Deep Questions with Cal Newport · October 30, 2026 · 15m

Do Hard Things (Featuring: Jerry Seinfeld)

Cal Newport discusses a story about Jerry Seinfeld from a recent Acquired podcast, using it as a launching point to argue that embracing difficult, cognitively demanding work is the key to thriving in an AI‑saturated economy.

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Doing hard things builds irreplaceable cognitive capital00:00

Cal Newport argues that systematically practicing difficult, deep‑focus work is the best preparation for a career landscape increasingly shaped by AI.

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