Gavin Newsom is dropping the "mask" — here's what changed

California Governor Gavin Newsom joins Axios National Political Correspondent Alex Thompson on The Axios Show to discuss the "ruthless" future of American politics, his personal relationship with Vice President Kamala Harris, and why he refuses to be an AI "doomer." In this wide-ranging interview, Newsom reflects on his new book "Young Men in a Hurry," the "mask" he wore early in his career, and his candid assessments of tech giants like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. Timestamps: 00:00 - Teaser: "I'm not a doomer." 00:22 - Is Gavin Newsom "Hillary 2.0"? 02:07 - California’s lead on AI regulation and safety 03:42 - The P(doom) debate: Why Newsom isn't an AI doomer 04:52 - 1-sentence summaries: Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, and Elon Musk 05:43 - Why Elon Musk is "one of the great disappointments" 07:37 - The truth about the Newsom-Kamala Harris relationship 11:03 - Advice from Barack Obama and fighting "fire with fire" 13:03 - Recent conversations with Joe Biden 15:10 - Responding to David Axelrod's "self-puffery" critique 16:45 - Trump’s comments on learning disabilities and dyslexia 18:16 - "Young Men in a Hurry": The mask and the man underneath 23:52 - Shakespeare, Fallstaff, and the "superpower" of empathy