#5 Peter Hessler - Human Cost of Chinese Progress, Gender in Egypt, Unstructured Authoritarianism

#6 Charles Ferguson - Dot Com Boom Silicon Valley, Winning an Oscar, Government and Innovation

A modern renaissance man, Charles Ferguson was an Oscar and Sundance winning documentary filmmaker, one of the first internet entrepreneurs who founded the first mass market website builder that successfully sold to Microsoft in 1996, a governmental advisory on trade and semiconductors, and now an active angel investor. Truly one of the most interesting men alive. Deus Ex Machina with Bohan Lou explores religion, philosophy, history, politics and when technology intersects with them all.

#5 Peter Hessler - Human Cost of Chinese Progress, Gender in Egypt, Unstructured Authoritarianism

Peter Hessler is the author of many bestselling books about China and also one about Egypt. He has been a staff writer at New Yorker and National Geographic Magazine. He was named a MacArthur fellow and his books have won numerous awards. Most importantly, Peter Hessler is one of the foreign authors who writes most empathetically and eloquently about the Chinese people and his incisive perspective gave me and many others a new lens onto our civilization. Deus Ex Machina with Bohan Lou explores religion, philosophy, history, politics and when technology intersects with them all.

#4 Samo Burja - Revolution vs Evolution, Progress, Historical Memory

Samo Burja is a political scientist and historian who founded Bismarck Analysis and is editorial board chair of Palladium Magazine. Samo researches why civilizations fail and coined Great Founder Theory. We talk about revolution vs evolution, the Russo-Ukraine war, linear vs cyclical views of time, historical memory.  Deus Ex Machina with Bohan Lou explores religion, philosophy, history, politics and when technology intersects with them all.  New episodes will be on Spotify/Apple Podcasts and announced on Twitter @loubohan where you can find me.

#3 Jonathan Kaufman - Jewish Dynasties in China, End of Communism, Journalism's Future

Professor Jonathan Kaufman, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, editor, and author of multiple best sellers including one of my favorites The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China. Professor Kaufman has been reporting on China since 1978 and served as bureau chiefs in Berlin and Beijing. His book was a must read for me because the only thing I love more than Jewish and Chinese history is when they intertwine into the same history. Deus Ex Machina with Bohan Lou explores religion, philosophy, history, politics and when technology intersects with them all. New episodes will be on Spotify/Apple Podcasts and announced on Twitter @loubohan where you can find me.

#2 Steve Hsu - Competent Leaders, Physicists in Finance, Free Will

Professor of theoretical physics and serial founder Steve Hsu discusses his family's martial and athletic tradition, a lack of competent technical leaders for the modern world, intellectual honesty with China watching, embryo selection, free will, and what matters for happiness in life. Notes from Steve Hsu: Are there any comparable leaders to Harold Brown in this era? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Brown_(Secretary_of_Defense) [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Brown_(Secretary_of_Defense)] A child prodigy [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_prodigy], Brown graduated from the Bronx High School of Science [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronx_High_School_of_Science] at age 15, and earned a Ph.D. [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Philosophy] in physics from Columbia University [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_University] at age 21.  As Secretary of Defense, he set the groundwork for the Camp David Accords [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_David_Accords], took part in strategic arms negotiations with the Soviet Union [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union], and supported, unsuccessfully, ratification of the SALT II [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Arms_Limitation_Talks#SALT_II_Treaty] treaty. Deus Ex Machina with Bohan Lou explores religion, philosophy, history, politics and when technology intersects with them all. New episodes will be on Spotify/Apple Podcasts and announced on Twitter @loubohan where you can find me.