***** I've been subbed to Brady's channels since before there was a numberphile... but not everyone who loves science needs subscribes, or even likes this content.
***** I know plenty of people who have degrees in STEM fields who don't use youtube in the first place, and plenty more who don't like watching science videos.
***** The category is "people I know who have degrees in stem fields but don't use youtube or don't like watching these channels." To the best of my knowledge, that category does not involve any extraterrestrial aliens... though it does involve quite a few people who aren't US citizens.
Love this interview. Never heard of the interviewee beforehand, never heard of the interviewer before. But I love how the ideas just flowed. I love how the interviewee wasn't interrupted. And I love the quality of the questions. really learned a lot about the guy after watching this. 18 minutes spent really well.
You had me at liking/loving ► how the interviewee wasn't interrupted. I've trashed a few walls, putting my fist or forehead(*) through them, when BBC and NPR (among others) said "I'm afraid we're out of time" just as substance reared its head. Particularly when the first part of said interview reviewed the interviewee's university's football team. ________ (*) Both beyond repair.
The interviewer had no clue about the capital markets or mathematics, as a chemical engineering graduate and a trader, if I were the interviewer I'd ask him so many quality questions
Funny that is your conclusion and you're not alone with almost 400 likes, I don't see his financial worth having anything to do with 'success'. I understand how the money can be a measurement of one's success but it's a poor one at best.
just like most motivational speakers,philosophers, life coaches, and authors like napoleaon hill have said " the only thing you have to do is decide what you want to do. knowing how or the specifics of the goal is irrelevant, those aspects will unfold as you progress". this man said" I always knew I wanted to be a mathematician , whatever that meant"...
Absolutely astounding you guys got a James Simons interview. He's well known for never giving interviews, despite the fact that so many people find him fascinating.
What a remarkably grounded man. I loved his reaction to "would you trade the business for the Reimann hypothesis?" He kind of lit up - "well I'd trade some of it!"
He totally came alive :D Ohhh the Reimann hypothesis? I watched his eyes, they immediately darted down - automatically considering, then he looked away. Interesting body language. I think it made a welcome change to the constant interest in his money.
All the prestige, the immortality of his name flashed before his eyes in a second... And still, in the end, he wouldn't have traded in all his hard work and the resulting billions that came out from it.
I used to serve this guy in Stony Brook university at the Simon center. Very down to earth and was the only one allowed to smoke indoors because he owned the place lol. Highly intelligent. Always hanging out with other mathematicians.
He didn't. He made all of his money in a completely different field. The work he has done in the field he is in becomes completely useless if it were to be made public, as well, which is completely different from his work as a mathematician.
@@benjaminchenevey7967 Working as a mathematician in theory is just as much so as working as a mathematician in application. Mathematics is a system you carry with you, not something that is fundamentally binary.
Ramtin Javanmardi To be honest, Brady gave pretty spectacular questions here. He didn't seem to be expecting many of the questions Brady threw at him so he probably enjoyed the talk more than he thought he would.
Brady (and filming crew), I would like to thank you for the amazing amount of effort and quality you put forth in these videos. The work you are doing on this channel and others (Objectivity is purely awesome) is inspiring and I believe will inspire the youth to pursuit knowledge and understanding.
This interview and camera work was terrible. Dont thank them for anything. He dressed like he was going to walmart and asked boring and borderline rude questions.
Simons makes his point with the analogy: "...you may have great film equipment, but that's not why you're a success..." Meanwhile the camera guy screws up the shot.
That was a very good assessment from the interviewee. He said "that's an interesting question" on several occasions, and at the end said, "well this was kind of fun". So well done, you did a great job from his point of view, which is very important!
Jedis are portrayed as warriors more than monks, for obvious cinematic reasons, but they would have to have atleast a top undergraduate level of maths..
Oh wow. Starting at 15:00, Mr. Simons says exactly how I feel about wanting to become a math teacher. I was a student that never really had a strong grasp on mathematical concepts, in fact I failed two of my math classes my freshman year of college. Now however I am getting A's on my tests and am absolutely in love with math. I want to get my master's after I complete my undergrad and hopefully work towards a PhD if life goes that way. I want people to never have to struggle like I did. I had some bad teachers that made me hate math, and I don't think it's fair that students get the bottom of the barrel when it comes to math and science teachers in high school. We need to push math and science more and more in the future, and the only way to get the future generations interested is by having teachers that truly have a passion for students to learn. If that means that my pay check is not as big as my colleagues, then so be it. If and when I see my future students become billionaires like Mr. Simons, I will smile to myself and be proud.
SenorDevin That's an incredibly noble story. I would push on that and ask exactly what you think math teachers should do to show that they have a passion for their students to learn. I'm graduating in a little over a year and I've learned a lot in that time, and am still learning. I gotta tell you, it's not just about knowing the math. It's about how we teach it, and how we keep students engaged in a meaningful, real-world kind of way.
Well said. I had similar wish to become a great scientist from secondary school and still had similar idea when I finished my phd. I thought money is not important; knowledge is my world and I enjoyed it and I still enjoy it. However. I met my girlfriend, now my wife. I need to get into the real world and earn some money to support my family, and made a decision not to worry about research funding any more..
SenorDevin My dream is to build an online infrastructure for youth so that math and science becomes a really enjoyable way of spending some of your time on the internet. A kind of modern forum/social network with great videos, software, and simulations that make total use of current technology and that also presents knowledge from upper year undergraduate courses that's really hard to find outside of expensive textbooks. The dream is that most students will have an understanding of math and science that is always ahead of their current school year, so they never have to see anything for the first time in school. They just show up, learn about what they're going to be expected to know for the exams during ordinary class, and then take the test to prove their competence in a way that society has always seen as legitimate. The school experience won't define their personal relationship with the subjects. The enthusiasm people have for these things in the public space is far better suited for packaging information for consumption than an underpaid teacher. Hopefully one day I'll be effective at channeling some of that enthusiasm.
12:43 His eyes lights up on hearing the question. Btw it was a great question ask a mathematician. He would be that he would immortalized if he does something like that.
Exactly what I tell people about calculators. Many people who haven't learned much math past high school algebra like to think that you can just punch anything in a calculator and it'll spit out the correct answer. VERY wrong. The calculator only knows what you tell it to do. The operator must understand the math he uses the calculator for.
Tyler Traylor this reminds me of a time in high school where little kids thought the high schoolers were cheating cus they were using calculators for a homework problem 😂😂
***** no, if the guy romanized his name as "chern," then everybody speaking English will have pronounced it with the 'r,' it's not a matter of not knowing how to pronounce it. you get the same thing with Japanese: people often romanize things that should be (for example) "chi" as "ti," or "tsu" as "tu," because that's the fastest way to type it on a Japanese computer. it doesn't remotely give English speakers the right idea, and so they scratch their heads about why people pronounce it weird, but often just accept it. the fact that it doesn't match Japanese is sort of beside the point by then-that becomes how people pronounce it, and (in the case of names) may be how they introduce themselves when speaking English.
Great interview. Many journalists should learn from this: no hostility, and the other side feels very comfortable. Simons was also very nice and humble. A gem of a video to watch.
LOL I use the word ERGO a lot... I am not famous to be interviewed though... I am educated in VARIOUS SCIENCES.. Mostly Math Computer Science... Never saw the MATRIX either... Here is an examples:: Cogito Ergo Sum! Government Is (a necessary) EVIL! ergo:: GOVERNMENT IS EVIL!
“People work for a combination of money and respect” - I think that’s one of the most profound insights I’ve heard one taking in what work means for people. Work is one of the most important pillars of life... and here we have such a simple and profound conclusions about it.
Yes, unfortunately this mostly leads to getting badly payed menial jobs. So there must be something wrong with this approach. Only if you go for intrinsic motivation, for fun, or because you just believe in what you do, you will be truly successful and happy. He is a clear example of that. It's not clear if he realizes this himself.
Paul met Debbie I think he’s career of spotting patterns in the stock market is a pathetic job in terms of contribution to society. No one benefits from that pattern recognition except himself. Bill Gates, Elon Musk and even Jeff Bezos actually contribute something. Elon talks about how most of the really smart people get into finance jobs but someone has to make the stuff. James said people work for money or respect, but what about bringing something new to the world, inventing something. One could get a lot of satisfaction out of inventing something even if it doesn’t bring a lot of money or respect.
it's actually the statement i most disagree with. people don't work for money and respect, they work for value. not everyone sees respect as a desirable asset.
@@ian9toes You are missing the point entirely. People who have made money in their field desperately want to invest it, so it can grow. Colleges and public charities live off of their investments, silly. Simons's Medallion Fund allowed thousands of investors to compound their savings, which benefited students, charities, teachers, families, helped people survive in retirement, etc. You seem clueless and bitter or you just don't understand the purpose of investment management at all.
He's so right about our terrible math in K-12 teaching. I graduated 2001... all through it seemed to just repeat and was way slow. And the teachers weren't that great, some didn't even understand the material themselves.
I live a few houses down from this guy and one of my friends works for him. He's a very nice guy and he helped establish a park and does a lot to help local businesses. Thanks for the great video Numberphile!
This man proved that maths or science is not for just passing exams ,it has many real life applications too .it depends upon us how we use it ,only for passing exams or for real life too.
Fightclub1995 When people ask me what the use of mathematics is, I just say, "I don't know, haven't figured it out. Hey, I'll give you five of these one dollar bills for that one fifty dollar bill."
None of my High School maths teachers could have worked for google. Not unless the job at google was to read aloud from a book that they didn't understand.
"30-40 years ago if you knew some mathematics, say enough to teach lets say at high school... but today if you know that much mathematics [ie, enough to get a job teaching high school] you can get a job at Google, you can get a job at IBM, you can get a job at Goldman Sachs." 30-40 years ago *was* when I was enduring mathematics at high school. My teachers "knew enough to teach...at high school" back then but if you teleported them to today they wouldn't get a job at Google, IBM or Goldman Sachs. Unless, as I said, the job at the high tech company involved reading a book they didn't understand out loud. They weren't quite innumerate but the weren't a long stretch from being such. Any questions or requests for clarification of a point just resulted in them reading the text book out loud a second time. I learnt pretty early on that if I didn't get it from reading the text myself, I wasn't going to get any help from them.
gasdive you probably didn't take very high math then. in Calc and stats my teachers were brilliant, whereas the lesser maths were just book regurgitation as calc and stats is a bitch to teach if you don't know the material.
I don't know how it is in the US, but I am currently a sixth form student in the UK studying maths and f. Maths, and my teachers consist of someone with a theoretical physics degree, and someone who did work for someone like IBM (programming algorithms) back in the 80s, so I would say my teachers certainly could get higher paying jobs.
It is great to become wealthy using your knowledge, but I think it is even more important to show the willing to learn how to be successful just like you Mr. Simons.
Its just so refreshing to see a guy at his level that wanted to be a mathematician and went to MIT. So many of these guys inherited their wealth or leveraged connections and screwed people.
I doubt that your dad's jacket was as expensive as this. All due respect to your dad but even though Simon looks plain, you can see from his "simple jewellery" that he isn't cheap
if you know that everyone has 2 parents 4 grandparents and 8 grandgrandparents and 2^n ancesters of n generations prior, you will realise that you probably are related to anyone living in your region 1000 years ago if he had children;)
Just about every month at the Simons Foundation headquarters in NYC there is a free lecture by a scientist or mathematician at the top of their field speaking in depth about cutting edge research. The lecture is preceded by tea. I have met Jim Simons there and he is one of the most down to earth and humble people I have ever come across.
This interview is great. I think what he is not mentioning about the current state of modeling/trading is that there's so much competition now that there's predatory actors in the space. It's not all about noticing the trends but knowing what other actors are gonna do first.
Facepalm. Rich people are not typically the smartest. In fact they often pursue insane amounts of wealth because they realize others are much smarter. It's insecurity on display and is often more shameful than impressive. After $500 million, you have to be a bit off to keep doggedly pursuing money. There's no point to it. Sane people make a fortune and then go off and enjoy life.
@@thunderpooch No... Although billionaires are an anomaly. The "succession" towards higher fortune is the result of continuous GROWTH. It is not some empty means which is creating the end result. Anyone who runs a successful business is expected to continue profiting as long as the business continues running and continues to supply a demand. This also applies for the succession of other forms of wealth. Some individuals may not be interested in sitting back. To them their business is their life. Just as work as a PRINCIPLE gives life to man... Helps him form his dignity. You can't be for sure that their necessary success is the result of some void unfulfilled "greed" ambition. Furthermore, such means brings about a great opportunity to support better means for the rest of society besides just himself relatively. How do you define "enough" anyways? There are individuals in this world surviving off less than what the average or poorest minimum wage worker earns in a year. The opportunity to do our best doesn't only give us the chance to be human and find our own peace of mind... But continue doing our happy work and perhaps share that to help others find theirs.
I feel. so sad, as i was about discovering about Mr James Simons, and his incredible work, he passes on, May 10th, I'm never going to forget today Rip Mr Simons 😔
Really liked the quality of questions you asked him and the way you were attentive in listening to Jim (compared to what I saw just now on TED interview that guy kept cutting Jim & was more worried about his time than listening to him)
This guy kind of reminds me of the architect from the Matrix movie and he is a incredibly smart person. It is amazing not a lot people don't know who he is.
I stayed on Jim Simons' yatch a few nights when they traveled through Vietnam. We got to have dinner with him at a restaurant in HaLong and he was a pleasant person.
Strange how the interviewer downplays the fact that he basically cracked the stock market. "Would you trade it to crack the reimann hypothesis?" 18 billion in his bank account shows that he solved a very significant mathematical puzzle.
You can't "crack" the stock market; not in its its entirety, anyway. You can maybe use math to exploit certain sections temorarily. But in the end NOONE cam predict the future.
I would like to add, that I think we should not measure the significance of a mathematical puzzle by the amount of money you make solving it. Not everything can (and should) amount to money. :)
Spencer Key I have the dream of becoming a math teacher myself in a few years, not because I dream small but because I love math and love teaching, mind if I ask you what exactly is needed to become a Math teacher? Do my other grades matter? I'm an A+ student at math but at every other subject (Which I don't like at all and don't put effort into) I just either fail or am close to failing. When I'm done with school, what exactly is it that I need to do/know to become a teacher? ~Thank you!
***** I'm not a traditional math teacher, but I am passionate about math. I have a Bachelor's degree in Physics from UC Santa Cruz. I am an Instructor at Mathnasium (a math learning center) in Dublin, CA. Currently, there is a great need for quality math teachers and low supply. If you enjoy math and are decent at teaching, I'm sure you can fulfill your dreams.
CM Danny u should balance all subjects even just for passing grades.. anyway u can teach though even if u got low grades.. it depends on who will hire you
"If the wrong man uses the right means, the right means work in the wrong way." This Chinese saying stands in sharp contrast to our belief in the "right" method irrespective of the one who applies it. In reality, everything depends on the person & little or nothing on method. The method is merely the path, the direction taken by a man; the way he acts is the true expression of his nature ~CG Jung Alchemical Studies
If you know enough as a high school teacher, you know enough to work in Google. Google will pay you more. How do you address this? James is full of insight. He can see that education is important to the United States and the system is in crisis.
Its extremely rare for this guy to give interviews. I don't know how you guys managed it. Kudos !
***** I've been subbed to Brady's channels since before there was a numberphile... but not everyone who loves science needs subscribes, or even likes this content.
***** I know plenty of people who have degrees in STEM fields who don't use youtube in the first place, and plenty more who don't like watching science videos.
***** The category is "people I know who have degrees in stem fields but don't use youtube or don't like watching these channels."
To the best of my knowledge, that category does not involve any extraterrestrial aliens... though it does involve quite a few people who aren't US citizens.
*****
Why, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, of course!
***** yep, Numberphile, computerphile are way better than any other popsci channels
Nick Simons institute (named after his son who sadly passed away) has done a lot in for upliftment of rural healthcare here in Nepal. Thank you sir :)
nepal ko kun thau ma sir?
Wow I didn't know that
Oh! Nice to see you too learning maths
Wow...
Q
boi accidentally kept multiplying his money
Who would win?
poverty or one county boi?
Boshua Borman Yeah he just added a couple of zeros to every dollar he had.
by Two's, nonetheless.
times 2
Lol
He liked the interview because the interviewer was genuinely interested in his life and motivations, and not on the lookout for the next trade idea.
Additionally, it wasn't really about money. It was more about math.
Who's AWAKE in 2021?
23😂 @@theyredistortingyourrhythm.
@@theyredistortingyourrhythm. take your pills
Rest in Peace, a great mathematician and his contributions to the research mathematics community has been invaluable
Love this interview. Never heard of the interviewee beforehand, never heard of the interviewer before. But I love how the ideas just flowed. I love how the interviewee wasn't interrupted. And I love the quality of the questions. really learned a lot about the guy after watching this. 18 minutes spent really well.
You had me at liking/loving
► how the interviewee wasn't interrupted.
I've trashed a few walls, putting my fist or forehead(*) through them, when BBC and NPR (among others) said
"I'm afraid we're out of time"
just as substance reared its head. Particularly when the first part of said interview reviewed the interviewee's university's football team.
________
(*) Both beyond repair.
He's a genius, but also seems like a cool guy you could have a pint with at the pub while you integrate polynomials
The interviewer had no clue about the capital markets or mathematics, as a chemical engineering graduate and a trader, if I were the interviewer I'd ask him so many quality questions
@@Trenacetate43 r/iamverysmart
@@oafletbro really put a footnote in a UA-cam comment
I love this interview ! This is how every interview should be conducted.
No interrruptions, clear questions, clear answers.
bad interviewer imo
No interruptions - critical!
+fingerguns agreed... the interviewer's questions leave a lot to be desired.
kerk tp 芝
"Well this was kind of fun." Power move.
Stay curious, eh?
Damn, this one cracked me up. Soo true.
Es bueno estar dentro de las Matemáticas, sensible de tener toda la idea de su Potencial.
@@darian2332 pp
Be nice to hear the greedy fools reaction to the $7bn fine he's just been hit with.
"I'm pleased mostly with the way my career has gone."
-multibillionaire
The measure of a man is not how many green pieces of paper they hold, it's who they are as a person
Funny that is your conclusion and you're not alone with almost 400 likes, I don't see his financial worth having anything to do with 'success'. I understand how the money can be a measurement of one's success but it's a poor one at best.
@TheBlondie I would imagine it would be very pleasing to be a CEO making seven figures with a golden parachute. 👑
Bruh
@@hugostiglitz4215 i didn't say anything about how to measure a man. also, almost none of his money is liquid, no?
just like most motivational speakers,philosophers, life coaches, and authors like napoleaon hill have said " the only thing you have to do is decide what you want to do. knowing how or the specifics of the goal is irrelevant, those aspects will unfold as you progress". this man said" I always knew I wanted to be a mathematician , whatever that meant"...
True
Reed Morris which was?
That's a very interesting concept. Most people I know aren't like that. They simply see the best thing that suits them and go for it
disagree
Yes, James Deen said he knew he wanted to be an adult-film star as a young kid too.
Absolutely astounding you guys got a James Simons interview. He's well known for never giving interviews, despite the fact that so many people find him fascinating.
What a remarkably grounded man. I loved his reaction to "would you trade the business for the Reimann hypothesis?" He kind of lit up - "well I'd trade some of it!"
He totally came alive :D
Ohhh the Reimann hypothesis?
I watched his eyes, they immediately darted down - automatically considering, then he looked away. Interesting body language. I think it made a welcome change to the constant interest in his money.
All the prestige, the immortality of his name flashed before his eyes in a second...
And still, in the end, he wouldn't have traded in all his hard work and the resulting billions that came out from it.
Riemann
No billy is grounded in any sense of the word but this one comes pretty close😅
I like how he always takes a moment to judge the quality of the question being asked before answering it :)
"That's an interesting question."
"next question"
AmericazGotTalentYT I liked your comment but realised I took the like count over 7 so took it off. Here's a comment like.
your comment has 7 likes for a year please leave it like this
abdullah yakub you jinxed it -.-
He probably has an extremely deep analytical ability.
Aside from all his core achievement: what an incredible timbre to his speaking voice.
Just start smoking two-packs a day, you'll be there in no time.
His voice and accent reminded me of how Humphrey Bogart sounds.
He'd have been great on radio.
I used to serve this guy in Stony Brook university at the Simon center. Very down to earth and was the only one allowed to smoke indoors because he owned the place lol. Highly intelligent. Always hanging out with other mathematicians.
It’s wonderful to learn that, for once, a theory scientist actually earned what their work was worth.
He didn't. He made all of his money in a completely different field. The work he has done in the field he is in becomes completely useless if it were to be made public, as well, which is completely different from his work as a mathematician.
King Pistachion cry about it
That's Hypothetical
Man, what a seriously important point that is.
@@benjaminchenevey7967 Working as a mathematician in theory is just as much so as working as a mathematician in application. Mathematics is a system you carry with you, not something that is fundamentally binary.
haha loved the ending statement "well this was kinda fun "
Ramtin Javanmardi Hah! Yeah. This guy is kinda great.
Ace Diamond Also, how did I give this comment its 200th thumbs up, yet only the 1st reply?
Ramtin Javanmardi It's quite the contrast from John Conway, who clearly didn't want to be there.
Ramtin Javanmardi To be honest, Brady gave pretty spectacular questions here. He didn't seem to be expecting many of the questions Brady threw at him so he probably enjoyed the talk more than he thought he would.
Vulcapyro indeed that is the same impression I had :D A truly excellent interview!
Brady (and filming crew), I would like to thank you for the amazing amount of effort and quality you put forth in these videos. The work you are doing on this channel and others (Objectivity is purely awesome) is inspiring and I believe will inspire the youth to pursuit knowledge and understanding.
Jas Sandhar I'm 15 and Brady's channels and it's collaborators inspire me
This interview and camera work was terrible. Dont thank them for anything. He dressed like he was going to walmart and asked boring and borderline rude questions.
Thanks
my thoughts exactly
Simons makes his point with the analogy: "...you may have great film equipment, but that's not why you're a success..."
Meanwhile the camera guy screws up the shot.
You don't think that was deliberate?
@@oaflet no the shots were no bueno
Lol!
"Well, this was mostly fun."
That sounds like a mathematician after mild socialization lol
14 Billion dollars, a fairly pleasant experience wouldn't you say?
O
".. kinda fun", in fact.
2 of my siblings are mathematicians and this is accurate 😂😂😂😂
The interview is has the attribute "fun" almoat everywhere.
That was a very good assessment from the interviewee. He said "that's an interesting question" on several occasions, and at the end said, "well this was kind of fun". So well done, you did a great job from his point of view, which is very important!
Reminds me of the Architect from the Matrix.
so true!!!!!
No....
Damn, I can go back after reading your comment!
Hope, It is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength and greatest weakness.
Beat me to the punch
who's favorite part of the video was when he said "with MY money......but nonetheless"
Shayne Williams hilarious 😂
@Markus Patients it had to be said
@Markus Patients agreed. I think it was my least favourite part of the interview.
How big does an ego need to be to need billions?
who is? english education ain't great either, i think
At the end, "This was kind of fun". A humble guy and still alive in 2023! All the best Mr. Simons.
Amazing... I didn't know Obi Wan Kenobi was a mathematician.
*The Architect.
May the 4s be with you.
"...but they'll soon be back, and in greater numbers"
Jedis are portrayed as warriors more than monks, for obvious cinematic reasons, but they would have to have atleast a top undergraduate level of maths..
@@saumitragautam8333 😂👍
Oh wow. Starting at 15:00, Mr. Simons says exactly how I feel about wanting to become a math teacher. I was a student that never really had a strong grasp on mathematical concepts, in fact I failed two of my math classes my freshman year of college. Now however I am getting A's on my tests and am absolutely in love with math. I want to get my master's after I complete my undergrad and hopefully work towards a PhD if life goes that way. I want people to never have to struggle like I did. I had some bad teachers that made me hate math, and I don't think it's fair that students get the bottom of the barrel when it comes to math and science teachers in high school. We need to push math and science more and more in the future, and the only way to get the future generations interested is by having teachers that truly have a passion for students to learn. If that means that my pay check is not as big as my colleagues, then so be it. If and when I see my future students become billionaires like Mr. Simons, I will smile to myself and be proud.
SenorDevin how did you do that? how? please help me...
SenorDevin That's an incredibly noble story. I would push on that and ask exactly what you think math teachers should do to show that they have a passion for their students to learn. I'm graduating in a little over a year and I've learned a lot in that time, and am still learning. I gotta tell you, it's not just about knowing the math. It's about how we teach it, and how we keep students engaged in a meaningful, real-world kind of way.
SenorDevin How did you do it?
Well said. I had similar wish to become a great scientist from secondary school and still had similar idea when I finished my phd. I thought money is not important; knowledge is my world and I enjoyed it and I still enjoy it. However. I met my girlfriend, now my wife. I need to get into the real world and earn some money to support my family, and made a decision not to worry about research funding any more..
SenorDevin My dream is to build an online infrastructure for youth so that math and science becomes a really enjoyable way of spending some of your time on the internet. A kind of modern forum/social network with great videos, software, and simulations that make total use of current technology and that also presents knowledge from upper year undergraduate courses that's really hard to find outside of expensive textbooks. The dream is that most students will have an understanding of math and science that is always ahead of their current school year, so they never have to see anything for the first time in school. They just show up, learn about what they're going to be expected to know for the exams during ordinary class, and then take the test to prove their competence in a way that society has always seen as legitimate. The school experience won't define their personal relationship with the subjects. The enthusiasm people have for these things in the public space is far better suited for packaging information for consumption than an underpaid teacher. Hopefully one day I'll be effective at channeling some of that enthusiasm.
12:43 His eyes lights up on hearing the question. Btw it was a great question ask a mathematician. He would be that he would immortalized if he does something like that.
This man has the most natural and (almost oddly) unalarming air of confidence to him. And I feel like he's earned that confidence.
"The computer does what you tell it to do. It's just a tool."
Yerp.
Exactly what I tell people about calculators. Many people who haven't learned much math past high school algebra like to think that you can just punch anything in a calculator and it'll spit out the correct answer. VERY wrong. The calculator only knows what you tell it to do. The operator must understand the math he uses the calculator for.
Till it becomes the terminator
Garbage in, garbage out
Thank capt. obvious
Tyler Traylor this reminds me of a time in high school where little kids thought the high schoolers were cheating cus they were using calculators for a homework problem 😂😂
He couldn’t be more spot on about the quality of math education
"We'll I'd probably trade some of it." As spoken by a true businessman.
No, the way he answered the questions was an indication to how he weighed his responses.. Because he's trained to do so in the marketplace.
@@Johnny-cz2wv both right
This was my favorite line
don't put your eggs in one basket
You wouldn't go to the grocery and give all your savings for sliced bread either, or would you?
"Chern" - It is actually Chen, but using a bizarre Chinese romanization system called "Gwoyeu Romatzyh" that was briefly popular in Taiwan.
CNVideos Woah, dropping some dank knowledge.
CNVideos
that's amazing
CNVideos fcking wikipedia monster u are !
CNVideos wooow what was that!!!
*****
no, if the guy romanized his name as "chern," then everybody speaking English will have pronounced it with the 'r,' it's not a matter of not knowing how to pronounce it.
you get the same thing with Japanese: people often romanize things that should be (for example) "chi" as "ti," or "tsu" as "tu," because that's the fastest way to type it on a Japanese computer. it doesn't remotely give English speakers the right idea, and so they scratch their heads about why people pronounce it weird, but often just accept it.
the fact that it doesn't match Japanese is sort of beside the point by then-that becomes how people pronounce it, and (in the case of names) may be how they introduce themselves when speaking English.
One of those rare people on earth, we need more!
I love the fact that MIT sent him to Berkeley.
Great interview.
Great interview. Many journalists should learn from this: no hostility, and the other side feels very comfortable. Simons was also very nice and humble. A gem of a video to watch.
RIP Jim, 1938-2024
Respect for paying your respects 🎉
Bro i feel very sad 😢 😢
because of your comment i had to go to google and i discovered it's true
It’s sad to find out that Mr. Simons passed away last month.
Sad to know this 😔
The Architect from the Matrix :D
"statistical anomaly" "ergo" "vis-a-vis"
Did he really say 'ergo' in this interview? Or are or are you just referring to the Architect?
Only referring to the Architect. Simon's actually says statistical anomaly in the video though.
Oh- haha, if someone actually used 'ergo' in a real-life interview, I'd be freaked out! :D
LOL
I use the word ERGO a lot...
I am not famous to be interviewed though...
I am educated in VARIOUS SCIENCES.. Mostly Math Computer Science...
Never saw the MATRIX either...
Here is an examples::
Cogito Ergo Sum!
Government Is (a necessary) EVIL!
ergo:: GOVERNMENT IS EVIL!
Obvious statement, but brilliant guy! The way he answers those questions is straight to the point. Very impressive.
“People work for a combination of money and respect” - I think that’s one of the most profound insights I’ve heard one taking in what work means for people. Work is one of the most important pillars of life... and here we have such a simple and profound conclusions about it.
Yes, unfortunately this mostly leads to getting badly payed menial jobs. So there must be something wrong with this approach. Only if you go for intrinsic motivation, for fun, or because you just believe in what you do, you will be truly successful and happy. He is a clear example of that. It's not clear if he realizes this himself.
Paul met Debbie
I think he’s career of spotting patterns in the stock market is a pathetic job in terms of contribution to society. No one benefits from that pattern recognition except himself.
Bill Gates, Elon Musk and even Jeff Bezos actually contribute something.
Elon talks about how most of the really smart people get into finance jobs but someone has to make the stuff.
James said people work for money or respect, but what about bringing something new to the world, inventing something. One could get a lot of satisfaction out of inventing something even if it doesn’t bring a lot of money or respect.
it's actually the statement i most disagree with. people don't work for money and respect, they work for value.
not everyone sees respect as a desirable asset.
@@ian9toes sounds like you have the desire to invent something 🤔
@@ian9toes You are missing the point entirely. People who have made money in their field desperately want to invest it, so it can grow. Colleges and public charities live off of their investments, silly. Simons's Medallion Fund allowed thousands of investors to compound their savings, which benefited students, charities, teachers, families, helped people survive in retirement, etc. You seem clueless and bitter or you just don't understand the purpose of investment management at all.
He's so right about our terrible math in K-12 teaching. I graduated 2001... all through it seemed to just repeat and was way slow. And the teachers weren't that great, some didn't even understand the material themselves.
I live a few houses down from this guy and one of my friends works for him. He's a very nice guy and he helped establish a park and does a lot to help local businesses. Thanks for the great video Numberphile!
what an accomplished man. anything but snoody and very understandable in his conversation. I like people like this.
I'm another boy who dreams of being a baseball.
Pretty sure you're the only one who dreams of being a "baseball".
Utsavbajra He isn't.
Utsavbajra When I was small I dreamed of being a shuttlecock
agent45267 I'm gonna be a blitzball when I grow up!
When I grow up I want to be a steam shovel!
This man proved that maths or science is not for just passing exams ,it has many real life applications too .it depends upon us how we use it ,only for passing exams or for real life too.
Earning money is one of the lamest application of maths
‘One guy’s discovery leads to another guy’s invention leading to another man’s machine’, Dope line 👏🏿
4:26
He reminds me of Mike from Breaking Bad
If people ask, what is the use of mathematics. Send them to this guy
jmw150 Would he not have an answer?
Not one applicable to most people... There is a lot more to math than hedge funds.
Fightclub1995 Or rather, try asking them to give an example of an invention in the last five centuries that didn't involve math.
Fightclub1995 When people ask me what the use of mathematics is, I just say, "I don't know, haven't figured it out. Hey, I'll give you five of these one dollar bills for that one fifty dollar bill."
+Fightclub1995 Bill Gates also went to Harvard to study mathematics.
None of my High School maths teachers could have worked for google. Not unless the job at google was to read aloud from a book that they didn't understand.
Very true. Agree with this 100%
"30-40 years ago if you knew some mathematics, say enough to teach lets say at high school... but today if you know that much mathematics [ie, enough to get a job teaching high school] you can get a job at Google, you can get a job at IBM, you can get a job at Goldman Sachs."
30-40 years ago *was* when I was enduring mathematics at high school. My teachers "knew enough to teach...at high school" back then but if you teleported them to today they wouldn't get a job at Google, IBM or Goldman Sachs. Unless, as I said, the job at the high tech company involved reading a book they didn't understand out loud. They weren't quite innumerate but the weren't a long stretch from being such. Any questions or requests for clarification of a point just resulted in them reading the text book out loud a second time. I learnt pretty early on that if I didn't get it from reading the text myself, I wasn't going to get any help from them.
gasdive you probably didn't take very high math then. in Calc and stats my teachers were brilliant, whereas the lesser maths were just book regurgitation as calc and stats is a bitch to teach if you don't know the material.
I don't know how it is in the US, but I am currently a sixth form student in the UK studying maths and f. Maths, and my teachers consist of someone with a theoretical physics degree, and someone who did work for someone like IBM (programming algorithms) back in the 80s, so I would say my teachers certainly could get higher paying jobs.
***** absolutely wrong in regards the USA and Canada.
2:30 Wait what?! I am "Chernavsky" from Poland. :)
He was expecting YOU!!
RIP Legend
I liked the interview a lot. Mr. Simons is a no BS guy, my kind of man!
"with my money,but nonetheless ". :D there is some ouch.haha
yeah lol. big oof
if he has $14 billion it wouldnt even make a dent
@@henryguitarhero he didn't have 14b in 1994 , but was very wealthy of course based off his own skills and the people he surrounded his self with
@@henryguitarhero personal worth (according to forbes) isn't the same as how much money someone has (available)
Thanks to the creators of Numberphile for coming up with amazing content about mathematics and featuring great people in this field!
Only statement where I felt he was wrong was about high school math teachers getting a job at Google, etc.
Another brilliant mind is Stephen Wolfram, who made money by inventing something deeply technical first hand.
Haha, I love him. "Well this was kind of fun."
nicko_rico
He was being sarcastic..
Slightly
He was not being sarcastic in the slightest..... But, who is John G.A.L.T.?
Sarcastic, he'd rather be doing math.
nico_rico well,*
It is great to become wealthy using your knowledge, but I think it is even more important to show the willing to learn how to be successful just like you Mr. Simons.
Why is his favorite number seven!?
These are the kinds of things that keep me up at night!
7 is the only whole number, also biblical.
Its just so refreshing to see a guy at his level that wanted to be a mathematician and went to MIT. So many of these guys inherited their wealth or leveraged connections and screwed people.
How would you like to make 15% per year, every year, even in down markets? Invest with me.
This guy is the dream. Profoundly successful, profoundly self aware. Love the lack of arrogance.
My dad had a jacket just like that...that was in 1986.
Bob - In that case, I think I may be your father...
It’s amazing how simple and basic Billionares are. Not all of them of course, but many of them.
I doubt that your dad's jacket was as expensive as this. All due respect to your dad but even though Simon looks plain, you can see from his "simple jewellery" that he isn't cheap
It's amazing how mathematicians are one of the most down to earth people!! He's a freaking Billionaire but extremely low key and not pretentious!!
He looks like Greg Popovich to me
He behaves like one would expect mathematician Greg Popovich to behave. I want to see mathematician Bobby Knight.
I’m related to Archimedes! He’s my mom’s first cousin, and he runs a souvlaki grill a couple of blocks over from my place.
Augustus is my Uncle
Actually galileo is my moms sister
if you know that everyone has 2 parents 4 grandparents and 8 grandgrandparents and 2^n ancesters of n generations prior, you will realise that you probably are related to anyone living in your region 1000 years ago if he had children;)
Hello Neo, I am the Architect. I created the matrix.
Which one?
@@luima5198 7th version
That's racist 🤡
Fraud fail
🤣🤣🤣 I was thinking the same thing. He does looks like him.
where's the brown paper?
Damn, besides being brilliant he has a pretty relaxed personality as well. Thanks for the upload.
This was incredible. Probably one of my favourite interviews I've ever seen. Fascinating and well spoken guy
Just about every month at the Simons Foundation headquarters in NYC there is a free lecture by a scientist or mathematician at the top of their field speaking in depth about cutting edge research. The lecture is preceded by tea. I have met Jim Simons there and he is one of the most down to earth and humble people I have ever come across.
This interview is great.
I think what he is not mentioning about the current state of modeling/trading is that there's so much competition now that there's predatory actors in the space. It's not all about noticing the trends but knowing what other actors are gonna do first.
I can't comprehend how smart guys like him are. Absolutely brilliant guys.
Facepalm. Rich people are not typically the smartest. In fact they often pursue insane amounts of wealth because they realize others are much smarter. It's insecurity on display and is often more shameful than impressive.
After $500 million, you have to be a bit off to keep doggedly pursuing money. There's no point to it.
Sane people make a fortune and then go off and enjoy life.
It's laughable how clueless you are
@@thunderpooch No... Although billionaires are an anomaly. The "succession" towards higher fortune is the result of continuous GROWTH. It is not some empty means which is creating the end result. Anyone who runs a successful business is expected to continue profiting as long as the business continues running and continues to supply a demand. This also applies for the succession of other forms of wealth. Some individuals may not be interested in sitting back. To them their business is their life. Just as work as a PRINCIPLE gives life to man... Helps him form his dignity. You can't be for sure that their necessary success is the result of some void unfulfilled "greed" ambition. Furthermore, such means brings about a great opportunity to support better means for the rest of society besides just himself relatively. How do you define "enough" anyways? There are individuals in this world surviving off less than what the average or poorest minimum wage worker earns in a year. The opportunity to do our best doesn't only give us the chance to be human and find our own peace of mind... But continue doing our happy work and perhaps share that to help others find theirs.
ThyReturner well said
0:28 - that's exactly what I used to do! I usually got up to about 8192 then started to think about what's for dinner.
Always love your videos Brady.
I feel. so sad, as i was about discovering about Mr James Simons, and his incredible work, he passes on, May 10th, I'm never going to forget today
Rip Mr Simons 😔
Really liked the quality of questions you asked him and the way you were attentive in listening to Jim (compared to what I saw just now on TED interview that guy kept cutting Jim & was more worried about his time than listening to him)
This guy kind of reminds me of the architect from the Matrix movie and he is a incredibly smart person. It is amazing not a lot people don't know who he is.
Fantastic interview: "7, next question". That's going to keep me up at night.
18:22 "Well this was kind of fun."
Favorite mathematicians: Archimedes and Euler? What, no Karl Frederick Gauss? You, the statistics guy?
the whole video is checkmate to people who say "Math is useless in real life".
Currently studying the Chern-Simons theory....having a hard time understanding it!
Need help? I completed my thesis on it two years ago. Message me if you need to.
Albert Schrodinger Is that your real last name? If so, what a GREAT name! :)
Albert Schrodinger Can I also get that? I'd love to learn more about because I'm currently in Physics and Mathematics.
shandrio of course not. the real name is written with ö!
Amir Farjad You are not alone.
18:09 I immediately shout out "Euler" as soon as the question was asked! I knew it.
Where's your billion?
I think all the camera angles from strange places make it seem a bit creepy; at 8:36 it's like someone is watching him XD
REALLY CREEPY LOL!
I stayed on Jim Simons' yatch a few nights when they traveled through Vietnam. We got to have dinner with him at a restaurant in HaLong and he was a pleasant person.
This man is so smart his answers are thoughtfully done he deserves it
Strange how the interviewer downplays the fact that he basically cracked the stock market. "Would you trade it to crack the reimann hypothesis?" 18 billion in his bank account shows that he solved a very significant mathematical puzzle.
You can't "crack" the stock market; not in its its entirety, anyway. You can maybe use math to exploit certain sections temorarily. But in the end NOONE cam predict the future.
@@daytonasayswhat9333 What you're saying is obvious. As he says in the video, he pioneered statistical modeling of the financial markets.
I would like to add, that I think we should not measure the significance of a mathematical puzzle by the amount of money you make solving it.
Not everything can (and should) amount to money. :)
this was why tesla and einsteins math was forbidden, and this was just one of those reasons why.
Well he said he saw some of the anomalies in prices (maybe system trading) and therafter able to predict the market
15:00 As a math teacher, I was glad to hear him talk about this.
Spencer Key I have the dream of becoming a math teacher myself in a few years, not because I dream small but because I love math and love teaching, mind if I ask you what exactly is needed to become a Math teacher? Do my other grades matter? I'm an A+ student at math but at every other subject (Which I don't like at all and don't put effort into) I just either fail or am close to failing. When I'm done with school, what exactly is it that I need to do/know to become a teacher?
~Thank you!
***** I'm not a traditional math teacher, but I am passionate about math. I have a Bachelor's degree in Physics from UC Santa Cruz. I am an Instructor at Mathnasium (a math learning center) in Dublin, CA. Currently, there is a great need for quality math teachers and low supply. If you enjoy math and are decent at teaching, I'm sure you can fulfill your dreams.
CM Danny u should balance all subjects even just for passing grades.. anyway u can teach though even if u got low grades.. it depends on who will hire you
"This was kind of fun" - you have to love this guy
"The computer does it what you tell it to do". I like this quote.
The secret first episode of The Numberphile Podcast.
Honestly Brady, you are a really good interviewer! You asked some interesting questions that clearly got him thinking.
I would love to spend an hour with him. It's such a joy listening to someone who's intelligent and has a great mind on his shoulders.
Absolute boss.
@@prostatitiscpps7962 You can feel the bossness exuding from him
What a fascinating man. I've honestly never seen so many brilliant people until I've subscribed to this channel. Great work!
"If the wrong man uses the right means, the right means work in the wrong way." This Chinese saying stands in sharp contrast to our belief in the "right" method irrespective of the one who applies it. In reality, everything depends on the person & little or nothing on method. The method is merely the path, the direction taken by a man; the way he acts is the true expression of his nature ~CG Jung Alchemical Studies
I love how humble he is.
Humble? His pulse is about to flat line.
Hey, commie, you don't deserve other peoples money.
@@thunderpooch do you have to be young and healthy to be humble dipshit?
If you know enough as a high school teacher, you know enough to work in Google. Google will pay you more. How do you address this? James is full of insight. He can see that education is important to the United States and the system is in crisis.
He really knows stuff we will never ever imagine
Wallstreet has been hijacked by algorithms and a.i.
Love this guy!
The interviewer did a really great job here, thanks!