Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
American Optimist, hosted by Joe Lonsdale: entrepreneur, investor, and founder of four multi-billion dollar companies and other mission-driven organizations. American Optimist is an alternative to the fear, cynicism, and zero-sum thinking in mainstream media. Learn from the innovators and leaders who are solving our nation’s most pressing challenges, and doing it in a way that will lift everyone up. Hope should dominate our discourse, and American Optimist will show you why. blog.joelonsdale.com
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Notable Guests
Episodes (161)
Ep 161: Generalist CEO Pete Florence on the Robot Revolution & Bringing General...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 160: Box CEO Aaron Levie on Silicon Valley's AI Problem, Evidence for AI Job...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 159: Aaron Cannon Is Building the Leading AI Customer Research Platform; It's...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 158: Nima Ghamsari on Blend's Comeback & the Power of AI Agents and Infinite...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 157: Scott Nolan on the AI Energy Crisis & America's Nuclear Renaissance
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 156: Coleman Hughes Takes on America's Most Contentious Debate: the Legacy of...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 155: Eric Scott on the Biggest Missed Opportunity in Venture Investing
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 154: Jacob Helberg on Pax Silica & the New Global Order in the AI Age
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 153: Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar on Heretics, AI Weapons, and Rebuilding the Ar...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 152: Ben Black Runs America's $200B Foreign Investment Fund; Here's His Plan...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 151: The Myth of Michael Milken with Richard Sandler
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 150: How AI Is Transforming Diligence, Decision-Making & the Future of Invest...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 149: Will Fry on the Small Business Succession Crisis & New Opportunities in...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 148: JoeBen Bevirt, Founder & CEO of Joby Aviation — Flying Cars Have Arrived
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 147: Scott Wu & Russell Kaplan on the New Era of Software Abundance
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 146: Jake Paul & Geoff Woo on Building Anti Fund, the Future of the Creator E...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 145: SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler on Exposing Billions in Fraud & What AI...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 144: Jared Isaacman's Bold Vision for Moon Bases, Nuclear Power in Space, and...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 143: JD Ross on the New Invention Era & Building with AI in 2026
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 142: Understanding the AI Wave with 8VC's Alex Kolicich & Jack Moshkovich
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 141: AI Hackers Are Here; Cybersecurity Legend Kevin Mandia Is Building the A...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 140: SEC Chairman Paul Atkins on Making IPOs Great Again, Crypto's Comeback &...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 139: Make Government Beautiful & Functional Again with America's Chief Design...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 138: AI, Space-Based Interceptors & the Bleeding Edge of Warfare with Pentago...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 137: Gov. Chris Sununu on AI vs Harvard, DOGE 2.0, and a Balanced Budget Amen...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 136: OPM Director Scott Kupor on Launching the U.S. Tech Force & Bringing Mer...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 135: Philip Howard on Saving the American Spirit
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 134: Inside the White House and the AI Race with OSTP Director Michael Kratsi...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 133: Matt Ridley on the Fight to Save the UK & How Extraordinary Ideas Evolve
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 132: Sen. Bill Hagerty on Saving Memphis & Designing Regulatory Frameworks fo...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 131: How AI + Incentives Can 10X Learning & Save American Education with Tech...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 130: "Free speech is not enough" — UATX President Carlos Carvalho on Charlie...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 129: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt Steps Up to Save Tulsa — and Prove What's Poss...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 128: Hollywood Star Zachary Levi on Speaking Out for Trump, AI vs the Arts, a...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 127: Max Meyer, Arena Magazine, and the Battle for Truth, Beauty & Progress
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 126: Will AI Spark A New Logistics Revolution? Harish Abbott Helped Pioneer N...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 125: Sen. Eric Schmitt on Exposing Mass Censorship & Outsmarting the Far-Left
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 124: The Fearless Adversary of Venezuela's Dictators - A Special Interview wi...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 123: The New Space Age with Palantir Alum & Apex Space CEO Ian Cinnamon
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 122: The AI Services Revolution with Shreyas Parab & Anton Lin of DayDream
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 121: Reid Hoffman on AI Optimism & How the Democratic Party Alienated Silicon...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 120: OMB Director Russ Vought on the Big Beautiful Bill, Making DOGE Permanen...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 119: Former Waymo Leader Boris Sofman on Autonomous Construction & Bringing A...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 118: Marc Andreessen on AI, Robotics & America's Industrial Renaissance
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 117: Dave Rubin on the Woke Right, Free Speech vs Conspiracy Theories & His N...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 116: California — the Next Revolution? A Conversation with Steve Hilton
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 115: Scott Wu, Devin, and a Trillion-Dollar Opportunity
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 114: Flying Cars Are About to Change the World — Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 113: Why Sam Lessin Believes AI Isn't Disruptive & Venture Capital Is Fundame...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
Ep 112: Peter Thiel on DOGE, Tariffs, Building Generational Companies & the Futu...
Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist