#827: Pablos Holman — One of The Scariest Hackers I’ve Ever Met


Pablos Holman is a hacker and inventor and the author of Deep Future: Creating Technology that Matters, the indispensable guide to deep tech. Previously, Pablos worked on spaceships at Blue Origin and helped build The Intellectual Ventures Lab to invent a wide variety of breakthroughs. Pablos also hosts the Deep Future Podcast and is managing partner at Deep Future.

This episode is brought to you by:

Cresset prestigious family office for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs: https://cressetcapital.com/tim

Maui Nui Venison​, delicious, nutrient-dense, and responsible red meat: https://mauinuivenison.com/lp/tim

AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://drinkag1.com/tim

Timestamps:

  • [00:00:00] Start.
  • [00:02:12] The first time I witnessed Pablos’ digital sleight of hand.
  • [00:04:33] How did Pablos become what he considers to be a hacker?
  • [00:08:04] The off-label mindset that makes a good hacker (like Samy Kamkar) great.
  • [00:17:07] The magic of Rodney Mullen.
  • [00:20:28] How Eric Johanson and Pablos gave life to adorable password thief Hackerbot.
  • [00:23:44] Hacker self-defense and the zero-click exploit market.
  • [00:27:11] International pockets of hacker density.
  • [00:30:13] Conventions where modern hackers congregate.
  • [00:30:48] Why, in geopolitics, technology is a game lost by the non-players.
  • [00:33:05] The case to rally behind new nuclear power.
  • [00:36:54] Sequencing priorities so the US can remain technologically competitive.
  • [00:44:49] Evaluating risk and reward in deep tech investment.
  • [00:50:40] Shoring up the shape of shipping.
  • [00:56:59] How Pablos gained his name and famous frames.
  • [00:58:48] Pablos is a possible-ist.
  • [00:59:45] What makes Pablos an attractive hire for the world’s richest people?
  • [01:02:06] From Silicon Valley to Seattle: the Blue Origin origin story.
  • [01:08:55] Why Pablos prevails over his M-dash peers.
  • [01:11:41] Zero Effect and WarGames: The only movies that matter?
  • [01:15:58] A major security malfunction exploited by Major Malfunction.
  • [01:18:30] The enigmatic Neal Stephenson.
  • [01:19:38] Long-form lessons gleaned from Jeff Bezos and the Blue Origin mission.
  • [01:27:15] For solving the world’s problems, communities are crucial.
  • [01:31:03] Newlab PSYOPS.
  • [01:34:44] AI and the ripple effects of China’s engineering-minded vs. America’s attorney-heavy leadership.
  • [01:48:20] Unearthing like-minded inventors and innovators.
  • [01:50:42] How Pablos learned salsa dancing via aikido vs. my own tango experience.
  • [02:08:27] Why you should invest or get involved in deep tech.
  • [02:14:45] Clearing up fusion confusion.
  • [02:21:17] Making progress happen is a team effort.
  • [02:24:19] Parting thoughts.

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Showplease visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twittertwitter.com/tferriss 

Instagraminstagram.com/timferriss

YouTubeyoutube.com/timferriss

Facebookfacebook.com/timferriss 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss

Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry SeinfeldHugh JackmanDr. Jane GoodallLeBron JamesKevin HartDoris Kearns GoodwinJamie FoxxMatthew McConaugheyEsther PerelElizabeth GilbertTerry CrewsSiaYuval Noah HarariMalcolm GladwellMadeleine AlbrightCheryl StrayedJim CollinsMary Karr, Maria PopovaSam HarrisMichael PhelpsBob IgerEdward NortonArnold SchwarzeneggerNeil StraussKen BurnsMaria SharapovaMarc AndreessenNeil GaimanNeil de Grasse TysonJocko WillinkDaniel EkKelly SlaterDr. Peter AttiaSeth GodinHoward MarksDr. Brené BrownEric SchmidtMichael LewisJoe GebbiaMichael PollanDr. Jordan PetersonVince VaughnBrian KoppelmanRamit SethiDax ShepardTony RobbinsJim DethmerDan HarrisRay DalioNaval RavikantVitalik ButerinElizabeth LesserAmanda PalmerKatie HaunSir Richard BransonChuck PalahniukArianna HuffingtonReid HoffmanBill BurrWhitney CummingsRick RubinDr. Vivek MurthyDarren AronofskyMargaret AtwoodMark ZuckerbergPeter ThielDr. Gabor MatéAnne LamottSarah SilvermanDr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.