Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to feature in an extensive three-hour podcast with Lex Fridman, a research scientist and popular podcaster known for his deep discussions on artificial intelligence, technology, and philosophy.
Mr Fridman, who announced the podcast on X (formerly Twitter), described it as “one of the most powerful conversations of my life.” The episode is set to release today (March 16).
PM Modi also shared a preview of the discussion. “It was indeed a fascinating conversation with [Lex Fridman], covering diverse topics including reminiscing about my childhood, the years in the Himalayas, and the journey in public life. Do tune in and be a part of this dialogue!” the Prime Minister wrote.
It was indeed a fascinating conversation with @lexfridman, covering diverse topics including reminiscing about my childhood, the years in the Himalayas and the journey in public life.
Do tune in and be a part of this dialogue! https://t.co/QaJ04qi1TD
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 15, 2025
Who is Lex Fridman?
Lex Fridman, an AI researcher and podcaster, was born in Chkalovsk, Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, and later moved to Moscow. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, his family relocated to Chicago when he was 11.
Mr Fridman pursued computer science at Drexel University, earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 2010. He later completed a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from the same university in 2014.
His career began at Google in 2014, where he worked on AI-driven identity authentication. He left after a year and joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2015 as a research scientist, a position he continues to hold.
Mr Fridman is also a skilled martial artist, holding a first-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
In 2018, Mr Fridman launched his podcast, originally titled ‘The Artificial Intelligence Podcast’, before rebranding it as ‘The Lex Fridman Podcast‘ in 2020. Known for its in-depth conversations, the podcast has hosted figures including Tesla Chief Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, US President Donald Trump, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A particularly controversial episode aired in October 2022, featuring rapper Kanye West, who made inflammatory remarks about Jewish people and the Holocaust. Mr Fridman, who is Jewish, later reflected on the conversation, saying, “Given my family history in the 20th century, this was difficult but important. I believe in the power of tough, honest, empathetic conversation to increase the amount of love in the world.”
Lex Fridman has a strong social media presence, with over 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, 1.4 million Instagram followers, and 4.2 million followers on X, along with a large audience on other platforms.