Episode · Lex Fridman Podcast · 2024-06-19
Books mentioned on #434 – Aravind Srinivas: Perplexity CEO on Future of AI, Search & the Internet
Arvind Srinivas is CEO of Perplexity, a company that aims to revolutionize how we humans find answers to questions on the Internet. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Cloaked: https://cloaked.
Aravind Srinivas discussed The beginning of infinity and The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Lex Fridman discussed In the Plex by Steven Levy and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The beginning of infinity
The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch is a wide-ranging work of non-fiction that explores scientific progress, human knowledge, and the concept that problems are inherently solvable without limit.
Discussed“Like that's the whole concept of 'The Beginning of Infinity' book by David Deutsch.”
Where to get it
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The Art of War
The Art of War by Sun Tzu is an ancient military treatise that offers enduring strategic principles for outmaneuvering adversaries and managing conflict.
Discussed“you know, there's this quote in 'The Art of War,' like 'Make the weakness of your enemy a strength.'”
Where to get it
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In the Plex
In the Plex by Steven Levy is a comprehensive non-fiction history that chronicles the meteoric rise, corporate culture, and technological evolution of Google.
Discussed“I read that you looked up to Larry Page and Sergey Brin and that you can recite passages from 'In the Plex' and, like, that book was very influential to you and how Google works was influential.”
Where to get it
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Brave New World
Aldous Huxley's Brave New World is a chilling dystopian masterpiece that envisions a technologically advanced future society sustained by pharmacological distraction, engineered conformity, and the systematic eradication of deep human emotion and critical thought.
Discussed“Oh, this computer is sitting on one of them, 'Brave New World.'”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“The pivotal point to recognize is that there’s this quote from 'The Art of War': 'Make the weakness of your enemy a strength.' The core weakness of Google is that any ad unit less profitable than a link or one that discourages link clicks isn’t in their interests to pursue aggressively; they prefer to focus on something higher-margin.”