Latest news with #JoeRoganExperience
New York Post
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg horrified staffers with Joe Rogan chat, transformation into ‘MAGA Mark': report
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg's public embrace of President Trump and his apparent transformation into 'MAGA Mark' has horrified staffers and executives at the social media giant, according to a report. Zuckerberg triggered a wave of internal backlash at the Facebook and Instagram parent company following a controversial appearance on the 'Joe Rogan Experience' podcast in January — in which the burgeoning MMA competitor said Corporate America had been 'culturally neutered' and workplaces needed more 'masculine energy,' according to the Financial Times. Just days after the controversial comments, a handful of executives worked up the courage to speak out at a leadership meeting at the company's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, the FT reported. Advertisement 5 Mark Zuckerberg's public embrace of masculinity reportedly triggered a wave of internal backlash at Meta, according to a report. PowerfulJRE/YouTube 5 Zuckerberg made the comments during a January 2025 appearance on the 'Joe Rogan Experience' podcast. PowerfulJRE/YouTube 5 Zuckerberg's conversation with Rogan reportedly left Meta staffers in 'horror' and 'grieving.' PowerfulJRE/YouTube Advertisement 'He basically said: 'If you don't like it, tough sh-t',' one person with knowledge of the conversation told FT. Zuckerberg, who as of Friday had the world's second highest net worth with a fortune valued by Bloomberg Billionaires Index at $245 billion, had also praised mixed-martial arts as a means of male bonding and asserted that aggression in men can be a force for good. 'There's this crazy thing about wrestling,' he told Rogan, a former MMA commentator. 'It's like, if you get into a fight with someone at work, you're probably going to get fired. But if you train in MMA, you can roll hard with someone and you're both better friends afterward.' Advertisement 'In a lot of the corporate world, I think there's this bias where you think that aggression or intensity is inherently bad,' Zuckerberg went on. 'But it's not. I actually think it's useful. You want to be able to channel that energy.' Zuckerberg's transformation from Silicon Valley liberal to a Trump-friendly public figure has become a defining narrative of his leadership. Once viewed as a quiet, hoodie-wearing technocrat, he began to appear shirtless in MMA training videos, sported gold chains, flaunted expensive watches and made regular appearances on podcasts with predominantly male, anti-woke audiences. Advertisement The Rogan interview added to a growing list of moves that critics view as aligning Zuckerberg — and the company — with right-wing politics. His public praise for Trump and the rollback of content moderation teams have only fueled those concerns, according to the report. 5 Zuckerberg has transformed his public image from tech nerd to an MMA-loving alpha male. Mark Zuckerberg/Instagram But those who know Zuckerberg intimately told FT that the Meta boss is simply showing the public a side of him that they have long been familiar with only in private. 'When he was 19 years old, I think he had an idea in his head of what a CEO was supposed to be like and he was trying to be that, especially in public,' Meta's chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth, told FT, adding that people are now seeing the 'authentic' Zuckerberg. 'The public is seeing him more how we have, internally, since the beginning,' Bosworth said. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment. Zuckerberg's newly revealed persona is gaining attention at a time when he has set his company on a war footing in the ultra-competitive race to gain market share in artificial intelligence. Last week, Meta acquired the start-up Scale AI for $14.3 billion — a deal that gives Zuckerberg's company a 49% non-voting stake as part of its push to close the gap with OpenAI and Google in the AI arms race. Advertisement 5 Zuckerberg and other Silicon Valley bigwigs including Jeff Bezos (third from left), Google CEO Sundar Pichai (second from left) and Tesla CEO Elon Musk (far left) have sought to curry favor with President Trump. AP The deal secures Meta access to Scale's infrastructure and talent, including its founder Alexandr Wang, who now leads Meta's new 'superintelligence' unit. This move has triggered backlash from rivals, with OpenAI and Google cutting ties with Scale over conflict-of-interest concerns. While Meta is betting big — planning to spend $65 billion annually on AI by 2025 — the strategy carries risks including mounting costs, regulatory scrutiny and difficulty retaining top engineers.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Joe Rogan in awe of 'freak' UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili
Joe Rogan in awe of 'freak' UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili Joe Rogan is fascinated by UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili's unparalleled conditioning. No one has been able to keep up with Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) during his 13-fight unbeaten run, which includes wins over former champions Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, and Sean O'Malley twice. In his most recent title defense, Dvalishvili scored his first finish since September 2021 when he submitted O'Malley in the UFC 316 main event earlier this month. "That guy is insane," Rogan said of Dvalishvili on a recent episode of his "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. "He's insane. His cardio is like something that everyone, who has been involved in the sport for as long as I have, is blown away by it. The guy's a freak. Daniel Cormier went to visit him after he won the title. He won the title Saturday night at the Sphere in Vegas, beat Sean O'Malley, dominant five-round decision, just steamrolled him. The next day, Daniel Cormier goes to visit him, and he's out running. He doesn't stop. Doesn't stop. "Just this guy from Georgia, from this war-torn country who just embraces that f*cking grind at a level that nobody else can compete with, and when he gets in the ring, no one can match his cardio. No one can match his pace. He melts the greatest of the greats." Rogan was especially impressed when Dvalishvili bounced Umar Nurmagomedov out of the ranks of the unbeaten at UFC 311. Dvalishvili was down two rounds on two of the judges' scorecards before rallying to get the win. "You see guys like Umar Nurmagomedov, who's elite, he's world class," Rogan said. "Like at any other time, he'd be a world champion, and Merab is just overwhelming him. You see him just getting overwhelmed by the pace, and Merab doesn't even get tired. He's a freak."
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Misinformation, guitar ballads and herbal remedies: A who's who of RFK Jr's vaccine committee
Robert F. Kennedy Jr has unveiled his choices for a critical committee whose job it will be to advise the US government on vaccine use. All 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP) at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were abruptly sacked earlier this week in the health secretary's latest assault on US vaccine policy. Mr Kennedy, a prominent vaccine sceptic, has now named the eight officials who will take over the job of developing recommendations on how to use vaccines to control diseases in the US. Among them are high-profile critics of the jabs developed to fight Covid-19, an accident and emergency doctor with little or no vaccine expertise, and a former gynaecology professor who advised a supplement company selling healing herbs. Out of the eight – the minimum number of people required to sit on the committee – at least four have actively spoken out against vaccines in the past in some form. The sudden dismissal of the original advisors, along with the swift announcement of their replacements, has sparked concern in the public health community that the usually strict vetting procedures have not been followed. Typically, the ACIP vetting process takes a year and a half. It is not clear how long the new members were vetted for – although Donald Trump took office just five months ago and RFK Jr was only confirmed as health secretary in February. The ACIP was once considered the 'gold standard for vaccine decision making,' said Helen Chu, one of the fired panel members, but now many in the field are concerned that the panel will advance an anti-vaccine agenda. Arguably the most controversial pick is Dr Robert Malone, a medical doctor and biochemist by background who became one of the most vocal critics of mRNA vaccines during the pandemic. Dr Malone actually claims to have invented mRNA technology – the technology first used during the pandemic to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines, which have been credited with saving millions of lives. Though he was involved in some early mRNA research in the late 1980s, his role has been described as minimal at best. But during the pandemic, Dr Malone made several appearances on right-wing media channels to share his views on the jabs and was temporarily banned from using X (formerly Twitter) for spreading misinformation. Dr Malone appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast in 2023 which ignited uproar in the medical community. In a three hour episode, Dr Malone and Mr Rogan discussed theories and claims about the pandemic and vaccines. The conversation included a false equivalence between the vaccine and Nazi medical experiments, that the public had been 'hypnotised' into following government Covid guidelines, and that those who are vaccinated after having Covid-19 are at greater risk of harmful side effects. After the episode aired, a group of 270 doctors, scientists, and academics wrote to Spotify, saying that 'Dr Malone used the JRE platform to promote numerous baseless claims, including several falsehoods about Covid-19 vaccines and an unfounded theory that societal leaders have 'hypnotised' the public. Many of these statements have already been discredited'. Dr Malone is closely aligned with Mr Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement, and joined both the health secretary and President Trump to celebrate on election night. Dr Kulldorff is a Swedish biostatistician and former professor of medicine at Harvard university. While he has been historically supportive of vaccines – and previously advised the CDC on vaccine safety – he is critical of vaccine mandates. He has argued that those who have been previously infected with Covid-19 – and children – do not need to be vaccinated. 'Study after study have shown that natural immunity after Covid infection is superior to vaccine immunity,' he wrote on X. 'Forcing the vaccine on everyone is a stain on hospitals, universities and public health officials. How can we trust them on other matters?' In October 2020, Kulldorff, along with now US National Institute of Health director Jayanta Bhattacharya, co-authored the highly controversial Great Barrington Declaration. The open letter opposed lockdowns and called for the promotion of herd immunity through infection by lifting all restrictions on lower-risk groups and shielding older people from the virus. Dr Levi is a professor of operations management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has published multiple research papers on Covid-19, including one that raises concerns about the relationship between vaccines and cardiac arrest in young people. Pinned to the top of Dr Levi's X profile is a post from 2023, in which he said: 'The evidence is mounting and indisputable that MRNA vaccines cause serious harm including death, especially among young people. We have to stop giving them immediately!' Infectious disease experts and scientists say that mRNA vaccines are safe and effective, and saved millions of lives during the pandemic. The technology is particularly useful in outbreaks of novel viruses, because the vaccines can be manufactured quickly and to scale. Dr Hibbeln is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist. He has previously worked at the US National Institutes of Health, where he focused chiefly on the link between nutrition and mental health disorders. His work has also influenced US public health guidelines on fish consumption during pregnancy. Echoing the rhetoric of RFK Jr's 'Make America Healthy Again' movement, a post on Mr Hibbeln's Linkedin says 21st century diets provide 'inadequate brain nutrients that are likely contributing to the high burden of mental illnesses worldwide.' It is not clear what Dr Hibbeln's views on vaccination are. Dr Ross is a former professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Virginia Commonwealth university. He has held board, advisory and executive positions at a wide range of private healthcare and life-science firms. He once worked as an advisor to LarreaRX, a supplement manufacturer which produces capsules made from Larrea Tridenta, a desert herb that the company claims 'can be used for immune support.' The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warnings about the herb, saying it can be hazardous to health. The agency says it has received multiple reports of hepatitis associated with consumption of the herb, including at least two cases in which consumers had to undergo liver transplants. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Ross signed an open letter criticising a study which found ivermectin was ineffective for treating the disease. Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic used in both humans and livestock, was touted as a 'miracle drug' by vaccine sceptics, despite it being proven to have no effect on Covid-19 infection. 'We oppose this fixation on randomised controlled trials at the expense of other clinical and scientific evidence and urge medical policymakers to restore balance to the practice of medicine,' the letter read. Dr Pebsworth is an ICU nurse by background, and has previously served on the FDA's Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. She is a board member of the National Vaccine Information Center, formerly called 'Dissatisfied Parents Together', a Virginia-based organisation which has been widely criticised as a leading source of misinformation about vaccines. An online biography of Ms Pebsworth says her interest in vaccine safety was peaked when her son 'experienced serious, long-term health problems following receipt of seven live viruses and killed bacterial vaccines' during a health visit as an infant. Dr Meissner is a professor of paediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and previously worked as the Chief of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at Tufts Children's Hospital. He has sat on multiple federal boards, including the ACIP between 2008-2012 and an advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration on vaccine safety. In 2021, he was a part of the FDA panel that rejected Joe Biden's plan to offer Pfizer booster jabs to Americans of all age groups, approving only their use in over 65s and those at risk of significant illness. 'I don't think a booster dose is going to significantly contribute to controlling the pandemic and I think it's important that the main message we transmit is that we've got to get everyone two doses,' he said at the time. He has also expressed doubt over whether children should be vaccinated against Covid-19. Dr Pagano is a retired emergency medicine doctor from Los Angeles 'with over 40 years of clinical experience', and is a 'strong advocate for evidence-based medicine,' according to Mr Kennedy. He has published two medical fiction books entitled The Bleed and The Drain. The latter is about 'money, medicine, miracles, and a doctor's pursuit of happiness in spite of all that,' according to a description on Amazon. According to his author's biography, Dr Pagano is also an accomplished guitarist who has composed and recorded music for motion pictures. The cover of his album 'Hopeless Romantic' depicts the doctor with a martini in one hand, with his arm around a guitar. What does it mean for vaccination in the US? Since 1964, the ACIP has deliberated on the use of new and existing vaccines and delivered their findings to the CDC, who subsequently implements their recommendations – although has the power to overrule them. The group votes on key questions about jabs, for example who should receive Covid boosters or at what ages children should receive certain vaccinations. All of the vaccines that are discussed already have to be approved by the FDA, although many health insurance companies – including Medicare, the federal insurance program for people aged 65 or older and younger people with disabilities – are required to pay for vaccinations in full if the ACIP recommends them. The Vaccines for Children Program, another federal program which provides free vaccinations for kids whose parents cannot afford them, also covers the cost of immunisations recommended by the ACIP. If the new board decides to stop recommending certain vaccinations, it is possible that insurance companies could stop funding them – meaning individuals would have to pay for the shots themselves. The ACIP's next meeting is set for later this month. A previously released agenda said the committee would discuss vaccination against Covid, HPV, and lyme disease. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Mint
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
FBI Director Kash Patel wants to ‘stay out of Trump-Elon thing', says ‘I know my lane…'
FBI Director Kash Patel preferred to stay out of the 'Trump-Elon' thing after the tech billionaire made bold claims on Thursday that US President Donald Trump was 'in the Jeffrey Epstein files'. According to a New York Post report, Patel was in the middle of a two-hour interview on the 'Joe Rogan Experience' podcast when Musk made these claims. 'I'm not participating in any of that conversation between Elon and Trump,' a surprised Patel said after learning of the shocking statement made by the world's richest man. As soon as Rogan learned of Musk's statement, he asked Kash Patel, 'Jesus Christ! That's a crazy thing to say. How does he know? Does he know that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files? Or does he have access to the Epstein files?' Responding to Rogan, according to the report, Patel said that he didn't 'know he would' know anything about the contents of the Epstein files, but declined to speak further about the feud. 'I'm just staying out of the Trump-Elon thing; that's way outside my lane,' he said. 'I know my lane, and that ain't it.' The dramatic rupture between the US President and the world's richest man began this week with Musk's public criticism of Trump's 'big beautiful bill' pending on Capital Hill. Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a 'disgusting abomination'. Trump criticised Musk in the Oval Office, and before long, he and Musk began trading bitterly personal attacks on social media, sending the White House and GOP congressional leaders scrambling to assess the fallout. As the back-and-forth intensified, Musk suggested Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president's association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. "Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files," Musk posted on his social media platform, X. 'That is the real reason they have not been made public,' he wrote. He initially doubled down on the claim, writing in a follow-up message: "Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out." Musk appeared by Saturday morning to have deleted his posts about Epstein. According to the New York Post report, Patel had discussed the pending release of surveillance video taken of Epstein's Manhattan jail cell that proves the convicted child sex trafficker killed himself in August 2019. Speculations have been rife since Epstein's death that he was killed by someone afraid he would expose sex crimes of prominent figures in politics and finance whose friendship he had cultivated over several decades. 'I'm not saying every single camera in the place was working,' Patel told Rogan. 'I'm saying we've got footage and you're getting it, and then you can make up your own mind." Democrats sent a letter to Patel on Thursday requesting the complete unsealing of the investigative file into Epstein, the report said. 'We write with profound alarm at allegations that files relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have not been declassified and released to the American public because they personally implicate President Trump,' Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) wrote in their letter. 'We ask that you immediately clarify whether this allegation is true and respond to this letter with the requested information and documentation.' In February this year, the US Justice Department released Jeffrey Epstein's address book, featuring a range of celebrities and politicians. However, the Justice Department clarified that the list is a contact list, 'not a client list'. The list includes Michael Jackson, actor Alec Baldwin, Mick Jagger, Naomi Campbell, Courtney Love and Robert F Kennedy Jr's mother, Ethel Kennedy. Though the names were revealed in the files, the Justice Department withheld their addresses and contact information, the report added. Other high-profile celebrities and political figures on the contact list include Bob Weinstein, the brother of Harvey Weinstein; David Koch; late Sen Ted Kennedy; actor Ralph Fiennes; Kerry Kennedy; lawyer Alan Dershowitz; John Kerry; actor Dustin Hoffman; businessman Jon Huntsman; Ivana Trump, Ivanka Trump; and model Liz Hurley. The president's name was not on the contact list. The millionaire financier, who socialised with royalty and celebrities, was accused of running a large network of underage girls for sex. While awaiting trial, he killed himself in his jail cell in 2019.
Sky News AU
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Joe Rogan left shocked as he reacts to Elon Musk and Donald Trump feud during live podcast recording while guest FBI director Kash Patel refuses to weigh in
Joe Rogan's live reaction to the outrageous feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump has been captured in the latest episode of his mega-popular podcast. The disagreement between the pair, who appeared to have a strong relationship in the early months of Trump's second term as President, started after Musk lashed out at the President's signature "big beautiful bill" which would unleash trillions in tax cuts and slash spending but also add to the USD$36 trillion debt. Musk's attack on the bill came after he finished his tenure with the administration overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency. The disagreement over the bill led the pair to trade barbs with one another through social media and at the leader of the free world's press conferences. President Trump on Thursday said he was "disappointed" in Musk who had earlier described the bill as a "disgusting abomination", before the Tesla founder accused the commander-in-chief of being in files relating to dead sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In episode 2334 of the Joe Rogan Experience, which dropped on Friday, US time, the podcast host who was unaware of the unfolding drama at the time, had it brought to his attention about three-quarters through his discussion with FBI director Kash Patel. Rogan's producer Jamie noticed the tweets, and brought them up screen for the host who was left shocked by how rapidly the bitter feud had developed. "Jesus Christ", Rogan said in response to Musk claiming Trump's name was in the Epstein files. "Someone should take (Musk's) phone away. That's a crazy thing to say. How does he know? Does he know that Donald Trump is in the Epstein files or does he have access to the Epstein files?" Mr Patel refused to take part in speculating about the claims or weighing into the argument adding: "I'm not participating in that conversation". "I don't know how he would (have access to the Epstein files) but I'm just staying out of the Trump/Elon thing, that's way outside my lane. I know my lane and that ain't it," he said. Rogan continued in disbelief, responding: "what the f**k are they doing?" "I mean I understand (Musk) owns Twitter (but) I think it's bad for your mental things public all day and arguing with people all day is bad for you." Mr Patel pivoted away, as he directed the conversation back to the FBI. Asked about the feud on a phone call with CNN, President Trump kept his response short. 'I'm not even thinking about Elon," he said on Friday (local time). "He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem." CNN host Dana Bash then asked the President if he had spoken to Musk. 'No. I won't be speaking to him for a while I guess, but I wish him well," he said.
