Dwarkesh Patel
Dwarkesh Patel | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 19, 2000[1] India |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin |
| Occupations | Podcast host, researcher |
| Known for | Dwarkesh Podcast |
| Website | www |
Dwarkesh Patel (born August 19, 2000) is a writer and podcaster who hosts the long-form interview show Dwarkesh Podcast, focusing on technology and artificial intelligence.[2][3]
Early life
Patel was born in India and moved to the United States when he was 8 years old.[4][5] His father, a physician, frequently traveled for work. The family moved around the country, living in North Dakota, West Virginia, Maryland, and Texas.[6] While studying computer science at the University of Texas at Austin, Patel began interviewing writers and technologists in 2020 for an early version of his podcast, then called The Lunar Society.[7] He took the name of his show from the Lunar Society of Birmingham, an 18th century British dinner club that was part of an influential intellectual movement known as the Midlands Enlightenment.[3]
Career
Patel later renamed The Lunar Society to the Dwarkesh Podcast to avoid confusion with cryptocurrency-related topics, given the popularity of Moon-related financial metaphors in crypto trading communities.[8] The show features extended conversations with researchers and technology leaders and is associated with San Francisco's Cerebral Valley scene.[3] On the podcast, Patel has interviewed prominent and diverse figures, including technology leaders such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and political figures, including former British prime minister Tony Blair, former British political advisor Dominic Cummings, and Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts.[9][10]
The podcast has received praise from journalists and technologists.[11] The Economist said in 2025 that Patel "rose from nowhere to become Silicon Valley’s favourite podcaster".[2] The New Yorker referred to the significance of the podcast as "to the doomer crowd what 'The Joe Rogan Experience' is to jujitsu bros, or what 'The Ezra Klein Show' is to Park Slope liberals".[3]
Patel is particularly interested in artificial intelligence, which he considers to be "the most multidisciplinary and intellectually stimulating topic." He was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in AI by Time in 2024.[12]
Patel is the author of the 2025 book The Scaling Era: An Oral History of AI, 2019-2025.[13] He organized a fundraiser for charities opposing factory farming in August 2025. Patel pledged to donate up to $250,000 in matching funds. He and his listeners (including Patrick Collison, Liv Boeree and Noah Smith) raised over $2 million.[14]
Personal life
As of 2024, Patel lives in Hayes Valley, San Francisco.[9] He has stated that he obtained his U.S. green card shortly before aging out of child-status eligibility.[4]
References
- ^ "Dwarkesh Patel". X. Archived from the original on 2025-07-31. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
Born August 19, 2000
- ^ a b "The man who has the ear of Silicon Valley". The Economist. 2025-04-17. Archived from the original on 2025-04-18. Retrieved 2025-04-17.
- ^ a b c d Marantz, Andrew (2024-03-11). "Among the A.I. Doomsayers". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on 2024-10-07. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ a b Mahapatra, Tuhin Das (July 26, 2024). "India-born immigrant shares the days fearing to self-deport from US due to 'ageing out'". Hindustan Times. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ^ "'Documented Dreamers': Thousands of Indian-American children at risk of deportation". The Times of India. July 28, 2024. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- ^ "The future belongs to those who prepare like Dwarkesh Patel". Mercury. Archived from the original on 2025-09-17. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ "Interview: The Lunar Society with Dwarkesh Patel". The Roots of Progress. 2020-08-28. Archived from the original on 2025-03-22. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ Patel, Dwarkesh (December 1, 2025). "Podcast Strategy Doc". Dwarkesh Podcast. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
- ^ a b Shirreff, Lauren (June 26, 2024). "How an unknown podcaster bagged an interview with Tony Blair". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Indian-origin man's cold email to Satya Nadella lands him interview with Microsoft CEO: 'Kids, don't underestimate'". Hindustan Times. 2025-02-20. Archived from the original on 2025-02-20. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
- "Satya Nadella said 'yes' in 4 minutes. How an Indian-origin man landed an interview with Microsoft CEO". The Economic Times. 2025-02-20. ISSN 0013-0389. Archived from the original on 2025-02-23. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
- Ho, Soleil (September 10, 2024). "Why did a major S.F. tech conference just host a panel about making more babies?". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Shipper, Dan (2024-07-24). "🎧 Dwarkesh Patel's Quest to Learn Everything". every.to. Archived from the original on 2025-08-04. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ Pillay, Tharin (September 5, 2024). "TIME100 AI 2024: Dwarkesh Patel". TIME. Archived from the original on January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ Patel, Dwarkesh (July 29, 2025). Leech, Gavin (ed.). The Scaling Era:An Oral History of AI, 2019-2025. San Francisco: Stripe Press. ISBN 978-1-953953-55-1. OCLC 1535937039.
- Roose, Kevin; Newton, Casey; Cohn, Rachel; Jones, Whitney; Collette, Matt; Moxley, Alyssa; Powell, Dan; Lozano, Marion; Wong, Diane (2025-03-28). "The Tech Behind Signalgate + Dwarkesh Patel's 'Scaling Era' + Is A.I. Making Our Listeners Dumb?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2025-03-31. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
- Rothman, Joshua (April 1, 2025). "Are We Taking A.I. Seriously Enough?". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on April 16, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- Hutson, Matthew (September 12, 2025). "'These Strange New Minds' and 'The Scaling Era' Analyzing AI's Future". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Torrella, Kenny (2025-08-21). "An unorthodox idea for solving one of the world's most underrated problems". Vox. Archived from the original on 2025-08-29. Retrieved 2025-09-06.