#476 – Jack Weatherford: Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire

**Lex Fridman** (0:00)
The following is a conversation with Jack Weatherford, anthropologist and historian, specializing in Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire. He has written a legendary book on this topic, titled Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. And he has written many other books, including Emperor of the Seas, Kublai Khan and the Making of China, Genghis Khan and the Quest for God, The Secret History of the Mongol Queens, and other excellent books. I've gotten to know Jack more after this conversation, and I cannot speak highly enough about him. He is a truly brilliant, thoughtful, and kind soul. This was a huge honor and pleasure for me. And now a quick few second mention of each sponsor. Check them out in the description or at lexfridman.com/sponsors. It's the best way to support this podcast. We got Allio Capital for investment, ZocDoc for finding a medical professional, Finn for AI customer service, Oracle for cloud computing, Shopify for selling stuff online, Masterclass for learning, and Element for your daily electrolytes. Choose wisely, my friends. And now on to the full ad reads. They're all here in one place. I do try to make them interesting by talking about some random things I'm reading or thinking about. But if you skip, please still check out the sponsors. I enjoy their stuff. Maybe you will too. And it is truly the best way to support this podcast. To get in touch with me for whatever reason, go to lexfridman.com/contact. All right, let's go. This episode is brought to you by Allio Capital, an investment platform leveraging AI and macroeconomic insights to help you invest. They're a new sponsor, a very interesting sponsor. The idea there, when you're talking about macroeconomic decisions, is leveraging everything that's going on, not just in the United States, but globally and understanding that deeply, and then leveraging AI tools to make decisions based on what is going on in the world. I personally am always wondering, trying to figure out exactly what to do with the ever quickening turmoil of the world, whether that's from military conflicts, tariffs, the tearing and stretching of different ways, the fabric of our various nations and our global humanity. On a human level, of course, it hurts my heart. That is a level at which I try to understand, explore ideas and have different guests that explore different perspectives on those ideas. But in terms of finances and how to invest, given that the ground underneath is constantly shifting, that's really challenging, I think. So I support what Allio Capital are doing, with their effort to understand and leverage the global microeconomic system in order to help you invest. Download their app in the App Store, Google Play or text Lex to 511-511. That's Allio Capital. Text Lex to 511-511. It's important to say that investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principle. Fast performance does not guarantee results, see terms and conditions, text fees may apply. This episode is also brought to you by ZocDoc, a new sponsor, it's a really interesting platform that connects people, patients with top rated healthcare providers. I have to admit that I'm terrible at this thing, of remembering to schedule doctor's appointments, of remembering to go to the doctor. So anything and everyone and whatever tools can help me get that done, I'm all for. ZocDoc is definitely that. ZocDoc is the easiest way I found to be able to find a doctor online super quickly, the right doctor for your thing and book an appointment super quickly. Super easy, nice interface, easy to do. There's no excuses. I'm also saying this out loud to myself because there really is no excuses. I need to go to the doctor more often. I don't have any particular maladies at the moment, but it's always good to go to the doctor when nothing is wrong versus when everything is wrong, which is oftentimes foolish folks like me approach the system. So anyway, go to zocdoc.com/lex to find and book a top rated doctor today. That's zocdoc.com/lex.
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