Why do you put it in quotes? He did AI research and published papers at MIT, also he taught a (or more) Deep Learning course at MIT with lots of participants, the lecture recordings are available on YouTube. I think it's quite clear he knows his stuff and isn't a bullshit artist at all.
He is well prepared for the interviews, he listens intently and asks important and curious questions to high profile researchers. The discussion is often at a level (of technicality) that I haven't seen anywhere else for a very very long time. In the age of oversimplified soundbites and 3-5 minute interviews for the lowest common denominator average lay audience on mainstream TV, Lex brings a breath of fresh air and proves that long and difficult interviews that dig deep can also have their place.
Look through his archives and pick a guest you are interested in. If you are interested in AI discussions, I'm pretty sure you'll find tons of interesting people on that list.
I've only listened to a dozen or so episodes, mostly non-AI related, but I can't really get a grasp on wether Friedman remembers any undergraduate level CS (or more advanced software engineering for that matter).
Maybe it's just a schtick to make it more approachable for "non-HN" listeners, but in the episode with Jim Keller it almost became painful. After all Friedman has a PhD in Computer Science, I would have expected more knowledge in some areas.
He is well prepared for the interviews, he listens intently and asks important and curious questions to high profile researchers. The discussion is often at a level (of technicality) that I haven't seen anywhere else for a very very long time. In the age of oversimplified soundbites and 3-5 minute interviews for the lowest common denominator average lay audience on mainstream TV, Lex brings a breath of fresh air and proves that long and difficult interviews that dig deep can also have their place.
Look through his archives and pick a guest you are interested in. If you are interested in AI discussions, I'm pretty sure you'll find tons of interesting people on that list.