The Indian digital space witnessed a major event as Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath released his highly anticipated conversation with tech billionaire Elon Musk on his WTF Podcast. The nearly two-hour long discussion, which dropped on Nikhil Kamath's YouTube channel, has quickly garnered significant attention, amassing over 36,000 views, 25,000 likes, and 2,600 comments within hours of its release.
The podcast description promised a deep dive into critical topics including work, consciousness, family, money, AI, and future predictions, delivering exactly that through an engaging conversation between two of the most influential figures in the business world.
Elon Musk's Investment Philosophy Revealed
When Nikhil Kamath asked about his approach to identifying worthwhile long-term investments, Musk shared his fundamental principles. The world's richest man emphasized that investors should focus on whether they genuinely like the company's products and services, and whether the product roadmap indicates continued innovation.
"If it's long-term for a company, then you can say, like, 'Do you like the products or services of that company? Do you like the product roadmap? Does it seem like they make great products and they're likely to make great products in the future?' If that's the case, then I would say that's probably a good company to invest in," Musk explained.
He added that believing in the team's capability and motivation is equally crucial. Despite daily market fluctuations, Musk considers this the "right way to invest in stocks" since companies are essentially groups of people creating products and services.
AI and Robotics: The Future of Value Creation
When pressed about specific companies he would invest in outside his own ventures, Musk revealed that he doesn't maintain an investment portfolio. "I don't really buy stocks. I'm not like an investor, I don't look for things to invest in. I just try to build things," he stated.
However, he identified artificial intelligence and robotics as the sectors that will dominate future value creation. He specifically mentioned Google and Nvidia as companies positioned for significant growth, noting that Google has "laid the groundwork for an immense amount of value creation from an AI standpoint" while calling Nvidia "obvious at this point."
Musk believes that output from AI and robotics will eventually dwarf everything else in terms of economic impact, with companies involved in AI, robotics, and space flight representing "overwhelmingly all the value" in the future.
College Education in the Age of AI
Addressing the ongoing debate about the relevance of traditional education, Musk shared that his own children want to attend college despite recognizing that AI might make some skills unnecessary. He suggested that social reasons and personal interest remain valid motivations for pursuing higher education.
"If you want to go to college for social reasons. Which I think is a reason to go — to be around people your own age in a learning environment. Will these skills be necessary in the future? Probably not, because we're going to be in like a post-work society," Musk commented.
He recommended that students take a wide range of courses if they choose to attend college, emphasizing the importance of broad learning even as AI and robotics create what he described as a "supersonic tsunami" of change.
Regulating AI for a Safe Future
Expressing concerns about AI's potential dangers, Musk stressed the importance of ensuring that artificial intelligence systems prioritize truth, beauty, and curiosity. He warned that without strict adherence to truth, AI could absorb false information from the internet and develop reasoning problems.
"In my opinion, it's very important that AI have pursuing truth as the most important thing. And I think some appreciation of beauty is important. Truth and beauty and curiosity. Those are the three most important things for AI," Musk stated.
He quoted Voltaire's warning that "those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities," applying this principle to AI development and the need for proper safeguards.
Message for Indian Entrepreneurs
When asked for advice for young entrepreneurs in India, Musk emphasized the importance of creating value for society. His key message was simple yet powerful: "Be a net contributor to society."
"It's best to pursue providing useful products and services. If you do that, then money will come as a natural consequence of that, as opposed to pursuing money directly," he advised.
Musk acknowledged that entrepreneurship requires tremendous effort and carries significant risk, but encouraged founders to focus on ensuring their output exceeds their input. "Making more than you take — that's what really matters," he concluded, highlighting the fundamental principle of value creation that drives successful businesses.
The full conversation between Nikhil Kamath and Elon Musk is available on the WTF Podcast YouTube channel, offering Indian audiences unprecedented access to the thoughts and insights of one of the world's most influential technology leaders.
