Lex Fridman Podcast
#407 – Guillaume Verdon: Beff Jezos, E/acc Movement, Physics, Computation & AGI
29 Dec 2023
Full Episode
The following is a conversation with Guillaume Verdun, the man behind the previously anonymous account BasedBefJezosOnX. These two identities were merged by a doxing article in Forbes titled, Who is BasedBefJezos, the leader of the tech elite's EAC movement? So let me describe these two identities that coexist in the mind of one human.
Identity number one, Guillaume, is a physicist, applied mathematician, and quantum machine learning researcher and engineer, receiving his PhD in quantum machine learning, working at Google on quantum computing, and finally launching his own company called Extropic that seeks to build physics-based computing hardware for generative AI.
Identity number two, Bev Jezels, on X, is the creator of the effective accelerationism movement, often abbreviated as EAC. that advocates for propelling rapid technological progress as the ethically optimal course of action for humanity. For example, its proponents believe that progress in AI is a great social equalizer, which should be pushed forward.
EAC followers see themselves as a counterweight to the cautious view that AI is highly unpredictable, potentially dangerous, and needs to be regulated. They often give their opponents the labels of, quote, doomers or decels, short for deceleration. As Beth himself put it, EAC is a memetic optimism virus.
The style of communication of this movement leans always toward the memes and the lols, but there is an intellectual foundation that we explore in this conversation. Now, speaking of the meme, I am too a kind of aspiring connoisseur of the absurd. It is not an accident that I spoke to Jeff Bezos and Beth Jezos back to back.
As we talk about, Beth admires Jeff as one of the most important humans alive, and I admire the beautiful absurdity and the humor of it all. And now a quick few second mention of each sponsor. Check them out in the description. It's the best way to support this podcast. We got Element for hydration, the thing I'm drinking right now. Notion for team collaboration.
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As always, no ads in the middle. I try to make these interesting, but if you must skip them, friends, please still check out our sponsors. I enjoy their stuff. Maybe you will too. This episode is brought to you by Element Electrolyte Drink Mix. It's got sodium, potassium, magnesium. I drink it so much, so many times a day. It's really the foundation of my one meal a day lifestyle.
I eat almost always one meal a day in the evening. So I fast, and I really enjoy that. Everything it does for me, I... Recommend everybody at least try it. Intermittent fasting taken to the sort of daily extreme of fasting for 23, 24 hours, whatever it is. And for that, you have to get all the electrolytes right. You have to drink water, but not just drink water.
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