logo
episode-header-image
Jun 26
1 h

A Mind-Bending Conversation with Peter T...

NEW YORK TIMES OPINION
About this episode

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.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Up next
Aug 21
Ross and Ezra Klein Discuss Trump, Mysticism and Psychedelics
This week, we’re sharing a great conversation Ross had on “The Ezra Klein Show” this past spring. Ezra asks Ross about his most recent book, “Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious.” But along the way, they debate not just how religion influences the Trump administration but a ... Show More
1h 36m
Aug 14
Abolish the Senate. End the Electoral College. Pack the Court.
For Democrats, President Trump’s victories have revealed the antidemocratic flaws at the core of our government. But could it be an opening for a constitutional revolution as the party searches for its next leader?This week, Ross explores what that revolution would entail with Os ... Show More
55m 37s
Aug 7
The Next Parenting Trend Starts Before Conception
Would you use an algorithm to select your embryos? Enter Orchid, a company that promises parents the ability to protect their future children through genetic testing for embryos before pregnancy. The founder, Noor Siddiqui, and Ross debate the scientific, moral and ethical implic ... Show More
1h 3m
Recommended Episodes
Jul 11
Interesting Times: A Mind-Bending Conversation with Peter Thiel
This week, we’re bringing you a recent interview from “Interesting Times with Ross Douthat,” one of The New York Times’s newest podcasts. In this episode, Ross sits down with Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and Palantir and one of the most contrarian thinkers in tech. Toget ... Show More
1h 2m
Jul 2024
"The Real Risk is Totalitarian World Government" - Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist and philanthropist. A co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund, he was the first outside investor in Facebook. As of July 2024, Thiel had an estimated net worth of $11.2 billion. Through the Thiel F ... Show More
1h 10m
Nov 2023
Peter Thiel Is Taking a Break From Democracy
Tech evangelist. Libertarian dreamer. Republican megadonor. Peter Thiel is many things. As Atlantic staff writer Barton Gellman puts it in his new profile of Thiel, he is “the purest distillation of Silicon Valley’s reigning ethos.” Across several interviews, Gellman learned what ... Show More
31m 42s
Apr 2025
541. Why We Stopped Progressing | Peter Thiel
Billionaire investor and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel sits down with Jordan Peterson for a powerful conversation about why real progress has stalled. Thiel argues that the last truly groundbreaking achievement may have been landing on the moon—and since then, we've slowed down. ... Show More
1h 16m
Feb 2025
How Elon Musk Is Infiltrating Washington
Elon Musk and his team have taken a hacksaw to the federal bureaucracy one agency at a time, and the question has become whether he’s on a crusade that will leave the government paralyzed or deliver a shake-up it has needed for years.Jonathan Swan, a White House reporter for The ... Show More
32m 30s
Sep 2024
Elon Musk: Too Big to Scam | 124
When Elon Musk bid to buy Twitter for $44 billion, he made headlines for the mess that followed — including flip flopping on the deal and immediately firing most of the site’s employees. In this special episode of Scamfluencers, Scaachi Koul talks with New York Times reporters Ka ... Show More
40m 31s
Jun 9
Coming soon: The rise and fall of Trump’s tech bros
Can Tim Cook save Apple from the trade war? Has Mark Zuckerberg really been a fan of Donald Trump all along? And is the bromance between Elon Musk and the president really over? In a new season of Tech Tonic, Murad Ahmed explores the relationships between Trump and some of the ti ... Show More
1m 1s
Nov 2024
Elon Musk Launches Into American Politics
After single-handedly remaking the auto industry, social media and the global space race, Elon Musk is now turning his attention, and personal fortune, to politics.Over the past few months, he became one of the most influential figures in the race for president, and on Tuesday Do ... Show More
28m 43s
Dec 2024
Peter Thiel on Trump, Musk, Technology and God
It’s fair to say that putting Peter Thiel in a box would be pretty much impossible. He’s a gay, christian billionaire with a flair for business, and the combination of these traits is seldom seen. His personality and unique path to success gives him an outside perspective on the ... Show More
1h 27m
Dec 2024
How Did Elon Musk Get Like This?
There was a time before Elon Musk was tweeting 60 times a day about trans people and the woke mind virus — and it wasn’t that long ago. As recently as 2018, Elon was boasting about Tesla scoring a 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s corporate equality index and telling anyone who ... Show More
1h 23m