Changed My Mind

Rufus Griscom is a writer, podcaster, and longtime techno-optimist who has spent years interviewing the people building the future — from Bill Gates to Reid Hoffman to the founders of Anthropic.For most of his career Rufus believed technology would overwhelmingly improve the human condition. But after dozens of conversations with the people closest to frontier AI, his view has shifted. He still believes AI could bring astonishing progress - from eradicating disease to ending repetitive labour - but now assigns a serious probability to catastrophic or authoritarian outcomes in our lifetimes.We explore what changed his mind, why the AI “race dynamic” terrifies insiders more than outsiders realise, and how to stay sane when the stakes range from utopia to extinction.Want more Rufus or his work?🎙 Listen to The Next Big Idea podcast — interviews with the thinkers shaping the futurehttps://www.nextbigideaclub.com/podcast📚 Explore The Next Big Idea Club — curated book picks by Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain & Daniel Pinkhttps://www.nextbigideaclub.comAbout the hostsThom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found ⁠⁠FarmKind⁠⁠ , a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming, regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations?Email us at [email protected]

Nemo the Mormon is a third-generation believer who grew up devout, orthodox, and deeply committed to the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.But over time, he began to discover uncomfortable truths: financial secrecy, historical cover-ups, and leaders who seemed more like businessmen than prophets. Convinced that honesty and accountability were core Christian values, Nemo became an outspoken internal critic - until last year, when he was excommunicated after appearing in the media to challenge the church’s leadership.We explore Nemo’s journey from devoted missionary to vocal dissenter, what finally broke his trust in the institution, and how he now thinks about truth, authority, and belief. Want to see more from Nemo?🎥 Watch Nemo the Mormon on YouTube — his channel on Mormonism, belief, and truthFollow him on Twitter/X for commentary and discussionAbout the hostsThom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found ⁠FarmKind⁠ , a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming, regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations?Email us at [email protected]

Spencer Greenberg is an entrepreneur, mathematician, and social scientist who has dedicated his career to helping people think more clearly and make better decisions.After years of building tools to improve reasoning from personality tests to structured debate platforms, Spencer realised that the biggest challenge isn’t just giving people good information. It’s getting them to actually use it. Today, his work focuses on making psychological insights and rational thinking tools practical, engaging, and easy for anyone to apply in everyday life.We explore why Spencer cares so deeply about truth-seeking, what makes people resistant to changing their minds, and how his projects (like Clearer Thinking and GuidedTrack) are helping people question assumptions, explore alternative perspectives, and live more intentionally.Want more of Spencer and his work?🧠 Check out Clearer Thinking — free tools and training to help you think better🎙 Listen to Spencer’s podcast, Clearer Thinking with Spencer GreenbergAbout the hostsThom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found FarmKind , a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming, regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations?Email us at [email protected]

Freddie deBoer is a writer, academic, and former teacher whose research and experience challenge one of society’s most deeply held beliefs: that education is the great equaliser. After teaching students at every level - from special education classrooms to college lecture halls - Freddie had a change of heart. He came to believe that intelligence is largely inherited, that academic ability is far more stable than we like to admit, and that expecting every child to succeed in the same system can actually be cruel.We explore the moment that led Freddie to question the promise of education, why well-funded interventions and elite schools rarely change outcomes, and what a more humane and realistic approach to schooling could look like.📘 Check out The Cult of Smart — Freddie’s book on meritocracy, inequality, and the myth of potential📰 Read his essays on education, politics, and culture at freddiedeboer.substack.comThom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found FarmKind, a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming — regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations?Email us at [email protected]

Josh Greene is a Harvard psychologist, neuroscientist, and philosopher whose research has reshaped how we understand moral decision-making. But after publishing his book Moral Tribes, Josh changed his mind - realizing that explaining why people clash wasn’t enough. Since then, he’s focused on building tools to reduce division and promote cooperation.We explore how Josh made that shift, what it means to be a “moral engineer,” and how projects like Giving Multiplier and a bipartisan trivia game are helping people bridge divides in an increasingly polarised world.Want more Josh Greene or his work?Check out Josh’s lab and researchTry Giving Multiplier — use code changedmymind for a matching bonusPlay Tango — the trivia game tackling polarisationAbout the hosts:Thom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found FarmKind, a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming — regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations?Email us at [email protected]