Rizwan Virk

of my life, like I've been a computer scientist, I've been a video game designer.

I spent a lot of time investigating different mystical traditions, shamanic stuff, without drugs, more of the shamanic journey.

And I spent time with people who were investigating UFOs and religious people.

And academics who are complete materialists and don't believe in any of this stuff.

And it was a way to bring this all together.

And suddenly I found I had more energy when I did that.

Every time I tried to do something else, my health would start to deteriorate again.

And so eventually I got the message.

So for the next couple of years, I just focused on writing.

And that led to this book, The Simulation Hypothesis.

And I feel like it was...

Part of my life plan, if you had asked me in high school, what are you going to do with your life?

I would have said, I'm going to be a computer programmer, an entrepreneur, sell my company and become a writer.

But I always thought I was going to do that, become a writer in my 20s.

When this happened, I was already 48.

I was still in Silicon Valley, still playing the game, trying to build the next billion dollar company, which is what everybody tries to do.

The next unicorn, they call it in Silicon Valley.

And it was like I got this message that there was another part of the story that I was neglecting.

Like I had written some books, but it was like a hobby.

I was doing it on the side.