We sit down with perhaps the only person besides Marc Andreessen who’s had a major influence on each of the Web 1, 2 and 3 eras: Brave Browser CEO (and former Netscape + Mozilla Chief Architect) Brendan Eich. In true Acquired fashion we cover both a huge amount of both internet history AND internet future in one awesome conversation. Big thank you to Brendan for making this so special — tune in!This episode has video! You can watch it on YouTube.Sponsors:Anrok: https://bit.ly/anrokacquiredWorkOS: https://bit.ly/workos25Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24More Acquired!:Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodesJoin the SlackSubscribe to ACQ2Merch Store!© Copyright 2015-2025 ACQ, LLCLinks:Brave: https://brave.comCarve Outs:Project Hail Mary:  https://www.amazon.com/Project-Hail-Mary-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B08FHBV4ZXOpen: https://www.amazon.com/Open-Andre-Agassi-ebook/dp/B003062GEE/San Fransicko: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SMFSL5M/Dynamic Economics: ****https://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-Economics-Burton-H-Klein/dp/0674218663‍ Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.

Brendan Eich is the creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla and Brave. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – The Jordan Harbinger Show: https://jordanharbinger.com/lex/ – Sun Basket: https://sunbasket.com/lex and use code LEX to get $35 off – BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off – Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings EPISODE LINKS: Brendan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrendanEich Brendan’s Website: https://brendaneich.com Brave browser: https://brave.com PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LexFridmanPage – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman 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 (06:54) – History of early programming languages (11:47) – Physics needs more experiments and less theory (16:24) – JavaScript origin story (41:17) – JavaScript was created in 10 days (50:57) – Marc Andreessen (54:14) – Internet Explorer (57:58) – Evolution of JavaScript (1:03:44) – JavaScript standardization (1:09:33) – TypeScript (1:12:05) – JavaScript ecosystem (1:15:15) – HTML5 (1:18:47) – Making JavaScript fast (1:27:57) – JavaScript is the most popular language in the world (1:38:23) – Advice for programmers (1:44:20) – Browser wars (1:50:50) – Firefox (2:12:33) – Brave (2:25:33) – Basic Attention Token (2:50:36) – California (2:59:48) – Mortality (3:00:54) – Legacy

In this discussion, Brendan Eich, the creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Brave, shares insights on the overlooked issue of online privacy as technology evolved. He highlights the dangers of tracking and the growing surveillance culture that have emerged alongside user apathy. Brendan passionately argues for a market focused on privacy-preserving tools and emphasizes the importance of user empowerment. He also touches on the role of decentralization and how companies can prioritize user privacy to reshape the future of the internet.