Dwarkesh Patel
Dwarkesh Patel | |
|---|---|
| File:Dwarkesh Patel 2025 (cropped).jpg | |
| Born | August 19, 2000[1] India |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin |
| Occupations | Podcast host, researcher |
| Known for | Dwarkesh Podcast |
| Website | www |
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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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]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
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