#818: John Arnold with Dr. Peter Attia — The Greatest Energy Trader of All Time on Lessons Learned, Walking Away from Wall Street, and Reinventing Philanthropy
Description
In this special episode, my friend—and fan-favorite guest—Dr. Peter Attia takes the mic as guest host. Peter sits down with legendary trader John Arnold, widely considered the greatest energy trader of all time. Today, through his foundation Arnold Ventures, John applies the same rigorous thinking to some of America’s toughest social challenges—criminal justice reform, healthcare policy, and K–12 education, to name just a few. This interview originally aired on Peter’s excellent podcast The Drive. You can check it out at PeterAttiaMD.com, or subscribe to The Drive wherever you get your podcasts.
This episode is brought to you by:
Vanta trusted compliance and security platform: https://vanta.com/tim ($1000 off)
Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim (use code TIM to get $350 off your very own Pod 5 Ultra.)
Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://Wealthfront.com/Tim (Start earning 3.75% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) from program banks on your short-term cash until you’re ready to invest. And when new clients open an account, they can get an extra fifty-dollar bonus with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more.) Terms & Conditions apply. The APY on cash deposits as of 09/26/25 is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage. See full disclosures here.
Timestamps:
[00:00:00 ] Start.
[00:05:37 ] Peter Attia's intro: who is John Arnold?
[00:08:38 ] John's background, upbringing, and early entrepreneurial tendencies.
[00:21:16 ] John's time and rise at Enron.
[00:33:40 ] Characteristics that made John an exceptional natural gas trader and how they translate to his philanthropic work.
[00:41:10 ] The collapse of Enron.
[00:46:46 ] The success of John's hedge fund, and his early interest in philanthropy.
[01:02:03 ] The infamous 2006 trade that brought down Amaranth Advisors.
[01:08:28 ] John's analytical prowess and emphasis on fundamentals.
[01:15:13 ] The decision to become a full-time philanthropist and the founding of Arnold Ventures.
[01:25:03 ] Education — John's quest to fundamentally change K-12 education.
[01:30:36 ] Strategic philanthropy — preventing problems by attacking root causes and creating structural change.
[01:37:50 ] The criminal justice system — structural changes needed to address mass incarceration, policing practices, and recidivism.
[01:55:07 ] Re-imagining prisons to reduce recidivism.
[02:02:27 ] US health care policy — John's focus on drug prices, and the severe consequences of not making system changes.
[02:20:00 ] Climate change — the bipartisan role of John's foundation.
[02:23:52 ] Advice for young adults interested in philanthropy.
[02:30:52 ] Parting thoughts.
*
For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.
For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors
Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.
For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.
Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.
Follow Tim:
Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss
Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss
YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss
Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss
Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, <a href="https://tim.blog/2016/05/29/marc-andreessen/" rel="noopener norefer
United States
