The Joe Rogan podcast with Elon Musk was one of the most important events of 2018, and no—I’m not being hyperbolic.
If you thought this interview was all about Elon hitting a spliff, you…may have been misled slightly.
In reality, Elon helps us peek behind the curtain to get a glimpse of the future:
- Can we dig underground tunnels to alleviate traffic?
- What does your brain look like on artificial intelligence?
- Can you control AI with your thoughts?
- Can you live forever with AI?
- Can social media and happiness co-exist?
- Are we living in a simulation?
- Flying cars? Electric planes? Cars with robot eyes?
Invigorating topics, but here’s the thing—Elon often speaks in a guarded, almost cryptic manner, and Joe doesn’t really know enough about these topics to press him for critical details.
This is precisely why I produced a supplemental, 13-part video series on the Joe Rogan interview with Elon Musk.
So many of the topics they touch on require massive illumination, and there’s so much additional value to uncover here. Fortunately, that’s where I come in!
I’ve included all the segments below, but I’ve highlighted the really good ones in yellow. If you want to maximize your time, start with those videos and then branch out to any others that interest you.
Segment 1: A Boring Intro — Flamethrowers, tunnels, and what’s really happening inside the mind of a genius?
Segment 2, Part 1: AI and Giant Cybernetic Collectives — Is AI going to kill us all? Are we already cyborgs? If we can solve the bandwidth problem, will we merge with AI and become something else?
Segment 2, Part 2: Neurolink — How do we “talk” to AI? How will AI shape the future of human evolution? What’s the near-term future for AI?
Segment 3: Social Media and Happiness — “Happiness is reality minus expectations.”
Segment 4: The Simulation — Are we living in a simulation? Is our creation of Giant Cybernetic Collectives a response to universal entropy? If your sense of “where you are” is simply a product of your perceptions, then what is reality?
Segment 5: Teslas and Easter Eggs — Elon talking about Teslas is the best possible advertisement for Teslas.
Segment 6: Tunnels, a 3D Solution to a 2D Problem — Why don’t we have flying cars? Why bother when you can have mag-lev in a vacuum tunnel?
Segment 7: Just Plane Sad about Carbon — Elon has designed an electric airplane, but he says electric cars, solar energy, and batteries are “more important” right now. And how does he feel about carbon and climate change?
Segment 8: The Tesla Subsidy — Elon falls flat in his defense of the economic subsidy Tesla has leveraged to accelerate sales and gain market share.
Segment 9: Teslas, AI, and Robot Eyes — Auto-pilot and traction control are examples of AI already built into production Teslas. The incredibly quick response time of electric motors makes this possible.
Segment 10: Topical Soup — Lawsuits, the 1% dominating the 99%, Elon wishes politicians were better at science, Tesla is making solar panels, and is Elon gonna take on air conditioning?
Segment 11: Spark of Genius — Elon hits a spliff, but did he inhale? A weird anecdote about dead horses in Manhattan suggests he got his mind right. Joe brings the cringe with more “you’re a special genius snowflake” talk, but this leads to an interesting consideration: What is the nature of genius? Elon calls it a “never-ending explosion.”
Segment 12: Are We There Yet? — Elon offers up his vision of an exciting future.