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Optimists Make Money

Stephen McBride
Innovation
Artificial Intelligence
Spacex
Drones
Self-Driving Cars
Nuclear Energy
Quantum Computing
Neuralink
Alpha School
Biotechnology
Nuclear Power
China
Fracking
American Manufacturing
Clean Energy
Economy
Brain-Computer Interface
Automation
Elon Musk
Bureaucracy

Pessimists sound smart. Optimists make money. Learn about the near future directly from the people building it. Conversations with top 1% founders and innovators building tomorrow's most important companies, giving you practical insights to make the right investing, business, and career decisions. Hosted by Investor and Author Stephen McBride.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes62Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
InvestingBusinessTechnology

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Artwork for Optimists Make Money

Latest Episodes

Could synthetic jet fuel become cheaper than fossil fuel? Syntholene CEO Dan Sutton believes geothermal energy, high-temperature electrolysis and captured carbon could bring that cost crossover within reach.

In this conversation, Sutton explains ho... more

AstroForge is attempting what no private company has ever done: reach a metal-rich asteroid, mine it for platinum and bring that material back to Earth. If it works, the company could create an entirely new source of critical resources—and potentiall... more

Matt Ridley has spent decades studying evolution, innovation, energy, genetics, and the forces that shape human progress. In this conversation, he argues that many of today's biggest debates about AI, energy, biotechnology, and economic growth are mi... more

For the last 30 years, software created many of the world's biggest fortunes.

But according to Wave Function Ventures Partner and former SpaceX engineer Jamie Gull, that era is changing.

In this conversation, we explore why AI is making software ... more

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Recent Guests

Matt Gialich
Founder and CEO of Astroforge
Astroforge
Episode: They're Actually Going to Mine an Asteroid | Astroforge
Jamie Gull
Former SpaceX engineer; founder of Wave Function Ventures
Wave Function Ventures
Episode: The Future will be Built, Not Coded | Jamie Gull
Aleksander Gampel
Co-founder of Cuby, hardware/industrial tech veteran
Cuby
Episode: Look Inside the Startup Making Homes Affordable Again | Cuby
Joe Liemandt
Founder of Alpha School
Alpha School
Episode: This Founder Says AI Can Educate a Billion Kids | Alpha School
Lawrence Allen
Founder/CEO of Terranova (Terranova)
Terranova
Episode: The Startup Lifting Cities out of Flood Zones | Laurence Allen of Terraform
Ethan Loosbrock
Founder and CEO of Oros
Oros
Episode: The Founder Taking On China's Battery Empire | Ethan Loosbrock
Jamie Metzl
Futurist, author of The AI Ten Commandments
Author, AI researcher
Episode: AGI Is BS | Jamie Metzl's AI Prediction
Louis Anslow
Founder of Pessimists Archive
Pessimists Archive
Episode: Why the AI Panic is a Lie (And It's a Good Thing) | ROP #60
Steve Simoni
Founder of Alicontrol Systems, former Navy nuclear engineer
Alicontrol Systems
Episode: He Sold His Startup to DoorDash. Now He Builds AI Guns. | ROP #48

Hosts

Stephen McBride
Host and writer focusing on technology, economics, and societal trends; co-host of several episodes.
Dan Steinhart
Co-host with a focus on technology, policy, and strategic business implications.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#177
United Kingdom/Business/Investing
Apple Podcasts
#36
Brazil/Business/Investing
Apple Podcasts
#135
Brazil/Business
Apple Podcasts
#204
Finland/Business/Investing

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Matt Ridley Knows How to Stop the AI Apocalypse
Q: What does the potential discovery of extraterrestrial life imply for civilization, and how should we think about it in terms of policy and culture?
Ridley contends that definitive proof of extraterrestrial life would likely be a monumental but short-lived news event, after which people resume daily worries; he notes it could still have profound philosophical and cultural implications, but practical policy changes would be limited in the short term.
Matt Ridley Knows How to Stop the AI Apocalypse
Q: If we put you in 10 Downing Street tomorrow, what single mistake would you reverse to improve the UK economy, and how would that affect innovation?
The host asks about energy affordability and tax/incentive policies to accelerate private-sector energy and tech investment; Ridley suggests reducing energy costs and allowing freer market dynamics to unleash innovation and attract capital, while acknowledging bureaucratic hurdles. He emphasizes a pragmatic energy mix over symbolic climate policy; the answer is framed as energy affordability driving investment in real-world capabilities.
Matt Ridley Knows How to Stop the AI Apocalypse
Q: Your training as an evolutionary biologist has given you a unique perspective into how AI will evolve. Do you think there will be one powerful AI to rule them all, or a more plural, competitive landscape?
Ridley argues for a plural, multi-AI ecosystem where competing AIs prevent any single system from monopolizing power, and where safeguards emerge through redundancy and competition. He draws on natural selection concepts to explain how diverse, competing AI agents could prevent systemic failure and foster resilience.
The Future will be Built, Not Coded | Jamie Gull
Q: Give us context on what K2 Space does and why it's been able to build a good business in space.
K2 Space focuses on making space hardware at scale via smaller, modular satellites, enabling faster deployments and major contract wins while leveraging lessons learned from CubeSats and SpaceX to avoid over-engineering.
The Future will be Built, Not Coded | Jamie Gull
Q: Jamie, welcome to the Rational Optimist. What's the single most important thing you learned walking with Elon?
The single most important thing is Elon's organizational genius—getting the right people, believing in the mission, and pushing them to work at the limit to achieve rapid results.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Optimists Make Money

What is Optimists Make Money about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show features wide-ranging conversations on technology, economics, and society, with a strong emphasis on progress-focused thinking and real-world implications. Episodes frequently explore artificial intelligence, biotech, energy, defense tech, manufacturing, and education through the lens of future-oriented optimism, historical context, and pragmatic policy considerations. Notable strengths include accessible explanations of complex topics, a knack for linking cutting-edge developments to everyday impacts, and guest lineups that blend futurists, engineers, and industry leaders. This mix tends to attract listeners who are curious about how technological change shapes business, policy, and daily life, and who prefer skepticism of fear-ba... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Optimists Make Money?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Optimists Make Money:

1. Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist
2. All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg
3. The Psychology of Money with Morgan Housel
4. Kitces and Carl - Real Talk for Real Financial Advisors
5. The Long View

How many episodes of Optimists Make Money are there?

Optimists Make Money launched 2 years ago and published 62 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 Optimists Make Money?

Recent guests on Optimists Make Money include:

1. Matt Gialich
2. Jamie Gull
3. Aleksander Gampel
4. Joe Liemandt
5. Lawrence Allen
6. Ethan Loosbrock
7. Jamie Metzl
8. Louis Anslow

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