The man some people call the “monk of Silicon Valley,” a “tech Buddha” and a “modern Yoda” really doesn’t want to talk about himself. 

Doing so, Naval Ravikant tells me, is a “low-value distraction” from his work, the subject of which is what prompted me to ask Ravikant for an interview in the first place. Although ostensibly an investor in tech startups, Ravikant has become a cult internet celebrity through a series of viral tweets—about cryptocurrency, wealth creation, mindfulness and other topics that tend to excite techies. Fan pages compile his wisdom; artists share portrait sketches of him on social media; and podcast royalty amplify his thoughts on their shows.