Jim Simons: Life Lessons from the ‘World’s Smartest Billionaire' (Ep. 54)

[@amdave76]

RIP - what a guy and what a life he lived. Thanks for giving away so much money for science Dr. Simons.

[@AuditorInvestor]

Thanks for conducting this interview Dr Keating. Very rare to hear Jim Simons and thankful for sharing through your close relationship with him.

[@eismscience]

Great interview, Prof. Keating. I was very encouraged by the fact that Simons -- like Aristotle -- thinks political science is *the* top science. His words exactly: "I like to say that the most important science is political science. If we can’t learn to live together, we’re going to die together, and I really believe that." --- Jim Simons. I hope we can talk about this in our upcoming interview.

[@randomdude7384]

Where's the time stamp? Your comment has literally become ingrained and burnt into my neurons; I so it perfunctorily, a few years ago, it's stayed as a note of inspiration in my mind ever since. I'm absolutely besotted and enamored with political science: Hobbes, Locke, Aristotle, Montesquieu, Tocqueville, Thucydides, Plato, John Maddison, Alexander Hamilton - those are the deities I worship and adore. I've always been ashamed of this passion, since it's not a STEMy/quantitative science; knowing that Jim Simons praises it and holds it in high esteem is the ultimate inspiration to indulge my passion.

[@vnlal2012]

Thanks Brian. Great interview with Jim. Very enlightening and learnt a lot. Good one!

[@DrBrianKeating]

Great to hear

[@avinkon]

Dr Brain Keating did a amazing job , asking right questions with curiosity and made the interview very engaging and entertaining .Jim simons energy is infectious , alongside being one of the smartest guys he has big heart too contributing a lot to humanity through his foundation .I have listened to all Jim simons interviews on the internet available today this is by far the best one

[@AmDsus2Fmaj7Am]

I wish I had met him; I love about Jim Simons. My favorite trader of all time, and someone who has inspired me for many years.

[@YordieSands]

Hi Professor Keating, I just finished watching this interview once and will watch it again. It is rich and deep on so many levels that my mind is swirling with possibilities. I loved Simons' POV on getting into mathematics: "...hangout in a delicatessen and do mathematics at midnight"; it is such a delight. And the time capsule couldn't be obvious or necessary or timely: "If we can't learn to live together, we going to die together." Then there's that question of time travelling back and giving yourself advice (Great Question!): "It's important to work and enjoy your work." I wish I'd had that guidance when I was young; someone to point me somewhere. It took the U.S. Air Force to take a high school dropout (me), give me an aptitude test, then turn me into a software engineer, a career which I love. And to the point, every child MUST be taught somewhere in their education or in parenting that life is long and you my endeavor to find work that you can do and enjoy. As I said, I'll watch this again. And by the way, you did an excellent job of opening up this very complex man of great wealth and "imagination".

[@yeeboy217]

he started working out at age 70 thats quite inspiring .. thanks great interview!

[@DrBrianKeating]

Thank you!! He’s a true inspiration

[@supersonicej]

What a fascinating man Dr Simons is. Thank you Brian.

[@DrBrianKeating]

Thanks so much! *What was your favorite takeaway from this conversation?* _Please join my mailing list to get _*_FREE_*_ notes & resources from this show! Click_ 👉 briankeating.com/mailing_list.php

[@jasafollow]

tell jim, i love him and those around him must feel the same too, take care of your health jim, wish you a long and healthy life always

[@jorgepedraza2080]

Thank you for doing and then sharing this valuable and interesting interview Dr. Keating. I found it thought provoking. Much appreciated.

[@hosseinmohammadi2800]

Good and non repeatative interview, new questions asked to Dr, simons

[@nias2631]

It's a surprise Dr. Simon's isn't more well known by the general public. But then he seems fairly humble for someone that could define achievement.

[@phaniram5012]

Great interview!! cant believe Jim Simons took out his time for ~1.5 hours to answer anything. - now the difficult part for me is to understand what the heck is chern-simons theory and how is it being used in gravity

[@greencoolmoss]

If you listen to his numberphile interview on youtube he explains it changed the game in understanding geometry. So physicists and all sorts of field scientists benefited from it

[@JeffPrasow]

It was a great decision to subscribe to your content. The first time I heard you interview someone, I was drawn to your ability to engage with a person. You draw them out well, and ask right questions. Thanks you Brian for your efforts. They are appreciated.

[@DrBrianKeating]

Wow, thank you! Thanks very much Please join my mailing list; click here 👉 briankeating.com/list 📝 if you haven’t yet. *_And stay tuned for more._*

[@JeffPrasow]

@@DrBrianKeating As my father would have said, you are a true mensch. It's been a pleasure to follow you podcasts in the past. I hope one day to be able to speak live. I would enjoy that immensely.

[@kapilgupta4409]

Just amazing.

[@vikramsarabhai1]

Brilliant... Just as a kind reminder, ensure the interviewee speaks as much as possible.... He is what we came for!!! Otherwise - thanks for your great work Doc!!!!

[@DrBrianKeating]

Thanks Meir. I’m learning as I go! It’s a hobby but I want to get better! Any recommendations for role models in the podcast world?

[@sawaria123]

@@DrBrianKeating Peter Thiel

[@AuditorInvestor]

That's a bit unkind. Dr Keating's sharing was spontaneous and not overwhelming at all. Thanks again Dr Keating.

[@halinalane1426]

@@DrBrianKeating Good on you for accepting you are learning!!! I often get so enthusiastic I interrupt, also working on this myself. Bruce Lee (My Grandmaster in Jeet Kune Do) says this in “The Letting Go”: When our mind is tranquil, there will be an occasional pause to it’s feverish activities . There will be a letting go, and it is only then in the interval between two thoughts that a flash of understanding- understanding, which is not thought-can take place. - circa 1960 I think you are great at interviewing such a range of people in a kind and curious manner. Perhaps, if I may, suggest really grounding your feet and allow yourself the privilege of pause. Silence is a wise question and allows the interviewee to also build their thoughts, and offers you (and us!!!) greater understanding. You’re doing us out here a fantastic favour and thank you. When I was able to work in my field of existential crisis and trauma therapy I often sat in silence and if my client finished talking I’d actually say something very simple and only prompt if needed. Oh dear ... look at me writing another thesis. *throws 17th dimension and runs* 😂

[@CristiVladZ]

@@DrBrianKeating Tim Ferriss is a good interviewer, Joe Rogan as well. Lex Fridman too. When it comes to communication 101 skills, watch all the videos from Charisma on Command KZbin channel. You've got this Brian.

[@easternhair]

Great Man!, thanks for such an interview, really enjoyed it.

[@astav58]

Love is all!

[@k_garcia649]

Hope he makes more! Mind map of jim simons.

[@rhqstudio4107]

such a beautiful portrait. Truly like Rembrandt

[@mynameisdj1]

1:30 What defines James Simons? - mathematician, run investment firm, foundation it focuses on basic science. 3:00 James Simons has a plan of writing a book. 3:22 A lot of imagination. Bad idea is good. Good idea is better. No idea is terrible. 5:46 Hire the very best people possibly can.

[@BrianMarcus1]

Great interview Brian.

[@danielhmorgan]

At 29:50 he talks about taking high school calculus and that his teacher helped developed the AP test for it. Simons tells story as though "even Jim should be able to pass it," but what the teacher was saying is that the upper limit of difficulty was set at Simons' skill level.

[@danielhmorgan]

@@JameBlack doh; fixed now, thanks

[@JameBlack]

@@danielhmorgan then I better delete my comment it has no use now, lol

[@DrBrianKeating]

That’s so funny. Exactly my thought too. He’s incredibly humble for being such a genius.

[@zoemayne]

Thanks Brian for using your connection to get us this insight. Definitely a great interviewer compared to a generic host which wouldn't have the knowledge to communicate with Jim.

[@apothekede]

Great interview - Thanks to both!

[@ericpixley4594]

You are a great interviewer.

[@aviklein7848]

Great interview Brian! Very interesting and Jim Simons is a legend

[@ram90850]

Subscribed. Thank you🙏🏼

[@basham21]

great interview

[@DrBrianKeating]

Thanks very much

[@alejandroolea2574]

Thank you for doing this interview !

[@DrBrianKeating]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching. Please join my mailing list: briankeating.com/mailing_list.php to get show notes!

[@beforeoriondotcom]

An important interview for our time!

[@parimzparimz]

U r so lucky to interview him ❤️

[@borntodoit8744]

Jim knows the presenters parents

[@DrBrianKeating]

I agree!

[@EmergentUniverse]

Great interview.

[@DrBrianKeating]

Thanks so much! *What was your favorite takeaway from this conversation?* _Please join my mailing list to get _*_FREE_*_ notes & resources from this show! Click_ 👉 briankeating.com/mailing_list.php

[@EmergentUniverse]

@@DrBrianKeating Hi Brian. I had really never heard much about Jim Simons before. Now, thanks to your interview I have a good sense for the man and his life. He is an exemplary human bean.

[@DrBrianKeating]

I agree. Did you get my notes from him via email?

[@EmergentUniverse]

@@DrBrianKeating Yes just received and read. By the way, if you talk with me I’m pretty sure we can fill in that blank spot on the right side of the Iconic Wall with something more amazing than anything else written there.

[@victorpablo4636]

I listened to the whole interview and thought it was fascinating in so many areas. One thing that I would like to know is in 31:20 he talks about discovering what the topics in algebra course was all about after taking the course. It was an epiphany. What was it about?

[@codnba136]

It think it was about the fundamental theorem of homomorphisms, he said something about that in some interview.But I don't remember it very well.

[@dfolegna]

Hello Brian, I have a 2 questions for you, something I guess was never asked to Mr Simons. 1) Do you think his works in finance could be useful in physics, if available? 2) I might be wrong, but the ability to correctly predict the financial market, which is a non stationary process with alot of noise that comes from a great number of actions of different type, is a sign of the ability to model accurately one of the most complex system one can possibly think? If yes, I think it is a great scientific achievement, not only a finance one.

[@greencoolmoss]

Brian: "I want this to be a great fathers day podca-" Jim: *puts a cigarette into his mouth*

[@drewmiller8825]

I love this so much

[@ggc7318]

Amazing achievements ! Great interview.

[@davidmeyer687]

Was the book you were talking about called The Captain, by Jan de Hartog?

[@DrBrianKeating]

Yes! Please join my mailing list; just click here 👉 briankeating.com/mailing_list.php 📝 and you’ll get more information from Jim

[@xbosch79]

Fascinating interview!

[@andrewlewin6525]

Excellent interview

[@rdonehow]

Is the chart at 47:19 mislabled? It has the S&P beating the Medallion Fund by a lot.

[@Max-ww7iz]

Was looking for this comment. Would suppose it is

[@phantasqLiving]

Midway there was a segue that indicated that the discussion was going toward the most powerful force (which Jim was still coming up with an answer to besides his joke of 'some physical force'), and differential geometry a la Weinstein, but it seems to have been quickly and abruptly transitioned out of to the next topics. Was there a cut or were there just limited timeframes for those topics? Thanks for doing this Dr. Keating / Brian!

[@DrBrianKeating]

Hi there wasn’t any cut. That’s just how he said it. Thanks

[@halinalane1426]

@@DrBrianKeating and Mitch, Jim is Zen.

[@Oker123100]

Being able to turn Math into the vErY Path to where we can further sense it in the space of the financial or the Universe is so awesome. thanks Brian for bringing this kind conversation alive:)

[@jaykan1947]

truly appreciate 🌏🌏🌏🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾💞💞💞💯💯💯

[@DrBrianKeating]

Thanks so much! *What was your favorite takeaway from this conversation?* _Please join my mailing list to get _*_FREE_*_ notes & resources from this show! Click_ 👉 briankeating.com/mailing_list.php

[@W-HealthPianoExercises]

Sure sure: be believe it all 🙂

[@jdmtop]

The Unknown Lincoln is a [more] obscure but great book on Abe Lincoln

[@patrick707100]

True, Lincoln was a despicable person who invaded a sovereign nation and was responsible for the death/murder of well over a millions Americans. The Confederate states had every constitutional right to declare independence, just as the thirteen colonies had a right to declare independence.from Britain. The Southern states only agreed to join the Union as they were and had every right to leave the Union when they found those conditions were changed and violated by some in the North and Lincoln.

[@mustafaaljadery5935]

Great interview! Another great guy you might want to have on the podcast is ed Thorpe that would really be an interesting episode. He has one of the highest measured IQ’s and has very notable accomplishments in mathematics and finance. Hope you get him on the podcast!

[@donnasummer6285]

Well...the Simons Foundation is a major source of your funding...along with the Heising-Simons Foundation...

[@sjp440]

I always wanted to pick Jim's brain. Thanks for doing this!

[@DrBrianKeating]

It was a lot of fun for me!

[@BhanuPratap-q9h]

can anyone find the book he is reffereing at 7 :50

[@samrowbotham8914]

It would have been helpful had Jim told the name of the book that helped him understand algebra. Does anyone know what book it was? Good interview!

[@DrBrianKeating]

It’s THE CAPTAIN

[@samrowbotham8914]

@@DrBrianKeating Thanks I will get a copy!

[@nbme-answers]

32:43 Simons: "You know what a differential form is? Tell us." Keating: bUt iS mAtH ArT ?? Simons: **bored**

[@nunomaroco583]

Hi there I m just curiose, its possible that super string is the aditional gravity around galaxy, and chape it....

[@alexp10000]

Here is a link to the "Iconic Wall of Mathematics and Physics": scgp.stonybrook.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/corrected-wall.jpg

[@stocksunlocked]

Really great stuff. Brian, what does Jim mean when he says "do mathematics." I've always wanted to study math on a deeper level instead of the basic stuff learned in high school. Can this be learned by just reading math books? Or do you need to be taught it. Does Jim just mean studying more, or sitting down and trying to figure out new formulas when he says "do mathematics." I would really appreciate your comment.

[@dudea3378]

Reading mathematics is just consuming information. It gets you to the level where you understand what over people have already done. When he says "do mathematics" he means you're not just consuming but also contributing to the field of mathematics. That would involving creating new mathematics, proving theorems, solving problems, etc.

[@WhyX11]

He cant be the smartest one because he smokes! I love u, Jim :)

[@bombecapital773]

This is exactly what we do with Bombe Capital, as well as Simons, and inspired by Alan Turing a group of top-level scientists decided to get together to design algorithmic models that predict with unparalleled precision the perfect highs and lows in financial markets and cryptocurrencies, we are achieving it and we are going to create a revolution in the world of investments.

[@michaelmilburn3094]

Excellent interview. Would've liked to have followed up on him saying he couldn't do math anymore at 80+yrs - what had changed for him? I'd find the info on aging brilliant mind interesting. Also constructively, agree with previous comment to let interviewee speak and be a bit ok with a bit of dead air - felt some thoughts were forming that were cut short by moving on to next question too quickly. REally enjoyed the interview. thank you.

[@DrBrianKeating]

My pleasure. Maybe in a part 2 sometime.

[@borkoff7835]

I hope he creates an autobiography

[@duncancarr7822]

I just asked ChatGPT - "Mr. Midshipman Hornblower" ??? (by C.S. Forester)

[@nn-taleb]

RIP Simons.

[@kurtstraemann470]

His Nobel prize is in the works. He made a good case for it.

[@ericpixley4594]

It’s so funny how he is this genius mathematician who still smokes a ton. The probability of smoking leading to cancer is huge.

[@twitafftwitaff7029]

Is one of the reasons I took up vaping and quit the combustibles.

[@pablosanchez1048]

I liked a lot the interview, well I have seen already a few of you JS. Actually read the book too "The man who solved the market" and I would like to say some things about it IMO ... 1- Altho the book is good , the title is good and catchy and you JM are great , you did NOT solve the market and summing it up.. not because it can not be solved, just because you are at your best directing not solving puzzles ( altho you can be good as well at solving them... as you proved it in pure math). I think digging deep honestly you already know it. 2- The market can be solved from pure math approach , the possibilites are limited and always accountable in the sense that it is possible giving the correct answer to any significative variable and end up winning , Like in Chess , making some sacrifices some times .

[@chrisrecord5625]

What's the actual name of the "captain" book?

[@DrBrianKeating]

Hi Chris - it’s going to be on my newsletter tomorrow. Please join my mailing list: briankeating.com/mailing_list.php to get a link to it

[@rickchris6839]

Do we know the name of the book?

[@colejhudson]

Hey @@DrBrianKeating, would you mind posting a link to the relevant newsletter? I'm perusing the MailChimp archives, which extend back about two months, and I see no mention of Jim or the book therein.

[@colejhudson]

Ah! Nevermind, I found it at the bottom here: us17.campaign-archive.com/?u=41d0bee2944b4f9d96ac6da7b&id=11c3b063e2

Can someone write the name here?

[@benjaminandersson2572]

43:46 Brian is the only one without extra oxygen from what I can see. Good lungs?

[@jasafollow]

7 Code Breaker

[@drrms1]

Maybe the book was Captains Courageous by Kipling?

[@jonjon8668]

I was thinking it's Master and Commander, fits the description and was out in 1969. So Jim was 30 or 31yo.

[@juggernautuci8253]

You are the son of Professor Ax??? big big surprise

[@patrick707100]

Excellent. Disappointed that an otherwise intelligent man would continue to smoke. He looks very unhealthy and hopefully his smoking will not be his undoing. Also his "admiration" for Abraham Lincoln is very much misplaced. Lincoln invaded a nation which had every right both constitutionally and morally to declare independence. Just as the original thirteen colonies declared its independence from Britain. Lincoln was responsible for the death of well over one million plus Americans. So as a mathematics "genius" Jim Simons is lacking in general intelligence. No doubt he is an amazing person with an amazing story. Thank you for that. Brian, while you intimated that you are Jewish, you in fact have a very Irish name as does your brother which indicates the your mother is Jewish and your father very Irish, an excellent combination. Just an aside since you made a point of it. Again, thank you for a fascinating interview and perspective. Blessings to Jim Simon.

[@rtusiime]

your statement that the confederacy "had every right both constitutionally and morally to declare independence" threw me down a two hour rabbit hole, from which I emerged with the resolution that your statement is factually incorrect. No states had a right to secede, so this is more your own sentiments about the civil war than an objective statement itself. to quote Jim Hardy's answer on quora: "• Article 6 said “No two or more States shall enter into any treaty, confederation or alliance whatever between them, without the consent of the United States in Congress assembled.” • Article 13 said “...and the Union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them; unless such alteration be agreed to in a Congress of the United States, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every State.” There continued to be no right to secede in the more perfect union ordained and established by the People of the United States in the Constitution. This had been settled at least 40 years earlier, in these Supreme Court cases: Chisholm v. Georgia (1793) Martin v. Hunter's Lessee (1816) McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)"

[@janklaas6885]

🇺🇳46:25

[@davidwilkie9551]

Zeno's Paradox, (twoness perspective positioning is functional, not static), is a compact real-ization that it's all-ways here-now-forever, a cause-effect re-cognition POV.., of un-covering & dis-covering Actuality Existence, and the Superposition-pointing Singularity, Eternity-now Interval, is quantized time duration timing modulation-mathematical logarithmicly coordinated, (Bose-Einstein Condensate), wave-particle/holographic Polar-Cartesian connection. It's So obvious and familiar that it's almost completely ignored, ..so the significance of Euclidean Geometrical Drawing and Perspective symbolized frames of orthogonality, the (basically self-defining) Elements, is both an exposure and obfuscation of/by dualistic labelling Reality. The QM-TIMESPACE Principle In-form-ation formulation of Spinfoam Totality equivalent. In My Worthless Opinion, this (perception) Paradox is as important as Euler's Intuition and demonstration of the Natural Coordination by the Functional Elements e-Pi-i interference positioning resonance imaging/bonding of the Holographic Principle.., which is the same in Principle, of course, as practical NMR, Resonance Imaging of probabilities in potential possibilities of e-Pi-i interference positioning. Math-Physics Philosophy Realizations of imagined suppositions is just plain satisfying, like good food.

[@DrBrianKeating]

Yum. Good food for the brain!

[@pauldacus4590]

When did Joaquin Phoenix start a youtube channel?

[@maxmusti8101]

Sind alle Juden so ?

[@DubDTube]

#FauciLies