Co-inventor of public-key encryption, winner of the Turing prize, and advocate for world peace—Martin Hellman shares his insights on technology, conflict, and personal development.

Martin Hellman achieved legendary status as co-inventor of the Diffie-Hellman public key exchange algorithm, a breakthrough in software and computer cryptography. That invention and his ongoing work in cryptography and digital signatures earned him a Turing award in 2015. He has since followed that up with a second act devoted to promoting world peace and personal development.

I was recently able to meet with Mr. Hellman for a far-ranging conversation about the technological and personal synergies that have shaped his thinking and defined his career. It was both a pleasure and an honor to interview one of the true luminaries of technology innovation.

  • Ms. ArmoredThirteenEnglish
    25•11 months ago

    For anyone curious about the roulette part specifically:

    I estimated the risk of a major nuclear war was roughly equivalent to pulling the trigger in “nuclear roulette” once every fifteen years, so about five times over the life of a child born today.

    • @Gradually_AdjustingEnglish
      18•11 months ago

      To paraphrase Dan Carlin, one can expect a stuntman to walk a tightrope for a while, but what if he had to walk it forever?