The Tim Ferriss Show

Arthur C. Brooks is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on leadership and happiness. His next book, The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness, will be released on March 31, 2026. This episode is brought to you by:Humann’s SuperBeets Sport for endurance and recovery: https://humann.com/timMonarch track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: https://www.monarch.com/timAG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://drinkag1.com/timCoyote the card game​, which I co-created with Exploding Kittens: https://coyotegame.com* For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast. For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday. For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts. Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books. Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss  Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bill Gurley (@bgurley) is a general partner at Benchmark, a leading venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. His new book is Runnin’ Down a Dream: How to Thrive in a Career You Actually Love. This episode is brought to you by:Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular supportOur Place’s Titanium Always Pan® Pro using nonstick technology that’s coating-free and made without PFAS, otherwise known as “Forever Chemicals”Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail businessCoyote the card game​, which I co-created with Exploding Kittens* Timestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:01:43] The book that gave Jerry Seinfeld permission to pursue comedy and inspired Runnin’ Down a Dream.[00:03:59] AI bubble or not?[00:06:33] Circular deals and SPV chaos.[00:12:01] Angel investing in the AI era.[00:14:32] Why you should be the most AI-enabled version of yourself, regardless of field.[00:20:47] China deep dive: Ten days, six cities, high-speed trains, and a Xiaomi SU7 factory tour.[00:22:43] Communism misconceptions.[00:25:40] Lei Jun: The Steve Jobs of China.[00:29:17] Jack Ma, ByteDance’s invisible CEO, and the risks of prominence in China.[00:32:11] America vs. China (Lawyers vs. engineers).[00:41:01] Keys for US competitiveness.[00:43:47] Bill is bullish on these countries.[00:47:30] Matthew McConaughey’s “Don’t half ass it” moment.[00:49:45] Runnin’ Down a Dream thesis: Helping people pursue X instead of A, B, or C.[00:51:03] The 80,000-hour question.[00:52:47] The self-learning test.[00:56:58] Bob Dylan as music expeditionary.[01:00:27] Go to the epicenter where the action is.[01:10:56] Danny Meyer’s pivot.[01:13:30] Working for free.[01:19:37] Never too late: Tito Beveridge started Tito’s Vodka at 40.[01:21:51] AI sanity checks.[01:25:59] AI-proof bets.[01:29:13] Sam Hinkie’s Moneyball moment.[01:32:37] Competitive strategy, avoiding false failures, and regret minimalization.[01:43:46] Purpose, Progress, and Prosperity — the P3 Policy Institute.[01:47:18] Regulatory capture explained.[01:51:55] Why the IPO market is broken.[02:01:52] Stablecoins putting Visa and Mastercard on notice.[02:03:40] Hopes for Runnin’ Down a Dream and parting thoughts.* For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast. For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday. For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts. Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books. Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss  Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Fei-Fei Li (@drfeifei) is the inaugural Sequoia Professor in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University, a founding co-director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute, and the co-founder and CEO of World Labs, a generative AI company focusing on Spatial Intelligence. She is the author of The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI, her memoir and one of Barack Obama’s recommended books on AI and a Financial Times best book of 2023. This episode is brought to you by: Seed’s DS-01® Daily Synbiotic broad spectrum 24-strain probiotic + prebiotic: https://seed.com/tim Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://helixsleep.com/tim Coyote the card game​, which I co-created with Exploding Kittens: https://coyotegame.com/ Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://wealthfront.com/tim New clients get 3.50% base APY from program banks + additional 0.65% boost for 3 months on your uninvested cash (max $150k balance). Terms apply. The Cash Account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”) member FINRA/SIPC, not a bank. The base APY as of 11/07/2025 is representative, can change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss, a non-client, receives compensation from WFB for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of WFB. Experiences will vary. Outcomes not guaranteed. Instant withdrawals may be limited by your receiving firm and other factors. Investment advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value. * TIMESTAMPS[00:00:00] Start.[00:01:22] Why it’s so remarkable this is our first time meeting.[00:03:21] From a childhood in Chengdu to New Jersey[00:04:51] Being raised by the opposite of tiger parenting.[00:07:53] Why Dr. Li’s brave parents left everything behind.[00:11:17] Bob Sabella: The math teacher who sacrificed lunch hours for an immigrant kid.[00:19:37] Seven years running a dry cleaning shop through Princeton.[00:20:50] How ImageNet birthed modern AI.[00:23:21] From fighter jets to physics to the audacious question: What is intelligence?[00:27:24] The epiphany everyone missed: Big data as the hidden hypothesis.[00:28:49] Against the single-genius myth: Science as non-linear lineage.[00:32:18] Amazon Mechanical Turk: When desperation breeds innovation.[00:39:03] Quality control puzzles: How do you stop people from seeing pandas everywhere?[00:41:36] The “Godmother of AI” on what everyone’s missing: People.[00:42:31] Civilizational technology: AI’s fingerprints on GDP, culture, and Japanese taxi screens.[00:47:45] Pragmatic optimist: Why neither utopians nor doomsayers have it right.[00:51:30] Why World Labs: Spatial intelligence as the next frontier beyond language.[00:53:17] Packing sandwiches and painting bedrooms: Breaking down spatial reasoning.[00:55:16] Medieval French towns on a budget: How World Labs serves high school theater.[00:59:08] Flight simulators for robots and strawberry field therapy for OCD.[01:01:42] The scientists who don’t make headlines: Spelke, Gopnik, Brooks, and the cognitive giants.[01:03:16] What’s underappreciated: Spatial intelligence, AI in education, and the messy middle of labor.[01:06:21] Hiring at World Labs: Why tool embrace matters more than degrees.[01:08:50] Rethinking evaluation: Show students AI’s B-minus, then challenge them to beat it.[01:11:24] Dr. Li’s Billboard.[01:13:13] The fortuitous naming of Fei-Fei.[01:14:46] Parting thoughts.* For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast. For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday. For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts. Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books. Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss  Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to another wide-ranging "Random Show" episode that I recorded with my close friend Kevin Rose (digg.com)! This episode is brought to you by: Qlosi prescription eye drop used to treat age-related blurry near vision (presbyopia) in adults: https://Qlosi.com/Tim David Protein Bars with 28g of protein, 150 calories, and 0g of sugar: https://davidprotein.com/Tim (Buy 4 cartons, get the 5th free.) Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim (use code TIM to get $400 off your very own Pod 5 Ultra) Coyote the card game​, which I co-created with Exploding Kittens: https://coyotegame.com Timestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:00:52] Why Kevin concluded nearly seven months of sobriety, and the 2-2-2 Rule he now follows for alcohol consumption.[00:07:12] My recent adventures in accelerated TMS and bioelectric medicine.[00:21:09] The tragic death of Nolan Williams and funding future research through the Saisei Foundation.[00:24:23] Aphantasia vs. hyperphantasia, and Joshua Waitzkin's ability to "feel" chess.[00:33:12] DORAs for sleep and Alzheimer's prevention: Matt Walker, Belsomra, and the terrifying p-tau blood test.[00:41:21] Dale Bredesen's kitchen-sink approach to dementia and the ketogenic connection.[00:46:22] The rapid pace of AI development: Why your opinion from three months ago is already obsolete.[00:49:40] Google's full-stack advantage: TPUs, Gemini 3, and why they were built for this moment.[00:52:50] The future of venture capital: Seed rounds shift later as entrepreneurs gain leverage.[00:58:05] Kevin's three AI investment buckets: Power, data centers, and bloated companies ripe for automation.[01:02:05] Holiday gift ideas and recommended reading.[01:17:41] The Way App and meditation with Zen master Henry Shukman.[01:21:44] Kevin's AI stack: Nothing earbuds, Sandbar ring, Notion AI, and the NotebookLM podcast hack.[01:26:58] Oboe.fyi: The AI learning platform and my investment philosophy.[01:32:09] My new girlfriend, the perils of modern dating apps, and building a communication toolkit.[01:38:17] Terry Real's relationship wisdom: Why objective reality has no place in an argument.[01:47:18] Dog updates: Molly, a new puppy, and Toaster on rapamycin.[01:47:58] Parting thoughts and happy holidays.* For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast. For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday. For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts. Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books. Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss  Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we head into the new year, many of us feel like we’re drowning in invisible complexity. So I wanted to hit pause and ask a simple question: What are 1-3 decisions that could dramatically simplify my life in 2026? To explore that, I invited three close friends and long-time listener favorites—Derek Sivers, Seth Godin, and Martha Beck. This episode is brought to you by: Incogni, which automatically removes your personal data from the web, helping shield you from fraud, scams, and identity theft: https://incogni.com/tim (use code TIM at checkout and get 60% off an annual plan) Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim (use code TIM to get $700 off your very own Pod 5 Ultra.) More about today's guests: Derek Sivers is an author of philosophy and entrepreneurship, known for his surprising, quotable insights and pithy, succinct writing style. Derek’s books (How to Live, Hell Yeah or No, Your Music and People, Anything You Want) and newest projects are at his website: sive.rs. His new book is Useful Not True. Seth Godin is the author of 21 internationally bestselling books, translated into more than 35 languages, including Linchpin, Tribes, The Dip, and Purple Cow. His latest book, This Is Strategy, offers a fresh lens on how we can make bold decisions, embrace change, and navigate a complex, rapidly evolving world.  Dr. Martha Beck has been called “the best-known life coach in America” by NPR and USA Today. She holds three Harvard degrees in social science and has published nine non-fiction books, one novel, and more than 200 magazine articles. The Guardian and other media have described her as “Oprah’s life coach.” Her latest book is Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life’s Purpose. TIMESTAMPS[00:00:00] Start.[00:00:20] Advice I’ve used to simplify my own life.[00:04:02] Enter Derek Sivers.[00:04:17] Simple is the opposite of complex — not just a synonym for “easy.”[00:07:19] Simplification #1: No subscriptions, contracts, or people depending on him.[00:07:40] Simplification #2: Programming with no external libraries or dependencies.[00:08:30] Simplification #3: Building a house from scratch in New Zealand.[00:09:26] Complex is a long-term trap. Simple is long-term freedom..[00:10:32] Enter Seth Godin.[00:10:48] Simplifying is hard work — if it were easy, you’d have already done it.[00:11:17] Clarity on “who it’s for”: Ignore everyone else, including one-star reviews.[00:12:46] Eliminate gray areas: Never miss a deadline, never go over budget. Stand by your commitments.[00:14:53] Reclaim time with personal boundaries: No meetings, no social media, no TV.[00:16:57] Simplifying one thing puts you on the hook to go deeper elsewhere.[00:22:23] Enter Martha Beck.[00:22:29] One decision that radically simplified her life.[00:22:44] At 29, chose to follow true joy — not dopamine hits, but deep peace.[00:24:15] The simple rule: Go toward joy, away from misery — no matter what.[00:28:20] How a near-death experience sparked this commitment.[00:30:02] Payoff: Autoimmune remission, purpose, wonderful relationships, home inside herself.* For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast. For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday. For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts. Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books. Follow Tim: Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss  Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss  LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.