I often wondered who Joe Rogan’s protege would be. After listening to over thirty hours of the Lex Fridman’s podcast, it’s safe to say Lex is it. He has created his own unique realm with emphasis on curiosity, passion and imagination. The information exchange between our humble host and expert guest is bonkers epic. No topic is off limit. Here there is no shame. And after listening to the Sara Seaver episode, I’ve also realised Lex brings a heart beat to every topic, which is deeply heartening (she was a truly remarkable guest BTW). I often worry we’re racing towards creating AI (think automated weapons systems that act on predictive modelling) that could spell disaster for humanity, so to hear engineers and ‘doers’ discussing morality and ethics with as much lust as they do data and analytics, is both fascinating and heartening. Fair warning: this podcast is deeply addicting (or at least it has been for me). I spend considerably less time talking to people and attempting to make adult friends and going on dates because the level of conversation happening here is so thirst quenching. Because finding a person to converse with in the real world at this level (of passion, intelligence and calmness) is a needle in a haystack. The funny thing is, I almost forget I’m just a listener—I’m not conversing. Interestingly, Lex, via the questions he asks, is his own immunisation against long-term podcast addiction; he constantly reminds us that the power of true happiness is found in quality, daring, meaningful work and healthy interpersonal relationships. This is a brilliant podcast with a quality host and rivetingly smart guests. Here my faith in humanity’s potential isn’t just restored, it is graphene strong.