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Worklife with Adam Grant

ReThinking: How David Fajgenbaum saved his own life — and thousands of others

Worklife with Adam Grant

TED

Management, Worklife Podcast, Worklife With Adam Grant, Work Life Balance, Ted Talks, Podcast About Work Life, Ted Adam Grant, Adam Grant Podcasts, Ted Podcasts, Adam Grant, Organizational Psychologist, Business

4.89.4K Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

David Fajgenbaum had his last rites read to him at 25 years old after a brutal struggle with an inflammatory disease that attacks the vital organs. As a medical student with two weeks left to live, he repurposed a drug and tested it on himself—and saved his own life. Now, he’s repeating the same process for many others through his nonprofit, Every Cure, with the mission of unlocking the full potential of existing drugs to treat every disease possible. David and Adam discuss the building blocks of resilience, explore the disincentives that prevent hidden cures from coming to light, and explain how AI is aiding creative discovery to save lives. 


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Host: Adam Grant (Instagram | LinkedIn | Website)

Guest: David Fajgenbaum (Instagram | LinkedIn


Links

https://everycure.org/


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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi, TED Podcast listeners. It's Elise Hugh here from TED Talks Daily. Thanks for making our

0:05.6

podcasts part of your routine. We really appreciate it and we want to make your favorite TED podcasts

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even better. We put together a quick survey and we'd love to hear from you. It only takes a few

0:16.9

minutes but it helps us shape our shows and get to know you, our listeners, way better.

0:22.2

Head to the episode description to find the link. Thank you again for listening and for taking

0:27.1

the time to help our shows.

0:34.0

Hey, it's Adam Grant from Worklife, a podcast from TED.

0:39.8

This episode is brought to you by FreshWorks.

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FreshWorks believes that complexity is the enemy of efficiency,

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so stop wrestling with bloated expensive service software that takes forever to implement an update,

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where ROI is someday, not today.

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software, you'll work smarter, not harder. FreshWorks uncomplicates. Learn more at

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1:18.4

This episode is sponsored by Greenhouse, the leading hiring platform helping companies get measurably better at hiring.

1:20.6

In today's world of work, time is precious, and talent is everything.

1:24.7

But too often, hiring gets bogged down in administrative tasks that slow teams down.

1:29.4

That's where Greenhouse AI comes in. Greenhouse AI automates the tedious parts of the hiring process,

1:35.0

so recruiters and hiring managers can spend more time doing what they do best, finding the right people for the right roles.

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With Greenhouse, you can pinpoint and engage top talent with precision, streamline

1:45.0

interviews using AI tools that handle the busy work, and make faster, more confident, hiring

...

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