Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Jean-Baptiste Kempf is lead developer of VLC and president of VideoLAN. Kieran Kunhya is a longtime FFmpeg contributor, codec engineer, and the person behind the now-infamous FFmpeg account on X.
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep496-sb
See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
*Transcript:*
lexfridman.com/ffmpeg-transcript
*CONTACT LEX:*
*Feedback* - give feedback to Lex: lexfridman.com/survey
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*Other* - other ways to get in touch: lexfridman.com/contact
*EPISODE LINKS:*
FFmpeg on X: https://x.com/FFmpeg
FFmpeg: ffmpeg.org
VideoLAN (VLC): videolan.org
VideoLAN on X: https://x.com/videolan
Jean-Baptiste's Website: jbkempf.com
Jean-Baptiste's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jbkempf
Jean-Baptiste's GitHub: github.com/jbkempf
Kieran's X: https://x.com/kierank_
Kieran's LinkedIn: bit.ly/3OORhmC
Kieran's GitHub: github.com/kierank
*SPONSORS:*
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
*Larridin:* Measure AI adoption in your business.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/larridin-ep496-sb
*Blitzy:* AI agent for large enterprise codebases.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/blitzy-ep496-sb
*BetterHelp:* Online therapy and counseling.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/betterhelp-ep496-sb
*Fin:* AI agent for customer service.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/fin-ep496-sb
*LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep496-sb
*Perplexity:* AI-powered answer engine.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/perplexity-ep496-sb
*OUTLINE:*
0:00 - Episode highlight
2:17 - Introduction
5:35 - Weirdest things VLC opens
9:59 - How video playback works
19:20 - Video codecs and containers
30:07 - FFmpeg explained
51:07 - Linus Torvalds
55:46 - Turning down millions to keep VLC ad-free
1:10:04 - FFmpeg & Google drama
1:29:18 - FFmpeg developers
1:35:55 - VLC and FFmpeg
1:40:29 - History of FFmpeg
1:43:46 - Reverse engineering codecs
1:57:01 - FFmpeg testing
2:01:08 - Assembly code (handwritten)
2:25:26 - Rust programming language
2:34:42 - FFmpeg and Libav fork
2:43:04 - Open source burnout
2:50:51 - x264 and internet video
3:04:07 - Video compression basics
3:11:04 - CIA and fake VLC
3:21:39 - Ultra low latency streaming
3:39:07 - AV2 codec and video patents
3:48:59 - VLC backdoors
3:59:14 - Video archiving
4:05:51 - Future of FFmpeg and VLC
*PODCAST LINKS:*
- Podcast Website: lexfridman.com/podcast
- Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2lwqZIr
- Spotify: spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
- RSS: lexfridman.com/feed/podcast
- Podcast Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4
- Clips Channel: youtube.com/lexclips
*SOCIAL LINKS:*
- X: https://x.com/lexfridman
- Instagram: instagram.com/lexfridman
- TikTok: tiktok.com/@lexfridman
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lexfridman
- Facebook: facebook.com/lexfridman
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- Telegram: https://t.me/lexfridman
- Reddit: reddit.com/r/lexfridman
Jean-Baptiste Kempf is lead developer of VLC and president of VideoLAN. Kieran Kunhya is a longtime FFmpeg contributor, codec engineer, and the person behind the now-infamous FFmpeg account on X.
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep496-sb
See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
*Transcript:*
lexfridman.com/ffmpeg-transcript
*CONTACT LEX:*
*Feedback* - give feedback to Lex: lexfridman.com/survey
*AMA* - submit questions, videos or call-in: lexfridman.com/ama
*Hiring* - join our team: lexfridman.com/hiring
*Other* - other ways to get in touch: lexfridman.com/contact
*EPISODE LINKS:*
FFmpeg on X: https://x.com/FFmpeg
FFmpeg: ffmpeg.org
VideoLAN (VLC): videolan.org
VideoLAN on X: https://x.com/videolan
Jean-Baptiste's Website: jbkempf.com
Jean-Baptiste's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jbkempf
Jean-Baptiste's GitHub: github.com/jbkempf
Kieran's X: https://x.com/kierank_
Kieran's LinkedIn: bit.ly/3OORhmC
Kieran's GitHub: github.com/kierank
*SPONSORS:*
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
*Larridin:* Measure AI adoption in your business.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/larridin-ep496-sb
*Blitzy:* AI agent for large enterprise codebases.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/blitzy-ep496-sb
*BetterHelp:* Online therapy and counseling.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/betterhelp-ep496-sb
*Fin:* AI agent for customer service.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/fin-ep496-sb
*LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep496-sb
*Perplexity:* AI-powered answer engine.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/perplexity-ep496-sb
*OUTLINE:*
0:00 - Episode highlight
2:17 - Introduction
5:35 - Weirdest things VLC opens
9:59 - How video playback works
19:20 - Video codecs and containers
30:07 - FFmpeg explained
51:07 - Linus Torvalds
55:46 - Turning down millions to keep VLC ad-free
1:10:04 - FFmpeg & Google drama
1:29:18 - FFmpeg developers
1:35:55 - VLC and FFmpeg
1:40:29 - History of FFmpeg
1:43:46 - Reverse engineering codecs
1:57:01 - FFmpeg testing
2:01:08 - Assembly code (handwritten)
2:25:26 - Rust programming language
2:34:42 - FFmpeg and Libav fork
2:43:04 - Open source burnout
2:50:51 - x264 and internet video
3:04:07 - Video compression basics
3:11:04 - CIA and fake VLC
3:21:39 - Ultra low latency streaming
3:39:07 - AV2 codec and video patents
3:48:59 - VLC backdoors
3:59:14 - Video archiving
4:05:51 - Future of FFmpeg and VLC
*PODCAST LINKS:*
- Podcast Website: lexfridman.com/podcast
- Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2lwqZIr
- Spotify: spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
- RSS: lexfridman.com/feed/podcast
- Podcast Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4
- Clips Channel: youtube.com/lexclips
*SOCIAL LINKS:*
- X: https://x.com/lexfridman
- Instagram: instagram.com/lexfridman
- TikTok: tiktok.com/@lexfridman
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lexfridman
- Facebook: facebook.com/lexfridman
- Patreon: patreon.com/lexfridman
- Telegram: https://t.me/lexfridman
- Reddit: reddit.com/r/lexfridman
