YouTube Recommendations

I try to limit my social media consumption, but YouTube is a net positive. A purpose-built subscription feed, free of algorithmic noise, pays dividends. Here are the channels I follow, organized by what I get out of them.

Educational

• Kurzgesagt - science and philosophy with incredible animation
• Crash Course - structured courses on almost everything
• Veritasium - science and engineering deep dives
• TED-Ed - short animated lessons on a wide range of topics
• Cleo Abram - optimistic tech explainers
• PolyMatter - economics and geopolitics, well researched
• Branch Education - how hardware and technology actually works
• Economics Explained - economic concepts made accessible
• Big Think - expert-led talks on science, philosophy, and culture

Tech

• MKBHD - consumer tech reviews, best in class
• Fireship - fast-paced dev tutorials and industry commentary
• Strange Parts - hardware hacking and manufacturing adventures
• Honeypot - developer documentaries
• Andrej Karpathy - neural networks explained from first principles
• Art of the Problem - the history and science of information

Geopolitics & curiosity

• Johnny Harris - geopolitics and borders, beautifully produced
• Hoog - geopolitical analysis with good depth
• Real Life Lore - geography and geopolitics explained visually
• Vox - explainers on culture, policy, and world events
• Bloomberg - business and economic reporting
• TLDR News EU - European politics, concise and balanced
• The Economist - global affairs and economic analysis
• ColdFusion - technology and business stories with great storytelling
• Urban Stories - city planning and urban design

Business & entrepreneurship

• Garry Tan - YC president, startup advice and Silicon Valley insights
• Slidebean - startup breakdowns and pitch deck analysis

Financial freedom

• Nischa - personal finance and building wealth
• Ben Felix - evidence-based investing, cuts through financial myths
• The Plain Bagel - financial concepts explained clearly without the hype

Podcasts

• Lex Fridman - long-form conversations with scientists, engineers, and thinkers
• Colin and Samir - the creator economy and what makes content work
• Joe Rogan - wide-ranging interviews, hit or miss but the hits are great
• Rich Roll - health, wellness, and endurance-oriented conversations
• Lenny’s Podcast - product management and growth, highly tactical

Psychology

• The School of Life - emotional intelligence and relationships
• Daily Stoic - stoic philosophy applied to modern life
• Naval - wealth, happiness, and clear thinking

Lifestyle

• Matt D’Avella - minimalism, habits, and filmmaking
• Ali Abdaal - productivity and building a life you enjoy
• Nathaniel Drew - thoughtful videos on language, travel, and identity
• No Backup Plan - life as a creative
• Matthew Encina - design, creativity, and career
• Never Too Small - compact living and clever apartment design

Travel

• Attaché - cinematic city guides
• Thrillist - food and travel culture
• Top Jaw - food-focused travel
• Little Big World - tilt-shift miniature timelapses of cities
• Kraig Adams - solo hiking and minimal dialogue travel films

Food

• J. Kenji López-Alt - POV home cooking from a food science perspective
• My Name Is Andong - recipes with cultural context
• Eater - food culture and restaurant stories

Cars

• Hagerty - classic cars and automotive culture
• AMMO NYC - detailing and car care
• Top Speed Germany - autobahn runs and speed tests