Meet the Behavioral Scientist Who's Interviewed Serial Killers, Terrorists, Spies, and ... Startup Founders

The Profile

In this conversation, behavioral scientist Jason Halbert explores the complexities of the human mind, the commonalities between serial killers and startup founders, and the fine line between ambition and delusion.

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Stay up to date by signing up for The Profile, our weekly newsletter that brings you the best profiles of successful people and companies. Sign up here: https://readtheprofile.com/ -- TIME STAMPS: 00:00 - 'Darkness retreat' experience 05:35 - Jason's career trajectory 08:34 - What it takes to build a psychological profile on someone 10:34 - Optimal interview environment 12:56 - Speaking in absolutes 13:58 - Conducting an interview with a serial killer 15:46 - How serial killers differ from other criminals 19:09 - Is there a killer gene? 20:32 - How to use empathy in an interrogation 24:18 - Has Jason's definition of good and evil changed? 26:13 - Why it's hard to be a whistleblower 27:33 - The line between ambition and delusion 30:22 - Elon Musk: Ambitious AND delusional? 33:23 - Jason's work with founders and VCs 37:01 - Identifying and mitigating blind spots 39:11 - How to become more persuasive 42:26 - How to profile a potential candidate 46:21 - The role of chemistry 51:16 - The formula for identity 55:29 - The difference between your real self and your ideal self 58:20 - How to deeply understand the people in our lives 1:02:46 - The value of over-explaining 1:03:43 - How Jason defines success