Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL Interviews the world's leading thinkers, and the people shaping the century.

In this interview, I speak to Stef Reid, a British Paralympic long jumper and sprinter. She is a World Champion, four-time Paralympian, triple Paralympic medallist, and five-time world record holder. Stef has a degree in biochemistry, and her adventures off the track include acting, modelling (including being the first amputee to walk…
Thought Economics

 

Are games art? How can games create beauty and meaning? Can we use games to explore the aesthetics of thought? In this interview, I speak to Frank Lantz, one of the world’s foremost game designers, with a pedigree in exploring how emerging technology can create new kinds of gameplay. He…
Thought Economics

 

In this interview I speak to Natasha “Mo” Hunt who has represented England across almost every format & level of rugby from the Olympics to the Commonwealth Games and major international competitions. We discuss the power of rugby, and what it takes to succeed at the highest level in one…
Thought Economics

 

In this interview I speak to Dakota Ditcheva, mixed martial artist & PFL European flyweight champion. Hailing from Manchester, Dakota is one of the world’s most sought-after professional fighters, having risen to prominence as an amateur kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter, winning numerous championships in both disciplines, the pinnacle being…
Thought Economics

 

In this conversation, I speak to Dr. Serge Brammertz, Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Trials. Dr. Brammertz is one of the world’s foremost experts on international criminal law, and we discuss the role & purpose of international courts, and the role of justice in…
Thought Economics

 

In this interview, I speak to Oxford professor Bent Flyvbjerg, dubbed “the world’s leading megaproject expert.” We discuss the findings from his recent book How Big Things Get Done, and the tools, techniques, principles and models we can use to lead projects at all scales. He has 30 years of…
Thought Economics

 

In this interview, I speak to Dr. Lloyd B. Minor, Dean of the Stanford School of Medicine & Co-Lead of Stanford Health, a $13 billion-dollar health enterprise comprising Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care & Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. We discuss how AI, computing and synthetic biology are transforming…
Thought Economics

 

In this conversation I speak to Professor David Feldman, Director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Study of Antisemitism. David is one of the world’s foremost experts in Jewish history, antisemitism & radicalisation. We discuss the origins of antisemitism, the impact of WW2 and the Holocaust on antisemitic beliefs, and…
Thought Economics

 

In this interview I speak to Patrick Mouratoglou, one of the most successful tennis coaches in history. Patrick has worked with players including Serena Williams & Simona Halep and has coached 40 players to reach top 100 rankings, including 10 Grand Slam titles & 2 Olympic Medals. We discuss the…
Thought Economics

 

In this interview, I speak to Robert Sapolsky about the foundational relationship between the idea of free will and human civilisation. We discuss how science demonstrates that free will is nothing more than a cognitive illusion, and how accepting this reality can lead to a more just, and humane world.
Thought Economics

 

In this interview, I speak to Malcolm Gladwell. We discuss success, creativity, intuition, legacy, and adversity together with the importance of broadening our intellectual horizons to better understand our world, and ourselves. Malcolm Gladwell is the author of five New York Times bestsellers — The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What…
Thought Economics

 

All Interviews  (551)
In this interview I speak to Aravind Srinivas, the CEO of Perplexity, an AI powered answer engine that is transforming the world of search by answering questions conversationally. Perplexity extracts data from lakes including the web, images and video, before applying LLM’s to produce incredibly natural answers to questions, with…
In this interview, I speak to Will Storr on the profoundly important role of status in human society. We discuss how we are all driven, and influenced by status, the status-games wired into us and how understanding the psychology of status can change how we see others, and ourselves.
Business & Economics  (330)
In this interview I speak to Aravind Srinivas, the CEO of Perplexity, an AI powered answer engine that is transforming the world of search by answering questions conversationally. Perplexity extracts data from lakes including the web, images and video, before applying LLM’s to produce incredibly natural answers to questions, with…
Culture, Society, Sports & Arts  (226)
In this interview, I speak to Will Storr on the profoundly important role of status in human society. We discuss how we are all driven, and influenced by status, the status-games wired into us and how understanding the psychology of status can change how we see others, and ourselves.
Health & Medicine  (58)
In this interview, I speak to Dr. Lloyd B. Minor, Dean of the Stanford School of Medicine & Co-Lead of Stanford Health, a $13 billion-dollar health enterprise comprising Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care & Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. We discuss how AI, computing and synthetic biology are transforming…
In this interview, I speak to Robert Sapolsky about the foundational relationship between the idea of free will and human civilisation. We discuss how science demonstrates that free will is nothing more than a cognitive illusion, and how accepting this reality can lead to a more just, and humane world.
Nobel Laureates  (20)
Politics & Policy  (154)
To better understand the laws of war & conflict, I speak to Sir Geoffrey Nice KC (Former Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, who led the prosecution of Slobodan Miloševic) and Professor William A Schabas OC (International Criminal & Human Rights Lawyer, who Served on the Truth & Reconciliation Commission…
Science & Technology  (117)
Lawrence Krauss is a renowned theoretical physicist, bestselling author, and celebrated lecturer who has greatly contributed to various areas of physics and cosmology. Krauss's significant scientific contribution includes the 1995 proposal that most of the Universe's energy resides in empty space, confirmed in 1999 and awarded a Nobel Prize in…
Kevin Kelly, a visionary luminary of our digital age, is renowned as the founding executive editor of Wired magazine, a definitive chronicle of the technological revolution, and the author of groundbreaking books like "Out of Control" and "The Inevitable." Known for his prescient insights into technology and its impact on…
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