I've been following JP for years. I first came across him when I was a big Sam Harris fan, where they discussed truth almost 8 years ago. I've watched an obscene amount of his content and seen him live in 2018, 2019 and 2023.

My understanding of what's going on is the following:

I do think that the heat directed his way would be less if he focused on his core “personal responsibility” message and less on topical political talking points. But on the other hand, his input was probably another straw on the woke culture camel's back that helped move the West away from the psychosis.

FWIW, I'm a bit sad about the direction he's gone in. When I saw him live in 2018/19, his talks seemed unscripted. I remember reading that every night he'd talk, the topic would be different, and he'd go wherever his mind would take him. These live events were excellent. Fast forward to the end of 2023 – 10 minutes of advertisements at the beginning for his programs (e.g. Peterson Academy, DW, etc.), a 15-minute speech by his wife live on stage, and a 50-minute talk by Peterson, who covered literally no new ground from his talks in 2018/19. It was remarkably disappointing. It pains me to say, but I feel like he's sold out a little.

I'll forever see him favourably as my biggest intellectual influence during my most formative young adult years.