The Peterman Pod

Scott Aaronson is one of the world's leading quantum computing researchers and spent two years at OpenAI working on AI safety.

We talked about why he thinks the singularity has already begun for math, who gets credit when AI writes the proof, and whether intelligence will still matter once machines do the thinking.

• My ergonomic keyboard project I mentioned, you can follow along here: https://read.compose.llc/
• The Kickstarter page for it: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryanlpeterman/compose-simple-ergonomics-beautifully-done

Podcast links:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORlscppGGh4
• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-peterman-pod/id1777363835
• Transcript: https://www.developing.dev/p/e070-scott-aaronson

Thank you to this episode's sponsor for supporting my work:

• WorkOS: makes your app Enterprise Ready with easy to use APIs to add SSO, SCIM, RBAC, and more in just a few lines of code, check them out at https://workos.com/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(00:34) Why he updated so hard on AI
(01:14) The people still denying AI progress
(03:53) The singularity has already begun for math
(08:30) Will human-driven math research survive
(13:12) Who gets credit for AI-written papers
(15:55) OpenAI's $15M Navier-Stokes proof
(19:20) What if AI proved P = NP
(23:07) Why AI is so good at finding counterexamples
(26:13) The goalposts keep moving
(28:52) Why AI disclosure matters in research
(32:59) The fake Monet experiment
(35:23) Why he blogs instead of getting rich
(39:45) Are AI labs racing too fast
(42:01) Will intelligence still matter
(47:12) Book recommendations
(52:27) Advice for students today
(57:23) Reacting live to a new AI result
(59:58) Outro

Where to find Scott:

• Personal website: https://www.scottaaronson.com/
• Blog — Shtetl-Optimized: https://scottaaronson.blog/
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Aaronson

Where to find Ryan:

• Newsletter: https://www.developing.dev/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ryanlpeterman
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman/
• Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ryanlpeterman
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanlpeterman
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanlpeterman

Referenced in this episode:

• OpenAI's Navier–Stokes Millennium Prize solution: https://cdn.openai.com/pdf/32d9f210-8b73-45e0-91bc-82a30aef8a9a/navier-stokes.pdf
• Rebecca Goldstein's The Mind-Body Problem: https://rebeccagoldstein.com/the-mind-body-problem-contemporary-american-fiction/
• Andrew Hodges's Alan Turing: The Enigma: https://www.turing.org.uk/book/
• The Man Who Knew Infinity: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Man-Who-Knew-Infinity/Robert-Kanigel/9781476763491
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76
• Anthropic's subquadratic 3SUM result: https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.06783

Neetcode is the most well-known coding interview prep creator with over 1M+ subs on YouTube. I interviewed him about the latest on coding interviews, his career at Amazon vs Google, and what it was like quitting big tech to do his own thing.

• My ergonomic keyboard project I mentioned, you can follow along here: https://read.compose.llc/
• The Kickstarter page for it: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryanlpeterman/compose-simple-ergonomics-beautifully-done

Podcast links:

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/K15dND_Kfvg
• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-peterman-pod/id1777363835
• Transcript: https://www.developing.dev/p/neetcode-google-vs-amazon-programming

Thank you to this episode's sponsor for supporting my work:

• WorkOS: makes your app Enterprise Ready with easy to use APIs to add SSO, SCIM, RBAC, and more in just a few lines of code, check them out at https://workos.com/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(00:33) Quitting Amazon after 2 months
(06:00) Testing Neetcode on Leetcode
(12:57) Memorizing vs deriving solutions and intelligence
(16:13) The story behind Neetcode
(22:24) Getting a job at Google
(27:47) How it was quitting big tech
(29:38) What he hated most about Google
(30:52) Top technical book recommendation
(32:34) Advice for his younger self
(33:46) Outro

Where to find Neetcode:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navdeep-singh-3aaa14161/
• Twitter/X: https://x.com/neetcode1
• His website: https://neetcode.io/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NeetCodeIO
• GitHub: https://github.com/neetcode-gh
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neetcodeio/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@neetcode.io
• Discord: https://discord.gg/ddjKRXPqtk

Where to find Ryan:

• Newsletter: https://www.developing.dev/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ryanlpeterman
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman/
• Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ryanlpeterman
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanlpeterman
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanlpeterman

Referenced in this episode:

• Neetcode's "Maybe Some People Should Just Give Up" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsoEipuwXiI
• Designing Data-Intensive Applications: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/B08VL1BLHB

In this episode, I asked Ethan Evans (ex-Amazon VP) questions about common situations in corporate politics but they get increasingly darker.

• My ergonomic keyboard project I mentioned, you can follow along here: https://read.compose.llc/
• The Kickstarter page for it: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryanlpeterman/compose-simple-ergonomics-beautifully-done

Podcast links:
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhjhRRz3VJw
• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-peterman-pod/id1777363835
• Transcript: https://www.developing.dev/p/e068-ethan-evans

Thank you to this episode's sponsor for supporting my work:
• WorkOS: makes your app Enterprise Ready with easy to use APIs to add SSO, SCIM, RBAC, and more in just a few lines of code, check them out at https://workos.com/

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(00:42) How to receive credit for your work
(19:18) Ways for quiet people to get visibility
(21:32) How to be trusted for top projects
(29:52) How to defend from others taking your project
(36:13) How to reject bad projects
(44:10) How to be first for promo
(55:35) How to handle managers that dislike career growth talk
(01:06:30) What if your manager is in the way
(01:15:43) Did he ever have overly political reports
(01:28:06) How to fire a bad manager
(01:35:16) What gives you leverage
(01:43:41) How to defend against peers undermining you
(01:50:24) What if everyone is good at politics
(01:55:11) How Jeff Bezos burned him for empire building
(02:03:27) How to retain your headcount
(02:07:31) Career recommendations for the current landscape
(02:15:11) How to avoid negative layoff optics
(02:18:39) How to develop executive presence
(02:29:25) How to network in a natural way
(02:33:30) How to network with powerful people
(02:41:01) How to learn hidden incentives
(02:44:43) What happens behind the scenes with HR
(02:50:13) Did he burn people to get ahead
(02:53:24) What he says to people who hate politics
(02:59:03) Top book recommendations on power dynamics
(03:00:45) How he would speedrun career growth today
(03:06:56) Outro

Where to find Ethan:
• Personal website: https://www.ethanevans.com/
• Newsletter: https://levelupwithethanevans.substack.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanevansvp/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EthanEvansVP
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/EthanEvansVP
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ethanevansvp

Where to find Ryan:
• Newsletter: https://www.developing.dev/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ryanlpeterman
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman/
• Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ryanlpeterman
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanlpeterman
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanlpeterman

Referenced in this episode:
• Never Split the Difference: https://www.blackswanltd.com/never-split-the-difference
• Leadership and Self-Deception: https://arbinger.com/bookstore/leadership-and-self-deception
• The 48 Laws of Power: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/330912/the-48-laws-of-power-by-robert-greene/

Philip Su grew quickly to a Distinguished Engineer at Facebook and OpenAI. We talked about the psychology behind peaking in a tech career and the pressure at the highest levels.

• My ergonomic keyboard project I mentioned, you can follow along here: https://read.compose.llc/
• The Kickstarter page for it: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryanlpeterman/compose-simple-ergonomics-beautifully-done

Podcast links:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMo04pSSiao
• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-peterman-pod/id1777363835
• Transcript: https://www.developing.dev/p/openai-and-meta-distinguished-eng

Thank you to this episode's sponsors for supporting my work:

• WorkOS: makes your app Enterprise Ready with easy to use APIs to add SSO, SCIM, RBAC, and more in just a few lines of code, check them out at https://workos.com/
• Jira by Atlassian: Get more work done with your favorite agents and models all in one place, check them out at https://jira.dev/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(00:37) Growth past IC9
(05:39) Motivation changes over his career
(11:36) Asking to not be promoted
(17:33) What made it hard to sustain IC9 performance
(22:22) What motivated him outside of promos
(26:21) Is career advice useless
(29:34) Motivation after you've hit FIRE
(36:08) Meaning and fulfillment
(38:17) Top book recommendation
(40:14) What he would change
(43:24) Outro

Where to find Philip:

• Substack newsletter: https://molochinations.substack.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suphilip/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/philipsu

Where to find Ryan:

• Newsletter: https://www.developing.dev/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ryanlpeterman
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman/
• Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ryanlpeterman
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanlpeterman
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanlpeterman

Referenced in this episode:

• Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374715243/fourthousandweeks/

Casey Muratori is a video game developer and programming creator also known for his talks about the history of software and computing. We talked about surprising parts he found while digging through computer history, where bad code comes from, and his career story.

• My ergonomic keyboard project I mentioned, you can follow along here: https://read.compose.llc/
• The Kickstarter page for it: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryanlpeterman/compose-simple-ergonomics-beautifully-done

Podcast links:

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/jHLbL1Eg4gM
• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-peterman-pod/id1777363835
• Transcript: https://www.developing.dev/p/casey-muratori-surprises-in-computer

Thank you to this episode's sponsors for supporting my work:

• Jira by Atlassian: Get more work done with your favorite agents and models all in one place, check them out at https://jira.dev/
• WorkOS: makes your app Enterprise Ready with easy to use APIs to add SSO, SCIM, RBAC, and more in just a few lines of code, check them out at https://workos.com/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(01:08) Digging into computer science history
(04:08) What shocked him
(16:23) Dijkstra was depressed
(26:17) The personal side of goto considered harmful
(35:09) The anatomy of a 35 year mistake
(50:12) Clean code horrible performance
(58:33) How to write high performance code
(01:01:18) Where bad code comes from
(01:06:37) Why design docs before code is a bad idea
(01:09:20) The only unbreakable law in software engineering
(01:15:57) How he got into programming
(01:21:16) Why he didnt work in big tech
(01:30:44) Should you work at a startup early on
(01:34:52) What video game engineering is like
(01:39:57) Why preventing recursion is reasonable
(01:43:24) Is vibe coding bad for the industry
(01:50:17) Technical reading recommendation
(01:54:27) Advice for his younger self
(01:56:54) Outro

Where to find Casey:

• Website: https://caseymuratori.com/
• Newsletter: https://www.computerenhance.com/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/cmuratori
• GitHub: https://github.com/cmuratori
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MollyRocket
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cmuratori.bsky.social
• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/molly_rocket
• Handmade Network: https://handmade.network/m/cmuratori
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Muratori

Where to find Ryan:

• Newsletter: https://www.developing.dev/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ryanlpeterman
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman/
• Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ryanlpeterman
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanlpeterman
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanlpeterman

Referenced in this episode:

• The Root of the Root of All Evil: https://computerenhance.com/theroot
• The Big OOPS: Anatomy of a 35-Year Mistake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo84LFzx5nI
• Edsger Dijkstra's "Notes on Structured Programming": https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~EWD/transcriptions/EWD02xx/EWD249/EWD249.html
• Donald Knuth's "Structured Programming with go to Statements": https://doi.org/10.1145/356635.356640
• Edsger Dijkstra's "Go To Statement Considered Harmful": https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~EWD/transcriptions/EWD02xx/EWD215.html
• Ivan Sutherland's Sketchpad thesis: https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/techreports/UCAM-CL-TR-574.html
• Clean Code, Horrible Performance: https://www.computerenhance.com/p/clean-code-horrible-performance
• Where Does Bad Code Come From?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YpFGkG-u1w
• The Only Unbreakable Law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IUj1EZwpJY
• Dijkstra letter's reference: https://medium.com/@acidflask/this-guys-arrogance-takes-your-breath-away-5b903624ca5f#.1rdj838x6