Rephonic
Artwork for Smart Friends

Smart Friends

Eric Jorgenson
Entrepreneurship
Artificial Intelligence
Knowledge
Nuclear Energy
Philosophy
Happiness
Capitalism
Elon Musk
Human Nature
Technology
Judgment
Venture Capital
Creativity
Wealth
Self-Publishing
Publishing Industry
Compassionate Leadership
Thiel Fellowship
Delegation
Nanotechnology

Casual conversations with founders, technologists, investors, and artists about building a brighter future, together. Welcome to our digital living room. With science, technology and entrepreneurship we can *continue* to create unfathomable leaps in quality of life. We show you how to find, apply, build, and invest in technologies to change your life and the world. When we have smart friends, we d... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes124Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BusinessEntrepreneurship

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Smart Friends

Latest Episodes

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:03:27) - Nat joins Alpha School to launch Founder School

(00:04:11) - The million-dollar business guarantee

(00:04:44) - Why no program like this exists yet

(00:09:09) - How AI tutors compress academics into three ... more

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:01:23) - Reading the forward to Sean’s new book

(00:09:30) - What problem were you experiencing that sparked these ideas?

(00:12:30) - Sean’s early arrival to AI

(00:23:15) - Identity

(00:27:55) - Defining Apollo ... more

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:40) - Being the “tech for middle America” translator

(00:06:00) - Who are your heroes?

(00:13:40) - Zack’s unique approach to AI

(00:57:35) - The market for identity transformation

(01:11:08) - Writing the next... more

Welcome to the free audiobook of The Book of Elon: A Guide to Purpose and Success.

This is Part 1 of 4.

I’ve made all of my books available for free. This is the third book I’ve published, and like the others, it’s available in all formats—PDF, EPU... more

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Recent Guests

Eric Jorgenson
Author and entrepreneur involved in the Founder School/Alpha School initiative
Founder School / Alpha School
Episode: #104 The Elite Private High School Where Students Earn A Million Dollars: [Nat Eliason of Founder School (via Alpha)]
Sean Devine
Author of The Dionysus Program, investor, and entrepreneur
The Dionysus Program
Episode: #103 How to Destroy Bad Ideas Without Killing Relationships [The Dionysus Program with Sean Devine​]
Zack Kass
Former head of GoToMarket for OpenAI and a communicator translating AI for mainstream audiences
OpenAI (former)
Episode: #102 ​The Next Renaissance, AI Reality vs Hype, and a Movement of Hope with Zack Kass
Elon Musk
CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, visionary founder discussed in-depth topics
SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, The Boring Company
Episode: The Book of Elon - Part 4
Matt Loszak
Founder CEO of Aalo Atomics
Aalo Atomics
Episode: #093 Behind the Scenes of a Nuclear Microreactor Startup with Matt Loszak, Founder CEO of Aalo Atomics [Replay]
Sarma Melngailis
Former high-profile restaurateur, author of 'The Girl with the Duck Tattoo', and subject of the 'Bad Vegan' documentary.
Episode: #092 Sarma Melngailis: Bad Vegan, Memoir as Recovery, and Reclaiming Your Story
Nat Eliason
Author of Crypto Confidential and the sci-fi novel Husk, an internet entrepreneur with a knack for storytelling.
Episode: #087 Nat Eliason: From Blogging to Sci-Fi Novels, Writing Books That Last, and Owning Your Audience
Ben Reinhardt
Founder of Speculative Technologies and expert in industrial research
Speculative Technologies
Episode: #085 Ben Reinhardt: How to Discover New Technology, Playing the Longest Game, and Philanthropy in Technology
Augustus Doricko
CEO of Rainmaker, a cloud seeding and geoengineering startup.
Rainmaker
Episode: #084 Augustus Doricko: How to Terraform Earth, The History of Weather Control, and The Mandate of Heaven

Host

Eric Jorgenson
Host of Smart Friends; author promoting his books and building communities around practical wisdom in tech and entrepreneurship.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 249 ratings
  • Engaging and impactful!

    Eric's deep-dive conversations with tech visionaries offer practical insights for a brighter, tech-powered world. Engaging and impactful are just a couple of the words I'd use to describe the time you'll spend with them. Thanks so much for putting out such a gem, Eric - keep up the great work!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    kjb0514
    United States3 years ago
  • Abundant futures without the hot air

    New listener, 6 episodes in. Digging the dialogues around how we can build businesses that can prepare to way for an abundant future. While so many investment podcasts spin into the abstract of computing and finance. Smart Friends stays rooted in the physical world, connecting the dots between today and the Second Industrial Revolution.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ryan A Pickering
    United States3 years ago
  • This Show is Amazing

    Eric is a fantastic interviewer who lets guests continue on. The show wanders through tech, life, crypto, and hard things to build. Each episode is a must listen.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sky1248583
    United States3 years ago
  • Worth a listen

    A bit much "rah rah" advocacy but both host and guests are passionate

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    FP reviewer
    Canada3 years ago
  • This Show is Must Listen for Entrepreneurs, Tech Investors, and Futurists of all Types

    Eric is a rockstar investor, teacher, educator, writer, and now podcaster. His podcast is an epic view into the Mindsets, habits, and routines of builders/doers working on the fridges of technology and entrepreneurship. Eric asks great questions and does a great job of digging deep - while adding value to your day. Check it out: you won’t be disappointed.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Mike OC
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise deep, practical conversations with top technologists and investors.
Guests range from crypto to AI and entrepreneurship, delivering high-value insights for startups and decision-makers.
The host makes complex topics accessible and actionable for builders.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

#104 The Elite Private High School Where Students Earn A Million Dollars: [Nat Eliason of Founder School (via Alpha)]
Q: What is the funding and incentive structure for the school?
Tuition is high, at 150K per year, but if students don't achieve the million-dollar outcome, they get their money back; this creates strong upside for students and aligns the school's incentives with student success.
#104 The Elite Private High School Where Students Earn A Million Dollars: [Nat Eliason of Founder School (via Alpha)]
Q: How does the curriculum balance academics with entrepreneurship?
The schedule compresses core academics into three hours in the morning, leaving five hours in the afternoon for entrepreneurship, with a structured progression from sales and financial basics to building, validating, and scaling real ventures while leveraging expert guidance.
#104 The Elite Private High School Where Students Earn A Million Dollars: [Nat Eliason of Founder School (via Alpha)]
Q: What is the vision for Founder School and how does it relate to Alpha School?
Founder School is built as a high-school-level extension of Alpha School's model, focusing specifically on entrepreneurship education enabled by Time Back and AI tutoring, with a wing of mentorship and real-world project work to help students reach a million-dollar outcome by graduation.
#102 ​The Next Renaissance, AI Reality vs Hype, and a Movement of Hope with Zack Kass
Q: What resonates most about your approach to AI that seems to light people up?
A focus on storytelling, humility, and presenting AI as a tool that accelerates human flourishing rather than a doom narrative, delivered through practical frameworks like prescience coupled with courage.
#102 ​The Next Renaissance, AI Reality vs Hype, and a Movement of Hope with Zack Kass
Q: What is going to happen over the next five years in your estimation?
The five-year view centers on AI as infrastructure, gradual adoption due to societal thresholds, and notable breakthroughs in health and science before mass deployment of technologies like autonomous vehicles, with continued political and policy dynamics shaping access and distribution.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Smart Friends

What is Smart Friends about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Casual conversations with founders, technologists, investors, and artists about building a brighter future through science, technology, and entrepreneurship. Episodes surface practical mental models, scalable strategies, and long-horizon thinking—from AI safety and space exploration to crypto, manufacturing, and responsible leadership. Guests span legendary builders and investors, with a clear emphasis on actionable insights for builders, operators, and those shaping the next industrial revolution. A notable thread is the focus on high-leverage practices, speed with rigor, and a culture of asking big questions while grounding ideas in real-world execution.

A standout aspect is how conversations blend philosophical perspectives with concret... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Smart Friends?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Smart Friends:

1. Naval
2. David Senra
3. Founders
4. The a16z Show
5. Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy

How many episodes of Smart Friends are there?

Smart Friends launched 5 years ago and published 124 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Smart Friends?

Recent guests on Smart Friends include:

1. Eric Jorgenson
2. Sean Devine
3. Zack Kass
4. Elon Musk
5. Matt Loszak
6. Sarma Melngailis
7. Nat Eliason
8. Ben Reinhardt

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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