Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, joins Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Antonio Garcia Martinez to talk about the company's evolution and the broader crypto landscape. Following Coinbase's public listing and the recent regulatory environment, Armstrong discusses Coinbase's focus on product development, their efforts in Washington D.C., and strategies for increasing global crypto adoption. Armstrong also touches on his venture into biotech with New Limit, the changing media landscape, and the future of economic freedom through decentralized technologies. -- 🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj -- SPONSORS: 💻 Building an enterprise-ready SaaS app? WorkOS has got you covered with easy-to-integrate APIs for SAML, SCIM, and more. Join top startups like Vercel, Perplexity, Jasper & Webflow in powering your app with WorkOS. Enjoy a free tier for up to 1M users! Start now at bit.ly/WorkOS-TCR 📈 More than 37,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. If you're looking for an ERP platform, get a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program on NetSuite: www.netsuite.com/102 🌐 Ready to achieve your 2024 goals? Start learning a new language with Babbel in just three weeks. Enjoy app lessons, live classes, and podcasts designed for real-world conversations. Get up to 60% off at www.babbel.com/zen 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie Patrick McKenzie (@patio11) talks to experts who understand the complicated but not unknowable systems we rely on. You might be surprised at how quickly Patrick and his guests can put you in the top 1% of understanding for stock trading, tech hiring, and more. Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3Mos4VE3figVXleHDqfXOH Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/complex-systems-with-patrick-mckenzie-patio11/id1753399812 -- LINKS: Base: www.base.org/ Coinbase Developer Platform: www.coinbase.com/developer-platform New Limit: www.newlimit.com/ Farcaster: www.farcaster.xyz/ Stand With Crypto: www.standwithcrypto.org/ -- FOLLOW ON X: @brian_armstrong (Brian) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @dwr (Dan) @antoniogm (Antonio) @moz_podcast (MoZ) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine) -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:57) Brian's Current Focus Areas at Coinbase (03:59) Coinbase's Move Towards Decentralization (05:59) Coinbase's Approach to Innovation (11:00) Thoughts on Mass Market Crypto Adoption (15:31) Sponsor: WorkOS | NetSuite (17:44) Crypto's Implications Beyond Payments (23:54) Experiences with Crypto Regulation in DC (28:56) Sponsor: Babbel | Squad (31:57) Coinbase's Marketing Strategy (35:59) Measuring Economic Freedom and Crypto Adoption (44:52) Origins of New Limit Biotech Company (50:59) Challenges of Shifting from Crypto to Biotech (53:58) Reflections on Dan Romero's Contributions to Coinbase (56:56) Thoughts on Balaji Srinivasan (57:58) Balaji's Insights on Media Landscape (1:00:24) Wrap

In this episode, Mike Rainbow (co-founder of Rainbow wallet) joins Erik, Dan, and Antonio as they dive into crypto's future. The conversation was prompted by the thesis that innovative social protocols like Farcaster are co-evolving with crypto wallets as onramps or a portal to web3. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen — NetSuite has extended a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks.

–
SPONSORS: NETSUITE | HARMONIC | SQUAD

NETSUITE
📈 NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen - NetSuite has extended a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks.

HARMONIC
🧲 Learn why Craft, Bedrock, NEA, and 100s more trust Harmonic’s data to source deals. Harmonic is the most complete startup database, finding new companies as soon as they incorporate and tracking them through IPO. Head to bit.ly/harmonicturpentine and make sure to mention Turpentine VC during your demo.

SQUAD
💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

–
LINKS:
Check out Rainbow: rainbow.me/en/

–
FOLLOW ON X:
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@mikedemarais (Mike)
@dwr (Dan)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia

–
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Exploring Crypto's Impact on Financial Intermediaries
(01:36) Introducing Mike Rainbow: A Unique Crypto Personality
(02:09) Massachusetts Memories and Dunkin' Donuts Dominance
(02:46) East Coast Social Dynamics and Crypto Culture
(04:46) The Evolution of Wallets and Social Networks in Crypto
(06:26) Debating the Convergence of Crypto Products
(15:00) Sponsors: Netsuite | Harmonic
(17:18) Building Integrated Crypto Platforms Continued
(22:15) The Future of Messaging and Composability in Crypto
(27:30) Exploring Group Chat Dynamics and App Adoption
(28:13) The Evolution of Transaction Frames in Crypto
(30:37) Sponsor: Squad
(32:02) Innovations and Challenges in Transaction Frames
(36:29) Deep Dive into Frame Technology and Developer Challenges
(41:39) The Future of Frames and Web3 Standards
(46:51) Demographic Shifts and Future Directions for Farcaster
(53:49) Wrap

Bryan Johnson ( @BryanJohnson ) joins Antonio Garcia Martinez and Erik Torenberg on Moment of Zen to discuss the deeper spiritual beliefs behind the "Don't Die" movement in the face of AI and the inadequacy of human clock speed. They cover religions as death cults, long-termism vs engineering your own longevity, and Bryan's recent interview on Tucker Carlson. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen - now through April 15th NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program. – SPONSORS: NETSUITE | SQUAD NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. 💥 Access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to choosesquad.com and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. – FOLLOW ON X: @bryan_johnson (Bryan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @agm (Antonio) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia – LINKS: Bryan Johnson on Tucker Carlson: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr4E0jEjQMM Bryan Johnson's Blueprint/ Don't Die: protocol.bryanjohnson.com/DONT-DIE-by-Zero Book recommendation: The Postmortal by Drew Magary www.goodreads.com/book/show/10673576-the-postmortal – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Opening Banter (00:19) Bryan's Tucker Carlson Interview (01:19) Long-Termism (02:24) The 25th Century Perspective (07:56) Navigating the Future with AI and the Network State (09:40) Sponsor: Netsuite | Squad (12:11) The 'Don't Die' Philosophy and Its Implications (15:47) The Blade Runner Fallacy (18:39) Using Algorithms to Optimize Your Personal Life (22:39) Redefining Civilization in the Age of AI (25:50) On Mortality and Future Civilization (32:22) Exploring Existential Crises and the Role of Faith (33:45) The Identity Crisis in Modern Society (36:08) Technology and Tradition: A Surprising Harmony (38:04) Future of AI and Its Impact on Society (38:56) Navigating the Unpredictable Future (45:32) The Philosophical Debate on Existence and Survival (1:02:14) Reimagining Human Experience in a Post-Death World (1:04:28) Wrap #BryanJohnson #debate #antiaging #artificialintelligence #religion #God #Blueprint #news #politics #interview #life #dontdie #advice #health TIMESTAMPS

Li Jin joins Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Antonio Garcia Martinez. Li is the co-founder of Variant Fund and a prolific writer. This episode dives deep into crypto, web3, memecoins, and the attention economy thesis. They cover the direction of techno-capitalism and its impact on politics, decentralization, and the cultural differences between American and European value systems. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen - now through April 15th NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program.

–
SPONSORS: NETSUITE | SQUAD

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.

💥 Access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to choosesquad.com and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

–

FOLLOW ON X:
@ljin18 (Li)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
@agm (Antonio)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia

–

LINKS:

Li Jin: li-jin.co/about/
Variant Fund: variant.fund/

–
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Adding Ukraine to NATO
(01:30) Peace in Ukraine?
(05:16) On the Attention Economy
(10:16) Meme Coins and Attention Valuation
(14:23) Sponsor: NetSuite | Squad
(17:38) Meme Coins Continued
(23:51) Marxism
(33:05) Exploring the Power Structure and Social Tensions
(34:10) The Managerial Elite and Bourgeoisie Capitalism
(36:12) Perspectives on Europe and Innovation
(44:16) Crypto's Role in Society: Egalitarian or Hierarchical?
(57:35) Attention Economy and Memetics
(59:28) Wrap

Curtis Yarvin returns to Moment of Zen to talk media, regime change, censorship, and the future role of platforms like X and Reddit in reputation capital structures. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen — now through April 15th NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program.

–
SPONSORS: NETSUITE

NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than 37,000 thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and receive one-of-a-kind flexible financing program until April 15th.

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.

–
LINKS:

Curtis Yarvin's Writing: graymirror.substack.com/

–
FOLLOW ON X:
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@curtis_yarvin (Curtis)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia
–
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Preview
(01:54) Yarvin vs Hanania Debate
(05:19) Roadmap to Building the New Regime
(06:59) Militias and Building a New Regime Within an Existing One
(12:10) Journalism and Intelligence in Shaping Regimes
(15:00) Sponsor: Netsuite | Turpentine
(16:47) Founding State Media for the Next Regime
(23:42) Maximizing Trust and Engagement
(45:14) Elite Seduction in Media Influence
(55:21) Concept of a "Truth Machine"
(59:59) Regime Change and the Role of Media
(1:05:21) Advice to Elon Musk
(1:13:20) Reimagining Twitter's Role and Impact
(1:29:13) Authority and Power in Media
(1:38:04) Wrap


Music Licenses:
158RW4UBMHP4MIRX
TQNMFNA6N0TGZEFM

In this episode, Dan, Erik and Antonio discuss Don Lemon’s interview with Elon Musk, the Dune 2 and Napoleon releases, polyamory, the Apple antitrust case, and fatherly advice. Happy birthday Antonio! If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen -- now through April 15th NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program.

–
SPONSORS: NETSUITE
NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.

–
FOLLOW ON X:
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
@agm (Antonio)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia

--
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Don Lemon's Interview with Elon Musk
(02:48) The Media Shift and the Decline of Slow Journalism
(06:37) On Public Figures and Platforms
(11:58) Fatherly Advice
(17:10) Sponsor - Netsuite | Turpentine
(24:58) Napoleon's Portrayal in Ridley Scott's Film
(34:37) Dune 2 commentary
(41:48) Who liked David Lynch's Adaptation of Dune?
(43:57) The Evolution of Movie-Going: From Digital to Analog Luxury
(45:33) Polyamory Discourse
(48:37) Microsoft, Apple, and Antitrust Laws
(56:57) The TikTok Conundrum
(1:03:31) Age, Diet, and Digital Sabbaths
(1:11:46) Aella’s Legacy: Free Speech, Polyamory, and Creator Economy
(1:14:33) Wrap

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.

Music Licenses:
NZNKURF2XEHL8AGA
NQH0YNY6AITLIFRM

This is the first conversation Erik recorded with Antonio Garcia Martinez, MoZ co-host, founder of Spindl and author of ‘Chaos Monkeys’, back in 2019. The discussion also features Parker Thompson, (partner at SAX Capital, TNT Ventures, and AngelList) and explores the influence of social media on society and the religious impulse. They discuss media literacy and journalism, how politics change people's views of social media, and the rise of unique religious movements in social activism. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen -- now through April 15th NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program. -- SPONSORS: NETSUITE NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than 37,000 thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ Now through April 15th NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program: netsuite.com/zen – FOLLOW ON X: @antoniogm (Antonio) @pt (Parker) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia – BOOKS CITED: Chaos Monkeys by Antonio Garcia Martinez Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man by Marshall McLuhan Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America by Daniel J. Boorstin The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium by Martin Gurri Seven Types of Atheism by John Gray -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:23) Impact of Facebook (02:41) Evolution of Media and Its Influence on Society (10:13) Sponsor: NetSuite | Turpentine (12:04) Journalism and Media Ethics (26:25) Effectiveness of Media Regulation (33:10) Facebook's Content Curation (34:02) Content Control (35:32) Impact of Algorithms on Society and Business (38:50) Generational Shifts in Media Consumption (45:57) Exploring the Ideology of Silicon Valley (49:44) Secular Religions and the Quest for Community (58:39) Future of Religion and Community in the Digital Age (01:03:36) Wrap -- This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co. Music Licenses: 0NMAGJDWCSKK5V4B UB3Q8AOZNB2SYAGO

In this conversation, Erik Torenberg and Dan Romero sit with Rudyard Lynch of @WhatifAltHist to discuss his analysis of potential future global events, such as an American civil war and a revolution in China, considering economic conditions, demographics, and societal behaviors. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen. – RELATED CHANNELS: Subscribe to History 102: www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj Subscribe to WhatifAltHist: www.youtube.com/@WhatifAltHist -- SPONSORS: NETSUITE NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – FOLLOW ON X: @whatifalthist (Rudyard) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @dwr (Dan) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia – BOOKS CITED: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past by David Reich The Coming Caesars by Amaury De Riencourt The Eye of Shiva: Eastern Mysticism and Science by Amaury De Riencourt Bulfinch's Mythology - All Three Volumes - The Age of Fable, The Age of Chivalry, and Legends of Charlemagne by Thomas Bulfinch Dune by Frank Herbert Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:14) Rudyard and Dan's Approach to History (03:50) Alt History (11:57) Modern Civilization and Historical Patterns (19:31) Sponsor: NETSUITE (20:50) Possibility of a Civil War? (42:47) Political Crisis and the Split of States (44:00) Power of American National Guards (45:02) Dependence of States on Federal Funding (43:47) Economic Divide in America (47:18) Struggles of Average Americans (48:50) Insane Minorities in Civil Wars (50:00) Power of Elites in Conflicts (57:34) Potential for a Competent Trump-like Populist (01:04:50) The Future of China and Its Potential Revolution (01:17:20) Wrap This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co. Music Licenses: 6BOI3KKFPSKXNXMU QV100EIKLNCCEQ6C

This discussion is from Erik's first interview with Dan from the Venture Stories podcast. Dan shares his views on scaling Coinbase, the evolution of crypto, as well as the books and influences that shaped his intellectual journey. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen.

–
SPONSORS:

NETSUITE
NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.

SQUAD
💥 Access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to choosesquad.com and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist

–
SELECTION OF BOOKS MENTIONED:

Why the West Rules -- For Now by Ian Morris
The Prize by Daniel Yergin
The Kill Chain by Christian Brose
Nixonland by Rick Perlstein
The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg
Dominion by Tom Holland
–
FOLLOW ON X:

@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia
–
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:38) Lessons from Scaling Coinbase
(01:02) Coinbase and Crypto Ideologies
(05:55) The Reality of Working in a Fast-Growing Startup
(08:12) Dan Romero's Self-Learning Journey
(15:46) Sponsors: NetSuite | Squad
(18:15) Impact of Globalism and State Capacity
(36:10) Understanding the History of Communism
(47:14) Reflections on Nixon's Presidency
(52:10) Predicting the Future: Technology and Policy
(55:01) Insights from the Book 'Dominion'
(58:37) Reflections on Society and Morality
(01:04:11) Perspectives on Peter Thiel
(01:12:46) Current State and Future of Cryptocurrency
(01:28:28) Power and Influence of Memes
(01:33:21) Learning from Influential Figures in Tech
(01:42:08) Wrap

Erik Torenberg and Dan Romero talk about Dan’s company Farcaster, a decentralized social media protocol. Following the launch of Frames earlier this year, Farcaster experienced significant growth placing the team at a critical junction ripe with lessons for any startup. Dan discusses the challenges of building Farcaster, the promise of decentralization, and the future of social media. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen

–
SPONSORS:

NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen
NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.

–
LINKS:
www.farcaster.xyz/
–
FOLLOW ON X:
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
@farcaster_xyz (Farcaster)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia
–
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Farcaster's Explosive Growth
(07:02) Understanding the Factors Behind Farcaster's Growth
(08:02) Decentralization in Farcaster Explained
(14:33) Sponsor - Netsuite
(15:59) The Role of Channels in Farcaster's User Engagement
(31:40) Building Businesses on Farcaster
(37:14) Brand Advertising and Revenue Growth
(37:52) Farcaster and Monetization Strategies
(42:46) Monetization Model and Scaling Strategies for Farcaster
(47:26) A Billion Users on Farcaster
(52:25) On Going Public
(57:22) The Single Biggest Threat to Farcaster
(1:03:00) Retention in Scaling and Why Things Fizzled for Clubhouse
(1:09:05) The Possibility of Building Niche Social Networks on Farcaster
(1:14:12) Wrap

This week Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Antonio Garcia Martinez sit down with Chris Dixon, a16z General Partner and author of the new book Read Write Own. They discuss the evolution of crypto, the potential impact of blockchain on existing industries, the implications of AI on the internet economy, and media perception of tech. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen
–
SPONSORS:

NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.
–
LINKS:
Buy Chris' book: readwriteown.com/
MoZ newsletter: momentofzen.substack.com/
–
X / TWITTER:
@cdixon (Chris)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia
–
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:12) Why Chris wrote Read Write Own'
(03:36) The Negative Perception of Blockchains in Mainstream Media
(08:31) The Future of Crypto and Blockchain
(13:53) Sponsor: NetSuite
(15:00) Open Protocol
(32:23) The Impact of AI on the Internet Economy
(40:33) The Power Dynamics of the Internet
(42:29) The Rise of Blockchain and AI
(45:59) Future of Web3
(46:24) Growth of Tech
(49:15) Challenges and Opportunities of Crypto
(01:11:46) Policy in Tech Evolution

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg chat about building a company in 2024, selecting ideas to work on, and finding product-market fit (Dan quotes Marc Andreessen's definition of the term). They also cover Dan's experience at Coinbase and building Farcaster. They recorded this episode for a new show called Request for Startups where guests discuss the startups they think should exist, and share how they navigated the idea maze in their sector requestforstartups.substack.com/

Subscribe to Request for Startups for more of these types of episodes:
- Video episodes are only available on Substack: requestforstartups.substack.com/
- Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/739L1LR32QI2XyoZlRh5nv
- Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/request-for-startups-with-erik-torenberg/id1728659822
_
We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.
–
SPONSORS: NETSUITE

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.

–
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/
–
LINKS:
Farcaster: www.farcaster.xyz/

–
X / TWITTER:
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia
–
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:15) Farcaster's Growth and Frames
(04:06) Social matters
(07:46) Evolution of Farcaster
(11:17) Sponsor: NetSuite
(12:28) How Dan built Farcaster
(28:01) Challenges of Competition
(36:19) Venture involvement
(36:34) How Erik started Turpentine
(38:17) The Concept of Founder Market Fit
(39:32) Unfair Advantages in Startups
(40:06) The Danger of Over-Experience in Startups
(41:24) Market Selection
(42:23) Distribution
(52:22) The Impact of Higher Education on Startups
(55:55) The Potential of Labor Marketplaces
(01:00:48) The Future of Pseudonymous Networks
(01:03:04) The Role of Reputation in Hiring
(01:12:43) The Power of Utilizing Idle Assets

This week Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Antonio Garcia Martinez sit down to discuss the popular Europe vs United States debate, the concept of human longevity, the current state of democracy in the age of social media, and much more. Moment of Zen is sponsored by Shopify: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period.

-

➕ We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.


SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE

🛍 SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen


NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen

💫 NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.
–
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/

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X / TWITTER:
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia

-

TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:21) The launch of Frames
(05:48) Why Frames is important
(11:44) SPONSOR: SHOPIFY
(13:20) About Spindle and Farcaster
(20:25) SPONSOR: NETSUITE
(23:05) The Europe vs America debate
(48:33 - 01:15:03) Bryan Johnson & the future of life longevity
(57:44) Inequality in America vs Europe
(01:15:04) Effects of social media on mental health
(01:21:25) Democracy in the age of social media

This week Erik sits down with Nadia Asparouhova and Bayeslord to discuss the meaning and philosophy of effective accelerationism (e/acc), the polarization and nuance in the tech industry, and much more. Moment of Zen is sponsored by Shopify: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period. ➕ Check out Bayeslord and Nadia's article in Pirate Wires, 'The Ethos of the Divine Age' www.piratewires.com/p/ethos-divine-age – We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com. – SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE 💰 SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen 💫 NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/ – LINKS: Bayeslord and Nadia's article: www.piratewires.com/p/ethos-divine-age – X / TWITTER: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @bayeslord (Bayeslord) @nayafia (Nadia) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:40) Understanding the Perception of E/ACC (03:14) The Impact of E/ACC on Tech Culture (05:38) Nadia's Perspective on E/ACC (14:30) Evolution of Tech Culture (17:10) SPONSOR: SHOPIFY (29:55) Influence of Elon Musk on Tech Culture (36:35) SPONSOR: NETSUITE (46:07) Leadership in E/ACC (48:05) Understanding Journalistic Patterns & Social Dynamics (48:46) Critiques of the 2010s (49:36) Impact of Social Media (50:40) Role of AI in Shaping the Future (51:50) Social Impact of Technology: A Critical View (53:44) Dichotomy of Tech: Good or Bad? (54:42) Evolution of Web 2.0 and Its Consequences (56:30) Future of AI and Potential Risks (58:31) Philosophy of E/ACC (01:27:14) The Future of E/ACC: Phase Two and Beyond

Dan and Erik discuss the potential impact of a Trump win in 2024, the appeal of populism, the impact of AI on the next generation of startups, and an update from Farcaster and Turpentine. Moment of Zen is sponsored by Shopify: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period.
–
We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com/
–
SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE

SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen

NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.
–
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/
–
X / TWITTER:
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia
–
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(01:08) Recap of 2023
(01:59) Impact of Elon Musk's Takeover of Twitter
(05:07) Impact of Changing Twitter and Zerp Policies
(08:54) Decline of Cancel Culture and Rise of Intellectual Diversity
(14:47) Sponsors: Shopify | NetSuite
(27:17) The Role of Prediction Markets in Politics
(35:15) Affirmative Action
(37:10) The Reality of Raising Funds in the Crypto World
(39:32) Tech and Politics
(45:24) Potential Trump Win
(01:07:31) Political Campaign Strategies
(01:08:58) New City Projects
(01:10:28) The Influence of Interest Rates on Tech Companies
(01:12:33) The Potential of AI and Startup Efficiency
(01:15:49) Forcaster updates
(01:24:39) Turpentine updates

Curtis joins Dan and Erik to discuss his upcoming debate with Richard Hanania, FDR's leadership style, radical changes to institutions like Harvard, and more. Moment of Zen is sponsored by Shopify: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period.
–
SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE

SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen

NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.
–
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/
–
X / TWITTER:

@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia
–
TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction
(05:10) Debating Richard Hanania
(11:21) On the executive branch in DC
(22:20) On the progressive movement
(37:19) Intellectuals running the government
(42:40) FDR—inaugural address and leadership style
(53:05) The dysfunction of Washington and creating a new government
(01:03:05) On the effectiveness of command-based organizations
(01:13:02) The legacy of FDR
(01:23:00) The challenge of taking over institutions
(01:30:07) De-woke-ifying Harvard
(01:40:05) On the impunity of the elite
(01:47:54) Learned helplessness

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg talk about what's happening between Bill Ackman and Harvard. Moment of Zen is sponsored by Shopify: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period.

–

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

–

SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE

💰 SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen

💫 NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.

–

Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/

–

X / TWITTER:

@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia

–

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Introduction to Bill Ackman
(05:50) Bill Ackman vs. Harvard and MIT
(17:30) On how 10/7 relates to DEI
(26:08) The power of Twitter and social media
(33:46) Curtis vs Chris Rufo
(40:36) The future of education and disrupting universities
(44:52) Disrupting Harvard and Stanford
(51:50) The value of credentials
(56:41) Why higher education is so corrupt
(01:02:25) Proposed solution: stop subsidizing and tax universities

This week Noah Smith joins Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg to discuss the overuse of the term “fascism,” what has led to the capabilities of China and the U.S., and much more. Moment of Zen is sponsored by Shopify: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period. This episode is a collaboration with one of Turpentine's biggest shows, @ECON102Podcast . Check out Econ 102: www.podpage.com/econ102/ – SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE 💰 SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen 💫 NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/ – X / TWITTER: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @noahpinion (Noah) @dwr (Dan) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia @Econ102_Podcast (Econ 102) – TIMESTAMPS (00:00) The word 'Fascist' (08:40) Economic transformation in China (13:04) SPONSOR: SHOPIFY (16:10) Impacts of Trump's policies (19:07) The renegotiation of NAFTA (23:51) United States' withdrawal from the Middle East (27:22) SPONSORS: NETSUITE (29:40) Asia & US foreign policy (40:21) The importance of focusing on Asia (46:55) U.S. production during World War II (48:49) China's production capabilities (50:01) Elon Musk & Henry Ford (52:44) Private markets for defense technology (54:13) Political unity & seriousness in war (57:32) US military budget and production (58:31) Industrial production in World War II (01:04:05) Trump's impact on China (01:07:51) Building alliances against China (01:13:23) Political unity and continuity in foreign policy

Balaji Srinivasan joins Nathan Labenz to discuss polytheistic AI and AI gods, human-AI symbiosis, and how AI will be controlled. Moment of Zen is sponsored by Shopify: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period.

This episode is a feed drop of one of Turpentine's biggest shows, @CognitiveRevolutionPodcast where Nathan Labenz and Erik Torenberg interview builders on the edge of AI and explore its dramatic shift over the next decades. Listen and subscribe everywhere you get your podcasts: www.cognitiverevolution.ai/

–

SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE

SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen

NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.

–

Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/

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X / TWITTER:
@labenz (Nathan)
@balajis (Balaji)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)
@TurpentineMedia
@CogRev_Podcast (Cognitive Revolution)

--
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) - Episode Preview
(06:07) - Evolution of AI Systems
(09:39) - Challenges of AI Robustness
(29:54) - Intersection of AI and Politics
(52:14) - Regulation
(52:44) - Slippery slope of precedent setting
(54:00) - Role of AI in political chaos
(54:41) - Emergence of decentralized AI
(01:05:39) - AI's future as amplified intelligence
(01:13:00) - Polytheistic model of AI
(01:32:00) - Role of AI in Habitat Degradation
(01:33:32) - AI's ability to do differential diagnosis
(01:34:04) - ABC of economic apocalypse: AI, Bitcoin, China
(01:36:00) - Evolution of AI in chess and medicine
(01:38:22) - Difference between AI existential threat and economic disruption
(01:40:19) - Impact of cryptography on public infrastructure
(02:07:40) - Role of tribalism in AI

Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg dive deep into the concept of a 'live player', and compare and contrast three prominent live players: Peter Thiel, Sam Altman, and Elon Musk. Moment of Zen is sponsored by Shopify: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period This episode is a feed drop of our newest show at Turpentine, Live Players, where Erik and Samo analyze more of the mindsets of today’s most intriguing business leaders, investors, and innovators through the lens of their bold actions and contrarian worldviews. You’ll come away with a deeper understanding of the development of technology, business, political power, culture and more. Listen and subscribe everywhere you get your podcasts: link.chtbl.com/liveplayers. – SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | VANTA | NETSUITE SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen VANTA: www.vanta.com/zen for $1000 off Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at: www.vanta.com/zen NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/ – X / TWITTER: @SamoBurja (Samo) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Introduction (00:57) The Role of Conventions in Society (02:08) The Rarity of 'Live Players' and Their Impact (04:38) The Importance of Historical Knowledge (09:29) Reflections on Energy Transition (14:22) Discussion on Sam Altman and OpenAI (21:31) Comparing Live Players: Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Peter Thiel (21:54) Sponsors: Shopify, Vanta (24:24) Comparing Live Players Cont. (28:05) Understanding Different Perspectives on Capitalism (28:49) The Role of Live Players in Society (30:12) The Importance of Live Players in Innovation and Change (33:52) The Concept of a Live Players Academy (34:47) Sponsors: MasterClass, NetSuite (35:50) Live Players Academy Cont. (38:28) The Evolution of Live Players Over Time (42:55) The Transition from Capitalism to Philanthropy (51:06) The Paradox of Open Society Advocates

Beff Jezos, the anonymous co-founder of the e/acc movement (effective accelerationism) had his identity revealed on Friday night by Forbes reporters. He gives the inside story to Antonio Garcia Martinez, Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, his e/acc cofounder bayeslord, and @CognitiveRevolutionPodcast host Nathan Labenz. They discuss anonymity, the media, and the role of journalism in our society. Sell and grow with Shopify: Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen – SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | VANTA SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen VANTA: www.vanta.com/zen for $1000 off Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at: www.vanta.com/zen – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/ – X / TWITTER: @bayeslord @basedbeffjezos @dwr (Dan) @antoniogm (Antonio) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia – RECOMMENDED PODCAST: @LivePlayerswithSamoBurja Join host Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg as they analyze the mindsets of today’s most intriguing business leaders, investors, and innovators through the lens of their bold actions and contrarian worldviews. Think: Elon, Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, George Soros and more. You’ll come away with a deeper understanding of the development of technology, business, political power, culture and more. LIsten and subscribe everywhere you get your podcasts: link.chtbl.com/liveplayers. – LINKS: Forbes article: www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2023/12/01/who-is-basedbeffjezos-the-leader-of-effective-accelerationism-eacc/?sh=5b172e3a7a13 PirateWires article: www.piratewires.com/p/thot-police-forbes-has-doxed-beff Extropic Funding Announcement: www.extropic.ai/accelerate – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:45) Binance (07:25) Antonio joins (10:05) Beff is face doxxed (11:45) The inside story (13:55) Sponsor: Shopify (15:50) How did Beff's identity get revealed by these reporters? (22:55) Why should journalists get to decide who gets to be anon? (26:35) Beff's academic background in quantum computing (28:55) Why Beff started the anon account (31:15) Sponsor: Vanta (32:15) How Beff bootstrapped his anon account (37:30) What's next for e/acc (42:40) Overcentralization of AI (45:00) Where the alpha is (55:00) Decels and the rebellion (01:01:20) Why is big tech so bad & 2024 elections (01:03:30) AI Leaderboards (01:06:20) Crypto and AI crossover (01:11:00) Decentralizing the AI supply chain (01:17:00) Hardware & Extropic technology (01:22:00) Utility of e/acc (01:27:30) What is the e/acc gospel (01:36:55) What is the near term for AI?

Here's some bonus MoZ content from our recent interview with Dominic Cummings to discuss his inspiration for Brexit and the extremist political parties in the UK and US. Sell and grow with Shopify: Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen

Check out the rest of the interview with Dominic Cummings where he, Erik Torenberg, & Antonio Garcia Martinez discuss San Francisco homelessness complex, the 2024 election, educational polarization, & more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5otpFLmZF1I


–
SPONSORS: VANTA

SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen

VANTA:

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at: www.vanta.com/zen


–
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/
–
X / TWITTER:
@dwr (Dan)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@moz_podcast
@TurpentineMedia
–
RECOMMENDED PODCAST: @TheRiffPodcast
Every week investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future. Subscribe to “The Riff” with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg:
-
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Introduction
(06:16) Inspiration for Brexit
(09:09) SPONSOR: VANTA
(11:38) Inspiration for Brexit (Cont.)
(14:21) Extreme parties in US vs UK

Erik Torenberg and Antonio Garcia Martinez sit down with political scientist Dominic Cummings and discuss the San Francisco homelessness complex, the 2024 election, educational polarization, & more.

–
SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | VANTA

SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen

VANTA: www.vanta.com/zen

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at: www.vanta.com/zen

–
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/
–
X / TWITTER:
@dwr (Dan)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@moz_podcast
@TurpentineMedia
–
RECOMMENDED PODCAST: @TheRiffPodcast
Every week investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future.
-
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:19) Francis Fukuyama’ and Walter Kaufmann on liberalism
(05:24) European wokeness explosion
(10:07) The fix SF movement
(14:27) SPONSOR: SHOPIFY
(16:05) SF homeless industrial complex
(17:24) Techies in politics
(21:48) Elon and Israel
(24:15) SPONSOR: VANTA
(25:18) Israel’s PR will never win in the west
(36:01) New elitism
(42:34) Appealing in the 2024 election
(53:43) Abortion laws
(01:00:13) British royals
(01:07:45) Educational and political polarization
(01:18:21) A reformed republican Party
(01:23:00) Can we fix SF?

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg discuss their takes on why liberals become conservatives, diversity in tech, and debrief the OpenAI debacle that happened this past week. Sell and grow with Shopify: Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen
–
SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE

SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period
Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen

NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.
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@moz_podcast
@TurpentineMedia
–
RECOMMENDED PODCAST: @TheRiffPodcast
Every week investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future. Subscribe to “The Riff” with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg:
–
TIMESTAMPS: h/t to user @zohaibaallii
(00:00) New Argentinian president and rise of global populism
(06:21) The appeal of populist leaders to the working class
(15:07) Policy differences between Biden and Trump administrations
(24:11) Does Trump poses a threat to democracy?
(30:55) Is the political right or left has been more authoritarian?
(36:53) Corporate "norms" under Biden vs Trump
(43:45) Predictions on 2024 presidential election
(50:33) Recap of the OpenAI / Sam Altman saga
(01:00:00) The "feminine" nature of the OpenAI situation
(01:10:30) On diversity and inclusion
(01:22:20) On inequality between groups in society
(01:25:20) Aspirations vs. reality of equality

Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez and Erik Torenberg discuss their takes on Sam Altman's ouster from OpenAI, his legacy, and his comparative significance vis-à-vis figures like Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk. Sell and grow with Shopify: Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen

This is a developing story. This podcast was recorded on Sunday 11/19 at 12pm PST.
–
SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE

SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period
Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen

NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.
–
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/
–
X / TWITTER:
@dwr (Dan)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@moz_podcast
@TurpentineMedia
–
RECOMMENDED PODCAST: @TheRiffPodcast
Every week investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future. Subscribe to “The Riff” with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg:
–
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(00:14) Napoleon and the power of memes
(02:05) The Intricacies of Coups in Latin America
(02:59) The Role of Microsoft in OpenAI
(03:33) Analyzing Sam Altman's Influence in Silicon Valley
(05:12) The Potential Fallout from OpenAI Controversy
(05:51) The Battle of EA vs e/acc
(05:59) Sam Altman's Impact on Silicon Valley
(07:42) The Future of OpenAI
(08:38) The Legal Complexities of OpenAI's Structure
(12:26) The Influence of Elon Musk and Microsoft on OpenAI
(15:20) Sponsor: Shopify
(16:44) The Future of AI and OpenAI
(31:55) The Role of Energy in Computing
(33:48) Sponsors: NetSuite
(36:58) The Game of Capital and Access to Compute
(38:12) Predicting the Future of OpenAI
(38:05) The Betting Odds on Sam Altman's Future
(41:00) Who can lead OpenAI and what are the challenges?
(46:15) Discussing Sam Altman's Background and Achievement

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg discuss whether San Francisco can be exited or reformed, how to impact local politics, and what it would take to get talented, innovative people to live in the same city. Wherever and whatever you’re selling, get Shopify for $1/month trial period using code shopify.com/momentofzen

–
SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE

SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period
Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.
–
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/
–
X / TWITTER:
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@moz_podcast
@TurpentineMedia

–
SELECT LINKS:
Article: Balaji Srinivasan on San Francisco:balajis.com/p/only-newsom-can-go-to-china
Article: Eugene Wei’s How To Blow Up A Timeline: www.eugenewei.com/blog/2023/7/6/how-to-blow-up-a-timeline
Article: After Years of Secretive Land Buys, Billionaires Plan For a New City is Revealed www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2023-08-30/solano-county-land-billionaires-essential-california
Free State Project New Hampshire: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_State_Project#:~:text=The%20Free%20State%20Project%20
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00:00) Episode Preview
(00:02:23) SF is back
(00:05:08) SF can be cleaned up pretty fast
(00:08:47) Who runs for office?
(00:16:07) Sponsor: Shopify
(00:17:43) You can buy a city
(00:25:11) Elites don’t move
(00:28:57) Analyzing the success of charter city-state movements
(00:36:04) Sponsor: NetSuite
(00:37:11): Can we get people to move to SF and change the city?
(00:45:30) Tech is politically absent at the local level
(00:50:47) Talent wants to agglomerate
(00:58:06) Educational challenges

Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez and Erik Torenberg discuss the US reaction to the Israel-Hamas war. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta for $1000 off: www.vanta.com/zen – SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | VANTA | MASTERCLASS | NETSUITE SHOPIFY: shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries.From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system–wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: shopify.com/momentofzen VANTA: www.vanta.com/zen Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at: www.vanta.com/zen NETSUITE: netsuite.com/zen NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/ – X / TWITTER: @dwr (Dan) @antoniogm (Antonio) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia – SELECT LINKS: Book: Dennis Ross, Doomed to Succeed amzn.asia/d/3jQQs8o Tablet magazine: www.Tabletmag.com Ben Shapiro at Oxford: ​​www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1NFirxhXWE Global North and Global South: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_North_and_Global_South Book Antonio holds up: Martin Gilbert, Israel: A History: a.co/d/hE6byHX Liberal support for Israel’s illegitimacy is as high as same-sex marriage was in the mid 2000s: twitter.com/McCormickProf/status/1720927808837259483 – TIMESTAMPS : (00:00) Episode Preview (00:05) What would be different if Trump were in office? (09:10) Information and misinformation sources from the war (12:36) Sponsor: Shopify | Vanta (17:30) Apple’s Slack rebellion (19:26) Paul Graham (20:56) Trusting reported deaths (24:22) Does Israel even care about the West? (32:57) Sponsor: NetSuite (35:46) Living in the society of spectacle (36:46) Showy narcissism (37:17) The psychoanalysis of narcissism (40:36) The irredentist philosophy (42:06) The underlying sentiment that Israel shouldn't exist (44:06) There is no international community (48:06) Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity (50:45) US support for Israel 15 years from now (53:36) Will Hamas be eliminated? (56:26) It seems like Israel's got it all worked out (58:56) Just ban TikTok

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg are joined by Packy McCormick of Not Boring and Julia DeWahl (founder of Antares, ex-SpaceX) to talk about the past, present, and future of nuclear energy. Packy and Julia co-host a new narrative series called @age-of-miracles If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta for $1000 off: www.vanta.com/zen

SUBSCRIBE TO AGE OF MIRACLES: @age-of-miracles and watch the first two episodes of this narrative series!

Podcasts: link.chtbl.com/ageofmiracles

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SPONSORS: VANTA | NETSUITE

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at: www.vanta.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.
–
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/
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X / TWITTER:
@packym (Packy)
@juliadewahl (Julia)
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@moz_podcast
@TurpentineMedia

–
SELECT LINKS:
Chart (Our world in data) ourworldindata.org/grapher/death-rates-from-energy-production-per-twh
Book: Ian Morris, Why the West Rules – for Now en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_West_Rules%E2%80%94For_Now
MoZ featuring E/Acc’s Beff Jezos and Bayeslord: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbfviqlGy2U
Article: Packy McCormick, The Henry Adams Curve: www.notboring.co/p/working-harder-and-smarter
Article: Eli Dourado, Personal Aviation is About to Get Interesting : www.elidourado.com/p/personal-aviation
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:46) Why the interest in nuclear energy?
(05:45) Why does energy matter?
(09:10) Greta Thunberg and environmentalism as religion replacement
(12:08) Why France got it right in the 70s
(14:48) Sponsors: Vanta and NetSuite
(17:04) Mythbusting: nuclear waste and disasters
(22:33) Why has the anti-nuclear movement been so potent?
(26:46) Breaking down the incentives at play in regulation and the free market
(39:00) How do you change the perception and safety?
(47:50) The opportunities to build in the nuclear space
(56:50) Applying Elon’s frameworks to building in the nuclear space
(01:00:45) Safety culture and accountability
(01:08:20) Opportunity for SMR companies from Microsoft and congress
(01:10:20) Are we overestimating nuclear’s impact versus other energy sources?
(01:16:05) Capital markets and idea maze problem
(01:23:00) How to get involved in opportunities in nuclear if you have no background

Antonio Garcia Martinez, reporting live from Israel, joins Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg to share his firsthand perspective on the ground, discussing the unfolding events, and potential outcomes for Israel and Gaza. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta for $1000 off: www.vanta.com/zen

Recorded on October 22, 2023.
–
SPONSORS: VANTA | NETSUITE

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at: www.vanta.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.

–
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/

–
X / TWITTER:
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@moz_podcast
@TurpentineMedia
–
SELECT LINKS:
- Michelle Tandler - Episode 19 of Moment of Zen: youtu.be/G460fgsHahM?feature=shared
- Liel Leibovitz - Episode 23 of Moment of Zen: youtu.be/HOXYZSLlDPU?feature=shared
- Book: Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergman
- Book: People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn www.darahorn.com/
- Movie: Munich en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_(2005_film)
- TV series: Fauda en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauda

–

TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:40) Antonio’s describes traveling to the south of israel
(06:10) How Israel is unifying and mobilizing
(09:05) Hostage situation sentiments
(12:14) Sponsors: Vanta | NetSuite
(19:05) Antonio’s predictions
(28:00) What happens next in Gaza
(36:00) What’s happening in the North with Hezbollah?
(37:30) How the Israeli secular left do not understand the Western left’s reaction
(40:30) The biblical echoes of the double standards placed on Israel
(46:05) Intra-Israel civil war
(52:40) Can there be a happy ending here?

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg discuss the history of Israel, Gaza, and Iran and what happens next in this war on the ground. They also discuss the schism in the public discourse and the downstream political implications in the US. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta for $1000 off: www.vanta.com/zen
–
SPONSORS: VANTA | NETSUITE

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at: www.vanta.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.
–
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/
–

X / TWITTER:
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@moz_podcast
@TurpentineMedia
–
SELECT LINKS:

-Wikipedia : List of Jewish Nobel Laureates en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_Nobel_laureates

- Book: Rise and Kill First en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_and_Kill_First

- Iranian Agent - Robert Malley Spy Ring story www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/iran-spy-ring-robert-malley-lee-smith

& Washington Post article: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/06/rob-malley-iran-security-clearance-investigation/

-Econ 102 episode where Noah Smith covers the War in Israel www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW1coCYfapA
--
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(03:50) Israel, Gaza and Mood affiliation
(07:55) The New York Times front page
(13:00) The schism in the current thing
(15:30) Moral equivalence in this conflict
(19:00) Inconsistencies on the far left
(23:00) History of the conflict and borders
(25:00) Thanks to our sponsors: Vanta, NetSuite
(27:00) Why are Jews so successful and disliked?
(36:00) Argumentative Jews
(40:00) Going deeper into the historical roots
(45:45) Understanding Israel, Iran, and neighbors' nuclear programs
(57:10) Would Palestinian economic prosperity solve this conflict?
(01:06:00) Biggest concerns
(01:10:00) Israel's next move
(01:15:45) Pendulum swing back to Trump

Dan Romero, Erik Torenberg and Antonio Garcia Martinez were joined by journalist Jacob Siegel (recorded 10.1.23) to discuss disinformation, the evolving narrative between tech and political power, and geopolitics. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta for $1000 off: www.vanta.com/zen – SPONSORS: VANTA | NETSUITE Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at: www.vanta.com/zen NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/ – X / TWITTER: @jacob__siegel (Jacob) @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @antoniogm (Antonio) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia – SELECT LINKS: Jacob Siegel, 'Hoax of the Century: 13 Ways of Looking at Disinformation', Tablet www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/guide-understanding-hoax-century-thirteen-ways-looking-disinformation Jacob Siegel, 'Data Driven Defeat: Information versus Interests in Afghanistan', American Affairs americanaffairsjournal.org/2020/05/data-driven-defeat-information-versus-interests-in-afghanistan/ Antonio Garcia Martinez, 'Among the Protesters', Tablet www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/among-the-protesters-antonio-garcia-martinez Jay Solomon, 'Inside Iran’s Influence Operation', Semafor www.semafor.com/article/09/25/2023/inside-irans-influence-operation – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:48) Jacob on Balaji’s Gray - Red - Blue tribe framework (03:38) How to make the Gray tribe inspiring (06:30) E/acc and tech with grandeur (08:27) Abundance agenda vs administrative state (14:20) Bernie Sanders (16:15) Sponsors: Vanta | NetSuite (18:20) Elon Musk relationship with Obama-era Whitehouse (22:38) Private markets vs Government subsidized innovation (24:00) Ideal balance between protectionist policies and free markets (29:55) Jacob on Israel over-leveraging its tech sector (36:10) Tracing the narrative of tech and democratic political power (42:40) Hybrid warfare since 2014 (46:30) Antonio joins the conversation (51:10) Gamergate as a pivotal event (01:03:00) Plato’s cave reflections of American domestic political neurosis (01:08:40) Ukraine, Russia, and Biden’s strategic logic (01:18:30) Can there be a happy ending in Israel? (01:24:00) The threat of Iran (01:34:30) US should end the Israeli Subsidy (01:45:00)The fight over the soul of the nation (01:51:00) Israel in 30-40 years

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg talk about the ongoing border crisis, the history of immigration to the US, and the case for and against immigration. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta for $1000 off: www.vanta.com/zen – SPONSORS: VANTA | NETSUITE Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at: www.vanta/com/zen NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our free newsletter to receive full shownotes with book and article recommendations: momentofzen.substack.com/ – SELECT LINKS: (for all links subscribe to newsletter) - Coleman Hughes, A Case For Color Blindness www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxB3b7fxMEA&t=0s - US sues SpaceX: www.reuters.com/legal/us-sues-spacex-alleged-discrimination-against-asylees-refugees-hiring-2023-08-24/ - New York Times on the Darién Gap: www.nytimes.com/2023/09/14/world/americas/migrant-business-darien-gap.html - Paul Graham tweets chart on the slave trade: twitter.com/paulg/status/1707688808139968652 – X / TWITTER: @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia – TOPICS DISCUSSED: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:31) The American dream (05:37) Why does Elon Musk care about what's happening at the border? (10:44) The history of immigration in the US (13:30) H1-B visas and temporary protected status (18:04) Sponsors: Vanta | NetSuite (19:37) Immigration under Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump (20:02) Sponsors: Vanta & Netsuite (24:51) No place for nuance (28:21) Asylum seeking (31:38) Current state: complete failure (37:15) Arguments for and against immigration (45:04) Polling on immigration issue (49:01) Basic rule of law (56:18) Fringe theory: the great replacement theory (59:21) Dan’s proposal: voter ID (01:03:13) Does a country have a right to determine its demographics? (01:12:02) Do immigrants assimilate? (01:21:39) Pro-immigration but anti gentrification (01:25:11) Is it feasible for Balaji's gray tribe to take back San Francisco? (01:33:20) Dan’s optimistic take on a potential deal (01:35:31) Immigration and innovation

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg talk about their intellectual evolution, why San Francisco is back, and the ideas finding new momentum because of the politics in tech the last few years. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta for $1000 off: www.vanta.com/zen
–
SPONSORS: VANTA | NETSUITE
Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at: www.vanta.com/zen
NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist.
–
Sign up for our newsletter for the full shownotes: momentofzen.substack.com/
–
SELECT LINKS:

- Dan’s reference: the most interesting new city project in San Francisco: www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/business/land-purchases-solano-county.html
- Dave Portnoy, Founder of Barstool, going on the offensive against a Washington Post reporter writing a hit piece: deadline.com/2023/09/barstool-sports-owner-dave-portnoy-confronts-washington-post-reporter-1235554436/
- Most important blog: Scott Alexander’s slatestarcodex.com/ which is now Astral Codex Ten www.astralcodexten.com/
- Curtis Yarvin: www.unqualified-reservations.org/, graymirror.substack.com/
–
X / TWITTER:
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg)
@moz_podcast
@TurpentineMedia
–
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(05:00) Why San Francisco’s Network Effects, like Twitter, is futile to leave (Network Effects are a bitch)
(13:40) Tech reclaiming a political voice
(15:30) Sponsors: Vanta | NetSuite
(17:40) Media losing ground after taking too many shots during the last administration
(20:35) Mood affiliation & social justice policies in tech companies
(23:05) In this economy?
(30:41) Balaji Srinivasan
(34:25)The Borg
(39:10) Social Supply Chain
(40:21) Curtis Yarvin
(59:40) Bring your whole self to work
(01:03:00) The clear pill: winning by losing
(01:10:00) Good ideas, bad UI
(01:16:35) Newspapers are a mood affiliation business
(01:19:24) Right and Left wing, who loses in the long arc of history?
(01:26:30) Dan’s thinking around the next successful candidate
(01:33:05) Threshold for changing your thinking

Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez, and Erik Torenberg sit down with Professor Walter Russel Mead, an American academic, author, WSJ- and Tablet-contributor, and podcast host to discuss the shape of the next era after our information age. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with www.vanta.com/zen

Moment of Zen is part of Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:
Walter Russell Mead is one of our favorite guests on Moment of Zen, and he also has his own show called What Really Matters, a new podcast from Tablet Magazine (whose editor in chief, Alana Newhouse, was also on our show recently). Go to tabletmag.com/podcasts/what-really-matters or subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(02:30) What is the American Crisis right now?
(07:00) New social model for the information age
(10:24) Sponsors: Vanta | NetSuite
(15:30) A(brahamic) bomb and revolutionary change in human society
(21:40) Has religion peaked or is the world getting more religious?
(27:00) Who believes in happy endings?
(29:30) Israel vs. American Jews
(32:00) Israeli-Palestinian conflict still matters, just not to Israelis in power
(35:40) Characterizing American foreign policy
(44:00) Nation states vs Network States h/t Balaji
(53:20) Defining the next era of Post Liberalism
(01:00:00) Populists, Plutocrats, Technocrats, and the Intelligentsia
(01:10:00) Israel’s future and what’s at stake
(01:23:00) Could California be Republican again?
(01:29:00) Golda Meir and female power
(01:32:50) Arafat and a jasmine-scented night in Gaza

SELECT LINKS: * For more go to momentofzen.substack.com/
What Really Matters podcast: www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/what-really-matters

Walter Russell Mead, The A(braham) Bomb: www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/abraham-bomb-via-meadia-walter-russell-mead

Antonio Garcia Martinez, Among the Protestors: www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/among-the-protesters-antonio-garcia-martinez

Go back and listen to our Moment of Zen episodes with Tablet’s Editor in Chief Alana Newhouse (E29), Nadia Asparouhova (E26) and Liel Leibovitz (E23)


X / TWITTER
@wrmead (Walter)
@WRMpod (What Really Matters)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@dwr (Dan)
@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)

SPONSORS: Vanta | NetSuite

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at www.vanta.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

Balaji Srinivasan returns to go deeper into his theory of the Social Lens. They discuss the tactics the tech Gray tribe can use to create, identify, grow, and scale their power. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with www.vanta.com/zen This is an unfiltered discussion and an functions as an early draft for an essay and video Balaji plans to release soon - Subscribe to @thenetworkstate to be notified. Moment of Zen is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) - Episode Preview (02:20) - You can found a tribe just like you can found a startup (10:30) - Exit vs Reform (16:42) - Sponsors: Vanta, NetSuite (19:05) - Any statement can be problematized (29:00) - Can you presume societal stability? Not if you’re thinking like a CEO (34:00) - Strength of network effects (52:20) - Inequality has decreased (55:15) - Japanese vs Chinese economic model for innovation (01:07:45) - Asia is rising, the US is in relative decline (01:30:15) - How Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Garry Tan respond to Blue or reform it from within (01:38:00) - The Market for Revolutionaries: Myanmar, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Hong Kong and China (01:48:00) - Blue is a business model (01:57:00) - Charity is dependency. Investment is independence. (02:06:00) - Who defines democracy, and where is the term going? (02:27:00) - Grays attract the smartest defectors (02:36:30) - How the Gray territory gets built on land (02:49:49) - What is the highest belief and ideology of each tribe? (02:56:00) - Parallels with the Soviet Union and India (03:15:00) - Mapping the advantages to Blue and Gray (03:28:50) - How Gray beats Blue for control of cities (03:33:00) - Gray pride parade (03:40:00) - Winning the police (03:50:00) - How the Grays in San Francisco will organize themselves (03:55:30 - The power of Elon renaming Twitter (03:57:00) - Small business owners and the working class (04:00:00) - The CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone) in reverse (04:17:00) - AI will help expedite the Gray cause (04:20:00) - Can this really happen? X / Twitter @balajis (Balaji) @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @MOZ_Podcast SELECT LINKS: The Network State Conference in Amsterdam on October 30 : lu.ma/tnsconf Ronald Brownstein, America is Growing Apart, For Good www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/06/red-and-blue-state-divide-is-growing-michael-podhorzer-newsletter/661377/ 9 dot puzzle: edcraft.io/blog/all-articles/9-dots-puzzle-how-to-connect-9-dots-with-4-lines Steve Weinberg, Taking on the Trust - a.co/d/4lsaEmi Mariana Mazzucato, The Entrepreneurial State - a.co/d/gigQiPJ Sanjana Friedman, San Francisco’s Homeless Ticking Time Bomb www.piratewires.com/p/san-francisco-homeless-ticking-time-bomb SPONSORS: Vanta | NetSuite Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at www.vanta.com/zen NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

Balaji Srinivasan joins Erik Torenberg and Dan Romero on the Moment of Zen podcast to share his new theory of the Tribal Lens, why cognitive territories will gain increasingly more power than land-defined territories, why the US is no longer a beacon in the world, and Balaji strategy to fix San Francisco. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with www.vanta.com/zen Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (07:50)Cloud Cartography: If you don't control the cognitive territory. you don't control the lands (13:30) Sponsors: Vanta, NetSuite (17:30) Why people don't take the internet seriously? (22:30) The US is not a nation state (23:45) A civilization state (25:17) Why Americans should learn about India's history / India and the US are converging (30:50) Why a civil war doesn't seem realistic to people now (38:55) Where else should a talented person move? (41:35) Asia is the new global center, (47:10) Internet first, not America first (01:01:45) Software vs. Hardware (01:05:45) Elon and the Grey Strategy (01:16:40) Israel is looking away from the US for partners (01:19:00) The Tribal lens integrates both domestic and foreign politics (01:21:00) Will blue always win? (01:23:43) Making sense of the China meltdown story (01:34:55) How to fix San Francisco (01:50:30) Irrationality is an advantage (01:57:00) Building gray turf (02:03:00) Mapping the blues, reds, and grays in San Francisco (02:05:20) Dan and Erik debrief SELECT LINKS * For more shownotes directly to your inbox, subscribe to our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/ (02:00:24) The Purge tweet: twitter.com/ansellundberg/status/1025398887488479234?s=46 (02:03:05) Greta Thunberg mural: thespaces.com/a-60-ft-high-greta-thunberg-mural-pops-up-in-san-francisco/ The Network State Conference in Amsterdam on October 30 : lu.ma/tnsconf Not Too Long Ago Americans Didn't Care About Taiwan, x.com/balajis/status/1657852505425063936?s=46 US Navy Secretary admits that Chinese shipyards have more capacity twitter.com/balajis/status/1678299275703484418?s=46 Jacob Siegel and Liel Leibovitz, End US Aid to Israel, Tablet Magazine - www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/end-american-aid-israel Louis-Vincent Gave, Making Sense of the China Meltdown Story, Gavekal - research.gavekal.com/article/making-sense-of-the-china-meltdown-story/ Beautifultrouble.org - Balaji refers to this as the degrowth handbook X / Twitter @balajis (Balaji) @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @MOZ_Podcast SPONSORS: Vanta | NetSuite Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at www.vanta.com/zen NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

On this episode, Erik Torenberg and Dan Romero analyze what Vivek Ramaswamy’s rise in the polls really means, where he goes from here, and we air Erik’s full interview with Vivek from this spring. Vivek discusses his views on Silicon Valley, his concept of meritocracy, depoliticizing corporations, and lays out his policy proposals.We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with www.vanta.com/zen

Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.co

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
@AllocatePodcast is a weekly podcast about financial metrics and business models, designed for ambitious people operating tech startups. It's a collection of things host CJ Gustafson (CFO at PartsTech and writer of Mostly Metrics) has learned and thought about in the trenches as a tech CFO. Subscribe to listen on the platform of your choice: link.chtbl.com/runthenumbers


TOPICS DISCUSSED:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(02:23) What is the excitement about Vivek really about?
(05:00) Why don’t democrats nominate business people?
(06:28) Who is Vivek’s constituency?
(08:18) What happens in a world where Trump doesn’t exist?
(10:20) Immigration stance differences between Trump and Vivek
(12:20) Sponsors: Vanta + NetSuite
(14:57) Vivek’s anti woke platform vs DeSantis’ anti woke legislations
(16:50) Vivek as a right wing Elizabeth Warren Civility
(19:15) Is there a way for a republican to be cool?
(22:45) Republicans want an attack dog
(24:00) 2028 and beyond
(29:55) Interview: When Vivek set his sights on running for president
(36:20) Vivek’s presidential platform: Affirmative action, Climate, Fed, Drug crisis
(44:11) Where Vivek overlaps/differs with Silicon Valley: free speech, DEI, SVB
(51:20) How Vivek conceptualizes a meritocracy
(58:00) How to remove politics from corporations
(01:05:32) Silicon Valley should empathize more with the rest of the country?
(01:16:35) Defining “woke”
(01:22:40) What’s it like to run a presidential campaign


X / Twitter:
@VivekGRamaswamy (Vivek)
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@MOZ_Podcast


SPONSORS: Vanta | NetSuite

Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at vanta.com/zen


NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg discuss what is exciting in Crypto right now, covering friend.tech, Farcaster’s updates, PWAs, superchain 2a, and infrastructure improvements for more use cases. If you’re building a business and need compliance for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA, head to www.vanta.com/zen for $1000 off.

Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

TOPICS DISCUSSED:
(00:00:00) Episode Preview
(00:01:36) How Dan is building Farcaster
(00:02:39) Using Ethereum is expensive
(00:04:14) Crypto and climate change
(00:05:38) Moving Farcaster over to the L2 (layer 2) Ethereum ecosystem
(00:06:50) Dan's goal to abstract away the complexity of crypto
(00:07:49) Dan's take on the buzzy new friend.tech
(00:12:27) Friend.tech's smart use of a PWA + impressive growth
(00:16:51) Sponsors: Vanta and Netsuite
(00:19:11) Coinbase has its own blockchain now
(00:20:23) Debating the crypto has no use case critique
(00:23:47) Are SPACs worse than Crypto's scammy retail stuff
(00:26:21) Chamath and accountability
(00:32:24) How will crypto get to a billion users?
(00:41:11) The case for Farcaster and the future of social media
(00:49:55) Where will the influential parts of crypto Twitter go?
(00:54:25) How much value can be captured by subscaled social networks?
(00:58:51) Why we'll see startups move away from venture-backed business models
(01:00:24) Billionaires that dominate niches
(01:01:26) Most successful media company of the past decade
(01:05:59) Crypto's regulations are a gray cloud over financial innovation
(01:10:08) Opportunities to expand upside for people, from businesses to UBI
(01:11:12) Crypto is not politicized
(01:16:40) Genetics and IQ
(01:26:04) The Sam Harris + Ezra Klein Charles Murray debate
(01:34:48) Why this is the next major culture war issue

RELATED EPISODES:
—Upstream w/ Erik Torenberg ft. Sam Harris: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRq-Z2rGXXY
—Upstream with Erik Torenberg ft. Ezra Klein: www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1vBO8SYvto

LINKS:
Farcaster: www.farcaster.xyz/
friend tech: friend.tech
Vox debate and article: www.vox.com/2018/4/9/17210248/sam-harris-ezra-klein-charles-murray-transcript-podcast and www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/27/15695060/sam-harris-charles-murray-race-iq-forbidden-knowledge-podcast-bell-curve

X / Twitter
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@MOZ_Podcast

SPONSORS:
Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at www.vanta.com/zen

NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

Mike Solana joins Erik, Dan, and Antonio to track the rise and ‘vibe shift’ away from the woke industrial complex, Peter Thiel's core economic, political, and religious ideas and his future legacy. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with www.vanta.com/zen Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co CHECK OUT RELATED EPISODES: Erik's Upstream interview with David Sacks: www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_fVQHuxiZ8 TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (05:25) Behind the scenes of Mike’s Peter Thiel interview (13:00) Mike’s hypothesis behind the waves of woke culture dominance since 1995 until today (15:36) Sponsors: Vanta, NetSuite (17:41) What explains the vibe shift away from identity politics today, if it is actually in decline. (25:51) Substack materially changed the discourse, i.e. Richard Hanania (29:32) The Feminist Critique of Snow White discourse on TikTok (31:50) Anon accounts (33:37) Has culture changed or are we just more siloed? (36:00) Hunter Biden discredits mainstream culture on the left and the right (39:27) The rise and (maybe?) fall of DEI in tech (41:47) Thiel's stance on economics, science and technology, politics, and faith (45:33) Is Thiel's religious argument based on a misread of the bible? (52:43) Do the neo-Nietzscheans actually have a constituency? (55:18) Which GOP nominees, if any, are influenced by intellectual movements? (1:01:31) How do intellectual ideas actually drive political power in the US? (1:03:31) What do people want in a political candidate (1:05:13) Autoerotic self-pardoning (1:08:00) Is Thiel backing away from the anti-woke cause (1:14:35) World War meme (1:15:30) Thiel's legacy LINKS: Peter Thiel: The Diversity Myth, A Retrospective, Pirate Wires www.piratewires.com/p/peter-thiel-the-diversity-myth-a Peter Thiel, The New Criterion newcriterion.com/issues/2023/6/the-diversity-myth René Gerard, I See Satan Fall Like Lightning www.amazon.com.au/See-Satan-Falling-Like-Lightning/dp/1570753199 X: @micsolana (Mike) @antoniogm (Antonio) @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @MOZ_Podcast SPONSORS: Vanta | NetSuite Vanta Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at www.vanta.com/zen NetSuite NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

Antonio Garcia Martinez is back from his travels, and joins Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg to dive into his current theory of ‘The End of History’. They also discuss Richard Hanania, contrast the political situation in Israel with political polarization in the states, and discuss liberalism vs. religion. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with www.vanta.com/zen Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Check out @InTheArenaPodcast where entrepreneurs and leaders talk about the biggest crises they've faced. The first few episodes dive into Uber, FTX, BloomTech, and a special extended episode with Martin Shkreli. Subscribe to the podcast here: link.chtbl.com/MwjyhPC5 TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (02:13) Elon Musk vs. Dustin Moskovitz (05:00) Decarceration in SF (07:53) What problems should we focus on for the biggest impact? (12:05) Waiting for Antonio and reflecting on his conversion (15:30) Moment of Zen: Who’s listening and why? (18:00) Behind the scenes at Turpentine network (19:43) Updates: Spindl and Antonio’s travels to France and Israel (21:27) Sponsors: Vanta | NetSuite (26:04) Mapping the left and the right in Israel vs in the US (34:15) End of history (37:10) Is Richard Hanania canceled? (39:50) The new Right (41:35) Liberalism LARPing (43:20) LindyMan (44:50) The movies (46:40) Why hasn’t there been new religions? (52:20) Christian vs Jewish narrative (56:08) Is Modernity a death cult? (57:10) How do we fix the birth rate? (01:04:40) Updates: Farcaster (01:08:00) Crypto infrastructure companies (01:13:00) The underrated impact of Apple’s app store (01:15:10) What our interest in Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg at the Coliseum reveals about us (01:18:10) The story about SBF (01:20:00) Shkreli season (check out In The Arena) LINKS: Bruno Maçães, History Has Begun: www.amazon.com.au/History-Has-Begun-Bruno-Macaes/dp/1787383016 Rod Dreher, The Benedict Option: www.amazon.com/s?k=the+benedict+option&hvadid=580749828869 Patrick Deneen, Why Liberalism Failed: www.amazon.com/Why-Liberalism-Failed-Politics-Culture/dp/0300223447 Dara Horn, People Love Dead Jews: www.amazon.com/People-Love-Dead-Jews-Reports/dp/B09CFYVY3F/ X: @antoniogm (Antonio) @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @MOZ_Podcast SPONSORS: Vanta | NetSuite Are you building a business? If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta. Achieving compliance can actually unlock major growth for your company and build customer loyalty. Vanta automates up to 90% of Compliance work, getting you audit-ready in weeks instead of months and saving 85% of associated costs. Moment of Zen listeners get $1000 off at www.vanta.com/zen NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, head to NetSuite: netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

Alex Kaplan shot to fame on Twitter last week for his thread on the LK-99 superconductor, and why it has the potential to be the most important physics discovery of our lifetime. Today he joins Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg to dig deeper into the LK-99 saga. We're proudly sponsored by NetSuite. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ netsuite.com/zen

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:13) Introduction to Alex Kaplan, and how his superconductor tweet took over the internet
(03:32) Why is the LK-99 compound so difficult to replicate?
(06:52) The breakdown of superconductor properties (diamagnetism vs. superconductivity)
(10:44) How does one even go and invent a new material?
(13:53) Tracing the drama of how Lee, Kim, and Kwon published their papers
(15:06) Sponsor: NetSuite
(16:15) Cont. story of Lee, Kim, and Kwon
(19:25) Andrew and Iris live-tweeting their replication efforts
(22:08) The citizen journalist aspect
(24:21) The democratization of science
(25:41) Condensed matter physics
(29:38) What’s most exciting about the LK-99 discovery
(32:08) Observing the tangible impacts of virality on Twitter
(34:23) The (im)precise process of creating the LK-99 compound
(35:57) What are the implications, if LK-99 is a real superconductor?
(42:06) What if superconductors made more efficient quantum computers?
(44:03) A potential Kardashev scale civilization
(45:23) The most interesting thing about the LK-99 saga for Alex
(46:49) Comparable physics discoveries to the LK-99
(49:18) Alex's request for scientific ambition: where should we be looking?

LINKS:
Alex’s viral X / Twitter Thread: twitter.com/alexkaplan0/status/1684044616528453633
LK-99 Paper (submitted by Kwon): arxiv.org/abs/2307.12008
LK-99 Paper (submitted by Lee and Kim): ​​arxiv.org/abs/2307.12037

X / TWITTER:
@alexkaplan0 (Alex)
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@moz_podcast

SPONSOR:
NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

Economist and writer Noah Smith returns to the podcast to talk to Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg about housing, politics, land use and policing in California and beyond. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen

RECOMMENDED SHOWS:
Check out @ECON102Podcast Noah's new show from Turpentine
Podcast: link.chtbl.com/Econ102

Catch up on Noah's earlier appearance on MOZ: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR5TWIPkMks

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:07) Antonio as Dennis Rodman
(01:42) Noah’s new podcast with Turpentine: @ECON102Podcast / Subscribe at link.chtbl.com/Econ102
(02:05) The left and right version of “it’s time to build” i.e. Ezra Klein vs Marc Andreessen
(04:50) California skewed political identities
(07:00) California vs Texas GOP stance on immigration
(09:30) Should Gary Tan strategize from the left or the right, structurally
(11:11) Can the Asian block become a machine in SF? In California?
(12:50) Is LA better run than SF?
(17:40) What’s the best run city in the US?
(20:55) Sponsor: NetSuite
(22:15) Best format for affordable housing in cities
(26:30) California is a class society based on land
(28:40) House-rich progressives in California
(31:00) Prop 13, property tax, and SALT debates
(39:30) The tide of YIMBYism
(51:10) Effective building in Japan
(58:00) YIMBY movement in SF lost because of crime
(59:00) The future of San Francisco
(01:09:00) Policing
(01:16:00) WWII and the atom bomb
(01:22:00) Will patriotism come back?
(01:25:00) Biggest misconception about Japan?

LINKS:
Noah's Substack www.noahpinion.blog/
Book Recommendation on Prop 13: Golden Gates www.amazon.com/Golden-Gates-Fighting-Housing-America/dp/0525560211

X / TWITTER:
@noahpinion (Noah)
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@moz_podcast

SPONSOR:
NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

Marc Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz returns to discuss his recent essays on AI, violence, and much more including: San Francisco, mandatory military service, Voegelin, and life extension. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen

Check out our other interviews with Marc:
Moment of Zen E1: on SBF/FTX, Twitter, and Open AI/Chat GPT www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWIM-F0e144

Moment of Zen E2: on Elon Musk, Nietzsche, and America's Thousand-Year Empire www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y_oSLPqc-k

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode preview
(01:26) The evolution of human entertainment from epic poetry to NPC Tiktoks
(06:50) Violence is a choice
(11:00) True democracy mandates military service as a virtue
(20:00) Can San Francisco be fixed?
(31:00) Marc's empirical argument for AI
(34:45) Sponsor: NetSuite
(35:45) Where Sam Harris gets it wrong
(39:37) Eric Voegelin's concept of Immanetizing the EschatonWhat happens to religion after AI?
(46:20) What happens to religion after AI
(52:50) What would Nietzsche say?
(54:00) LLMs are already the subject of a religious war
(01:03:30) What comes after liberalism
(01:07:00) Based on Zuck's recent PR success, are alpha males back?
(01:11:20) Men’s tailoring and the stripping of masculinity
(01:13:50) Is Twitter’s influence the real world?
(01:17:20) Is Left vs Right the central conflict of our time?
(01:22:28) Life extension

LINKS:
Marc Andreessen, Fighting pmarca.substack.com/p/fighting
Marc Andreessen, Why AI Will Save The World. pmarca.substack.com/p/why-ai-will-save-the-world
Eric Voegelin, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Voegelin
Book: Regime Change by Patrick J. Deneen www.amazon.com/Regime-Change-Toward-Postliberal-Future/dp/0593086902

TWITTER:
@pmarca (Marc)
@dwr (Dan)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)

SPONSOR:
NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

Writer and technologist Eugene Wei joins Dan, Erik and Antonio to talk about Twitter, Threads, and his views on remote work. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen

Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.co

RECOMMENDED SHOWS:
Subscribe to @ECON102Podcast with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg
Economist and Substack writers Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg make sense of what’s happening in the news, technology, business, and beyond, through the lens of economics.

New podcast: @10xcapitalpodcast
Subscribe to The Limited Partner podcast where we talk about venture capital through the lens of limited partners. The world of LPs is notoriously secret and private, but on this show, influential limited partners and investors speak candidly about venture capital in 2023 and how LPs are navigating the asset class today.

LINKS REFERENCED:
Eugene Wei, How to Blow Up a Timeline www.eugenewei.com/blog/2023/7/6/how-to-blow-up-a-timeline
American Prometheus www.amazon.com/American-Prometheus-Triumph-Tragedy-Oppenheimer/dp/0375726268

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode preview
(01:03) Algorithm switch at Twitter
(07:10) What Eugene would do as Twitter’s CEO
(11:30) Signal to noise ratio in social media
(22:00) Threads
(37:35) Sponsor: NetSuite
(38:50) LinkedIn
(47:00) Improving Twitter: Ranked follower feed, restoring aristocracy, reversing war on Substack
(1:10:00) Incumbents vs upstarts in social media
(01:14:40) Graph portability
(01:20:00) Centralization vs Decentralization of the space
(01:25:00) UI analysis of Twitter vs. Discord vs. Slack vs Threads
(01:30:00) Impact of Slack and minimizing meetings on the workplace
(01:35:00) The downstream costs of remote work
(01:49:30) Why tech is the worst industry to model out the effects of remote work
(01:51:00) Office layout and productivity

TWITTER:
@eugenewei (Eugene)
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@moz_podcast

SPONSOR:

NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

Fan favorite Mike Solana, Editor in Chief of Pirate Wires, joins Erik, Dan, and Antonio this week to discuss Meta’s Threads, status, and the future of social media
Moment of Zen is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more about talent and partnerships: www.turpentine.co

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode preview
(01:20) Threads vs Twitter
(08:30) Who’s using Threads?
(14:40) Threads evolving into something else
(21:13) Threads’ growth
(23:30) Elon and Substack
(29:45) Ads on Twitter/Facebook
(33:45) Fragmentation
(36:05) Journalists
(37:10) Telepath
(38:00) Twitter since 2016
(39:00) What the next election will feel like online
(42:00) Future of social media
(45:00) Whose status was affected
(50:50) Distribution on Twitter vs Threads
(53:22) Politics on social media
(57:45) “Thetaverse”
(01:00:03) What Elon should do now?
(01:04:34) How Zuckerberg’s image has changed
(01:07:20) Final predictions

LINKS:
Zuckerberg Wages War www.piratewires.com/p/pirate-wires-twitters-final-boss
How to Blow Up A Timeline by Eugene Wei www.eugenewei.com/blog/2023/7/6/how-to-blow-up-a-timeline


TWITTER:
@micsolana (Mike)
@MOZ_Podcast
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@dwr (Dan)

In this episode, Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg discuss the Supreme Court's affirmative action decision, legacies and college athletes, the administrative state, and the right's victory in the courts.

TIMESTAMPS:

(0:00) Affirmative Action ruling

(9:00) Affirmative Action hurts Asians

(15:00) California as a case study

(19:00) Downsides of Affirmative Action

(23:30) Why not class based affirmative action?

(28:00) Let’s get rid of legacies too

(30:00) Why Dan is not a fan of Harvard

(36:00) Gay rights and abortion

(45:00) The right won the courts

(51:30) Chris Caldwell’s “Age of Entitlement”

(56:00) Dismantling the administrative state

(1:05:00) Steelmanning the case for Affirmative Action

TWITTER:

@MOZ_Podcast

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@dwr (Dan)

LINKS

Please support our sponsors: Secureframe

- Secureframe: secureframe.com/

Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

Alana Newhouse, the Editor in Chief of Tablet Magazine, joins Erik and Antonio. Alana goes deeper into unpacking our present moment, institutionalism vs anti-institutionalism, distrust, Judaism and spirituality. Thank you to our sponsor Secureframe (secureframe.com/): mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: Turpentine.co

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
Check out the trailer for In The Arena @InTheArenaPodcast a new podcast where founder Jesse Genet interviews entrepreneurs and leaders about the biggest crises they've ever faced. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysfY_WGtVkY

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode preview
(03:00) Insitutionalists vs Anti-Institutionalists or Left vs Right?
(06:25) What is the Borg? What are their values?
(12:00) Skepticism of government
(15:30) Sponsor: Secureframe
(20:00) Untangling particular religious impulses, faith vs practice
(29:56) Misinformation
(31:39) Jewish notion of justice vs Christian notion of justice
(36:08) Who is 'The West' now?
(44:00) Divesting from current American institutions
(51:00) Tech and religion
(58:00) How Antonio got upsold on Judaism
(01:00:00) American Jews a decade ago and now
(01:06:00) Americans need to imagine a new world instead of stagnating
(01:14:00) Saudi Arabia's Realignment
(01:21:00) Revisiting the crux of the divide

WEEKEND READING
Brokenism by Alana Newhouse, www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/brokenism-alana-newhouse

Disinformation by Jacob Siegel, www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/guide-understanding-hoax-century-thirteen-ways-looking-disinformation

Us and Them by Liel Liebovitz, www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/zionism-liel-leibovitz

The Moses Option by Antonio Garcia Martinez, www.tabletmag.com/sections/community/articles/the-moses-option

Walter Mussell Read, The Arc of a Covenant www.amazon.com/Arc-Covenant-United-States-Israel/dp/0375414045

TWITTER:
@alananewhouse
@tabletmag
@MOZ_Podcast
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@antoniogm (Antonio)

SPONSORS:
Secureframe (secureframe.com/)

Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

Katherine Boyle and Mike Solana join Erik, Dan, and Antonio to discuss whether a liberal arts degree is worth it and how to save San Francisco. We are proudly sponsored by Secureframe secureframe.com/ - Get 20% off by mentioning MoZ during your demo.

Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: turpentine.co
--
SPONSORS:
Secureframe (secureframe.com/)

Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.
--
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(03:40) Recapping the first Moment of Zen fight
(06:00) Is a Liberal Arts degree worth it?
(09:45) The siren song of The Social Network
(13:00) Finance vs Tech in the 2010s
(14:35) Sponsor: Secureframe
(15:40) 4 out of the 5 people on this episode got a liberal arts degree
(20:00) Are elite schools still worth it? Are middle tier colleges worth it?
(28:00) Are CS degrees necessary?
(30:00) Zero sum: college vs vocational school
(41:00) Mike Solana’s political future in San Francisco
(43:45) How tech failed SF
(45:40) How to talk about drug dealers, drug addicts, and recreational drug use
(50:30) Wealth in SF, geographically
(1:00:00) Housing
(1:03:00) Fentanyl will be a key issue in the upcoming election
(1:07:00) Dangerous memes, aspirations, and not accepting market realities
--
LINKS:
- Season of the Witch by David Talbot: www.amazon.com/Season-Witch-Enchantment-Terror-Deliverance/dp/1439108242
- Base Reality by Mike Solana: www.piratewires.com/p/base-reality-an-interview-with-grimes-6b3
--
TWITTER:
@KTmBoyle (Katherine)
@micsolana (Mike)
@MOZ_Podcast
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@dwr (Dan)

Today, we have a special bonus episode: a discussion between Marc Andreessen, the co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, and Anton Troynikov, founder of AI database company Chroma.

This conversation originally took place on Twitter Spaces, where Anton and Marc talked about Marc's recent, provocative essay, Why AI Will Save The World (linked below). Marc explains why AI will not destroy the world but instead may save it. Toward the end of the discussion, Marc takes questions from a select audience of entrepreneurs and builders in AI.

Given how much we've talked about AI and the various doomer debates on Moment of Zen, we felt that this conversation was too good to be missed. We're so thrilled that Marc, Anton, and a16z allowed us to republish it here.

Both Marc and Anton have been on Moment of Zen discussing the same themes (see LINKS)

Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co

LINKS:
Why AI Will Save The World: a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/
a16z podcast: @a16z
Moment of Zen Episode 1 ft. Marc Andreessen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWIM-F0e144
Moment of Zen Episode 2 ft. Marc Andreessen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y_oSLPqc-k
Moment of Zen Episode 16 ft. Anton Troynikov, Flo Crivello, and Nathan Labenz: www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3kvmKfVDwo

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(1:20) Why Marc wrote this essay now
(02:30) Recap of AI History over last 80 years
(04:05) Hysteria, paranoia, doomerism
(06:00) Intelligence is the fundamental building block
(06:33) Marc steelmans his opponents arguments
(09:47) Precautionary principle and nuclear technology debate
(10:48) Sponsor: Secureframe
(11:45) The AI Race, China & AI supremacy
(15:10) Regulation
(22:53) Cold War dynamics
(18:12) What should the government do?
(20:42) Analogy Period: 2nd Industrial Revolution
(23:23) AI and centralization
(29:48) AI hype cycle, speculation, investment
(35:59) Questions from audience members including Beff Jezos + Amjad Masad

TWITTER:
@pmarca (Marc)
@atroyn (Anton)
@MOZ_Podcast

SPONSOR:
Secureframe (www.secureframe.com)
Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOMENT OF ZEN during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

Nadia joins Erik, Dan and Antonio to debate the different movements in tech and determine what they should be doing to achieve the impact they want to have. Nadia is a tech researcher (nadia.xyz.) and the author of Working in Public: The Making and Maintenance of Open Source Software. Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.Turpentine.co

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
Media Empires: @MediaEmpiresPodcast
On the debut episode of Media Empires, Erik Torenberg sits down with Morning Brew's CEO Austin Rief to learn his perspective on the future of the media business and where he sees the single biggest opportunity to build a media empire.

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(00:55) New Podcast recommendation: Media Empires
(01:43) Why it’s important to break down the elite camps and their worldviews
(03:00) Elite bracket breakdown
(12:00) Technooptimism, AI, and regulation
(13:38) Davos mindset versus revolutionaries
(14:53) Why doesn’t tech support the arts?
(16:49) Sponsor: Secureframe
(18:25) Tech needs to tell a better story
(19:25) Where does Elon fit into this framework?
(25:45) Institutionalists vs anti-institutionalists (Elon, Sachs, Sam Altman, Thiel, Vijaya)
(38:40) How does the tech worldview enter politics and public stewardship successfully?
(46:00) Antonio’s depressing statement
(50:20) How the desire for high status in a digital world has affected local philanthropy
(1:04:20) Building parallel institutions
(1:13:00) Nadia discusses her article about GitHub
(1:20:50) What do American intellectuals get? Experts? Substackers?
(1:24:10) Idea machines

LINKS:
Silicon Valley’s Civil War: www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/silicon-valley-civil-war
GitHub article: www.wired.com/story/github-tech-values/
Idea Machines: nadia.xyz/idea-machines

TWITTER:
@nayafia (Nadia)
@MOZ_Podcast
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@antoniogm (Antonio)
@dwr (Dan)

SPONSOR:
Secureframe ( secureframe.com/ )
Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.


More shownotes released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg discuss Apple's upcoming headset release, VR, the debt deal, nuclear energy, and more.

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
Upstream Podcast: link.chtbl.com/Upstream
YouTube: @UpstreamwithErikTorenberg

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode preview
(01:11) Apple headset
(11:27) iOS vs Android
(14:57) Sponsor: Secureframe
(15:49) What Clayton Christensen got wrong
(22:50) VR compared to crypto
(28:00) What's the future of VR
(37:55) Reflecting on Facebook's bets on crypto and VR
(51:41) Closed vs open ecosystems

LINKS:
patrickcollison.com/pollution

Please support our sponsors: Secureframe
- Secureframe: secureframe.com/
Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

Erik and Dan are joined by special guest Mike Solana, Editor-in-Chief of Pirate Wires (www.piratewires.com/) to discuss the recent AI congressional hearings, political polarization, Elon’s reign at Twitter, and much more.

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
Upstream Podcast: link.chtbl.com/Upstream
YouTube: @UpstreamwithErikTorenberg


LINKS:
Mike Solana's Interview with Grimes (www.piratewires.com/p/base-reality-an-interview-with-grimes-6b3)
Dan's sci-fi book recommendation: Delta-v by Daniel Suarez


TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Preview of episode
(01:44) On what Mike Solana would say to Congress about AI
(08:30) Contrasting Zuck, Brian Armstrong, and Sam Altman’s approach to regulation
(15:09) Recommendation: Upstream
(15:35) Sponsor: Secureframe
(16:05) AI doomerism is just marketing for big AI
(26:25) Elon’s wins and losses so far as Twitter CEO
(38:57) Taylor Lorenz Mythology
(41:40) Twitter’s regime change // How the tables have turned. Muahahaha.
(45:00) What we’d do if we were Twitter CEO
(51:00) Evolution of polarization
(59:00) Silver lining of polarization
(1:05:00) Distinguishing Elon’s antics from his philosophy
(1:14:00) Trump feels more familiar in 2023 vs. 2016
(1:18:00) The right is adopting woke tactics
(1:22:00) Social media and depression follow up
(1:24:00) Is half of Gen Z non-straight?
(1:28:00) Ellen Pao
(1:34:30) Is Pirate Wires conservative media? (No)


Please support our sponsors: Secureframe

- Secureframe: secureframe.com/
Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

Journalist and author Liel Leibovitz joins Antonio and Erik for a deep discussion that “solves all outstanding Israel issues once and for all.” They discuss what’s going on with Israeli and US politics, Israel’s foundational choice ahead, and why wokeness is not penetrating Israel.

LINKS:
Liel’s writings for Tablet: www.tabletmag.com/contributors/liel-leibovitz

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
Upstream with Erik Torenberg: @UpstreamwithErikTorenberg
Unorthodox from Tablet: www.tabletmag.com/tags/unorthodox

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode preview
(02:06) Askhenazi vs Sephardic
(03:14) Universalism vs Particularism
(14:28) Sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire
(36:08) Christian vs Jewish notions of "Justice"
(48:28) Liel’s political evolution
(51:42) Palestinians vs Israelis
(59:53) Abraham Accords - Obama vs Trump approach to Israel
(1:06:00) What do the left vs right of Israel believe?
(1:11:00) What does Netanyahu want
(1:15:02) Liel is Long-term bullish, short-term bearish on Israel
(1:18:00) Israel isn’t dependent on the U.S. anymore
(1:28:27) What would Liel’s smartest critic say about this conversation?
(1:33:52) Future of America / Israel relationship

TWITTER:
@MOZ_Podcast
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@antoniogm (Antonio)

More shownotes released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/

Please support our sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire
- Secureframe: secureframe.com/
Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year. Secureframe has just released Secureframe Trust, a new product that lets you showcase your organization's security posture to build customer trust.

- MarketerHire: marketerhire.com/moz
MarketerHire is one of my favorite resources for growing startups looking to hire marketers. With 1000s of pre-vetted marketers across a dozen roles, whether you need help with growth, marketing, SEO, lifecycle, content, or any other aspect of growth marketing strategy. Over 5,000 companies already use MarketerHire to hire expert marketers on demand, ranging from top venture-backed startups to the most well-known Fortune 500s.
Go to marketerhire.com/moz and use code MOZ to get your $1,000 credit for your first hire.

Thank you Michelle Poreh for production.

Ben Smith is the co-founder of Semafor and author of the forthcoming book Traffic joins Erik Torenberg and Antonio Garcia Martinez for a discussion about the hostility between tech and media, what digital media startups got wrong, analysis of institutions like The New York Times, and what the future of media holds.

Also, check out the debut of Erik's long-form interview podcast Upstream. He most recently interviewed Joe Lonsdale and David Sacks. Subscribe here: @UpstreamwithErikTorenberg

LINKS:
Traffic by Ben Smith www.amazon.com/Traffic-Genius-Rivalry-Delusion-Billion-Dollar/dp/0593299752/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3OQEONBQ16K8N&keywords=ben+smith+traffic&qid=1683392645&sprefix=ben+smith+traffic%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-1

Semafor: www.semafor.com/


TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(3:00) Ben Smith’s book “Traffic”
(8:00) Buzzfeed’s cultural impact
(10:00) Regrets around the Steele Dossier
(15:00) Sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire
(16:30) Objectivity vs subjectivity in journalsim
(20:00) Left wing vs right wing journalism
(25:20) Tech media
(29:00) Cambridge Analytica bullshit
(33:00) Buzzfeed Uber controversy
(36:30) Tech and media fall out
(49:30) The root of tech vs media dissonance
(1:05:00) Free speech
(1:12:00) “The book is a eulogy to a rotting corpse that got what was coming to it”
(1:15:30) Ads vs subscription
(1:20:00) Future of media

TWITTER:
@MOZ_Podcast
@semaforben (Ben)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@antoniogm (Antonio)

More shownotes released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/


Please support our sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire

- Secureframe: secureframe.com/
Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

- MarketerHire: marketerhire.com/moz
MarketerHire is one of my favorite resources for growing startups looking to hire marketers. With 1000s of pre-vetted marketers across a dozen roles, whether you need help with growth, marketing, SEO, lifecycle, content, or any other aspect of growth marketing strategy. Over 5,000 companies already use MarketerHire to hire expert marketers on demand, ranging from top venture-backed startups to the most well-known Fortune 500s.

Go to marketerhire.com/moz and use code MOZ to get your $1,000 credit for your first hire.



Thank you Graham Bessellieu for production.

Ben Smith is the co-founder of Semafor and author of the forthcoming book Traffic joins Erik Torenberg and Antonio Garcia Martinez for a discussion about the hostility between tech and media, what digital media startups got wrong, analysis of institutions like The New York Times, and what the future of media holds.

Also, check out the debut of Erik's long-form interview podcast Upstream. He most recently interviewed Joe Lonsdale and David Sacks. Subscribe here: @UpstreamwithErikTorenberg

LINKS:
Traffic by Ben Smith www.amazon.com/Traffic-Genius-Rivalry-Delusion-Billion-Dollar/dp/0593299752/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3OQEONBQ16K8N&keywords=ben+smith+traffic&qid=1683392645&sprefix=ben+smith+traffic%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-1

Semafor: www.semafor.com/


TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(3:00) Ben Smith’s book “Traffic”
(8:00) Buzzfeed’s cultural impact
(10:00) Regrets around the Steele Dossier
(15:00) Sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire
(16:30) Objectivity vs subjectivity in journalsim
(20:00) Left wing vs right wing journalism
(25:20) Tech media
(29:00) Cambridge Analytica bullshit
(33:00) Buzzfeed Uber controversy
(36:30) Tech and media fall out
(49:30) The root of tech vs media dissonance
(1:05:00) Free speech
(1:12:00) “The book is a eulogy to a rotting corpse that got what was coming to it”
(1:15:30) Ads vs subscription
(1:20:00) Future of media

TWITTER:
@MOZ_Podcast
@semaforben (Ben)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@antoniogm (Antonio)

More shownotes released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/


Please support our sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire

- Secureframe: secureframe.com/
Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

- MarketerHire: marketerhire.com/moz
MarketerHire is one of my favorite resources for growing startups looking to hire marketers. With 1000s of pre-vetted marketers across a dozen roles, whether you need help with growth, marketing, SEO, lifecycle, content, or any other aspect of growth marketing strategy. Over 5,000 companies already use MarketerHire to hire expert marketers on demand, ranging from top venture-backed startups to the most well-known Fortune 500s.

Go to marketerhire.com/moz and use code MOZ to get your $1,000 credit for your first hire.



Thank you Graham Bessellieu for production.

Katherine Boyle joins Erik, Antonio, and Dan to discuss the hidden forces that shape founders, major divides in tech, and whether she should join our show as a cohost.

Subscribe to Erik's longform interview show @UpstreamwithErikTorenberg and catch up on episodes with David Sacks, Joe Lonsdale, Marc Andreessen, and more.

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(5:00) Fatherhood and founders
(10:00) What is “Seriousness”
(13:39) Sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire
(16:00) Elon
(20:30) Software and hardware
(26:30) Are founders psychologically off?
(35:00) SpaceX and Starship
(43:00) Where would Steve Jobs be today?
(48:00) Twitter and Substack
(1:07:00) Florida is a COVID phenomenon, not a ZIRP phenomenon
(1:17:00) Can we pressure Katherine join Moment of Zen as the fourth cohost?
(1:18:00) Sending kids to Catholic school

TWITTER:
@MOZ_Podcast
@KTmBoyle
@eriktorenberg
@dwr
@antoniogm

More shownotes released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/

*Please support our sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire*

- Secureframe: secureframe.com/
Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

- MarketerHire: marketerhire.com/moz
MarketerHire is one of my favorite resources for growing startups looking to hire marketers. With 1000s of pre-vetted marketers across a dozen roles, whether you need help with growth, marketing, SEO, lifecycle, content, or any other aspect of growth marketing strategy. Over 5,000 companies already use MarketerHire to hire expert marketers on demand, ranging from top venture-backed startups to the most well-known Fortune 500s.

Go to marketerhire.com/moz and use code MOZ to get your $1,000 credit for your first hire.

Thank you Graham Bessellieu for production.
Music license: QBYGNRBX9L2IXIRH

San Francisco advocate Michelle Tandler (@michelletandler on Twitter) joins Erik and Dan to discuss how Twitter has impacted her life, the state of SF politics, and how she would address the homeless crisis in San Francisco. We're proudly sponsored by Secureframe (secureframe.com/) mention MOZ in your demo to get 20% off.

Also, check out the debut of Erik's long-form interview podcast Upstream. He most recently interviewed Joe Lonsdale and David Sacks. Subscribe here: @UpstreamwithErikTorenberg
--
TWITTER:
@MOZ_Podcast
@michelletandler (Michelle)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
--
More shownotes released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/
--
SPONSORS: Secureframe | MarketerHire
- Secureframe: secureframe.com/
Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

- MarketerHire: marketerhire.com/moz
MarketerHire is one of my favorite resources for growing startups looking to hire marketers. With 1000s of pre-vetted marketers across a dozen roles, whether you need help with growth, marketing, SEO, lifecycle, content, or any other aspect of growth marketing strategy. Over 5,000 companies already use MarketerHire to hire expert marketers on demand, ranging from top venture-backed startups to the most well-known Fortune 500s.
--
LINKS:

Michelle is a founder and writes a newsletter at notesfromthefront.substack.com.

Sam Quinones' book - Dream Land: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic
(www.amazon.com/Dreamland-True-Americas-Opiate-Epidemic-ebook/dp/B00U19DTS0)

Sam Quinones' book - The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth
(www.amazon.com/Least-Us-Tales-America-Fentanyl-ebook/dp/B0932RRNVL/)

Matt Taibbi’s book - Hate Inc.
(www.amazon.com/Hate-Inc-Todays-Despise-Another/dp/1682194078/)
--
TIMESTAMPS:
(0:00) Episode preview
(03:45) Michelle’s friend group
(10:00) Twitter shapes the real world
(13:00) Trump derangement syndrome
(15:00) Sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire
(17:00) Reading the news
(21:00) The war on drugs
(37:30) How to fix SF
(49:00) History of media polarization
(58:00) Michelle’s three point plan if she were mayor
(1:14:00) Should Michelle run for office?
(1:20:00 )Twitter reshaping politics

--
Thank you Graham Bessellieu for production.

Dan and Erik discuss picking markets, NFT's, disinformation, and Fentanyl. Thanks to our sponsor Secureframe (secureframe.com/) get 20% off when you mention MoZ during your demo.
--
Please support our sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire
- Secureframe: secureframe.com/

Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

- MarketerHire: marketerhire.com/moz
MarketerHire is one of my favorite resources for growing startups looking to hire marketers. With 1000s of pre-vetted marketers across a dozen roles, whether you need help with growth, marketing, SEO, lifecycle, content, or any other aspect of growth marketing strategy. Over 5,000 companies already use MarketerHire to hire expert marketers on demand, ranging from top venture-backed startups to the most well-known Fortune 500s.
--
RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
Check out the debut of Erik's new long-form interview podcast Upstream. This coming season features interviews with Marc Andreessen, Balaji Srinivasan, Ezra Sacks, David Sacks, Katherine Boyle, Joe Lonsdale, and more upcoming. Subscribe at www.youtube.com/@UpstreamwithErikTorenberg
--
TIMESTAMPS:
(0:00) Episode preview
(0:45) Crypto in a bear market
(8:00) How to pick markets
(16:45) Sponsors - Secureframe | MarketerHire
(17:57) Why do NFTs matter
(47:00) Disinformation
(1:00:00) Social media fragmentation
(1:09:00) Biggest U.S problems
(1:12:00) How to fix the Fentanyl program
--
TWITTER:
@MOZ_Podcast
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)
--
More shownotes and reading material released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/
--
Thank you Graham Bessellieu for production.

Our guest this week is Mike Solana, founder and editor-in-chief of Pirate Wires (Piratewires.com). We discuss the broken local politics of San Francisco, tech and media fights, how we should handle Tik Tok, and why AI enthusiasts are losing. We record our interviews with Riverside. Go to bit.ly/Riverside_MoZ + use code ZEN for 20%.

Also, check out the debut of Erik's new long-form interview podcast Upstream. This coming season features interviews with Marc Andreessen, Balaji Srinivasan, Ezra Sacks (all live already), David Sacks, Katherine Boyle, Joe Lonsdale, and more upcoming. www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1vBO8SYvto&t=230s

TIMESTAMPS:
(0:00) Antonio’s EA rant
(2:12) Local SF politics is changing
(18:10) Tech vs. Media
(26:30) Sponsors: Riverside and Secureframe
(28:00 )Why does SF hate tech?
(31:00) How to win over California
(38:00) Institutionalist vs. anti-institutionalist
(55:50) Taylor Lorenz
(1:01:30) Tik Tok
(1:03:40) Why Solana isn’t a libertarian anymore
(1:07:55) Why is the onus on billionaires instead of the government
(1:14:20) Dan swears off Peter Zeihan
(1:16:00) Anti-tech tech podcasts
(1:18:20) AI criticism is coming from within tech
(1:19:50) Aella
(1:21:30) AI safety debate
(1:32:00) What Solana is motivated by

TWITTER:
@MOZ_Podcast
@micsolana (Mike)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@dwr (Dan)@antoniogm (Antonio)

More shownotes and reading material released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/

Thank you to Secureframe for sponsoring (Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount) and Graham Bessellieu for production.

Music License: 8JZZQD7YV7WNEC3I

Anton Troynikov of Chroma, Flo Crivello of Lindy AI, and Nathan Labenz of Waymark and co-host of The Cognitive Revolution podcast join Erik Torenberg for a timely debate on the issues raised in the AI open letter which advocates for a 6-month pause on AI system trainings. Dan and Antonio will be back next week. We record our interviews with Riverside. Go to bit.ly/Riverside_MoZ + use code ZEN for 20%.

Check out the debut of Erik's new longform interview podcast Upstream. This coming season features interviews with Marc Andreessen, Balaji Srinivasan, Ezra Sacks, David Sacks, Katherine Boyle, and more. www.youtube.com/@UpstreamwithErikTorenberg

LINKS:
Open letter: futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/
Scott Aronson blog post: scottaaronson.blog/


TIMESTAMPS:

(3:00) Explanation of the AI open letter

(3:50) Anton’s skepticism of the open letter

(7:00) Flo’s skepticism of the open letter

(13:00) Nathan’s support for the open letter

(15:39) Sponsors

(20:00) Differences between Flo and Anton’s positions

(30:00) GPT4 is still dangerous

(38:00) Luddites/“Pausers” are on the wrong side of history

(42:00) Why not pause 6 months?

(50:00) Anton and Flo debate robotics

(56:00) What we’re all scared of with AI

(1:21:00) Is there asymmetric risk with pausing or not pausing?


TWITTER:
@MOZ_Podcast
@atroyn (Anton)
@labenz (Nathan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@altimor (Flo)

More shownotes and reading material released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/

Thank you Secureframe for sponsoring (Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount) and Graham Bessellieu for production.
Music License: K38MY5YIF78UKLJD

Writer and VC Nic Carter joins us to talk about Balaji's bet, Operation Chokepoint 2.0, and the Fed's financial crisis. We record our interviews with Riverside. Go to bit.ly/Riverside_MoZ + use code ZEN for 20%.

Check out the debut of Erik's new longform interview podcast Upstream. This coming season features interviews with Marc Andreessen (Episode 1 is live now), David Sacks, Ezra Klein, Balaji Srinivasan, Katherine Boyle, and more. Subscribe here: www.youtube.com/@UpstreamwithErikTorenberg

Timestamps:
(0:00) Intro
(3:00) Reflections on Balaji episode
(10:00) Coinbase and SVB
(14:00) Sponsors
(15:00) Operation chokepoint 2.0
(16:45) We find out the reason for Antonio’s circumcision
(25:00) Crypto banking crisis
(36:00) How much of crypto is new?
(38:40) Main benefits of crypto
(47:20) Finance is politicized
(55:00) Defining a CDBC
(1:02:00) Nic’s biggest crypto beef
(1:07:30) Nic’s take on Balaji’s bet
(1:12:30) Why crypto should vote republicans next election
(1:19:30) We’re in a financial crisis caused by the fed
(1:20:30) Our options for addressing the crisis
(1:27:00) If we were kings for a day how we’d solve it
(1:28:50) Nic would rather cut rates than raise rates
(1:30:00) AI is the U.S.’s main hope

Twitter:
twitter.com/moz_podcast
twitter.com/nic__carter
twitter.com/dwr
twitter.com/Antoniogm
twitter.com/eriktorenberg

More shownotes and reading material released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/


Thank you Secureframe (secureframe.com) for sponsoring - Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount.

Thank you Graham Bessellieu for production.
Music License: IARG8KS8RXWCFSFL

Balaji Srinivasan tells us why he is making a $1M BTC prediction and discusses SVB, the financial crisis, the digital devaluation of the USD, and what comes next.

(1:05) What happened with SVB
(8:55) Constructive debate
(54:40) Where we agree and where we disagree
(57:50) If the U.S. implodes, there’s nowhere else to go
(1:10:00) Responding to critics

Check out the debut of Erik's new longform interview podcast Upstream. This coming season features interviews with Marc Andreessen (Episode 1 is live now), David Sacks, Ezra Klein, Balaji Srinivasan, Katherine Boyle, and more. Subscribe here www.youtube.com/@UpstreamwithErikTorenberg

Subscribe to the Moment of Zen newsletter for more links to articles and books: momentofzen.substack.com/

Check out the original article for chokepoint 2.0 on the excellent Pirate Wires: www.piratewires.com/p/crypto-choke-point

Follow us on twitter @moz_podcast

Moment of Zen is brought to you by:

Riverside, where we record our interviews. Go to bit.ly/Riverside_MoZ + use code ZEN for 20%.

and

Secureframe, the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Mention Moment of Zen for 20% off your first year.

Music License: IZG2WMYQA2W4OXUC

Byrne Hobart joins Antonio, Dan, and Erik to discuss SVB, finance, and crypto. We record our interviews with Riverside. Go to bit.ly/Riverside_MoZ + use code ZEN for 20%.

0:00 Intro
0:45 Sponsors
1:28 Dan’s story with SVB
11:00 Byrne intro (Check out Thediff.co)
12:00 How Byrne identified SVB’s insolvency
20:30 How banking works
27:10 Fractional reserve banking
32:00 Banking on-chain
37:00 Understanding illiquidity
51:00 Housing market
58:00 How much can crypto recreate the financial system?
1:13:00 Crypto is financial system for digital native world
1:20:25 Are we at the end of (financial) history?
1:25:00 Finance is never solved

More shownotes and reading material released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/

Sign up to Byrne's newsletter: www.thediff.co/

In addition to Riverside, thank you Secureframe for sponsoring (Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount) and Graham Bessellieu for production.

Music License: SN2QTHCG6ISKCZET

nonymous founders of the Effective Accelerations (e/acc) movement @Bayeslord and Beff Jezos (@BasedBeff) join Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Nathan Labenz to debate views on AI safety. We record our interviews with Riverside. Go to bit.ly/Riverside_MoZ + use code ZEN for 20%.

(3:00) Intro to effective accelerationism
(8:00) Differences between effective accelerationism and effective altruism
(23:00) Effective accelerationism is bottoms-up
(42:00) Transhumanism
(46:00) “Equanimity amidst the singularity”
(48:30) Why AI safety is the wrong frame
(56:00) Pushing back against effective accelerationism
(1:06:00) The case for AI safety
(1:24:00) Upgrading civilizational infrastructure
(1:33:00) Effective accelerationism is anti-fragile
(1:39:00) Will we botch AI like we botched nuclear?
(1:46:00) Hidden costs of emphasizing downsides
(2:00:00) Are we in the same position as neanderthals, before humans?
(2:09:00) “Doomerism has an unpriced opportunity cost of upside“

More shownotes and reading material released in our Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/

Thank you Secureframe for sponsoring (Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount) and Graham Bessellieu for production.

Music License: AUWPOHS6DAPPCYV1

We record our interviews with Riverside. Go to bit.ly/Riverside_MoZ + use code ZEN for 20%.

0:00 Intro
13:00 Why knowing history makes you a better entrepreneur
20:00 Christianity’s moral innovations
29:00 America as culture exporter
37:00 Consumer culture and social progressivism
50:00 Egalitarianism eats the world
1:04:48 Equality of Opportunity vs Equality of Outcome
1:12:00 Equality of Opportunity IS Equality of Outcome
1:17:00 Is wokeness receding?

Thanks to sponsors Riverside and Secureframe.

Subscribe to our newsletter for more links to articles and books: momentofzen.substack.com/

Edited by Graham Bessellieu
Music License: UR3D3RZRHDCCSIPN

0:00 Intro
1:15 Replika caused Amjad to downgrade his view of humanity
3:15 Some men are down bad
5:15 Should we bring back monogamy?
8:15 If you’re not a top man, you’re screwed (phew)
13:00 Thought experiment
16:40 Antonio brings up Israel again (drink!)
18:15 “You don’t know what life is until you birth a child and bury a parent”
19:15 Unintended policy side effects
25:25 How to solve population crisis
27:45 WTF happened in 1971?
29:15 High and low time preference
35:15 Dating app preferences
39:00 Group narcissism
41:25 Groups that inbreed focus more on kinship
45:15 AI doomerism
50:45 from New Atheism to SJ to EA to AI Safety
1:00:15 Antonio calls out Eliezer Yudkowski
1:00:45 Criticizing Utilitarianism/Effective Altruism
1:10:15 Jesus vs Nietzsche
1:10:45 Bronze Age Pervert
1:13:15 Antonio recommends converting to Judaism
1:14:30 Why is EA so popular in Silicon Valley?
1:18:10 Why are EA just normie liberals
1:19:00 EA’s importance
1:24:15 The right way to think about alignment
1:27:15 Robert Conquest’s second law
1:30:15 Entryism
1:33:45 is right wing EA a thing?

Thanks to our sponsor Secureframe! Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount.

0:00 intro
1:50 sponsor
2:15 What determines a country’s success
6:00 Chinese collapse?
8:35 Why does Ukraine matter?
13:30 Can America be isolationist?
20:20 Are we in a Cold War with China?
25:45 Unpacking the new right
35:44 The future of wokeness
41:40 How Noah finds meaning in life (petting rabbits)
44:20 Noah defends his liberalism
53:00 American cope
57:00 Why American infrastructure sucks
1:01:00 Fake liberals
1:06:30 Why California is a one-party state
1:15:00 Tech’s political shift
1:20:00 Noah’s advice to tech people

More shownotes and reading material in our brand new Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/

Thank you Secureframe for sponsoring (Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount) and Rob Pera, Natalie Toren, and Molly Mielke for production/art direction.

0:00 Sponsor (Secureframe)
2:00 Why is ChatGPT woke?
8:23 DAN (do anything now)
13:50 Who cares if chatGPT is a little woke?
17:30 OpenAI is just protecting themselves
24:30 Why is it so bad that chatGPT is a little woke?
28:30 Why not compete with openAI directly?
34:30 Why pluralism instead of truthism?
41:30 How can pluralism win?
43:30 Polarization is good
52:30 The arc of technology is centralization
1:14:00 Reconciling contradictions
1:23:10 Explaining The Cathedral
1:33:30 Why politics matters for tech

Antonio will be back next week!

More shownotes and reading material in our brand new Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/

Thank you Secureframe for sponsoring (Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount) and Rob Pera, Natalie Toren, and Molly Mielke for production/art direction.

0:00 Intro
1:10 Sponsor (Secureframe)
3:10 Has Aarthi always been more based than Sriram?
6:40 Attribution
10:10 Legitimacy
14:30 Brokenism vs Institutionalism
19:40 Attention as influence
26:00 Should Twitter eliminate trending topics?
28:30 Antonio’s cultural elitism
32:00 Low vs High culture
41:50 Who are the elites?
51:10 WWE & Kayfabe
1:01:45 Lex Fridman
1:11:10 Andrew Huberman
1:19:00 Bryan Johnson
1:21:00 Lindy
1:24:00 Against a la carte beliefs

More shownotes and reading material in our brand new Substack: momentofzen.substack.com/

Thank you Secureframe for sponsoring (Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount) and Rob Pera, Natalie Toren, and Molly Mielke for production/art direction.

The Cognitive Revolution, AI podcast: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Waii0i1bBFY

Also check out Aarthi and Sriram's great show: www.aarthiandsriram.com/

Twitter:
twitter.com/moz_podcast
twitter.com/sriramk
twitter.com/aarthir
twitter.com/dwr
twitter.com/Antoniogm
twitter.com/eriktorenberg

0:00 Preview of the debate
0:30 Sponsor
1:00 Nathan introducing our upcoming AI podcast, The Cognitive Revolution
3:45 Flo’s take on the AI moment and AGI
8:20 Amjad’s take on the AI moment
15:00 Is chatGPT a step function change?
23:45 AI’s effect on coding
34:40 Amjad believes AI is underhyped
35:00 Bounties
53:15 What AI companies should VCs invest in?
57:30 Antonio/Flo pre-debate
1:00:15 “All knowledge work will be automated in 20 years”
1:01:00 Antonio’s AI skepticism
1:05:20 the inflection point is a jump in generality
1:06:00 Who will capture value, incumbents or startups?
1:14:30 Segue into AI and crypto
1:20:00 Flo’s crypto skepticism
1:23:40 Antonio and Flo HEATED DEBATE
1:26:30 Dan tries to calm everybody down
1:27:00 Dan’s crypto perspective
1:29:30 Antonio’s crypto perspective
1:31:50 Amjad’s Bitcoin maximalist view
1:34:55 Amjad’s hilarious rant on crypto ponzis
1:38:00 Dan and Amjad debate Bitcoin/Ethereum
1:40:00 AI vs Web 3 brawl
1:52:32 Amjad’s AI predictions

Stay tuned for our new upcoming AI podcast, The Cognitive Revolution, launching next week!

Thank you Secureframe for sponsoring (Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount) and Rob Perla for editing.

Twitter:
@moz_podcast
@Eriktorenberg
@Dwr (Dan)
@Amasad (Amjad)
@Antoniogm (Antonio)
@Altimor (Flo)
@Labenz (Nathan)

Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) Marshall Kosloff (@makosloff) The Realignment ( @therealignment ) join Moment of Zen's Dan Romero (@dwr), Antonio Garcia Martinez (@antoniogm) and Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) for a discussion on tech, politics, and media

0:00 intro
2:00 Political and class realignments
14:35 Trump vs DeSantis
24:10 Future of both political parties
27:55 Would Saagar ever get involved in politics?
32:00 Differences between Silicon Valley and DC
35:20 There will never be another Trump
38:30 Media’s impact on politics
54:40 Antonio thinks we stopped recording and goes off
56:00 who the f*** is Chuck Todd?
57:10 How media is evolving

Sponsored by Secureframe, produced by Rob Perla

0:00 intro and sponsor
1:20 introductions (who the f are we?)
3:00 Antonio introduction
5:12 Dan introduction
6:50 Farcaster
10:10 Erik introduction
12:30 the life of the mind vs the life of the founder
16:00 Being in the arena as a requisite to comment
18:30 Why is the podcast named “Moment of Zen”?
20:20 Erik is the Johnny Appleseed of group chats
23:30 Group chat culture
26:55 Reforming institutions vs building new ones
29:30 Antonio’s intellectual evolution
30:40 Europe is behind, but Antonio prefers it
31:40 Antonio feels like a teetotaler who runs a bar
32:50 LARPs
34:00 Explaining Fukuyama
37:50 What’s the best functioning institution today?
39:10 Richard Hanania
42:30 We don’t have a grand unifying projects anymore
45:00 Should the China threat be the unifying narrative?
48:05 Taiwan
49:56 Explaining Zeihan
1:00:20 When shit hits the fan, what country do you flee to?
1:02:40 Why doesn’t Prince Harry get a paternity test?
1:04:00 Europe vs America
1:08:20 Dan is bullish on Europeans, bearish on Europe
1:11:20 “Everything except the startup scene is better in Europe”
1:15:19 Why is the US public sector so much worse?
1:21:35 Why are we doing this show?
1:22:32 “How about we just don’t get canceled?”
1:23:55 Teasing upcoming guests
1:24:34 Erik’s favorite ex-convict?

Social:

@dwr
@eriktorenberg
@antoniogm

Thanks to Secureframe for sponsoring, and Rob Perla and Molly Mielke for producing

0:00 Antonio’s circumcision
1:20 The future of Replit
6:30 The future of coding
9:46 The Steve Jobs Blackpill
12:00 Will AGI lead to the death of humans?
18:13 AGM thinks AGI dystopia is bullshit, religion for nerds
21:12 Why is there a human need for “end of times” theory?
23:20 Climate science is unsettled
25:55 AGM swears he has no idea who Curtis Yarvin is (Who is Curtis Yarvin? - editor)
26:25 Dan wrestles with the guilt of bringing another human into this cold, ugly world
27:00 Amjad’s counter-narrative to the AGI dystopia narrative
29:30 How can AI become consciousness if we don’t know what consciousness is?
32:15 “AGM do you want to share your story with an AI girlfriend?”
32:58 Amjad’s Palestinian background and his identity crisis
37:00 Redpill moments
39:17 The media never lies
40:35 Russel Conjugation
41:50 Comparing Islam and Judaism
43:44 Judaism isn’t about faith, it’s about practice
51:00 Transhumanism vs Ludditism
51:50 Was The Unabomber a left-wing or right-wing nut?
55:15 Ludditism never works, you can’t roll technology back
57:00 Antonio’s redpilling
58:30 Raising a family with or without religion
1:04:40 Dismissing religion is the classic midwit meme
1:07:20 History is a series of conspiracies
1:15:00 Modern day true conspiracies
1:21:05 “Are the frogs gay?”
1:22:50 Why does truth matter?
1:30:40 Prediction Markets
1:36:30 The only places where truth matters: wars, elections, and markets

Thanks to Secureframe for sponsoring, and Rob Perla and Molly Mielke for edits/production

Thanks to our sponsor Secureframe, the leading platform for security and privacy compliance. Sign up for a demo at www.secureframe.com and use "Moment of Zen" for a 20% discount for a year.

00:00 Intro
1:00 Unpacking the SBF quote
4:00 Introducing Joe Henrich’s “WEIRD”
6:15 Introducing Tom Holland’s “Dominion”
7:10 Nietzsche’s criticism of Christianity
8:45 Christianity’s inversion of morality
11:40 Is Wokeness the logical conclusion of Christianity?
15:00 The Christ narrative as the central narrative
16:20 Is WEIRD taking over the world?
17:20 Antonio’s upcoming circumcision
20:30 Why we can’t have Nietzschian morality in TV shows
24:30 Kanye, Trump, Elon
26:30 Introducing James Burnham and the rise of professional managerial class
31:30 How Elon is a threat to the PMC
34:00 Can other countries resist WEIRD?
38:30 What would Balaji say about the case for America?
41:50 Balaji’s Network State
43:20 Is social media going to fragment?
46:35 America is consistent with the process of evolution
48:20 We need more cleaving of the elites

00:00 All-in tribute
1:15 What happens to SBF?
5:00 History of collapses in crypto
8:10 DeFi/Web3 actually works
11:35 Redemption arc for SBF/Caroline?
15:37 Steelmanning FTX the business
22:30 What’s going to happen to Twitter?
24:20 How would we advise Elon?
25:20 Is controversy good for Twitter?
26:10 The killer app for Twitter
26:40 Bull case for Twitter
34:00 Tech civil war?
40:15 Future of AI - open vs closed?
45:10 Intersection of AI and crypto
53:00 Role for gov’t regulation
58:50 2023 Predictions

Also, check out Erik's new longform interview podcast Upstream. The first episode is an extended interview with Marc Andreessen. This coming season also features interviews with David Sacks, Ezra Klein, Balaji Srinivasan, Katherine Boyle, and more. Subscribe here www.youtube.com/@UpstreamwithErikTorenberg

Moment of Zen is a weekly podcast on tech, business, and culture featuring Dan Romero (Farcaster), Antonio Garcias Martinez (Spindl), and Erik Torenberg (Village Global/On Deck)

Music license: G5QHQRABQ0EGXWA8