meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
ManTalks Podcast

Tim Urban - Wait But Why

ManTalks Podcast

Connor Beaton

Relationships, Education, Society & Culture, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.8591 Ratings

🗓️ 4 April 2016

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tim Urban is the creator and blogger of Wait but Why, a website that is anti-click bait and extremely informative. Tim originally started his website on a bet because he knew deep down that other people, too, craved for meaningful and substantial content on the web. The idea worked! Not only does his content go viral, but he was able to get the attention of people like Elon Musk, and more.    Key Takeaways: [2:35] What was Tim's defining moment? [5:40] Those who have a fall back plan, fall back but that didn't apply to Tim. [6:10] Even though Tim had a fall back plan, he was still very desperate to achieve his creative dream. [6:20] You need to have a runway, a game plan that you're able to carry out in a certain amount of time, but it also has to be realistic. [6:55] Some people work best when they burn their other options, others do not. [7:15] Why did Tim create Wait but Why? [11:20] Tim had an advantage where he could work 60 hours a week focusing on nothing but blogging. [11:45] Connor never read blogs until he stumbled upon Tim's blog. [13:45] Tim knew he didn't have a staff, so he had to find a way to work with his strengths instead. [14:50] Tim shares his one piece of advice for any endeavor. [15:45] What makes Elon Musk so unique? [17:35] Don't be the cook that copies the recipe, be the chef who creates them. [18:45] How does Tim get over the 'no one is going to read this' fear? [19:35] Trust yourself. You can be great. [21:15] What was it like to prepare for the Ted Talk? [24:55] What was it like to meet Elon Musk? [27:20] Get ready for a series of rapid fire questions. [27:25] Why did Tim visit North Korea? [27:40] What does curiosity mean to Tim? [28:10] What was Donald Trump like in person? [28:30] What legacy would Tim like to leave behind? [29:40] What is Tim most excited about?   Mentioned in This Episode: www.mantalks.com/ www.waitbutwhy.com/ www.waitbutwhy.com/2015/11/the-cook-and-the-chef-musks-secret-sauce.html   Music Credit: Parlange & Latenite Automatic (www.jesusparlange.com – www.lateniteautomatic.com) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Elon is Elon.

0:01.3

Like, if you watch his interviews online, you'll get a decent sense for, the thing I'll say about

0:05.0

him is extremely authentic.

0:07.0

You've got some living yet to do.

0:10.8

I won't give up on you.

0:14.4

See these machines.

0:16.2

Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of the Man Talks podcast.

0:18.8

My name is Roger Nairn.

0:19.8

And I'm Connor Biedin.

0:21.1

Today's guest is Mr. Tim Urban from the blog, Wait But Why.

0:25.2

He's a blogger, researcher, artist, comedian, perfectionist, multi-potentialites, all sorts of things.

0:32.7

It's an absolutely incredible opportunity to get talked to him.

0:36.4

In 2013, childhood friends, Tim Irvin,

0:38.6

and Andrew Finn made a bet that thoughtful and meaty blog articles could garner a viral following

0:43.6

just as easily as the listy and stock-footo-y and click-baity content that clogs millions of browser

0:49.8

sidebars. So its blog, Wait But Why was born. In Wait But Why, Tim Urban demonstrates that complex and long-form

0:56.8

writing can stand out in an online wilderness. With Rye stick figure illustrations and occasionally epic

1:02.1

prose on everything from ISIS to artificial intelligence to the dark secrets of the bird world,

1:07.5

to Elon Musk, Urban's articles have proven their bet correct in spades. Since its launch,

1:14.2

Wait But Wise Garden over 40 million unique page views, thousands of patrons, and famous fans,

1:19.0

like, as mentioned, Elon Musk, who invited Tim to the Tesla factory, which inspired Tim to write

1:24.4

everything you could possibly know about the alternative energy revolution.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Connor Beaton, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Connor Beaton and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.