Alex Tsakiris

Skeptiko Founder and Consciousness Researcher

Alex Tsakiris is an American information technology entrepreneur and podcaster who founded Skeptiko in 2007, establishing it as one of the longest-running and most influential platforms exploring consciousness science, paranormal phenomena, and the boundary between accepted and fringe research. With millions of downloads accumulated over 16+ years, Skeptiko has become the de facto interview archive for consciousness studies, UFO/UAP phenomena, near-death experiences, and parapsychology.

Technical Foundation and AI Background

Tsakiris holds a background in quantitative information systems and an MBA, and pursued doctoral research in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Arizona. He founded Mind Path Technologies, an AI company, before transitioning to full-time podcasting. This technical grounding informs his skeptical-but-open approach to framing scientific claims and paranormal narratives alike.

The Skeptiko Method

Skeptiko operates on Tsakiris's guiding principle: "Follow the data...wherever it leads." Rather than dismissing fringe inquiry or uncritically endorsing fringe claims, Tsakiris interviews a diverse range of guests—mainstream scientists, rigorous skeptics, consciousness researchers, and spiritual teachers—in hour-long conversations. His approach challenges what he views as the materialist bias of contemporary science while maintaining rigorous epistemological standards. In his book Why Science Is Wrong...About Almost Everything (foreword by Rupert Sheldrake), Tsakiris argues against reductionist frameworks and advocates for broader inquiry into consciousness, psi phenomena, and non-ordinary experience.

Coverage of UFO/UAP and Consciousness

While Skeptiko primarily focuses on consciousness studies and paranormal research, Tsakiris has featured UFO and UAP encounters within the broader framework of how consciousness science intersects with unexplained phenomena. He has interviewed researchers, pilots, and insiders discussing the strangeness of close encounters, government disclosure efforts, and the implications of non-human intelligence for our understanding of consciousness itself.