Veritasium: the videos Hacker News recommends
Not the channel's most viewed videos: the ones HN commenters kept linking with real commentary. The top pick, "Why Being Delusional is a Superpower", linked in threads about meritocracy, careers and startups as a reminder that luck shapes who ends up on top.
- 9 HN recommenders 9 months 2020–2024explainerLinked in threads about meritocracy, careers and startups as a reminder that luck shapes who ends up on top.
- 8 HN recommenders 8 months 2017–2025explainerHN commenters link it whenever a shaky study or the p<0.05 threshold comes up, as a short primer on false positives in science.
- 9 HN recommenders 9 months 2015–2022explainerHN recommends it as one of the clearest layman explanations of Bell's theorem.
- 10 HN recommenders 8 months 2023–2026explainerHN commenters reach for it constantly as an approachable explanation of why cooperation and reciprocity are rational strategies.
- 6 HN recommenders 7 months 2020–2024explainerUsed as the standard reference in threads about light speed, clock synchronization and untestable assumptions in physics.
- 10 HN recommenders 7 months 2024–2026documentaryHN recommends it as a gripping story of single-minded persistence against the herd, and as the back story behind modern LED lighting.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2021–2024explainerHN commenters recommend it as a clear, accessible introduction to incompleteness and the self-referential proof idea.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2014–2024explainerHN commenters recommend it as a short, clear explanation of why moving charges create magnetic fields.
- 7 HN recommenders 6 months 2021–2026explainerOften recommended as an eye-opening field-based explanation of electricity, though it was also controversial and criticized as pedantic.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2022–2026explainerFrequently recommended in threads on learning, the 10,000 hours rule and deliberate practice as a clearer account of how expertise develops.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2022–2026explainerHN commenters recommend it whenever leaded fuel, toxic chemicals or corporate profit motives come up, praising its storytelling and accessible science.
- 7 HN recommenders 6 months 2021–2024explainerThe standard link whenever someone claims to be a visual learner or learning styles come up, with sources listed in the description.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2026explainerHN commenters recommend it as one of Veritasium's best videos and one that has aged well.
- 7 HN recommenders 5 months 2022–2025explainerTreated as the accessible reference on analog computing for neural nets, especially the Mythic AI segment.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2021–2025explainerRecommended in threads on analog computing, photonic chips, AI hardware and tide prediction as an engaging history of Kelvin's machines.
- 7 HN recommenders 5 months 2020–2025explainerHN links it as a go-to intuitive explanation whenever gravity as spacetime curvature or free fall comes up.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2023explainerHN commenters call it a favourite Veritasium video, praised for how a simple equation reveals surprisingly complex patterns.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2021–2025commentaryHN cites it whenever YouTube titles and thumbnails come up, both to defend creators and to criticize the drift toward clickbait.
- 6 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2018explainerRecommended in kilogram-redefinition threads as a clear, short explainer of the Avogadro and Planck approaches.
- 7 HN recommenders 5 months 2014–2025explainerFrequently cited as the source for claims about click farms and fake likes in Facebook advertising, though some argue its methodology was flawed.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023explainerStrongly recommended as a mind-bending, approachable explanation of aperiodic patterns, even enjoyable with kids.
- 7 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2025explainerHN links it in threads on bikes, countersteering and control systems as the clearest demonstration of how bikes actually steer and balance.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2023–2024explainerHN commenters say it made entropy intuition click and point to it in threads on energy, heat and equilibrium.
- 10 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2021explainerHN repeatedly recommends it as an excellent explanation of why flying on Mars is hard and how the helicopter was built.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2015–2023explainerRecommended as a clear explanation of where mass actually comes from.
- 7 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2023explainerHN recommends it as a well-visualized, story-driven history of complex numbers, suitable for beginners; some quibble with its framing of algebra and geometry.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2024explainerCommenters link it as the engaging go-to explainer on planned obsolescence and the lightbulb cartel.
- 8 HN recommenders 4 months 2019–2021explainerRecommended for correctly predicting the features of the real black hole image and clearly explaining the lensing physics behind it.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2024explainerPraised as an excellent, accessible account of why the kilogram's definition changed, in redefinition threads.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2016–2025explainerHN recommends it as a short, intuitive introduction to the pilot wave (de Broglie-Bohm) interpretation of quantum mechanics.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2023–2024documentaryHN commenters point to it as a nice introduction to micromouse and maze-racing robots.
- 6 HN recommenders 4 months 2023–2026explainerWhenever NIST's pricey peanut butter or reference materials come up, commenters point to this as the clear explanation of why they exist.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2024explainerHN points people to it as the explanation that finally made Fourier transforms and the FFT click, with a good historical story.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2025explainerHN commenters link it as the clearest short explanation of regression to the mean, especially for how it misleads people about feedback and statistics.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2021explainerHN uses it as the go-to demonstration of how unintuitive mass conservation is, especially in weight loss and burning threads.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2021explainerHN commenters like it as a high-quality, accessible look at an under-appreciated engineering idea and bring it up in snap-fit and hinge discussions.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2026explainerHN commenters recommend it as the accessible deep-dive on EUV lithography and why chip manufacturing is so hard.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2021explainerUsed as a short, well-made rebuttal to common global warming arguments in climate threads.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026documentaryRecommended as a good, accessible explanation of PFAS, its low safe limits and why regulation matters.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025explainerRecommended as high-quality physics communication and as an introduction to Noether and energy non-conservation in cosmology.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2026explainerHN cites it for the field-based picture of power transfer, noting it was controversial at release but the experiment largely backed the creator.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2021demoHN uses it as a quick, clear demonstration of the Magnus effect behind spinning-cylinder ships and planes.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2025explainerHN commenters bring it up as a good related watch in any thread about fallout, nuclear tests or detecting hidden events through indirect evidence.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2025–2026explainerHN commenters recommend it for changing how they think about distributions and for showing how criticality shows up across earthquakes, wildfires and other fields.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2024explainerCited in threads about perceived time as a good, detailed explanation of the effect.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2011–2024explainerHN uses it in debates on video-based teaching and how confronting misconceptions helps learning, though some find its Khan Academy critique flawed.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023explainerFrequently linked whenever wind-powered vehicles come up, as the clearest visual explanation of how the craft works.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2023explainerRecommended as a clear demonstration of confirmation bias and the value of trying to break your own hypothesis.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023explainerLinked as clear demonstrations that make the counterintuitive faster-than-wind result click.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2026explainerCommenters point to it as the best short explanation of X inactivation and why calico cats and some human traits are mosaics.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2025explainerRecommended as a good primer on what IQ scores mean and their limited effect on life outcomes.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025–2026explainerHN points to it as an accessible explainer of AlphaFold and as an example of narrow, specialized ML delivering real scientific breakthroughs.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025–2026explainerCommenters send it to people asking how engines survive such temperatures, and call it fascinating and worth watching.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2026explainerHN cites it in LLM randomness and number-picking threads as evidence that humans are also biased and predictable when asked for random numbers.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2019explainerHN recommends it as a good layperson explanation of how LIGO's detection works and why it is so hard.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2025explainerHN commenters call it eye-opening and deeper than typical layman explanations, linking it in double-slit and mechanics threads.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2026documentaryRecommended as one of the most accessible introductions to PCR and its history.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2024explainerHN points to it as an accessible introduction to Bayesian reasoning and as inspiration for personal projects.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2021explainerHN commenters use it to put radiation exposure and risk into perspective, including everyday sources like flights and smoking.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2024explainerCommenters point to it as a clear explanation of the different types of night vision and why analog image intensifiers behave differently from digital ones.
Questions
Which Veritasium video does Hacker News recommend most?
Why Being Delusional is a Superpower: recommended in 9 different months by 9 HN users between 2020 and 2024.
Is this every Veritasium video?
No. Only videos that at least three different HN users linked, in at least three different months, with at least a sentence of their own commentary. That filter is what makes the list useful.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.