Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist

102
Technology #199

American Optimist, hosted by Joe Lonsdale: entrepreneur, investor, and founder of four multi-billion dollar companies and other mission-driven organizations. American Optimist is an alternative to the fear, cynicism, and zero-sum thinking in mainstream media. Learn from the innovators and leaders who are solving our nation’s most pressing challenges, and doing it in a way that will lift everyone up. Hope should dominate our discourse, and American Optimist will show you why.

blog.joelonsdale.com

Recent Episodes
  • Ep 112: Peter Thiel on DOGE, Tariffs, Building Generational Companies & the Future of Civilization
    Apr 17, 2025 – 46:57
  • Episode 111: Sen. Tom Cotton on DOGE, TikTok, and "Seven Things You Can't Say About China"
    Apr 3, 2025 – 43:07
  • Ep 110: Dr. Mike Israetel on Miracle Drugs, the Aesthetic Revolution, Living to 200 & New Frontiers in AI-Powered Medicine
    Mar 14, 2025 – 42:06
  • Ep 109: Anson Frericks on the Rise & Fall of Budweiser; Milton Friedman vs Klaus Schwab; and How to Save Corporate America
    Feb 21, 2025 – 43:14
  • Ep 108: Tim Urban on Superintelligence, Mars, Fermi Paradox & How to Conquer a Society
    Feb 14, 2025 – 56:15
  • Ep 107: Off-Road Autonomy & Saving Soldiers' Lives with Overland AI CEO Byron Boots
    Jan 30, 2025 – 34:10
  • Ep 106: Zac Bookman on Advice for DOGE & Building OpenGov into a $1.8 Billion GovTech Leader
    Jan 23, 2025 – 49:36
  • Ep 105: What Can Aristotle Teach Us About AI? Training "Philosopher Builders" with Brendan McCord of the Cosmos Institute
    Dec 14, 2024 – 49:31
  • Ep 104: Will AI Replace Coders? Terminal Co-Founder & CEO Dylan Serota
    Dec 6, 2024 – 27:33
  • Ep 103: Raj Bhakta Created WhistlePig; Now He's Reinventing the Whiskey Industry (Again)
    Nov 29, 2024 – 55:27
  • Ep 102: "If You're Not Blowing Stuff Up, You're Not Innovating!" — Stanford Professor Steve Blank
    Nov 22, 2024 – 50:13
  • Ep 101: Gov. Kevin Stitt — the Businessman Governor Standing Up to Special Interests
    Nov 15, 2024 – 24:38
  • Ep 100: Why AI Is Underhyped with Elad Gil
    Nov 2, 2024 – 50:23
  • Ep 99: The Myth of American Inequality with Senator Phil Gramm
    Oct 26, 2024 – 41:58
  • Ep 98: How Wokeness Foments Antisemitism; a Conversation with ADL's Jonathan Greenblatt
    Oct 18, 2024 – 36:19
  • Ep 97: Jimmy John Built a Restaurant Empire; Government Almost Destroyed It
    Oct 3, 2024 – 30:16
  • Ep 96: Harvard Economist Roland Fryer on the Truth Behind Police Shootings & Using Data to Supercharge Meritocracy
    Sep 20, 2024 – 39:06
  • Ep 95: Navy SEAL & Saronic CEO Dino Mavrookas on the Race for Autonomous Ships and Naval Dominance
    Sep 12, 2024 – 29:11
  • Ep 94: A Conversation with Turnaround King & U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross
    Aug 30, 2024 – 43:38
  • Ep 93: Cold War II & the Race for Technological Supremacy with CrowdStrike Co-Founder Dmitri Alperovitch
    Aug 22, 2024 – 54:44
  • Ep 92: High-Power Microwave & the Rise of Electronic Shields with Epirus CEO Andy Lowery
    Aug 16, 2024 – 43:56
  • Ep 91: "I whooped his ass!" Legendary Investor & Home Depot Founder Ken Langone on Leadership, Courage & Defeating the Bad Guys
    Jul 3, 2024 – 43:11
  • Ep 90: Ethan Penner on Choosing Greatness & Pioneering New Markets on Wall Street
    May 23, 2024 – 37:06
  • Ep 89: Coleman Hughes on "The End of Race Politics" & the Worst Ideas Done in the Name of Diversity
    May 16, 2024 – 40:20
  • Ep 88: A Conversation with MLK's Attorney & Speechwriter: Dr. Clarence Jones
    May 10, 2024 – 46:21
  • Ep 87: Dr. Cliff Winston — Deregulate Lawyers, Deregulate Airlines, and Let Markets Correct Themselves
    May 2, 2024 – 34:32
  • Ep 86: How to Design a STEM Curriculum for the 21st Century with Dr. David Ruth
    Apr 25, 2024 – 32:39
  • Ep 85: The Path to Regime Change in Iran with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi
    Apr 18, 2024 – 38:34
  • Ep 84: Sri Ganesan on Freshworks' Big Win, Building Rocketlane & India's Tech Boom
    Apr 11, 2024 – 30:02
  • Ep 83: A New Cancer Breakthrough with Ivan Dimov of Orca Bio
    Apr 5, 2024 – 32:16
  • Ep 82: Whitney Baker's Masterclass on Macro Investing & the State of the Economy
    Mar 21, 2024 – 40:33
  • Ep 81: How Palantir Star Tyler Scriven Is Helping Small Businesses Compete Against Amazon
    Mar 14, 2024 – 33:34
  • Ep 80: Leonard Leo's Winning Strategy to Rebuild Institutions, Accelerate Innovation, and Save Our Country
    Mar 8, 2024 – 35:57
  • Ep 79: Bjorn Lomborg and the 12 Best Policies to Help the World
    Feb 29, 2024 – 45:15
  • Ep 78: Emil Michael — the Master Dealmaker Behind Uber's Global Dominance
    Feb 14, 2024 – 40:27
  • Ep 77: Mike Solana on Exposing Government Corruption, Saving San Francisco, and Building a New Media Empire
    Feb 8, 2024 – 36:02
  • Ep 76: Accelerate or Die! Guillaume Verdon and the e/acc Movement
    Jan 31, 2024 – 36:19
  • Ep 75: Leadership Lessons with Intuit Founder & Silicon Valley Legend Scott Cook
    Dec 20, 2023 – 20:10
  • Ep 74: A Turning Point in Higher Education with Pano Kanelos & Niall Ferguson
    Dec 13, 2023 – 22:56
  • Ep 73: How Candid Health Is Fixing the $280B Healthcare Billing Fiasco, With Lessons from Palantir
    Dec 7, 2023 – 29:38
  • Ep 72: Illegal Chinese Bio Labs & Secret Police in the U.S.; Investigating the CCP with Congressman Mike Gallagher
    Nov 30, 2023 – 42:27
  • Ep 71: Reinventing Community College with Tade Oyerinde, Chancellor of Campus
    Nov 23, 2023 – 34:35
  • Ep 70: "The Geek Way" — Andrew McAfee's New Book on the Radical Mindset that Transformed the World
    Nov 15, 2023 – 34:55
  • Ep 69: How a Builder Mindset Is Solving the World's Ocean Trash Problem; Boyan Slat & The Ocean Cleanup
    Nov 8, 2023 – 35:14
  • Ep 68: How to Generate Alpha in Volatile Markets with Jacob Miller of Opto Investments
    Nov 2, 2023 – 30:15
  • Ep 67: Brad Gerstner on the AI Supercycle & Restoring Faith in Capitalism with Invest America
    Oct 25, 2023 – 40:54
  • A Missing Israeli Soldier & the Truth About Hamas
    Oct 13, 2023 – 20:14
  • Ep 66: Bob McGrew — the Superstar Palantir Alum Leading OpenAI's Transformative Research Projects
    Aug 18, 2023 – 43:06
  • Ep 65: Marc Andreessen and the Case for AI Optimism
    Jul 18, 2023 – 56:57
  • Ep 64: The Palantir Interview with Dr. Alex Karp
    Jul 14, 2023 – 49:48
Recent Reviews
  • Transmogrification
    Pretentious Amateur
    Host and guest love the sound of their own voices and annoyingly agreeable mostly anecdotal less analytical name dropping narcissist and reductive
  • Vance Ginn
    Innovative
    If you want innovative ideas, this is the show for you!
  • Alden Guy
    I never miss an episode
    American Optimist is an incredibly well-suited name for this podcast. In a time of incredible cynicism, Joe Lonsdale brings a stark clarity of thinking and objectivity to his interviews and his analysis of different markets and opportunities. I think what sets this podcast apart is a. the quality of the interviewees that Joe is able to get on the show, and b. the objective, insightful manner in which he interviews these individuals. Given his track record as founder of Palantir and as also as an excellent VC, he brings a unique perspective and energy to his interviews that I don’t find anywhere else. Not to be missed.
  • valueinvest84
    Excellent guests and well moderated by Joe
    I’ve worked in tech for nearly two decades and admittedly didn’t really know Joe’s background. He’s an inspiring, ultra successful, young leader that I find very interesting to listen to. Thanks for doing this Joe and keep up the great work!
  • whilingstages
    Good topics but the host interrupts constantly
    I like the guests and topics but the host is insufferable. He interrupts *constantly* and barely lets the guest finish their thought. So rude! If he wants to hear himself talk that much, then the podcast shouldn’t have an interview format.
  • aspenback
    Remarkable guests. Remarkable insights
    I listen to dozens of podcasts and this has become my favorite business podcast. It expands your viewpoints and in a world of negativity, American Optimist introduces you to bold, successful ideas and people.
  • ASobering
    A Interviews 🙌
    This is one of the most insightful podcasts that I have ever come across! Joe does such a great job of sharing his own personal wisdom and I love how he leads meaningful conversations with inspiring guests who bring so much experience to the table. Highly recommend checking this show out - you won’t be disappointed!
  • Jordan Moorhead
    Great show!
    I’m an American optimist and love that Joe is able to bring so many people taking America to the next level on this podcast!
  • Sophie26773389:
    Not free college if they don’t guarantee a decent wage
    I’ve heard a lot of scam colleges promise to find jobs for graduates or money back. But the jobs they guarantee is at or near minimum wage, they don’t pay enough for the students to pay back the tuition.
  • Trlarsen
    5 star Content
    My only request would be that Joe let the experts speak. He is constantly stepping on their toes mid sentence to repeat what they were going to say anyway.
  • Krzysztof Mazur
    Open minded, great guests pick
    Good conversation with guests. Joe is putting a positive spin on things that we as society could do better !
  • KTEBoyle
    Poor manners/interviewing skills
    I have listened to thousands of interviews and have never heard an interviewer interrupt their guest so quickly and frequently to try to sound smart. I came here to specifically listen to Balaji speak, and got some ‘interviewer’ not let the guest finish any sentences before talking over them to them them what he thinks they’re saying. Will never listen to this podcast again after that experience. One and done.
  • WinscottPatarkus
    Best podcast I have listened to
    This is the best podcast I have listened to in a long time. At its heart, it is the testimonies of people who in their journey to accomplish incredible and inspiring things, have discovered and embraced liberalism (small L), and an acknowledgment of the fact that we live in the best time in human history. It is also an honest reckoning of the greatest threats to our continued progress, and they are not what most people expect. The success of this podcast stems from Joe having access to truly world class people and asking profound and meaningful questions. Thanks for doing this, one of the many ways you are giving back.
  • Rolling Conservative
    Exciting conversation
    Other than the person tapping the microphone/desk, this was fantastic!
  • Troyasaurus Rex
    So smart
    20 years ago, the knowledge in of these podcasts would have been a university class and cost several thousand dollars. This dude is giving it away for free, and I couldn’t be happier.
  • bugmango
    So refreshing
    With so much negativity and pessimism becoming the norm in this country, it’s so refreshing to listen to these men and woman talk about what makes America a unique and wonderful place. A podcast like this was seriously overdue. Can’t wait for subsequent episodes.
  • SWEAR2DOG
    You were raised in poverty
    WW Bro sent me here
  • Lizzymichigan
    Self serving echo chamber
    So dumb - let’s only have people on that agree with our point of view lol! Way to solve the worlds problems.
  • Freedombuilder
    Refreshing, insightful and positive
    Life is so much better then it has ever been. This is a fact that we so rarely hear about. Life is better and it continues to get better, Joe’s podcast illuminates this fact and brings common sense optimism and a wide range of cutting edge strategies, unique individuals and modern breakthroughs to the conversation…. You will love it.
  • Viking X
    Refreshing bounce
    Joe’s podcast is a fantastic change from the doom and gloom you typically hear in the media. He offers thoughts and ideas meant to inspire the next generation of leaders
  • Neutered Net
    Refreshing take on policy and tech
    This show is for those who want to hear from those building a better future. Rather than only complaining about current events, Joe Lonsdale and his guests discuss policy and tech solutions to the biggest challenges facing America and the world.
  • AR0608
    A Needed Perspective
    Love this idea. The guests are engaging and the topics are well researched and insightful. Can’t wait for more!
  • NJ11955
    It’s About Time
    Finally a show that focuses on the inspiring and hopeful stories that aren’t being told in the mainstream media. I’m only a few episodes in and I’ve already learned so much about some amazing tech breakthroughs I had never heard of before.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork on this page are property of the podcast owner, and not endorsed by UP.audio.