Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman Ep149 "What makes a brain grow up resilient?" with David Sussillo
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Apr 13, 2026 
David Sussillo, neuroscientist and technologist who rose from a chaotic childhood to work at Stanford, Google Brain, and Meta. He recounts surviving addiction, group homes, and schooling shifts. Conversations cover mentorship, how the internet and video games offered refuge and skills. They also explore genes versus environment, probabilistic paths to resilience, and better supports for kids aging out of care.
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Growing Up In A Chaotic Group Home
- David Sussillo grew up with heroin-addicted parents, poverty, and was placed in a group home for five years starting around age eight.
- He described the home as high turnover with rotating house parents and no stable anchor, leaving kids feeling alone and feral.
From Orphanage To Carnegie Mellon
- After his mother died, David moved between relatives, then attended Milton Hershey School and later Carnegie Mellon for computer science and math.
- He credits early identification as