Welcome to The Art of The Impossible, a weekly newsletter where I unearth five pieces of content which I hope will both inspire and embolden you.
PODCAST
I’m a big fan of both host and guest here so highly recommend listening to Tyler Cowen in conversation with Marc Andreessen.
In this interview, recorded at a16z’s 2024 American Dynamism Summit, Tyler and Marc Andreessen engage in a rapid-fire dialogue about the future of AI, including the biggest change we’ll see in the next five years, who will gain and lose status with the rise of LLMs, why open-source is important for national security, the best and worst parts of Biden’s AI directive, the most underrated energy source, what the US can do to speed up AI deployment, what gives Marc optimism about Gen Z, which thinker helps him make sense of American capitalism, and more. Watch the other interviews a16z’s 2024 American Dynamism Summit here.
QUOTE
“Passion is the genesis of genius.”
― Galileo Galilei
INTERVIEW
Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO of Nvidia
As a I have to architect the company and create an organization that allows my employees to do their life’s work
As of March 1, 2024, Nvidia A is the third most valuable company on Wall Street, with over $2T in market value. In this interview, Jensen shares his experience founding Nvidia getting funded, building the first killer application for Nvidia’s technology, deciding which markets are worth exploring, finding the conviction in making non-consensus bets, steering the company through challenging times, designing the right organization structure, and finally, his views on the AI revolution.
Highlights from the interview:
- On reputation: “You can have a good or bad interview, but you can't run away from your past, so have a good past; I was probably Denny's [first job] best dishwasher.”
- On the early days: “In order for Nvidia to succeed we needed another startup to succeed—EA… and EA’s CTO was 14 and had to be driven to work by his mom… that’s who we were relying on”
- On markets: “If someone else can do it, let them do it; focus on--if I don't do it, it won't get done”
- On core beliefs: “My reaction during that time [when Nvidia lost 80% of market value in the financial crisis], is the same reaction I had about this week [when NVIDIA crossed $2T and became the 3rd most valuable company on Wall Street]”
- On unique organizational design: “You have to go back to first principles ... as a CEO I have to architect the company and create an organization that allows my employees to do their life’s work.”
Watch the full interview here.
BOOK
Her Space, Her Time: How Trailblazing Women Scientists Decoded the Hidden Universe by Shohini Ghose
This is currently on my wishlist by Shohini Ghose - a quantum physicist and Professor of Physics and Computer Science at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Her Space, Her Time tells the inspiring stories of long-overlooked women physicists and astronomers who discovered the fundamental rules of the universe and reshaped the rules of society.
Women physicists and astronomers from around the world have transformed science and society, but the critical roles they played in their fields are not always well-sung. Her Space, Her Time, authored by award-winning quantum physicist Shohini Ghose, brings together the stories of these remarkable women to celebrate their indelible scientific contributions.
In each chapter of the book, Ghose explores a scientific topic and explains how the women featured in that chapter revolutionized that area of physics and astronomy. In doing so, she also addresses particular aspects of women's experiences in physics and astronomy: in the chapter on time, for instance, we learn of Henrietta Leavitt and Margaret Burbidge, who helped discover the big bang and the cosmic calendar; in the chapter on space exploration, we learn of Anigaduwagi (Cherokee) aerospace scientist Mary Golda Ross, who helped make the Moon landings possible; and in the chapter on subatomic particles, we learn of Marietta Blau, Hertha Wambacher, and Bibha Chowdhuri, who contributed to the discovery of the building blocks of the universe, and, in doing so, played a crucial role in determining who gets to do physics today.
Engaging, accessible, and timely, Her Space, Her Time is a collective story of scientific innovation, inspirational leadership, and overcoming invisibility that will leave a lasting impression on any reader curious about the rule-breakers and trendsetters who illuminated our understanding of the universe.
Some of the featured women scientists in the book include:
Williamina Fleming
Annie Jump Cannon
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin
Antonia Maury
Henrietta Leavitt
Margaret Burbidge
Mary Golda Ross
Dilhan Eryurt
Claudia Alexander
Joyce Neighbors
Navajo women of Shiprock
Harriet Brooks
Marie Curie
Lise Meitner
Marietta Blau
Hertha Wambacher
Bibha Chowdhuri
Wu Chien-Shiung
Women of the Manhattan Project
Vera Rubin
You can watch Shohini talk about the book at Google here also. Buy the book from Amazon here.
FILM
Giannis: The Marvellous Journey
I first heard about Giannis Antetokounmpo last year when he shared a masterclass in answering a journalist’s question on “failure.” A Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Now, there is a documentary which shares his incredibly inspiring story. Before winning back-to-back MVPs and an NBA title, Giannis Antetokounmpo was an outcast, a young immigrant living with his family on the margins of society in Greece. Then, inspired by the images of NBA stars he saw in an internet café, Giannis picked up a basketball. It was the first step of an EPIC, heartbreaking, triumphant, and ultimately marvellous journey.
Watch on Amazon Prime now here.
The difference between a coward and a hero is how you deal with fear
—(I changed this for today’s title - The Difference Between Success and Failure Is How You Deal With Fear)
Thank you for reading the newsletter and for listening to the podcast, and if you enjoy them, please do share with your network - my goal is to have these stories reach as many as possible so that others can be inspired too. And if you have two minutes, please do leave a review for the podcast - it would mean the world to me and helps others to find it too.
Danielle
Excellent stuff. Kept this email in my inbox until I knew I had time to watch the Jenson video -- many thanks Danielle.