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Welcome to American Optimist hosted by Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, investor, and founder of four multi-billion dollar companies and other mission-driven organizations. American Optimist is an alternative to the fear, cynicism, and zero-sum thinking in mainstream media. Learn from the innovators and leaders who are solving our nation’s most pressing challenges -- and doing it in a way that will lift everyone up. Hope should dominate our discourse, and American Optimist will show you why.
Episodes
Wednesday Mar 02, 2022
Unlearning Race and Restoring Liberalism with Thomas Chatterton Williams
Wednesday Mar 02, 2022
Wednesday Mar 02, 2022
Thomas Chatterton Williams is a writer, cultural critic, fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and author of two critically-acclaimed books on race in America, most recently "Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race." In this episode, he discusses the dangers of Critical Race Theory and how to move beyond race-first, collectivist mindsets. He also discusses his forthcoming book, "Nothing Was the Same," which traces the recent rise of illiberalism and polarization in the U.S. Even though we may find certain ideas or theories (like CRT) noxious, Williams argues for more engagement and debate, not banning or censoring materials, as the best path toward progress. He also offers positive solutions, such as expanding access to high-quality early education, as a means to reduce inequality. [NOTE: This episode was recorded before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.]
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
Hayes Barnard Is Revolutionizing Solar Tech & Green Housing
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
Hayes Barnard is the Founder and CEO of GoodLeap, one of the fastest-growing and largest financial technology companies in the renewable energy sector. In 2008, Barnard founded Paramount Solar, which was later acquired by SolarCity and then Tesla. Barnard discusses his role on the leading edge of America's solar energy expansion and what he learned working alongside Elon Musk. He also highlights his non-profit GivePower and its innovative work to bring clean water and electricity to Africa via solar water farms.
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Fast Grants, Faster Science, and Reviving a Culture of Innovation with Tyler Cowen
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Tyler Cowen is a professor, best-selling author, blogger, podcaster, and one of the most influential economists of this generation. In the early days of the pandemic, Cowen launched the Fast Grants program, which funded COVID-related science in less than 48 hours -- a remarkable feat in the medical sector. He discusses his efforts to accelerate innovation, including his work to transform how investors identify and back the next generation of brilliant entrepreneurs. An all-around polymath, Cowen also reveals the technologies and breakthroughs that excite him most for the decades ahead.
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
Thursday Feb 10, 2022
Pano Kanelos is the President of the University of Austin (UATX), the most ambitious new university venture in America in decades. Recognizing the plight of America's higher education system, Pano stepped down as the President of St. John's College to build a new institution rooted in the pursuit of truth, open inquiry, and educating the next generation of American leaders. In this episode, Joe and Pano discuss the failures of modern academia and why it's time to take on the bold task of building a new world-class university. [Joe is a co-founder of UATX and Chairman of the Board of Trustees.]
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Ambassador Kelly Craft is a businesswoman, philanthropist, and former diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2019 to 2021 and U.S. ambassador to Canada from 2017 to 2019. She played an integral role in shaping major foreign policy decisions and achievements, such as the landmark Abraham Accords and the USMCA trade agreement. In this episode, she discusses some of the most pressing U.S. challenges abroad, including speaking up for human rights during the Beijing Olympics, developing a comprehensive strategy for China, responding to Russian military threats against Ukraine, and galvanizing U.S. allies to defend our shared values.
Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
Charles Koch, Chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, is one of the great business minds of our time. He grew a small engineering firm from $21 million in revenue to over 10,000 times the revenue. Yet in both his business and philanthropic work, he is first and foremost a philosopher. Koch explains how thinkers such as Abraham Maslow and Joseph Schumpeter shaped his outlook on the conditions for human flourishing, and why it's important to enable every employee to self-actualize. Rejecting centralized top-down systems, Koch developed Market-Based Management -- a philosophy that enables his companies to constantly reinvent themselves through virtuous cycles of mutual benefit that provide value to both employees and customers.
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
Chris Sprowls is the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Under his leadership, Florida has set itself apart as one of the most innovative state legislatures in the country, slashing regulations that prop up entrenched interests and injecting true competition into the marketplace. We discuss his strategy for successfully combatting cronyism in healthcare, pioneering the biggest school choice expansion in the country, and other courageous reforms -- many of which passed on a bipartisan basis. Speaker Sprowls's success should embolden other like-minded reformers and leaders across our country.
Thursday Jan 13, 2022
Thursday Jan 13, 2022
Congressman Ro Khanna is the Democratic Congressman from California’s 17th District, which covers large swaths of Silicon Valley. A self-described "progressive capitalist," Khanna bucks the current political norms and works to advance meaningful bipartisan legislation. In this episode, we debate income inequality, wealth taxes, and other hot-button issues, but also find common ground on reasonable regulations for Big Tech, introducing more innovation into healthcare, and promoting nuclear energy. His forthcoming book is titled “Dignity in a Digital Age” and focuses on closing the digital divide in rural America.
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
The Power of Suffering & Adversity with ”Adventure Capitalist” Dhani Jones
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
Wednesday Jan 05, 2022
Dhani Jones spent 11 seasons in the NFL as a middle linebacker, the linchpin of the defensive unit. Since then, he has become a leader in other arenas: hosting TV shows, launching charities, and investing in startups. His passion is bringing out the best in others. In this episode, he pushes back against the notion of lowering standards to minimize disparities. He explains why adversity, competition, and the pursuit of excellence are some of the best ways to lift up others and improve their lives.
Wednesday Dec 29, 2021
Forget Free College —This Texas College Is the Future of Higher Ed
Wednesday Dec 29, 2021
Wednesday Dec 29, 2021
Mike Reeser and Michael Bettersworth are the Chancellor and Chief Innovation Officer, respectively, at Texas State Technical College (TSTC). In 2014, TSTC became the FIRST college in the country to fully align its public funding with its students' future earnings. Since then, graduates have seen their earnings increase over 100 percent! Their success is an antidote to the crisis of bad incentives in education today and should inspire other states to pursue similar reforms.