Episode · Sources with Alex Heath · 2026-07-16
Books mentioned on This AI will push back if you're rude to it
Ellis sits down with Quinten Farmer, founder of Tolan, the AI companion doing over $20M in annual revenue by being a genuinely good friend, not a yes machine.
Quinten Farmer discussed Nicomachean Ethics.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Nicomachean Ethics
Aristotle's classical treatise on virtue, happiness, and human flourishing remains a cornerstone of philosophical inquiry and ethical discussion.
Discussed“But I think it was like Nicomachean ethics where the sort of description of true friendship was as a second self.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Passing His Dark Materials
“I also, I've always really liked, you know, Damon from like the, you know, sci-fi kind of his dark materials type context.”