This is the definitive conversation on Alpha School with @jliemandt, who is the school’s principal and backer. What if kids could learn in two hours a day, test in the top 1% nationally, spend their afternoons mastering other great skills, AND love school more than vacation? What sounds impossible is already happening at Alpha. If you are a parent like me, it’s impossible not to wonder how to make sure your kids will benefit from this enormous innovation. We explore everything in exhaustive detail—the learning science, the role of software and AI, the central role of motivation, the challenges of scaling to ALL kids, and more. Joe is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history, who has now decided to devote his next two decades to ushering in a new era of education. I hope this becomes a historically important episode. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:54 What Is Alpha School? 4:02 The 200-Year Education Problem 8:06 Two-Hour Learning 16:41 Academic Results & Efficiency 23:51 AI-Generated Personalized Lessons 35:03 EdTech Fails Without Motivation 41:18 Life Skills & Afternoon Workshops 1:13:35 Gamification 1:29:09 Scaling Challenges 1:46:52 Video Games for Education 1:54:07 Joe's Background & Trilogy 2:14:22 Lessons from Mentors 2:32:29 The Kindest Thing