Exponential Wisdom

Episode 107: First Principles Thinking

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Peter and Dan discuss first principles thinking, demonstrating why the world’s best entrepreneurs use this methodology to set massive goals. Elon Musk is perhaps the foremost example of entrepreneurial success as a direct result of his mindset, problem-solving strategies, and intelligence.

In this episode:

  • Peter shares his takeaways from his conversation with Elon Musk, which kicked off their launch of the largest incentive competition in history, the $100M XPRIZE for Carbon Removal.
  • Dan gives insights about the education system and its flaws, and why he believes outliers are rewarded for audacious thinking. 
  • Peter talks about the early days of SpaceX and stories from 2001, when Elon dedicated the entirety of his payout from PayPal’s acquisition to starting the now-skyrocketing (no pun intended) space company.

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Episode 35: Science Fiction Becomes Science Reality

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Episode 35 CardPeter and Dan discuss awarding the $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, which involved designing a portable wireless device that can monitor and diagnose health conditions from the palm of your hand. The prize concept originated during a lunch with Qualcomm’s Executive Chairman Paul Jacobs, a fellow Star Trek fan, when they decided the Tricorder medical device should exist.

In this episode:

  • Peter describes the power of incentive prizes with examples dating back to 1714, including the invention of canned food.
  • Considering the vast amounts of data in the healthcare field, Dan and Peter explain why AI will have a major role in democratizing healthcare, and how an AI diagnosis will ultimately be better than the best human experts in the world.
  • Peter describes the process of awarding a XPRIZE and the roadmap needed to bring technology to market.

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Episode 31: Planning Your Moonshot

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Episode 31The word “moonshot” is a term that comes from X (formerly Google X) and, as used here, simply means a daring, seemingly impossible mission. When most of the world is trying to go 10% bigger, a moonshot is something that is 10X bigger. Peter and Dan discuss a new tool Peter developed to help you take moonshots.

In this episode:

  • Dan tells the story of Peter’s first moonshot when achieving suborbital flight with the Ansari XPRIZE in 2004.
  • Peter discusses his 5 Year Moonshot Planner and why all progress begins with telling yourself the truth. To download the tool, click here.
  • Peter and Dan break down Peter’s 5-year moonshot for XPRIZE and how “chunking” a massive initiative into smaller, immediate actions is the best way to think about moonshots.

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