Was Putin a good KGB agent? | Jack Barsky and Lex Fridman

Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

GUEST BIO:
Jack Barsky is a former KGB spy and author of "Deep Undercover: My Secret Life and Tangled Allegiances as a KGB Spy in America".

PODCAST INFO:

SOCIAL:

[axelfoley]

I don't think anyone is seriously debating whether Putin is smart or dumb. Putin is clearly smart to rise to be the leader of Russia and hold power for over 22 years is no easy feat.

[Narwarlock]

We don't know a ton about his time as a kgb agent, so I can't imagine he was that bad of one. My guess is that he wasn't one to push the envelope too much and was always able to position himself well so he never took the fall for stuff going wrong

[Kobesteris]

Wow, I was impressed by Jack Barsky openness when he said directly "You have just gave me a good lesson". He would be brilliant person for a chat.

[jonmiller]

Lex shows good example of steel man in push back on Kalugin's opinion. Jack shows intelligent re-evaluation of his position based on point made by Lex. This is how good interviews are done. I will have to watch the whole interview. Great clip.

[antonc]

You should interview Yuri Shvets, who graduated from the same KGB institute as Putin, but unlike Putin he was stationed in Washington. He lives in the states, speaks perfect English and has a YouTube channel.

[michiganebayflipper]

You can see the conflict running behind Lex in this interview. Truly to be impartial in this type of scenario has to be very difficult to impossible in a interview. I tend to think only people who are truly impartial would have to be from a different world. Props to him as he attempts as most people won't even go that far.

[antonionotmyrealnamo]

What makes a 'good' KGB Agent? It's not all being covert or turning assets. Organizational skills are always useful, in EVERY job. If you're a plumber who has no organizational skills, even if you're the best plumber in the world, your results will be overpriced and take too long. I think this is drilling in at weird angles to get the result you're looking for.

[seanhastings]

One thing that's true of intelligence-gathering as well as any other workplace--people who get promoted aren't always the best at the job, and the best at the job aren't always the ones who get promoted. Highly-motivated, highly-talented intelligence officers don't usually last sixteen years like Putin did-a lot of them burn out in less than a decade because espionage is one of the most difficult, most stressful professions in the world.

[Undone]

Lex you were superb on this one. The gentleman remarked that poutin was not exceptional as an agent. This is likely true to the degree that in many fields the best are not promoted into positions where they are less effective. The "best agents" are too valuable in their positions in those key European countries he mentioned to ever reach leadership positions.

What poutin did have was the necessary competence, ambition, and opportunity rise within his organisation. What is perhaps more significant is his ability to maintain in power for so long and effectively eliminate all competition.

[cheffrey]

My father met him in Moscow after the fall of ussr. My father was secret service and went there with the president Al detail. He knew my mothers name and knew she just gave birth to me. Crazy to think of

[josezerpa]

Lex you're a great interviewer, it is the first time I watch your show, keep it up man!

[glennscott]

You are on the right path Lex with your determination to discover truth. Truth is the key to civilizational progress.

[bobnicholas]

Whether Putin was a good or bad kgb agent is moot. He discovered he was good at networking and getting in with the right people. Putin obviously has charisma. Like every boss while I was home watching T.V. he was doing something work related. His performance as a kgb agent was good enough to get him in the door with the big players. Someone thought e as good..

[sekwar]

To do what Putin has done politically is arguably more impressive than anything any other world leader has done in recent history. It may have been brutal and unethical, but in terms of the sheer length of time he has remained in power, and the amount of influence he has exerted, he's impressive.

[alenkodzoman]

He was an agent, he speaks fluently english and french and i think german, i know that he was because a family friend worked for the jugoslavian secret agency and told us he met him when putin was very young and at the beginning of his carrier in the kgb, but he also told us that putin is a machine, very intelligent he understands everything very quickly.

[therevrockinrollin]

You don’t have to be good - just survive.

[jaykay]

There is nothing surprising about Putin being a mediocre or even below average "agent", but possessing superior "managerial or executive" skills.

I've witnessed this first hand in business, often times the people who end up on the top or near the top of the managerial pyramid are average or below average in "technical" skill.
But, they have an innate ability to rise through the ranks via cunning, manipulation and outright lying if it's called for. "Shamelessness" is often a part of this package, and as we've seen
with Trump, it works remarkably well.

[kristinewhitfield]

I think Putin is a very intelligent man. A lot of his speeches actually do make sense from his point of view .

[gothamantiquities]

Lex you sir are an awesome non-bias interviewer!

[MJ-gejz]

Yes, politician have to be excellent at lying. Most can easily be detected now a days. How? Their lips move.