AMA: career advice given AGI, how I research ft. Sholto &amp; Trenton

My new book is out. It's released with Stripe Press. It's called The Scaling Era.

It is the distillation of all these different fields of human knowledge applied to the most important questions that humanity is facing right now.

Alvaro de Menard

Oh, uh, my friend Alvaro de Menard, author of Fantastic Anachronism.

Guests: Trenton Bricken, Sholto Douglas

Episode summary

I recorded an AMA! I had a blast chatting with my friends Trenton Bricken and Sholto Douglas. We discussed my new book, career advice given AGI, how I pick guests, how I research for the show, and some other nonsense. My book, “ The Scaling Era: An Oral History of AI, 2019-2025 ” is available in digital format now. Preorders for the print version are also open! Watch on YouTube ; listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify . Timestamps (0:00:00) - Book launch announcement (0:04:57) - AI models not making connections across fields (0:10:52) - Career advice given AGI (0:15:20) - Guest selection criteria (0:17:19) - Choosing to pursue the podcast long-term (0:25:12) - Reading habits (0:31:10) - Beard deepdive (0:33:02) - Who is best suited for running an AI lab? (0:35:16) - Preparing for fast AGI timelines (0:40:50) - Growing the podcast Get full access to Dwarkesh Podcast at www.dwarkesh.com/subscribe

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The host mentions The Scaling Era as his new book compiling insights from years of AI interviews and emphasizes that…

The host mentioned A Scaling Era because it compiles curated interviews with AI leaders and scholars to address criti…

Alvaro de Menard

The host mentions Fantastic Anachronism while answering what they're currently reading, noting it was written by a fr…

Cavafy

The host mentions a small printed translation of poems by Cavafy given by a friend, noting it's delightful and that h…

book launch(2)current reading(1)favorite history book(1)

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The conversation centers on book launch.
A second recurring theme is current reading.
Referenced books include The Scaling Era and Fantastic Anachronism by Alvaro de Menard.
The strongest audience signal points to Listeners interested in AI, podcast followers, and readers who want curated insights from AI interviews and General readers and curious non-experts (e.g., 'your mom') interested in AI's societal, economic, and scientific implications.

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Highly Recommended(2)Passing Reference(2)

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Listeners interested in AI, podcast followers, and readers who want curated insights from AI interviewsGeneral readers and curious non-experts (e.g., 'your mom') interested in AI's societal, economic, and scientific implicationslisteners interested in contemporary translations of Greek poetry and fans of the author's workListeners interested in poetry or fans of translated Greek poets

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Best for Listeners interested in AI, podcast followers, and readers who want curated insights from AI interviewsOften cited around book launch

“Host announces a new book released with Stripe Press, says "It's called The Scaling Era" and describes its content and launch.”

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Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: book launch

For: Listeners interested in AI, podcast followers, and readers who want curated insights from AI interviews

Key quote: “My new book is out. It's released with Stripe Press. It's called The Scaling Era.”

The host mentions The Scaling Era as his new book compiling insights from years of AI interviews and emphasizes that seeing the conversations together added important context and reminded him of forgotten insights. He directs listeners to buy it via the link and highlights that it elevates the conversations and provides necessary context for those discussions.

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Best for General readers and curious non-experts (e.g., 'your mom') interested in AI's societal, economic, and scientific implicationsOften cited around book launch

“Host announces their new book launching today called A Scaling Era and discusses its contents and interviews compiled in it.”

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Sentiment: Highly Recommended

Trigger: book launch

For: General readers and curious non-experts (e.g., 'your mom') interested in AI's societal, economic, and scientific implications

Key quote: “It is the distillation of all these different fields of human knowledge applied to the most important questions that humanity is facing right now.”

The host mentioned A Scaling Era because it compiles curated interviews with AI leaders and scholars to address critical questions about intelligence, economics, and the societal impacts of scaling AI. He presents the book as a multidisciplinary distillation that ordinary readers, including non-experts like his mom, can use to understand the most important questions humanity faces about AI's future.

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Alvaro de Menard

Best for listeners interested in contemporary translations of Greek poetry and fans of the author's workOften cited around current reading

“He said his friend Alvaro de Menard, author of Fantastic Anachronism; mentioned he made copies of this translation and has been reading it recently.”

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Sentiment: Passing Reference

Trigger: current reading

For: listeners interested in contemporary translations of Greek poetry and fans of the author's work

Key quote: “Oh, uh, my friend Alvaro de Menard, author of Fantastic Anachronism.”

The host mentions Fantastic Anachronism while answering what they're currently reading, noting it was written by a friend who produced a limited translation of his favorite Greek poet. They describe the book as delightful and mention an inscribed copy, but do not go into detailed analysis or critique of its content.

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Cavafy

Best for Listeners interested in poetry or fans of translated Greek poetsOften cited around favorite history book

“Referenced as the favorite Greek poet whose translation was made into about 100 copies; mentioned in relation to the book the speaker is reading.”

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Sentiment: Passing Reference

Trigger: favorite history book

For: Listeners interested in poetry or fans of translated Greek poets

Key quote: “He made like 100 copies of this translation he did of his favorite Greek poet, and they're like, yeah, Cavafy.”

The host mentions a small printed translation of poems by Cavafy given by a friend, noting it's delightful and that he has been reading it recently. He brings it up while discussing current reading habits and the usefulness of spaced repetition for retaining insights from books.

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The Scaling Era

Dwarkesh Podcast · 48:27

My new book is out. It's released with Stripe Press. It's called The Scaling Era.

A Scaling Era

Dwarkesh Podcast · 0:14

It is the distillation of all these different fields of human knowledge applied to the most important questions that humanity is facing right now.

Fantastic Anachronism

Dwarkesh Podcast · 27:06

Oh, uh, my friend Alvaro de Menard, author of Fantastic Anachronism.

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Mentioned at 48:27

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The host mentions The Scaling Era as his new book compiling insights from years of AI interviews and emphasizes that seeing the conversations toget…

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

Mentioned at 0:14

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The host mentioned A Scaling Era because it compiles curated interviews with AI leaders and scholars to address critical questions about intelligen…

Direct Amazon listing · affiliate link

Mentioned at 27:06