3 ms·

How did Dwarkesh manage to build a brand that can attract famous people to his podcast? He didn’t have prior fame from something else in research or business, r

How did Dwarkesh manage to build a brand that can attract famous people to his podcast? He didn’t have prior fame from something else in research or business, right? Curious if anyone knows his growth strategy to get here.

piker 1y ago
Seems like he’s Lex without the Rogan association so hardcore liberal folks can listen without having to buy morality offsets. He’s good, and he’s filling a void in an established underserved genre is my take.
- camillomiller 1y ago
  Fridman is a morally broken grifter, who just built a persona and a brand on proven lies, claiming an association with MIT that was de facto non-existent. Not wanting to give the guy recognition is not a matter of being liberal or conservative, but just interested in truthfulness.
  - wahnfrieden 1y ago
    Patel takes anticommunism to such an extreme that he repeatedly brings up and speculates (despite being met with repudiation by even the staunchest anticommunist of guests) whether naziism is preferable, that Hitler should have the war against Soviets, that the US should have collaborated with Hitler to defeat communism, and that the enduring spread of naziism would have been a good tradeoff to make.
    - chermi 1y ago
      Where does he say this?
      - wahnfrieden 1y ago
        the Sarah Paine interviews
    - pxc 1y ago
      I don't remember all of the details so I can't remember if that came up in the episode I listened to. But I did listen to an episode where he talked to a (Chinese) guest about China. I discussed it with a Chinese friend at the time, and we both thought the guest was very interesting and well-informed, but the interviewer's questions were sometimes fantastical in a paranoid way, naively ideological, and often even a bit stupid. It being the first (and so far only) interview of his I'd seen, between that and the AI boosterism, I was left thinking he was just some overblown hack. Is this a blind spot for him so that he's sometimes worth listening to on other topics? Or is he in fact an overblown hack?
      - bugglebeetle 1y ago
        No, he’s an overblown hack who is pandering to the elements of his audience that would share those views about Nazism and China. Should many someday see through the veil of his bullshit or simply grow tired of his pablum, he can then pivot to being a far right influencer and continue raking in the dough, having previously demonstrated the proper bona fides.
    - bluecheese452 1y ago
      He also has the classic government is bad and inefficient take with zero to back it up. Just lazy pandering.
  - cedws 1y ago
    The episode with Zelensky exposed him as a complete idiot. I can maybe tolerate grifters but fuck the whole 'love and peace bro' act while implying Ukraine should make peace with invaders who have ruthlessly killed civilian men, women, and children. I wish we stopped giving airtime to grifters. Maybe then things would start looking up in the world.
  - throwaway2037 1y ago
    > claiming an association with MIT that was de facto non-existent Google search: "lex fridman and mit" Second hit: https://cces.mit.edu/team/lex-fridman/ https://cces.mit.edu/team/lex-fridman/ > Lex conducts research in AI, human-robot interaction, autonomous vehicles, and machine learning at MIT.
    - wahnfrieden 1y ago
      To qualify what “conducts research” means: > Lex does not teach any for-credit class at MIT, is not listed in the teaching faculty, and his last published research paper was published in 2018. For community outreach, Lex Fridman HAS taught classes in MIT’s IAP program, which are non-credit bearing. > The most recent documented instance of Lex Fridman teaching an IAP class was in January 2022, when he co-instructed a series of lectures on deep learning, robotics, and AI-specialized computing hardware as part of MIT’s Independent Activities Period, scheduled from January 10 to January 14. His profile photo btw is in front of an actual lecturer’s chalk board from a class he wasn’t involved with. The chalkboard writing is just an aesthetic. In that picture he was teaching an introductory level powerpoint about AI trends in a one-time, unpaid IAP session. That’s as authentic as it gets
    - camillomiller 1y ago
      He does not. He taught one IAP course, which is a joke. He is also basically the only one in that page with a one-liner description. Here's more information on why he's a massive fraud: https://medium.com/the-pub/is-lex-fridman-a-fraud-722a82b6ec32 https://medium.com/the-pub/is-lex-fridman-a-fraud-722a82b6ec...
- fragmede 1y ago
  Tell me more about these morality offsets I can buy! I got a bunch of friends that listen to Joe Rogan, so I listen to him to know what they're talking about, but I've been doing so without these offsets, so my morality's been taking hits. Please help me before I make a human trafficking app for Andrew Tate!
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
- just-the-wrk 1y ago
  I think its important to include that Lex is laundromat for whatever the guest is trying to sell. Dwarkesh does an impressive amount of background and speaks with experts about their expertise.
  - pxc 1y ago
    > I think its important to include that Lex is laundromat for whatever the guest is trying to sell. This is also Rogan's chief problem as a podcaster, isn't it?
  - bugglebeetle 1y ago
    His recent conversation with Sutton suggests otherwise. Friedman is a vapid charlatan par excellence. Dwarkesh suffers from a different problem, where, by rubbing shoulders with experts, he has come to the mistaken belief that he possesses expertise, absent the humility and actual work that would entail.
    - bluecheese452 1y ago
      Spot on.
    - t_serpico 1y ago
      Yup, Dwarkesh needs to broaden his intellectual scope, and the Sutton interview completely exposed the echo chamber he's been inhabiting. There is no certainty in science, and I don't think building 'AGI' will be any exception.
- dinobones 1y ago
  I stopped listening to Lex Fridman after he tried to arbiter a "peace agreement" between Russia and Ukraine and claimed he just wanted to make the world "love" each other more. Then I found out he was a fraud that had no academic connection to MIT other than working there as an IC.
  - cheema33 1y ago
    > I stopped listening to Lex Fridman after he tried to arbiter a "peace agreement" between Russia and Ukraine... Same here. I lost all respect for Lex after seeing him interview Zelensky of Ukraine. Lex grew up in Moscow. He sometimes shows a soft spot for Russia perhaps because of it.
- Libidinalecon 1y ago
  It amuses me to no end that there are groups in the US that would probably consider both Terence McKenna and Michel Foucault as "far right" conservatives if they were alive and had podcasts in 2025. Absolutely no way Timothy Leary would be considered a liberal in 2025. Those three I think represent a pretty good mirror of the present situation.
- seizethecheese 1y ago
  It has nothing to do with politics.
l5870uoo9y 1y ago
Overnight success takes years (he has been doing the podcast for 5 years).
FergusArgyll 1y ago
He's the best interviewer I ever found, try listening to his first couple episodes - they're from his dorm or something. If you can think of a similar style and originality in questioning I'd love a suggestion!
- GoodOldNe 1y ago
  Sean Evans. :)
chermi 1y ago
People are impressed by his interviews because he puts a lot of effort into researching the topic before the interview. This is a positive feedback loop.
just-the-wrk 1y ago
He does deep research on topics and invites people who recognize his efforts and want to engage with an informed audience.
- Version467 1y ago
  That, plus he's quick enough to come up with good follow-up questions on the spot. It's so frustrating listening to interviews where the interviewer simply glosses over interesting/controversial statements because they either don't care, or don't know enough to identify a statement as controversial. In contrast, Dwarkesh is incredible at this. 9/10 times when I'm confused about a statement that a guest makes on his show he will immediately follow up by asking for clarification or pushing back. It's so refreshing.
polishdude20 1y ago
Maybe he's an Industry plant
inesranzo 1y ago
One word. Consistency. You can just do things. Don't stop.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

piker 1y ago

Seems like he’s Lex without the Rogan association so hardcore liberal folks can listen without having to buy morality offsets. He’s good, and he’s filling a void in an established underserved genre is my take.

camillomiller 1y ago
Fridman is a morally broken grifter, who just built a persona and a brand on proven lies, claiming an association with MIT that was de facto non-existent. Not wanting to give the guy recognition is not a matter of being liberal or conservative, but just interested in truthfulness.
- wahnfrieden 1y ago
  Patel takes anticommunism to such an extreme that he repeatedly brings up and speculates (despite being met with repudiation by even the staunchest anticommunist of guests) whether naziism is preferable, that Hitler should have the war against Soviets, that the US should have collaborated with Hitler to defeat communism, and that the enduring spread of naziism would have been a good tradeoff to make.
  - chermi 1y ago
    Where does he say this?
    - wahnfrieden 1y ago
      the Sarah Paine interviews
  - pxc 1y ago
    I don't remember all of the details so I can't remember if that came up in the episode I listened to. But I did listen to an episode where he talked to a (Chinese) guest about China. I discussed it with a Chinese friend at the time, and we both thought the guest was very interesting and well-informed, but the interviewer's questions were sometimes fantastical in a paranoid way, naively ideological, and often even a bit stupid. It being the first (and so far only) interview of his I'd seen, between that and the AI boosterism, I was left thinking he was just some overblown hack. Is this a blind spot for him so that he's sometimes worth listening to on other topics? Or is he in fact an overblown hack?
    - bugglebeetle 1y ago
      No, he’s an overblown hack who is pandering to the elements of his audience that would share those views about Nazism and China. Should many someday see through the veil of his bullshit or simply grow tired of his pablum, he can then pivot to being a far right influencer and continue raking in the dough, having previously demonstrated the proper bona fides.
  - bluecheese452 1y ago
    He also has the classic government is bad and inefficient take with zero to back it up. Just lazy pandering.
- cedws 1y ago
  The episode with Zelensky exposed him as a complete idiot. I can maybe tolerate grifters but fuck the whole 'love and peace bro' act while implying Ukraine should make peace with invaders who have ruthlessly killed civilian men, women, and children. I wish we stopped giving airtime to grifters. Maybe then things would start looking up in the world.
- throwaway2037 1y ago
  > claiming an association with MIT that was de facto non-existent Google search: "lex fridman and mit" Second hit: https://cces.mit.edu/team/lex-fridman/ https://cces.mit.edu/team/lex-fridman/ > Lex conducts research in AI, human-robot interaction, autonomous vehicles, and machine learning at MIT.
  - wahnfrieden 1y ago
    To qualify what “conducts research” means: > Lex does not teach any for-credit class at MIT, is not listed in the teaching faculty, and his last published research paper was published in 2018. For community outreach, Lex Fridman HAS taught classes in MIT’s IAP program, which are non-credit bearing. > The most recent documented instance of Lex Fridman teaching an IAP class was in January 2022, when he co-instructed a series of lectures on deep learning, robotics, and AI-specialized computing hardware as part of MIT’s Independent Activities Period, scheduled from January 10 to January 14. His profile photo btw is in front of an actual lecturer’s chalk board from a class he wasn’t involved with. The chalkboard writing is just an aesthetic. In that picture he was teaching an introductory level powerpoint about AI trends in a one-time, unpaid IAP session. That’s as authentic as it gets
  - camillomiller 1y ago
    He does not. He taught one IAP course, which is a joke. He is also basically the only one in that page with a one-liner description. Here's more information on why he's a massive fraud: https://medium.com/the-pub/is-lex-fridman-a-fraud-722a82b6ec32 https://medium.com/the-pub/is-lex-fridman-a-fraud-722a82b6ec...
fragmede 1y ago
Tell me more about these morality offsets I can buy! I got a bunch of friends that listen to Joe Rogan, so I listen to him to know what they're talking about, but I've been doing so without these offsets, so my morality's been taking hits. Please help me before I make a human trafficking app for Andrew Tate!
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
just-the-wrk 1y ago
I think its important to include that Lex is laundromat for whatever the guest is trying to sell. Dwarkesh does an impressive amount of background and speaks with experts about their expertise.
- pxc 1y ago
  > I think its important to include that Lex is laundromat for whatever the guest is trying to sell. This is also Rogan's chief problem as a podcaster, isn't it?
- bugglebeetle 1y ago
  His recent conversation with Sutton suggests otherwise. Friedman is a vapid charlatan par excellence. Dwarkesh suffers from a different problem, where, by rubbing shoulders with experts, he has come to the mistaken belief that he possesses expertise, absent the humility and actual work that would entail.
  - bluecheese452 1y ago
    Spot on.
  - t_serpico 1y ago
    Yup, Dwarkesh needs to broaden his intellectual scope, and the Sutton interview completely exposed the echo chamber he's been inhabiting. There is no certainty in science, and I don't think building 'AGI' will be any exception.
dinobones 1y ago
I stopped listening to Lex Fridman after he tried to arbiter a "peace agreement" between Russia and Ukraine and claimed he just wanted to make the world "love" each other more. Then I found out he was a fraud that had no academic connection to MIT other than working there as an IC.
- cheema33 1y ago
  > I stopped listening to Lex Fridman after he tried to arbiter a "peace agreement" between Russia and Ukraine... Same here. I lost all respect for Lex after seeing him interview Zelensky of Ukraine. Lex grew up in Moscow. He sometimes shows a soft spot for Russia perhaps because of it.
Libidinalecon 1y ago
It amuses me to no end that there are groups in the US that would probably consider both Terence McKenna and Michel Foucault as "far right" conservatives if they were alive and had podcasts in 2025. Absolutely no way Timothy Leary would be considered a liberal in 2025. Those three I think represent a pretty good mirror of the present situation.
seizethecheese 1y ago
It has nothing to do with politics.

l5870uoo9y 1y ago

Overnight success takes years (he has been doing the podcast for 5 years).

FergusArgyll 1y ago

He's the best interviewer I ever found, try listening to his first couple episodes - they're from his dorm or something. If you can think of a similar style and originality in questioning I'd love a suggestion!

GoodOldNe 1y ago
Sean Evans. :)

chermi 1y ago

People are impressed by his interviews because he puts a lot of effort into researching the topic before the interview. This is a positive feedback loop.

just-the-wrk 1y ago

He does deep research on topics and invites people who recognize his efforts and want to engage with an informed audience.

Version467 1y ago
That, plus he's quick enough to come up with good follow-up questions on the spot. It's so frustrating listening to interviews where the interviewer simply glosses over interesting/controversial statements because they either don't care, or don't know enough to identify a statement as controversial. In contrast, Dwarkesh is incredible at this. 9/10 times when I'm confused about a statement that a guest makes on his show he will immediately follow up by asking for clarification or pushing back. It's so refreshing.

polishdude20 1y ago

Maybe he's an Industry plant

inesranzo 1y ago

One word. Consistency. You can just do things. Don't stop.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]