Neal Stephenson is a sci-fi writer (Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and new book Termination Shock), former Chief Futurist at Magic Leap and first employee of Blue Origin. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

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OUTLINE:

Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

(00:00) – Introduction

(08:34) – WWII and human nature

(17:20) – Search engine morality

(21:58) – Space exploration

(38:59) – Aliens and UFOs

(47:21) – SpaceX and Blue Origin

(54:43) – Social media

(59:11) – Climate change

(1:11:00) – Consequences of big ideas

(1:15:42) – Virtual reality

(1:38:50) – Artificial intelligence

(1:53:49) – Cryptocurrency

(2:06:26) – Writing, storytelling, and books

(2:29:05) – Martial arts

(2:38:23) – Final thoughts