8 ай бұрын

@@UnMoored_ Agree

Another excellent podcast. Bravo !

Great conversation.. Can't wait to listen to the book on Audible ❤

Thanks for this podcast. It's humbling to think about these great minds

I am looking forward to listening to and reading that Biography on Elon. What doesn't break you makes you is the simple synopsis of why we are the way we are.

Thank you Lex and Walter. This was a conversation to be cherished for its candour and wisdom. The intergenerational element, especially towards the end is worth more than I can say. This should be mandatory viewing for high school students.

Great interview and insights. Love his books a lot! Thank you very much!

Finally. Been waiting for it since Lex mentioned it a couple of days ago