#240 – Neal Stephenson: Sci-Fi, Space, Aliens, AI, VR & the Future of Humanity

Lex Fridman Podcast

Neal Stephenson is a sci-fi writer (Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and new book Termination Shock), former Chief Futurist at Magic Leap and first employee of Blue Origin. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Neal’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nealstephenson
Neal’s Website: https://www.nealstephenson.com/
Termination Shock (book): https://amzn.to/3HhmDKi
Snow Crash (book): https://amzn.to/3H7yFFW
Cryptonomicon (book): https://amzn.to/3C01HDF
The Diamond Age (book): https://amzn.to/3wxUF83
Seveneves (book): https://amzn.to/3kkhveg
The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1 (book): https://amzn.to/3koMW7n
Innovation Starvation (article): https://bit.ly/3mYLSJ2

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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(08:34) – WWII and human nature
(17:20) – Search engine morality
(21:58) – Space exploration
(38:59) – Aliens and UFOs
(47:21) – SpaceX and Blue Origin
(54:43) – Social media
(59:11) – Climate change
(1:11:00) – Consequences of big ideas
(1:15:42) – Virtual reality
(1:38:50) – Artificial intelligence
(1:53:49) – Cryptocurrency
(2:06:26) – Writing, storytelling, and books
(2:29:05) – Martial arts
(2:38:23) – Final thoughts