# Lex Fridman

> Lex Fridman is a Russian-American computer scientist, AI researcher at MIT, and host of the Lex Fridman Podcast — one of the most-watched long-form interview shows in the world. With a PhD from Drexel University and research spanning autonomous vehicles, deep learning, and human-robot interaction, he interviews everyone from Elon Musk to world leaders to Nobel laureates. A black belt in both jiu-jitsu and judo, he blends intellectual curiosity with martial discipline, and has built a YouTube channel with over 4.8 million subscribers and hundreds of millions of views.

- **Role:** Research Scientist at MIT LIDS; Host of the Lex Fridman Podcast
- **Organizations:** MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS), Lex Fridman Podcast
- **From:** Chkalovsk, Tajik SSR, Soviet Union
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. Computer Science, Drexel University, M.S. Computer Science, Drexel University, Ph.D. Electrical & Computer Engineering, Drexel University, High School Diploma, Neuqua Valley High School
- **Known for:** Over 4.88 million YouTube subscribers on the Lex Fridman Podcast channel, 855+ million total views on YouTube, Interviewed heads of state including Narendra Modi and covered figures like Elon Musk, Noam Chomsky, Jensen Huang

## Career timeline

- **1983** — Born in Chkalovsk, Tajik SSR, Soviet Union
- **~1994** — Family emigrated to the Chicago area following the collapse of the Soviet Union
- **2010** — Earned B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from Drexel University
- **2014** — Earned Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Drexel; joined Google to work on AI identity authentication
- **2015** — Joined MIT AgeLab as a research scientist, leading autonomous vehicle algorithm development with Toyota
- **2017** — Co-authored paper that won 'Best Paper' at Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
- **2018** — Launched 'The Artificial Intelligence Podcast'
- **2019** — Published Tesla Autopilot study praised by Elon Musk; transitioned to unpaid MIT role
- **2020** — Podcast renamed 'The Lex Fridman Podcast'; expanded scope beyond AI
- **2022** — Became research scientist at MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS)
- **2024** — Relocated to Texas; podcast surpassed 800 million total YouTube views
- **2025** — Interviewed Prime Minister Narendra Modi; podcast continued to grow
- **2026** — Released Episode #490 on State of AI in 2026 with ML researchers Nathan Lambert and Sebastian Raschka

## Achievements

- Over 4.88 million YouTube subscribers on the Lex Fridman Podcast channel
- 855+ million total views on YouTube
- Interviewed heads of state including Narendra Modi and covered figures like Elon Musk, Noam Chomsky, Jensen Huang
- Best Paper Award at Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (2017)
- Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Rick and Phil Migliarese
- Black belt in judo
- Research scientist at MIT LIDS, one of the world's premier AI research laboratories
- Ranked #1 in the US in AI and Machine Learning social media authority
- 500+ podcast episodes covering AI, philosophy, science, history, and politics

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Released podcast Episode #491 with Peter Steinberger on OpenClaw, an open-source agentic AI platform
- **2026-04** — Episode #490 on 'State of AI in 2026' with Nathan Lambert and Sebastian Raschka, covering LLMs, AGI timelines, China vs US competition
- **2026-02** — Interviewed Jensen Huang (NVIDIA CEO) and Joel David Hamkins (mathematician) among other notable guests
- **2025-10** — Interviewed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the podcast
- **2024-02** — Relocated from Massachusetts to Texas

## Links

- Website: https://lexfridman.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/lexfridman
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lexfridman
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lexfridman

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lex-fridman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-19