Big Questions with Cal Fussman
As a bestselling author, speaker and one of the greatest interviewers of this generation, Cal Fussman has sat down with some of the world’s most influential individuals: Muhammad Ali, Mikhail Gorbachev, Serena Williams, Jeff Bezos, Jack Welch, John Wooden, Al Pacino and hundreds of others, digging deep into their hearts and delivering their wisdom to the rest of the world. Now, in Big Questions, Cal continues his journey. Uncovering the heart, head, and soul of his guests in thoughtful, deep and entertaining conversations.
Episodes
Cal has long believed the best way to avoid regret is to really listen when someone talks about theirs. One answer came to him during an interview with the actor Robert De Niro. Another, just recently, from the Godfather of Artificial Intelligence on a podcast. Both answers led Cal to a day he’ll never forget—and they just might lead you to one, too.
Cal hears an interview with Kevin O’Leary – Mr. Wonderful on Shark Tank -- that puts into focus the loss of jobs coming with the onset of AI. Then he sees a robot cleaning floors at the convenience store of his gas station. And he wonders about the possibility and potential of Universal Basic Income in a world where there may not be that many jobs for humans to find. That leads Cal to Bill Gates and some thoughts on UBI that you de...
Cal reads a Wall Street Journal story about a graduation speech that ends with the audience asked to sing Bill Withers’ Lean On Me—a soulful anthem for uncertain times. The Class of ’25 faces a tough job market. Internships are disappearing to AI. Roughly 70% of Americans say they don’t trust companies to use artificial intelligence responsibly. And only one in six people are using it at work. Many who don’t use it are fearful of t...
After speaking at a CREW conference in Texas, Cal meets a smart young Uber driver who was curious about the number of jobs that we can anticipate losing in America because of AI. The driver wanted to know what the lives of Americans who’d most likely lose their jobs were going to look like, and how these people might get by and transition. Cal finds some answers from Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, and Geoffrey Hinton, the Godfather...
When an interview on AI and the future of warfare gets postponed by the birth of a child,Cal turns to the web to satisfy his curiosity on the topic —and stumbles upon something larger than he expected. What he finds is a fresh way to look at conflict in the age of intelligent machines… and an idea that could change everything. It’s simple. It’s ancient. And it’s something Elon Musk says may be our last best hope: curiosity. Tune in...
Cal takes a breath of fresh air after a friend goes through double lung-transplant surgery and comes out with a new life. This story will make anyone with a medical problem wonder about the possibilities of medicine in the age of AI.
What kind of person runs 1,000 kilometers in 12 days – twice? Meet Natalie Dau, a Guinness World Record holder who doesn’t just push the limits of human endurance — she redefines them. Cal dives deep with Natalie to uncover how she uses pain as fuel, movement as a message, and her voice — amplified by AI — to raise money, shift perspectives, and help people live better lives. But beneath the inspiration lies a bigger global questio...
In times when college students are using artificial intelligence to answer even introductory course questions like: “Briefly introduce yourself and say what you’re hoping to get out of this class?” we really have to wonder about how education is going to adapt to a future where students delegate nearly all their classwork to AI. Cal speaks with James D. Walsh after Walsh’s New York Magazine articl...
In ten years, we’ll create content as fast as we can think it. That’s what the owner of a cutting-edge AI studio told Cal—and something clicked. This wasn’t just about technology. It was about humanity, about carbon merging with code. That’s when Cal decided to document the great unfolding: The evolution of our species as we begin to step into the future with artificial minds. This podcast isn’t exactly Charles Darwin sketching “I ...
After a devastating rugby injury to his spine seven years ago to this day, Robert Paylor was told he'd never walk again and the best he could hope for would be to one day be able to pick up a slice of pizza. He’s defied every expectation—standing to receive his college diploma and walking today with the help of a walker. In this episode, Robert shares the mindset that rewired his future, and Cal explores how breakthroughs in AI cou...
A single year can easily get lost in time or echo for centuries. A thought-provoking conversation with Simon Sinek makes Cal take a look back at 1925, 1825, 1725, and 1625 — and forward to wonder if 2025 will be the most transformational year humanity has ever seen. Artificial intelligence is accelerating us forward and making us wonder how we’re going to evolve. At the same time, it brings more value to the human touch and enhance...
For decades, Cal steered clear of pharmaceuticals. But after assembling a new team of doctors and stepping on the scale and noticing a few extra pounds, he heard the same three letters over and over: GLP. These new drugs—GLP- 1s—aren’t just helping people shed pounds. They’re helping snuff out the brain’s hijacked hunger signals, replacing the relentless “more, more, more” with something almost revolutionary: “less is enough.” In t...
What would you choose: A shot at March Madness glory or a massive NBA contract? Cal dives into the $100 billion-dollar question facing Cooper Flagg—and what his decision tells us about ambition, friendship, legacy, and the values we hold as a society. A must-listen for anyone who’s ever faced a difficult choice.
Ever wonder what's truly behind President Trump's controversial tariffs? Cal turns to his go-to expert—Ozan Ozkural, the astute international banker he first met at Larry King's breakfast table and a member of the influential Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Leadership Council. In this episode, you'll uncover the hidden reasons behind the tariffs, the surprising geopolitical implications, and critical deadlines approaching fast...
What if you could talk to John F. Kennedy today? In this episode, Cal sits down with an AI recreation of the 35th president for a conversation that’s part history and part mystery. Why did JFK keep a coconut shell on his Oval Office desk? How did he view Greenland during the Cold War? Who was the most magnetic person he ever met? And yes—they even dive into his thoughts on artificial intelligence. Unexpected, illuminating, and oddl...
What if you could sit down and talk to John Lennon today? In this one-of-a-kind episode, Cal has an astonishing conversation with an AI-powered persona of the legendary Beatle, created by heycicero.com. At certain moments, the back-and-forth felt eerily real as John reminisced about writing Help!, I Am the Walrus, Strawberry Fields Forever, and, of course, Imagine. But this chat goes far beyond music—John and Cal dive into everythi...
Cal draws pocket aces and wins big in the first hand of a charity poker night raising money for the fight against cancer. The surge of luck makes it feels like it will be his lucky day. But then his luck seems to begin turning up in everyone around him. Only at the end of the night does he realize that it’s his luck to be with everyone that he’s touched. Enjoy the story . . .
As Cal watches the Academy Awards, he has a startling realization—he’s barely stepped inside a movie theater all year. Then, host Conan O’Brien delivers a hilarious skit introducing home streamers to a wild new concept: the movie theater. The moment sparks a memory of an interview Cal once did with Leonardo DiCaprio, where Leo spoke passionately about his favorite films and the power of cinema. That interview is replayed here, remi...
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