Mo Gawdat had it all. An illustrious 30 year career in tech, serving as the Chief Business Officer of Google X, all the money he needed and more, and was happily married with two children. However despite his many riches, he never felt completely satisfied. Fascinated by his lack of fulfilment and with his passion for technology, Mo began building an algorithm for happiness. Then, after the sudden and devastating loss of his son Ali, Mo turned to his calculation for happiness to make it through the darkest period of his life, and soon swore to honour Ali’s death, by helping one billion people to become happier. Now a best selling author and public speaker, Mo’s expertise on achieving happiness is captivating, as he shares his theory that we are all born with happiness as our ‘default state’, but it is the circumstances or choices we make whilst growing up that create unhappiness from within. Mo also discusses his second area of expertise — the rise of Artificial Intelligence — and how by just 2029, the smartest being on planet earth won’t be a human. A topic that can often be difficult to comprehend, Mo explains what AI is, and most importantly why we must learn to coexist alongside it. Discussing the art of practising gratitude, accepting grief and also revealing his secret formula of how to unlock a life that is 99% joyful, this truly is an unmissable episode, which Holly swears has already completely changed her life. If you enjoyed this conversation, you might also enjoy Holly’s episode with Asma Khan, founder of The Darjeeling Express. This Conversations of Inspiration podcast episode is brought to you with support from Adobe Express. Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? Subscribe to Holly’s weekly newsletters on our website, where she shares small business inspiration of all kinds, exclusive nuggets of wisdom from her and her guests, plus offers, creative ideas and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related