Hi and welcome to the A16Z podcast. I'm Doss and this is part one of a two-part series with

Alex Hahnold on the future of human performance. As a professional rock climber,

Alex has redefined the limits of what is possible by free soloing, that is climbing

with no ropes or safety gear, a 2,000 foot granite rock face in Yosemite known as El Capitan,

a feat that was documented in the award-winning film Free Solo.

Part 2 is a fireside chat recorded last year as part of our A16's Innovation Summit.

In it, General Partner Peter Levine and Alex talk about the risk, preparation, and fear around his research. In this

general partner Peter Levine and Alex talk about the risk preparation and fear around his free solo.

In this episode I sit down with Alex and Peter who at age 59 is still an avid ice climber

to discuss if there's a limit to human potential,

how technology and training push that limit and often change the rules, and how to manage

the mental preparation of any big endeavor,

whether it's building a company,

reaching a new peak, or maintaining top performance

while aging.

How do you guys think about human potential

and unlocking human potential.

Is there ever a point where we stop asking what's next?

I think there are real limits to human potential.

I mean, I think there is a point where humans can't actually do better,

but we're not actually there yet in almost anything.

So climbing is a really new sport in a way, so there's tons of room for growth and

...