Why does Lex Fridman wear a suit?

Lex Fridman wears a suit as part of his podcasting attire to convey a sense of taking himself and his interactions seriously, and to maintain a level of formality and respect for his audience. He was influenced by the general laid-back dress code in academia and the tech industry, where he felt a lack of seriousness in personal presentation. Wearing a suit helps him take every moment seriously and focus on the content of his conversations rather than fashion.

He was inspired by figures like Richard Feynman and the classic style of the "Mad Men" era. Fridman believes that wearing a simple, classy suit allows others to focus more on his character, embodying the idea that "you wear a shabby dress and everyone sees the dress; you wear a beautiful dress and everyone sees the woman," a quote he associates with Coco Chanel, emphasizing that a suit strips away the distraction of fashion to highlight the individual's essence 1.