Steven Bartlett

On this point of speech as well, obviously there's quite a big shift in speech that's happened in the last, I'd say, two years, really from Elon buying Twitter as well. I saw a drastic shift globally in what we think is okay and not okay. What's your thoughts on the change in speech? Good, bad, positive, negative?

What's the difference in the design of the platform that results in two different types of behavior there?

What's the difference in the design of the platform that results in two different types of behavior there?

So on the Twitter example, what Elon said is that if it's legal, then it's fine. But is there an upside to having an environment where people can anonymously say what they want within the constraint of the law?

So on the Twitter example, what Elon said is that if it's legal, then it's fine. But is there an upside to having an environment where people can anonymously say what they want within the constraint of the law?

So on this point of the vaccine, so just to clarify my position, I think vaccines are a wonderful invention that have saved a lot of people's lives. So that's my position. But I want to interrogate a little bit. With the vaccine rollout in particular, there's a lot of things that we didn't know at the time, right?

So on this point of the vaccine, so just to clarify my position, I think vaccines are a wonderful invention that have saved a lot of people's lives. So that's my position. But I want to interrogate a little bit. With the vaccine rollout in particular, there's a lot of things that we didn't know at the time, right?

So the lab leak thing, I had Boris Johnson sat here and he said, oh yeah, we think it's a lab leak. If I had said that on this podcast a couple of years ago, I would have been kicked off YouTube. And so having a forum where you can even entertain ideas that are contrarian. Yes.

So the lab leak thing, I had Boris Johnson sat here and he said, oh yeah, we think it's a lab leak. If I had said that on this podcast a couple of years ago, I would have been kicked off YouTube. And so having a forum where you can even entertain ideas that are contrarian. Yes.

I also think people shouldn't be deplatformed or canceled because of their speech, even if you disagree with it, providing it's in the constraints of the law.

I also think people shouldn't be deplatformed or canceled because of their speech, even if you disagree with it, providing it's in the constraints of the law.

Okay, yeah, I agree with that. You shouldn't be threatening anybody with violence. Yes. I sat with a, I'm going to say astrologist. I don't even know if that's the right word. It's not astrology, was it? Cosmetologist.

Okay, yeah, I agree with that. You shouldn't be threatening anybody with violence. Yes. I sat with a, I'm going to say astrologist. I don't even know if that's the right word. It's not astrology, was it? Cosmetologist.

And he told me the story of Galileo discovering that the world was round and Galileo basically being threatened by everybody because it threatened, I think, the Catholic institution at the time.

And he told me the story of Galileo discovering that the world was round and Galileo basically being threatened by everybody because it threatened, I think, the Catholic institution at the time.

Yeah. And so that's a cautionary tale, although it's a long time ago, in there are always going to be strong forces that are heavily incentivized around some kind of ideology. Yes. And I mean, that does happen today. Yes, 100%. And these forces are powerful forces. So allowing dissent, even if it's coming from someone who is not credible.

Yeah. And so that's a cautionary tale, although it's a long time ago, in there are always going to be strong forces that are heavily incentivized around some kind of ideology. Yes. And I mean, that does happen today. Yes, 100%. And these forces are powerful forces. So allowing dissent, even if it's coming from someone who is not credible.

It's interesting because the human brain, when we think about it from an evolutionary standpoint, wasn't designed to deal with a thousand people tweeting at you that you're an arsehole. And as a podcaster, as someone who's in the public eye yourself, who is a podcaster but also a famous entrepreneur, you have to deal with that.

It's interesting because the human brain, when we think about it from an evolutionary standpoint, wasn't designed to deal with a thousand people tweeting at you that you're an arsehole. And as a podcaster, as someone who's in the public eye yourself, who is a podcaster but also a famous entrepreneur, you have to deal with that.

Like you have to deal with that in a way that's just, we weren't designed to. And I struggle with it. I struggle with when I first came into the public spotlight, when I started doing Dragon's Den, the shark tank in the US, opening my phone and being exposed to just a barrage of like noise on the brain. Now, Whose responsibility is that? Is it my responsibility to delete the app?