Episode Transcript
From New York Times Opinion, I'm Ross Douthat, and this is Interesting Times. Is Silicon Valley recklessly ambitious, or is it not ambitious enough? What should we fear more, Armageddon or stagnation? Why is one of the world's most successful investors worrying about the Antichrist? My guest today is a co-founder of PayPal and Palantir and an...
Episode Description
The billionaire Peter Thiel is unimpressed with our pace of innovation. In this episode, he critiques artificial intelligence, longevity science and space travel — and warns that our lack of progress could lead to catastrophic outcomes, including the emergence of the Antichrist.
- 01:19 - What does stagnation mean in 2025?
- 06:30 - Peter Thiel's case for more progress and innovation
- 11:30 - Does taking more scientific risk include life extension?
- 15:14 - Peter Thiel's political history
- 18:34 - Did Trump live up to Thiel's expectations?
- 25:10 - Does Elon Musk still want to go to Mars?
- 28:09 - How Thiel defines A.I.
- 33:20 - Is A.I. Too Modest An Ambition?
- 35:23 - How will the human race evolve? Should it?
- 41:53 - Thiel's critique of Silicon Valley
- 43:40 - Who is the real Antichrist?
(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.
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