The James Altucher Show

A Note from James: In the last episode, we talked about whether Martin Shkreli really deserves the label “most hated man in America.” My conclusion was no, and I hope you came to the same conclusion after hearing his perspective. In this episode, we shift gears completely. We talk about Bitcoin, crypto, AI, energy, optical computing, and what the future of technology might actually look like. Mart...

A Note from James: Is he the most hated man in America? I don’t think so. Martin Shkreli was notorious for various reasons that you’ll hear about in this episode—there are some crazy stories—but I’ve come to know Martin over the past few months as both a friend and business partner. Let’s just hear his stories and explanations. I think you’ll agree with me that this is one of the smartest people I...

A Note from James: In the first two episodes with Dr. Nicole McNichols, we talked about chemistry, communication, anatomy, and the science of pleasure. This final episode is really about something deeper—how relationships evolve over time and what actually keeps desire alive. Because the truth is, long-term relationships don’t stay exciting automatically. They require intention. They require curio...

A Note from James: In the first episode with Dr. Nicole McNichols, we talked about chemistry, myths, and why communication matters more than performance. This episode goes deeper—into biology, anatomy, dopamine, desire, and the mechanics of pleasure. There are a lot of myths around sex. Some are cultural. Some are Hollywood. Some come from bad science. And some just come from silence. This convers...

Episode Description: This archival conversation with Ramit Sethi is a masterclass in systems thinking, behavioral psychology, and building a “rich life” on your own terms. Long before online courses were mainstream, Ramit was quietly building scalable systems—automating money, testing business ideas rigorously, and rejecting conventional wisdom around careers, housing, and passion. In this convers...

A Note from James: This might be the most useful episode I’ve ever done. Not that the others weren’t useful—they were—but this one goes above and beyond. It was also awkward for me, and honestly a little embarrassing, to ask some of these questions. I asked them anyway, and I’m glad I did, because the answers were excellent. This episode is with Dr. Nicole McNichols, who just released her book You...

Episode Description: This was one of those interviews where James thought he was talking about leadership—and realized halfway through that he was really talking about responsibility. Jocko Willink doesn’t use buzzwords. He doesn’t soften the message. He talks about ego, blame, and why most problems—at work and in life—don’t come from bad systems but from leaders who won’t take ownership. What str...

Episode Description: This was one of the most intense conversations James ever recorded. This archive conversation captures David Goggins at the moment Can’t Hurt Me was launching — before the mythology around him fully formed. What makes this episode powerful is how grounded it is. He’s not selling inspiration. He’s explaining the mechanics of suffering, discipline, and self-reinvention in plain...

Episode Description: This second installment of “From the Archive” returns to James’s early, unfiltered conversation with Tim Ferriss. They unpack how to market by creating newsworthy moments (including a frigid book-launch fiasco turned lesson), how to learn anything using Tim’s DISS framework (Deconstruction, Selection, Sequencing, Stakes), and why “possibility is negotiable” when you seek outli...

A Note from James: Data is oil. Data is the gold of this AI revolution. Imagine you have an AI that has all of everybody’s thoughts also—so it’s not just learning on tweets and texts, it’s learning on the 60,000 or so thoughts that 8 billion people think each day around the world. This sounds like amazing science fiction and magic and everything that one could ever have dreamed of… or it could be...

A Note from James: You know, I’ve known Scott Adams for probably 12 or 13 years. He was one of the first guests on this podcast, and he’s the creator of Dilbert , which was my favorite cartoon strip for decades. But then, starting around 2013, he started writing about his life, his opinions, his approach to life, and what made him a success. The first book he did in this genre was How to Fail at A...

Episode Description: To launch our “From the Archive” series, James revisits his candid talk with Sara Blakely about turning fear into fuel, reframing failure, and selling a simple product with language and grit. You’ll hear the bathroom demo that won Neiman Marcus, the three-part courage engine she still uses, and how to protect the thinking time that sparks real ideas.  What You’ll Learn: A...

A Note from James: One of my favorite conversations on this show was with Peter Thiel. Yes—PayPal, Facebook, Palantir, and a dozen other hits. I first ran this episode years ago, and the advice still holds up. The same stories, the same frameworks—and the same challenge to think from first principles. Here’s Peter Thiel, one of the most influential entrepreneurs of our time. Episode Description: I...

A Note from James: Tim Dillon is crazy—in the best way. Not “institution” crazy. Crazy smart. Years ago he told me things about Epstein, hustle culture, and how the world really works that felt outlandish then and obvious now. He’s quirky, honest, and usually right about what to pay attention to. Also, he’s flat-out funny. Let’s bring Tim back and see how much of that old conversation still hits t...

James brings back astrophysicist Brian Keating for a practical takedown of moon-landing conspiracy claims—and a wider lesson in how to reason when everyone has a microphone. From the Van Allen belts to “the flag waving,” Keating separates physics from folklore, explains what evidence actually looks like (hello, laser retroreflectors), and gives a playbook for engaging friends who’ve gone down the...

Today, we're sharing the recent episode of the Digital Social Hour Podcast by Sean Kelly. James Altucher joins the show to break down why the 10,000-hour rule is a myth, how to cheat your way into the top 1%, why obsession matters more than talent, and how AI is now the greatest mentor of all time. From entrepreneurship and failure… to mental health, chess mastery, comedy, and why losing millions...

A Note from James: Tye Sheridan is one of my favorite actors. You might know him as Cyclops in the X-Men movies ( Apocalypse , etc.) or as the lead in Ready Player One —which is not only a great movie but also one of my favorite sci-fi books. One of his first films was Mud with Matthew McConaughey. What I didn’t realize: since 2016, while still acting, Tye has also been a serious AI entrepreneur....

Episode Description: James sits down with astrophysicist Brian Keating for a candid, useful tour through three hot zones: how to think about AI (and where it actually helps), what’s broken in higher ed and admissions right now, and why outsourcing your mood to politics is a losing strategy. You’ll hear first-hand stories (from UC San Diego classrooms to New York City politics), specific ways James...

A Note from James: Are UFOs real or not? For 80 years there have been credible whistleblowers saying the government recovered craft—and even bodies. That’s why I wanted Kent Heckenlively on, the author of Catastrophic Disclosure: The Deep State, Aliens, and the Truth . I’m not here to decide for you. I want to hear the best evidence, ask the obvious questions, and have you help me figure out if we...

A Note from James: Wisdom Takes Work is Ryan Holiday’s fourth book exploring the Stoic virtues, and this time he’s taking on the big one — wisdom. His earlier books on courage, temperance, and justice were all great conversations, but this one hit me personally. I’ve often thought I had wisdom, only to realize later that I didn’t — or at least not as much as I thought. Ryan’s writing blends ancien...

A Note from James Tupac Shakur—one of the greatest rap artists ever—was shot and killed almost two decades ago. What else is there left to say about him? What new things can be said? Well, Jeff Pearlman’s new book, Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur , takes on that challenge. In our conversation, we talk about what Jeff uncovered in his research, why he wanted to write another T...

A Note from James Oh my gosh—I was scared after this one. In this episode, I learned about what’s really on the dark web… and the even scarier stuff on what’s called the deep web. Eric O’Neill—who, by the way, is the former FBI agent who brought down Robert Hanssen, the biggest double agent in U.S. history—joined me for this conversation. Hanssen was the FBI’s top analyst on the Soviet Union, and...

A Note from James I first got really impressed with Steven Pinker when he wrote The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined . He basically shows that over the past 10,000 years, every single century has been less violent than the one before it. You might think, “That can’t include the 20th century,” right? We had World War I, World War II, atomic bombs, the flu pandemic of 1920, Vie...

A Note from James I’ve always loved books where a journalist gets so deep into a subculture that they become part of it. Magic Is Dead by Ian Frisch is one of those. He starts out covering a secret society of magicians—“The 52,” named for the cards in a deck—and ends up becoming one of them. It reminded me of other favorites like Word Freak (Scrabble), The Game (pickup artists), and Moonwalking wi...

A Note from James I’m such a fan of this guy. I loved The Psychology of Money — it felt like he was writing directly about me. I’ve made a lot of money, lost it all, made it again, lost it again. Over and over. And Morgan gets it. His new book, The Art of Spending Money , hits even deeper. It’s not just about being rich; it’s about freedom, simplicity, and contentment — the real returns of life. E...