John Coogan is the co-founder of Soylent and Lucy, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Founders Fund, and a YouTuber and podcaster. We talk about AI, pioneering vs. wire-heading, identifying problems to solve, the need for more risk takers, satisfying curiosity, techno optimism, YouTube and podcasting, and his next venture.
—
(00:53) “Benevolent murdering” AI, wire heads vs. pioneers
(06:06) Interest in starting his own “pioneering” company
(08:37) Make something people want, solve problems for yourself
(12:51) Solve the biggest problem in your area of competency
(14:49) Authenticity; know the story you’re telling & believe it
(21:39) Ozempic for risk tasking
(25:09) Take the easy roads off the table, redirect entrepreneurial energy
(31:41) Comfort is uncomfortable
(34:33) Must satisfy curiosity
(38:12) Techno optimism, painting a more positive future
(46:13) Capitalism 2.0
(47:58) YouTube, profiles, & podcasting
(57:36) Going from video essay to documentary
(59:39) His new venture
(01:05:31) What do you actually want?
—
John’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/johncoogan
John’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JohnCooganPlus
John’s Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2JcCU31J07hCMxw99RWVRk
Spencer’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/SP1NS1R
Spencer’s Blog: https://spencerkier.substack.com
