In this episode, Matt and Chris tackle the big ideas—or at least the ones rattling around in Peter Thiel’s mind. Tech billionaire, venture capitalist, and political kingmaker, Thiel has long been a looming figure in Silicon Valley, known for his deep pockets, contrarian takes, and peculiar philosophical musings. But beneath the surface-level libertarian posturing, what does Thiel actually believe? And does it hold up to scrutiny?

The decoders dig into Thiel’s recent interview on Uncommon Knowledge, where he waxes biblical about end times, interprets the katechon with all the confidence of a medieval theologian, and seamlessly blends venture capitalism with prophecies of the Antichrist.

Along the way, they explore Thiel’s method of connecting historical dots with pure vibes, and his Jetsons Fallacy, the deep disappointment that the world looks more like The Office than a 1960s vision of the future. They dissect the Sensemaker Aristocracy surrounding him—with its reverent back-patting and strange mix of deference and obfuscation that turns tech moguls into prophets. They also highlight Thiel’s bizarre leaps in logic, from citing biblical prophecies to warning about one-world free-trade Communist government conspiracies and his confusing stance on technological progress—simultaneously lamenting stagnation while fearing we’re racing too fast toward Armageddon.

Of course, no billionaire worldview would be complete without some COVID conspiracies, and Thiel delivers, crafting an elaborate Fauci Bioweapon Paradox in which the pandemic response was simultaneously overblown and also secretly justified because the virus was (obviously) engineered.

So is Peter Thiel a visionary? A libertarian Cassandra? Or just a very wealthy man with a lot of half-formed ideas and a habit of mumbling them into microphones? Matt and Chris wade through the mess so you don’t have to. Stay till the end for the Revolutionary Leprechaun Theory of Western Civilization… if you dare.

Links

• Hoover Institute: Apocalypse Now? Peter Thiel on Ancient Prophecies and Modern Tech (Part 1)
• Hoover Institute: Apocalypse Now? Peter Thiel on Ancient Prophecies and Modern Tech (Part 2)
• WIRED article on the Thiel, Hogan, & Gawker business

In this episode, we look at a recently released segment by Lex Fridman, where he reflects on his interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

We examine Lex’s self-presentation as a Christ-like figure—someone who is willing to suffer, feign naivety and ignorance, and even risk his life in the name of world peace—all while maintaining an eight-hour daily study regimen and enduring relentless, unfair attacks from Ukrainian bot farms and war-loving critics.

Like true sensemakers, we also entertain an outlandish alternative hypothesis: what if Lex is, in fact, an arrogant and biased podcaster—dismissive of criticism, oblivious to his political leanings, and adopting a “wounded bird” persona to elicit sympathy from his audience?

Join us as we sift through the Zelensky's (supposed) failures, the bot farms, and the wounded bird theatrics to determine whether Lex is a hero for peace—or just another podcaster lost in his own narrative.

Sources

• Lex Fridman reflects on Volodymyr Zelenskyy interview
• Supplementary Material 21: The emergency snake, thought = secularised prayer, and Love and War
• Chris' thread on Lex and his wounded bird pose
• Lex Fridman Podcast- Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukraine, War, Peace, Putin, Trump, NATO, and Freedom | Lex Fridman Podcast #456

It's 2025, and the Gurusphere shows no signs of slowing down—so here we are, diving into some grim crossovers. This time, the bro-optimiser Andrew Huberman has teamed up with the chaos dragon himself, Jordan Peterson. Meanwhile, the ever-affectionate Lex Fridman finally scored an interview with Zelensky. Bret, however, remains preoccupied with Goliath's ongoing PsyOps.

P.S. Matt broke his dongle so he's on the AirPods, we will be back to proper audio setup next episode.

Supplementary Material 21

00:00 Introduction and Farewell to America

01:43 Memorable Encounters and Experiences

03:48 Oldering & the Destruction of the Self

08:35 The American Understander Issues his Verdict

12:07 The Pageau Brothers, Jesus' Laugh & The Emergency Snake

19:01 Bryan Johnson has concerns about Vaccines

21:48 The High IQ Crowd and Trump's Greenland Plans

27:44 The PsyOps Cyclops Strikes Again

37:15 Huberman X Peterson: Optimising Christianity

39:22 Secret Prayers and Bible Conversations

43:34 Thougt = Secularised Prayer

48:56 Huberman's Intelligent Design Argument for God

55:49 Christian Optimising Stack

01:07:56 Marc Andreessen on Vigor, Pride and Achievement

01:13:30 Faux Heterodoxy

01:19:24 Plain Steaks are the best!

01:24:47 Jordan Peterson's Diet Struggles

01:32:25 Lex Fridman's Interview with Zelensky

01:37:52 Lex plugs Rogan's comedy club

01:41:09 Elon Musk and Trump are anti-corruption!

01:44:27 Critique of Lex Fridman's Interview Style

01:46:07 Lex's dream and Russia's security guarantees

01:53:25 Lex's Strategic Naivety

02:05:12 Lex reads A LOT

02:11:40 Lex and Putin predictions

02:12:39 Lex will endure the attacks against him

02:14:56 Wrapping Up & Patreon Love Bomb

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hrs 16 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Sources

• Chris' thread on Lex and his wounded bird pose
• Huberman Podcast- Dr.Jordan Peterson: How to Best Guide Your Life Decisions & Path
• Lex Fridman Podcast- Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukraine, War, Peace, Putin, Trump, NATO, and Freedom | Lex Fridman Podcast #456
• The Free Press: Bryan Johnson: How Not to Die in 2025
• Matthieu Pageau's thread on the Emergency Snake

Back once again with the dark art of Gurometry, we turn our sights to the bad boy of Silicon Valley—the mulleted maestro, the edgy eejit, Curtis Yarvin. A legend in his own mind, but how does he rank on the Gurosity scale? Join us as we dissect his essence across 11 factors, from his revolutionarily mundane and incoherent ideas to his dazzling absence of charisma. Tune in as we feed this 'dark enlightenment' thinker into the Gurometer and reveal his true colours.

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (34 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Curtis Yarvin: Gurometer

00:00 Introduction to Gurometry

02:27 Curtis Yarvin: The Man, The Myth, The Eejit

04:43 Galaxy Brainlessness

05:48 Cultishness

08:32 Anti-Establishmentarianism

09:55 Grievance Mongering

12:43 Self-Aggrandizement and Narcissism

13:30 Cassandra Complex

16:21 Revolutionary Theories

17:59 Pseudo-Profound Bullshit

19:43 Conspiracy Theories Galore

23:55 Moral Grandstanding

25:50 Gurometer Scores and Analysis

27:56 Bonus Point Attribution

34:03 Final Thoughts on Curtis Yarvin

In this end-of-year supplementary material, we unleash the hounds of war, battle through the discourse, and emerge alive but bloody and battered on the other side. Enlist now and join the fight.

Supplementary Material 20

00:00 Introduction and Ethnographic Insights

01:38 Matt's Observations from Washington DC

05:50 Smithsonian Museums and Star Wars Memorabilia

07:48 Lego Creations and Gacha Collectibles

12:13 Social Media and Blue Sky 'Culture'

13:29 Matt's Contribution: Eric Weinstein's UFO Speculations

21:21 Graham Linehan, Andrew Doyle, Jordan Peterson & Recognising Past Errors

23:18 Jordan Peterson's Reflections on Vaccination

28:59 Huberman's Upcoming Vaccine Series

30:52 Taylor Lorenz and Stochastic Terrorism

32:31 The Hypocrisy of Glorifying Violence

36:29 The Problem with Political Violence

43:48 Tim Kennedy's Exaggerated Military Stories

55:09 Tim Kennedy's Response to Criticism

01:07:37 Prebunking Criticisms

01:17:20 Shane Smith at Vice is NOT A CONSPIRACY GUY

01:21:27 Final Thoughts on Populism and Vibes-Based Reasoning

01:25:18 Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 26 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Sources 

• Jordan Peterson: Europe Imploding | Andrew Doyle & Graham Linehan | EP 506
• Tim Kennedy: Setting the Record Straight
• Piers Morgan Uncensored: “Why The F*CK Are You Laughing?!” CEO Murder Arrest & Daniel Penny NOT GUILTY
• The AntiHero Podcast: Ep 101: Tim Kennedy: The Book Of Lies
• Valhalla VFT: Green Berets, Delta Force & Navy SEAL DENOUNCE Tim Kennedy Stolen Valor LIES

In this long-anticipated episode, Matt and Chris venture into the peculiar world of Curtis Yarvin—a reactionary blogger, tech entrepreneur, and self-proclaimed monarchist. Known to his early followers by the pseudonym "Mencius Moldbug," Yarvin has become a prominent figure in the "dark enlightenment" and neo-reactionary circles. Some have even hailed him as an "intellectual powerhouse" of the modern far-right, with endorsements from influential figures like Peter Thiel and J.D. Vance.

But what is Curtis really all about? In this episode, the decoders revisit the Triggernometry swamp to examine the political insights unearthed by the hard-nosed journalists Konstantin and Francis during their ferocious intellectual exchange with Yarvin.

Prepare for thrilling revelations, including the historical figures and movements Yarvin has catalogued in his encyclopedic memory, his pick for the best Elizabethan monarch, and the surprising number of non-monarchs he believes are secretly running monarchical regimes. True to form, Yarvin’s rhetorical style is nothing if not meandering. So get ready for a whirlwind tour through his "mind palace," exploring topics like Soviet Russia, Elizabethan England, Shakespearean conspiracy theories, and a fantasy world of reactionary and techno-libertarian musings—not to mention the obligatory lab-leak narratives.

Is Yarvin an edgy intellectual, a provocative contrarian, or just a verbose windbag with run-of-the-mill conspiratorial takes and a moody teenager's perspective on history? Matt and Chris tackle these questions, striving to decode Yarvin’s vision for society—and hoping, against all odds, that he might in the end just answer a single question.

Links

• Triggernometry: Curtis Yarvin- The Case Against Democracy
• UnHerd: Curtis Yarvin: Welcome to the Dark Enlightenment
• Behind the Bastards Part One: Curtis Yarvin: The Philosopher Behind J.D. Vance
• Behind the Bastards Part Two: Curtis Yarvin: The Philosopher Behind J.D. Vance
• The Guardian: He’s anti-democracy and pro-Trump: the obscure ‘dark enlightenment’ blogger influencing the next US administration

In this special festive episode, Chris and Matt are joined by seasoned decoder and quiz master Helen Lewis to discuss the myths around genius, extract her 2025 Guru predictions, and, of course, participate in that most sacred of DTG traditions: Helen's annual Guru Quiz.

Once again, the decoders must prove their mastery of the gurusphere’s esoteric knowledge, and once again, one decoder will come up short. Who will it be? You already know... but do your best to feign surprise!

But that’s not all!

Discourse/Discord creature and DTG Weinstein correspondent Dan Gilbert (Bad Stats online) also makes an appearance to enjoy another mystery quiz and a dystopian guru squad-building game. Play along at home and see if your chosen guru team can match the synergistic power of our curated champions.

Links

• Helen Lewis on Substack
• Dan Gilbert on Twitter and YouTube

In this truly epic-length supplementary material, we spin 70 critical paradigms simultaneously while trying to avoid the wily tricks of some hostile transdimensional forces. Do we succeed? Join us to find out!

Supplementary Material 19

00:24 Introduction: More American Insights(!)

13:12 Peterson Orbiters: The Pageau Brothers

17:41 Pageau & Rod Dreher: Aliens are transdimensional spirits

25:56 Pageau: Alex Jones was Right!

27:01 Peterson & Pageau's Lazy Christian Apologetics

44:17 Joe Rogan: Fuck Ukraine!

56:28 Peter Thiel has questions about Vaccines and Autism

01:03:20 Big Rogan's CENSORSHIP CAMPAIGN against Flint Dibble

01:09:07 Nassim Taleb vs. Colin Wright: Seed Oils

01:23:10 Taleb and Squid Ink Flounces

01:32:40 Conspirituality & the issues with extended analogies

01:50:27 Leftist Millenarianism?

01:56:06 Cultish Spectrums

02:02:34 Critical Feedback: Decoding the Decoders

02:08:30 You were not allowed to talk about this!

02:21:56 Signing Off

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hrs 24 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Sources 

• Free Press- Peter Thiel and the Triumph of the Counter-Elites
• Jonathan Pageau - Living in Wonder - with Rod Dreher
• Jordan Peterson - Beyond Dawkins | Jonathan Pageau | EP 496
• Taleb's Twitter Rampage with Colin Wright on Seed Oils
• Consumer Reports: Do Seed Oils Make You Sick?
• Conspirituality: Brief: Post-Election Online Survivor Group Dynamics
• Be Scofield: A Critical Review of Amanda Montell's "Cultish"
• A Public Letter to Joe Rogan from Flint Dibble
• Joe Rogan Experience #2231 - Jimmy Corsetti & Dan Richards
• Kyiv Independent: Ukrainians react to Joe Rogan’s rant on Ukraine

In this special episode, we return to the forboding Dragon's Den of the Peterson-verse and enjoy a rather punchy conversation between Jordan Peterson and Richard Dawkins, facilitated by Alex O'Connor.

As always, the discussion is dense with abstract symbolic interpretations, evasive answers to direct questions about biblical events, and highly speculative claims. So Matt and Chris don their best decoding armour, steel their resolve, and prepare to face down endless waves of indulgent analogies and the constant conflation of mythological and scientific truths.

Important insights from Matt on American public toilets, shower technology, and stories of Chris' previous life as a coal-shovelling street urchin are also included.

Links

• Dawkins vs Peterson: Memes & Archetypes | Alex O’Connor Moderates | EP 491
• The Times: We Who Wrestle with God by Jordan Peterson review — rambling, hectoring and mad
• The Guardian: We Who Wrestle With God by Jordan Peterson review – a culture warrior out of his depth

Still in the land of the free and restocked with important new insights from his US travels, Matt is confronted with the Gurusphere's predictably depressing reaction to the election. And what's that we hear in the distance... is it a honking car?

Supplementary Material 18

00:00 Matt's American Ethnography

10:59 Eric Weinstein is waiting for the call

14:32 Huberman, Krauss, and MAGA Sycophancy

18:39 Boghossian and other would-be Intellectual Clerics of the MAGA regime

22:52 Sam Harris criticises Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and MAGA

32:05 The Fifth Column, The Free Press and World Weary Both Sides-ing

53:19 Election Reflections: Macro and Micro Causes

01:04:40 Longer Term Trends

01:10:08 Sarah Haider and the Hip Vibe of the New Right

01:24:00 Richard Dawkins Dual Nature

01:31:08 A Plea to Sean Carroll and our Listeners

01:33:06 An important note on Bouldering

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 36 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Links

• Eric's phone is not ringing
• Huberman making his pitch
• Krauss being a sycophant to Elon
• Boghossian's lack of interest in protests in Hungary
• Sam Harris Making Sense 391: The Reckoning
• A Special Place in Hell: Adios Amigos: The Special Place Finale
• That graph mentioned about the loss of support for incumbent regimes
• Dawkins being a fool on Twitter
• The Fifth Column: #234 - Come On and Zoom! (Wagnerian Opera Edition)

In this highly non-topical episode, Matt and Chris dive into the entertainingly gruff world of Sabine Hossenfelder, the German theoretical physicist and popular YouTube science communicator. Known as a joyful science curmudgeon, Sabine excels at making complex science accessible to a wide audience. Yet, there's another side to her content: one that's increasingly steeped in the YouTube algorithm’s culture-war-fueled clickbait, complete with prolific both-sidesing and even hints of her own brand of science-denialist rhetoric.

We can already imagine Sabine’s response: tone policing from establishment scolds who are trying to silence a fearless truth-teller for exposing academia’s dark underbelly. Perhaps that’s all it is—maybe Matt and Chris are aligned with BIG PHYSICS, out to quash any dissent about supersymmetry, string theory, or the academic publishing machine.

Or… maybe it’s something else. Maybe Sabine has pivoted to pander to the (so-hot-right-now) anti-establishment YouTube crowd, declaring that modern science has achieved nothing of value in 50 years and claiming that scientists (especially climate scientists) are too scared to challenge ideological dogmas for fear of jeopardizing their careers or funding.

It’s certainly one of those things.

Whatever the case, join Matt and Chris as they tackle this perplexing case of rhetorical indeterminacy, unpack YouTube audience dynamics, and delve into Sabine's unexpected alignments with Eric Weinstein and her 'sharp' critiques of Tucker Carlson.

Links

• Sabine Hossenfelder: The crisis in physics is real: Science is failing
• Sabine Hossenfelder: Fossil Fuels Don’t Come From Fossils? Tucker Carlson Fact Check
• Sabine Hossenfelder: My dream died, and now I'm here
• Sabine Hossenfelder: Theories of Everything [Music Video]
• Professor Dave Explains: The Problem With Sabine Hossenfelder
• Professor Dave Explains: No, Sabine, Science is Not Failing