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Walter Isaacson

Biographer; Leonard Lauder Professor of American History and Values, Tulane University

Search every verified Walter Isaacson interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Walter Isaacson appeared on the October 16, 2026 episode of TVPN's YCSE Review, where he discussed Elon Musk's leadership style and designs, as well as the relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence. During the program, he commented on Musk's acquisition of Twitter, suggesting that it may have been driven by a desire to move to "the next level of the game" rather than a strategic calculation. He also contrasted Ada Lovelace's view that computers would not think with Alan Turing's later ideas on machine intelligence. On September 22, 2026, Isaacson spoke at the Commonwealth Club World Affairs about his book *The Greatest Sentence Ever Written*, which examines the Declaration of Independence's line "We hold these truths to be self-evident." He described the sentence as aspirational rather than descriptive of 1776 America, noting its use by Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg. He also reflected on the American dream, stating that each generation has historically had a high chance of surpassing their parents' economic standing, and called for grassroots efforts to find common ground and support unifying political leaders.

Recent appearances

  • YCSE Review, Roadster Reactions, Porsche Does It, Walter Isaacson Joins

    October 16, 2026 · 📺 TBPN

    00:00:15 "You Can See Everything" Review 00:07:35 Roadster Reactions 00:30:03 Walter Isaacson is a bestselling biographer and journalist known for chronicling influential innovators such as Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Jennifer Doudna. Walter Isaacson discusses Musk’s futuristic designs and mercurial leadership, the relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence, and how individuals and collaborative teams shape technological progress. 01:00:00 Eric Glyman, co-founder and co-CEO of Ramp, discusses the company’s $1.85 billion fundraise, rapid revenue growth, and expanding suite…

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  • Walter Isaacson: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

    September 24, 2026 · 📺 Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California

    *This program contains explicit language* In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson has taken a fascinating deep dive into the creation of one of history’s most powerful sentences: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, this line lays the foundation for the American Dream and defines the common ground w…

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  • The Myth of "Great Men" - with Walter Isaacson

    July 22, 2026 · 📺 Hasan Minhaj

    Hasan sits down with famous biographer, Walter Isaacson, to discuss why biographies are important, why biographies don't tell the whole story, and I ask him about some of the psychos he's spent time with. Let's cut through the noise together. Go to https://groundnews.com/hasan to subscribe and get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage Plan, which breaks down to just $5/month with my discount. Limited Time Offer – Make healthy eating simple. Get Huel today with my exclusive offer of 15% OFF online with my code hasan15 at huel.com/hasan15. New Customers Only. Thank you to Huel for partnering…

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  • Walter Isaacson on Why Elon Musk Thinks Empathy is Vanity

    July 01, 2026 · 📺 The Context Window with David Deming

    Walter Isaacson went from a kid in New Orleans who didn't yet know writing was a job to authoring the definitive biographies of Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Albert Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin. In this conversation with Harvard Dean David Deming, the acclaimed biographer argues that the most innovative people are often difficult, with a more complicated relationship to empathy than the word suggests; that "We hold these truths to be self-evident" is not a factual description of America, but a promise the country has spent 250 years trying to keep; and that artificial intelligence will revolutioni…

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  • ​​Why Walter Isaacson Is Optimistic About America at 250 | Amanpour and Company

    May 08, 2026 · 📺 Amanpour and Company

    With the approach of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the United States is confronting deep political division and searching questions about its identity. In his new book, “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written,” former CEO and Chairman of CNN Walter Isaacson re-examines the second line of the Declaration and how its ideals continue to shape what it means to be American today. He also reflects on the life and legacy of Ted Turner, the late founder of CNN. Originally aired on May 8, 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------…

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  • Murphy-Tulane AI Research Symposium Opening Keynote with Michael Littman and Walter Isaacson

    May 08, 2026 · 📺 The Murphy Institute

    AI has advanced with unprecedented speed, leaving society to grapple with how it should be governed, understood, and integrated into everyday life. In the opening keynote session, Michael Littman—Brown University’s first Associate Provost for Artificial Intelligence and a leader in AI research, education, and policy for nearly four decades—explores where we stand today. Moderated by Walter Isaacson, Leonard A. Lauder Professor of American History and Values at Tulane University, the conversation highlights real‑world examples of AI both creating challenges and offering solutions, while examin…

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  • The Greatest Sentence Ever Written: A Conversation with Walter Isaacson

    March 18, 2026 · 📺 New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University

    The Greatest Sentence Ever Written: A Conversation with Walter Isaacson Moderated by: David Brooks To mark America’s 250th anniversary, bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson takes audiences on a deep dive into the creation of one of the most influential sentences in history: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Moderated by David Brooks, Isaacson explores the sentence origins, the revolutionary ideas behind it, and how…

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  • A Conversation with Senator John Kennedy | Moderated by: Walter Isaacson

    March 18, 2026 · 📺 New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University

    A Conversation with Senator John Kennedy Moderated by: Walter Isaacson The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University brings leading authors to campus for a four-day celebration of books, ideas and storytelling. Featuring both fiction and nonfiction, the festival includes readings, panel discussions, keynote conversations, and opportunities for authors, media, and readers to connect in one of the most vibrant and culturally rich cities in the world. For more information on the authors and lineup for this year's festival visit bookfest.tulane.edu. #NOLABookFest

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  • The Code Breaker: A Conversation with Jennifer Doudna and Walter Isaacson

    March 31, 2025 · 📺 New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University

    The Code Breaker: A Conversation with Jennifer Doudna | Moderated by: Walter Isaacson The New Orleans Book Festival brings the world’s leading authors to Tulane University for a multi-day celebration of their works. The Festival features both fiction and non-fiction and convenes readings, panel discussions, symposia and keynote speeches. It provides an opportunity for outlets, authors and readers to interact with each other in one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse cities in the world. bookfest.tulane.edu #NOLABookFest

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  • Anthony Fauci in conversation with Walter Isaacson at the New Orleans Book Festival

    March 29, 2025 · 📺 New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University

    The New Orleans Book Festival brings the world’s leading authors to Tulane University for a multi-day celebration of their works. The Festival features both fiction and non-fiction and convenes readings, panel discussions, symposia and keynote speeches. It provides an opportunity for outlets, authors and readers to interact with each other in one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse cities in the world. bookfest.tulane.edu #NOLABookFest

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  • Walter Isaacson in Conversation with Michael Lewis: Elon Musk

    December 20, 2024 · 📺 The 92nd Street Y, New York

    The bestselling author of biographies of Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein is joined by bestselling author Michael Lewis to discuss Elon Musk, Issacson’s latest, an astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era—a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence. Oh, and took over Twitter. Your support helps us continue creating online content for our community. Donate now: http://www.92NY.org/Donate Facebook:   / 92nds…

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  • Walter Isaacson on CRISPR and the People Behind the Revolution

    March 27, 2024 · 📺 Medscape

    Talking with Eric Topol and Abraham Verghese, Walter Isaacson describes the stories behind his latest book, 'The Codebreaker,' including how he contrived a Zoom meeting between key players who'd drifted apart. The Codebreaker, by Walter Isaacson https://www.simonandschuster.com/book... https://www.simonandschuster.com/book... To read a full transcript of this episode or to comment please visit: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/... Host and Guest bylines Eric J. Topol, MD; Abraham Verghese, MD; Walter Isaacson, MA You may also like: Medscape's Chief Cardiology Corresponde…

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Notable quotes

“I think maybe with all due respect you might be right, but I think you might be overreading that. I think buying Twitter was there was just money burning a hole in his pocket. I remember I was first riding around with him at that period. He had just become the richest person on earth, just become Times person of the year. I said, 'You must feel like you're' He said, 'Well, I hate it when it looks like I'm successful.”

“I even mean the American dream. We've backslide on every generation of this country up until now. Each new generation was able to and knew they were going to be able to, to be somewhat better off than their parents. If you were born in the 50s like I was, you had an 80% chance of doing better than your parents. And I'm not just talking about income, I'm talking about owning a home. When you were 30, which the majorit”

“I would push or deepen your question of the forklift in the gym, which is yes, by using the forklift, you're not developing the muscles. However, in this case, if you're not using AI and learning the depths and complexities of putting curating the data in the notebooks using different layers of clawude and then a notebook LM to make sure it can check against your data, if you're not learning all of these things, you'”

“In America, we believe in the rule of law. We don't prosecute our political opponents, our enemies, just because they're our political opponents. That's the sort of thing that happens in countries whose Powerball jackpot is 287 chickens and a goat. We don't do that in America. Now, I'm biased, but I watched this happen under President Biden. His justice department decided when they decided to prosecute President Trum”

“Here's what our intelligence showed. Iran had restarted its effort to develop a nuclear warhead. We know they have enriched uranium. Most of it's buried, but they have uranium for 10 bombs, but they had restarted their effort. But more to the point, they had ramped up their missile and drone production. Iran was developed. They're very smart. Iranians are very smart people. They had revved up missile production, for ”

“It's not a good idea, you know. I mean, uh, thank you. You may appreciate that in the United States we are a leader around the world right now in science and technology. Why is that? It's because taxpayer money for decades has gone into funding the kind of science that we're talking about here. You know, curiosity-driven science that is asking questions about how nature works and then, you know, taking those key insi”

The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →