"Moment of Zen" (Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez)

Anonymous founders of the Effective Accelerationist (e/acc) movement @Bayeslord and Beff Jezoz (@BasedBeff) join Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Nathan Labenz to debate views on AI safety. 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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode preview (03:00) Intro to effective accelerationism (08:00) 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 (01:06:00) The case for AI safety (01:24:00) Upgrading civilizational infrastructure (01:33:00) Effective accelerationism is anti-fragile (01:39:00) Will we botch AI like we botched nuclear? (01:46:00) 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" SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -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.

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. Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more at www.turpentine.co or email Erik@turpentine.co TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:07) Antonio is the Dennis Rodman (01:42) Noah’s new podcast with Turpentine: Econ 102 (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 (20:58) 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 https://www.noahpinion.blog/ Book Recommendation on Prop 13: Golden Gates https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Gates-Fighting-Housing-America/dp/0525560211 X / TWITTER: @noahpinion (Noah) @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast SPONSORS: Beehiiv: Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

In this episode of Moment of Zen, Erik is joined by Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business and author of the newly released book "The Anxious Generation." They have a comprehensive discussion that touches on the polarization and dysfunction in American politics, the impact of social media on democracy, and the importance of reclaiming a play-based childhood for the current generation - SPONSORS: NETSUITE | BEEHIIV 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: http://netsuite.com/zen - NetSuite has extended a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks. BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months - LINKS: Website: https://jonathanhaidt.com/ Jon's Substack: https://www.afterbabel.com/p/welcome-to-the-after-babel-substack The Anxious Generation: https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/ The Anxious Generation Book: https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/book - FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @JonHaidt (Jon) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia - TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:13) Evolution of Jonathan's Work: From Moral Psychology to 'The Anxious Generation' (01:14) The Impact of Social Media on Teen Mental Health (02:50) Exploring the Tragedy of the Modern Childhood (07:29) Addressing the Criticism and Pushback (12:08) The Unprecedented Effects of Social Media on Society (19:37) Adapting to Technological Changes and the Future of Childhood (20:20) The Dire State of Democracy in the Digital Age (27:01) How Technology Affects Liberals and Conservatives Differently (28:20) Unveiling the Research: The Rise of Anxiety and Depression (28:48) Breaking Down the Data: Gender, Politics, and Mental Health (30:48) The Protective Power of Religion and Community (31:32) Parenting Styles and Moral Values (32:07) Challenges for Progressive Organizations and the Democratic Party (32:42) Recommendations for a Healthier Childhood in the Digital Age (33:50) Addressing the Broader Issues Beyond Smartphones (34:35) The Role of Schools in Children's Mental Health (36:33) A Call for Intentional Community Building (37:34) Navigating the Public Health Crisis with Apolitical Solutions (40:41) Engaging with the Tech Industry: Critiques and Clarifications (41:01) The Debate on Content Moderation and the Need for Structural Changes (56:27) Wrap

In this episode, Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg discuss China's energy strategy and its broader geopolitical implications. Contrary to popular belief, China is not aggressively pursuing energy independence but remains reliant on imports despite significant domestic oil production. The conversation delves into China's geopolitical strategy, its military preparedness, and the potential consequences of a conflict over Taiwan. The episode also explores the broader implications of a potential U.S.-China industrial competition and the risks of a bipolar world. - 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. -- 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: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mos4VE3figVXleHDqfXOH Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/complex-systems-with-patrick-mckenzie-patio11/id1753399812 - 🎙️ Second Opinion - A new podcast for health-tech insiders from Christina Farr of the Second Opinion newsletter. Join Christina Farr, Luba Greenwood, and Ash Zenooz every week as they challenge industry experts with tough questions about the best bets in health-tech. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1759267211 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A8NwQE976s32zdBbZw6bv — SPONSORS: Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months 🌐 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 Babbel.com/torenberg --- REFERENCED ARTICLES: “China Isn’t Pursuing Energy Independence” https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/p/china-isnt-pursuing-energy-independence --- LINKS: Samo’s Bismarck Brief: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/ --- FOLLOW US ON X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @samoburja (Samo) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine) --- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Introduction (01:46) China's Domestic Oil Production (03:00) Energy Independence and Geopolitical Strategy (04:00) Comparing US and China Energy Policies (05:13) China's Economic Logic Over Energy Security (06:09) China's Relationship with Iran and Russia (07:55) Modernizing China's Petrochemical Industry (08:33) Advising China on Resource Independence (16:13) Sponsors: beehiiv | Babbel (18:58) China's Strategic Priorities and War Likelihood (22:16) Western Brinksmanship and Misconceptions (29:29) The Role of Manufacturing in Modern Warfare (30:44) The Need for a Massive Industrial Base (33:30) Sponsors: Squad (34:54) China's Strategic Military Preparations (36:57) China's Oil and Resource Capabilities (40:11) The Taiwan Conflict: Economic and Military Implications (52:47) The Future of Global Power Dynamics

In this episode of Moment of Zen, Erik Torenberg is joined by Samuel Hammond (@hamandcheese), a senior economist at the Foundation for American Innovation and AI Scout/ Cognitive Revolution podcast host Nathan Labenz (@labenz). From drug innovation to nuclear risk, they discuss the impact of AI on policy and governance, exploring the challenges and opportunities of a Trump vs. Harris presidency. From drug innovation to nuclear risk, they dissect the impact of AI on policy and governance, exploring the challenges and opportunities of a Trump vs. Harris presidency. -- 🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj - RECOMMENDED PODCASTS: 🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast -- 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 https://bit.ly/WorkOS-TCR 🌐 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 Babbel.com/zen 📈 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: netsuite.com/102 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- LINKS: Samuel Hammond Essays * The EA case for Trump 2024: https://www.secondbest.ca/p/the-ea-case-for-trump-2024 * AI and Leviathan: Part I: https://www.secondbest.ca/p/ai-and-leviathan-part-i * A Manhattan Project for AI Safety: https://www.secondbest.ca/p/a-manhattan-project-for-ai-safety Books: * Asymmetric Politics: How the New Right Became Resurgent in American Politics by Matthew Grossmann and David Hopkins * The New Class War by Michael Lind * The Great Stagnation by Tyler Cowen * The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil -- FOLLOW US ON X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @hamandcheese (Samuel)  @labenz (Nathan) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine) TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Introduction (01:08) Samuel's Perspective on Trump: Focus on Innovation (03:54) Nathan's Perspective on Trump: Focus on Tail Risks (07:55) Governing Philosophies and Party Structures (14:53) The Need for Understanding AI on Its Own Terms (20:48) The Potential for AI to Reform the Administrative State (21:38) Sponsor: Babbel | WorkOS (29:34) The Dissonance Between Idealism and Reality (32:33) Sponsor: NetSuite| Squad (37:54) The Potential for a Crisis-Driven AI Policy (48:56) The Case for a Trump Administration in Light of Past Policies (1:13:20) The Risks of an AI Arms Race (1:28:28) The Potential for a Shared AI Future (1:47:56) The Need for a Pause in AI Development (1:57:02) The Limits of Individual Leadership and the Importance of Institutional Change (1:58:17) The Hypothetical Scenario of Trump Ordering a Nuclear Strike (2:02:02) The Need for Outsider Leadership

Replit founder Amjad Masad joins Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Antonio Garcia Martinez to talk about disenfranchised men, intellectual movements, problems with effective altruism and AI doomerism. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. (00:00) Episode preview (02:15) Replika caused Amjad to downgrade his view of humanity (03:15) Some men are down bad (05:15) Should we bring back monogamy? (08:15) 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 (01:00:15) Antonio calls out Eliezer Yudkowski (01:00:45) Criticizing Utilitarianism/Effective Altruism (01:10:15) Jesus vs Nietzsche (01:10:45) Bronze Age Pervert (01:13:15) Antonio recommends converting to Judaism (01:14:30) Why is EA so popular in Silicon Valley? (01:18:10) Why are EA just normie liberals (01:19:00) EA’s importance (01:24:15) The right way to think about alignment (01:27:15) Robert Conquest’s second law (01:30:15) Entryism (01:33:45) is right wing EA a thing? SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. -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.

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 https://requestforstartups.substack.com/ Subscribe to Request for Startups for more of these types of episodes: Video episodes are only available on Substack: https://requestforstartups.substack.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/739L1LR32QI2XyoZlRh5nv Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/request-for-startups-with-erik-torenberg/id1728659822 - RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj _ 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: BEEHIIV | NETSUITE BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ – LINKS: Farcaster: https://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 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.

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. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/zen. 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. Marc explains why AI will not destroy the world but instead may save it. Towards 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 before (see LINKS) Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:39) Anton asks Marc why he 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 (09:47) Precautionary principle and nuclear technology debate (13:52) Recommendation: a16z podcast (14:43) Sponsor: Secureframe (16:04) The AI Race (18:00) China’s national strategic priority (22:53) Cold War dynamics (23:20) What should the government do? (24:00) Analogy Period: 2nd Industrial Revolution (33:51) AI hype cycle, speculation, investment (38:38) Problems AI can solve (50:00) Questions from audience members, including Beff Jezos + Amjad Masad SPONSOR: Beehiiv | Shopify | Vanta | NetSuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months Shopify: https://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: https://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 https://www.vanta.com/zen NetSuite ( http://netsuite.com/zen ) 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. 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.

Dan and Erik discuss Apple's upcoming release, VR, the debt deal, nuclear energy and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode preview (02:11) Apple headset (12:27) iOS vs Android (15:57) Sponsor: Secureframe (16:49) What Clayton Christensen got wrong (23:50) VR compared to crypto (29:00) What's the future of VR (38:55) Reflecting on Facebook's bets on crypto and VR (52:41) Closed vs open ecosystems LINKS: https://patrickcollison.com/pollution Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. - Secureframe: https://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.

Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) and Marshall Kosloff (@makosloff) of 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. 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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (03:00) Political and class realignments (15:35) Trump vs DeSantis (25:10) Future of both political parties (28:55) Would Saagar ever get involved in politics? (33:00) Differences between Silicon Valley and DC (36:20) There will never be another Trump (39:30) Media’s impact on politics (55:40) Antonio thinks we stopped recording and goes off (57:00) who the f*** is Chuck Todd? (58:10) How media is evolving   SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. -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.

In this conversation, Erik Torenberg sits down with Antonio Garcia Martinez, founder of Spindl and author of ‘Chaos Monkeys’, and Parker Thompson, partner at SAX Capital, TNT Ventures, and AngelList, to explore the influence of social media on society. 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. This episode marks the first time Erik interviewed Antonio Garcia Martinez on Venture Stories back in 2019 and remains relevant today. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/zen. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Autopilot explores the adoption and rollout of AI in the industries that drive the economy and the dynamic founders bringing rapid change to slow-moving industries. From law, to hardware, to aviation, Will Summerlin interviews founders backed by Benchmark, Greylock, and more to learn how they're automating at the frontiers in entrenched industries. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YQZkKHN7EP2yWedAvSxBC?si=18377c69a2804333 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/autopilot-with-will-summerlin/id1738163836. -- SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | NETSUITE | SQUAD Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months 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: http://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: @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 (10:10) 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.

Samo and Erik explore Twitter's evolution, digital politics, and Europe's societal constraints. The conversation weaves through topics of online influence, cultural shifts, and the future of political discourse in the digital age. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — SPONSORS: GIVEWELL GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. (Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to support our show.) SQUAD Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. Founders Fund's Delian Asparouhov and researcher Nadia Asparouhova kick off the series with an unfiltered conversation about their relationship evolution. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod — X / TWITTER: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @samoburja (Samo) @turpentinemedia @MOZ_Podcast — HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE: The future of politics may hinge on personal branding and media personalities. Corporate culture increasingly intersects with political beliefs. Social media platforms are arenas for elite discourse. The First Amendment plays a crucial role in protecting online expression. Political rebranding is becoming more common in the social media landscape. There's a desire to open the digital frontier. Europe's aging population affects its political dynamism. The political economy in Europe is in need of reform. American innovation is often stifled by older generations' preferences. The left struggles to find its voice in a right-dominated media landscape. Emerging left-wing voices may arise from unexpected places. Generational shifts will influence political and cultural dynamics. The digital age allows for new forms of activism and expression. The future of left-wing culture may depend on new, charismatic leaders.

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. This is a developing story. This podcast was recorded on Sunday Nov 19th at 12pm PST. 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: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | MASTERCLASS | NETSUITE Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen MASTERCLASS: https://masterclass.com/zen get two memberships for the price of 1 Learn from the best to become your best. Learn how to negotiate a raise with Chris Voss or manage your relationships with Esther Perel. Boost your confidence and find practical takeaways you can apply to your life and at work. If you own a business or are a team leader, use MasterClass to empower and create future-ready employees and leaders. Moment of Zen listeners will get two memberships for the price of one at https://masterclass.com/zen NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ –  X / TWITTER: @dwr (Dan) @antoniogm (Antonio) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia – 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 (33:55) The Role of Energy in Computing (34:30) Sponsors: MasterClass | NetSuite (36:00) The Game of Capital and Access to Compute (38:12) Predicting the Future of OpenAI (40:30) The Betting Odds on Sam Altman's Future (43:00) The Challenges of Leading OpenAI (48:50) Discussing Sam Altman's Background and Achievements

Alana Newhouse, the Editor in Chief of Tablet Magazine, joins Erik and Antonio on this week's episode. Avid listeners will recall that Alana's essays about Brokenism have influenced many heated discussions on Moment of Zen. Here Alana goes deeper into unpacking our present moment, institutionalism vs anti-institutionalism, distrust, Judaism and spirituality, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/UPSTREAM Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: Turpentine.co 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. TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode preview (04:00) Insitutionalists vs Anti-Institutionalists or Left vs Right? (07:25) What is the Borg? What are their values? (13:00) Skepticism of government (16:30) Sponsor: Secureframe (21:00) Untangling particular religious impulses, faith vs practice (30:56) Misinformation (32:39) Jewish notion of justice vs Christian notion of justice (37:08) Who is 'The West' now? (45:00) Divesting from current American institutions (52:00) Tech and religion (59:00) How Antonio got upsold on Judaism (01:01:00) American Jews a decade ago and now (01:07:00) Americans need to imagine a new world instead of stagnating (01:15:00) Saudi Arabia's Realignment (01:22:00) Revisiting the crux of the divide WEEKEND READING Brokenism by Alana Newhouse, https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/brokenism-alana-newhouse Disinformation by Jacob Siegel, https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/guide-understanding-hoax-century-thirteen-ways-looking-disinformation Us and Them by Liel Liebovitz, https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/zionism-liel-leibovitz The Moses Option by Antonio Garcia Martinez, https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/community/articles/the-moses-option Walter Mussell Read, The Arc of a Covenant https://www.amazon.com/Arc-Covenant-United-States-Israel/dp/0375414045 TWITTER: @alananewhouse @tabletmag @MOZ_Podcast @eriktorenberg (Erik_ @antoniogm (Antonio) SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen NetSuite (http://netsuite.com/zen) 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

Amjad Masad (@Amasad), Flo Crivello (@Altimor) and Nathan Labenz (@Labenz) join us for a heated debate on the AI moment. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Preview of the debate (00:30) Sponsor (01:00) Nathan introducing our new upcoming AI podcast, The Cognitive Revolution (03:45) Flo’s take on the AI moment and AGI (08:20) 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 (01:00:15) “All knowledge work will be automated in 20 years” (01:01:00) Antonio’s AI skepticism (01:05:20) the inflection point is a jump in generality (01:06:00) Who will capture value, incumbents or startups? (01:14:30) Segue into AI and crypto (01:20:00) Flo’s crypto skepticism (01:23:40) Antonio and Flo HEATED DEBATE (01:26:30) Dan tries to calm everybody down (01:27:00) Dan’s crypto perspective (01:29:30) Antonio’s crypto perspective (01:31:50) Amjad’s Bitcoin maximalist view (01:34:55) Amjad’s hilarious rant on crypto ponzis (01:38:00) Dan and Amjad debate Bitcoin/Ethereum (01:40:00) AI vs Web 3 brawl (01:52:32) Amjad’s AI predictions   SPONSORS: Beehiiv | NetSuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. -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.

In this episode that originally aired on Upstream, Erik sits down with Balaji Srinivasan to discuss the Fiat Crisis, geopolitics, conspiracies, and the signs of decline for a hyperpower. It was recorded in June of 2023. Balaji is an angel investor, tech founder, philosopher, and author of The Network State. He was formerly the CTO of Coinbase. 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 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: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mos4VE3figVXleHDqfXOH Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/id1753399812https://podcasts.apple.com/id1753399812 - SPONSORS: NETSUITE | BEEHIIV | 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: http://netsuite.com/zen - NetSuite has extended a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks. BEEHIIV 🐝 Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. Go to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months BABBEL 🌐 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 Babbel.com/zen SQUAD 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. - FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @balajis (Balaji) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (00:51) Intro (01:23) Understanding the flat crisis (08:34) Balaji’s equivalent premises (14:54) Sponsor: NetSuite and Beehiiv (17:55) Aftermath of Iraq and Afghanistan wars (20:35) Multipolar world (25:17) Blue America is at war with the world (28:35) Sponsor: Babbel | Squad (31:02) Cancellation is a weak form of warfare (33:05) Interplay of realism and idealism in the U.S (37:00) Red vs Blue vs Grey America (44:11) Concept of American partition (46:00) Rise of India's national Identity (47:00) Evolution of China and Russia (53:00) Microsoft, Facebook, and Google (54:00) Japan-USSR rivalry and its impact (01:01:10) Conspiracy theories and historical narratives (01:09:00) Balaji’s predictions for 2024 & the Fed (01:18:31) Wrap

Erik Torenberg and Jon Askonas talk about the emerging political realignment in tech, specifically how Silicon Valley has shifted away from Democrats. They discuss the "tech right," its relationship with MAGA and "MAHA" (Make America Healthy Again) movements, potential tensions within this new coalition, and how Democrats might respond to their 2024 electoral defeat. Check out the interviews Erik mentions in this episode: Ezra Klein on Supply-side Progressivism, Polarization, and What Silicon Valley Misses About Politics: https://open.spotify.com/episode/36vTPPcpisMVXSgq9bnj1w The Future of Crypto with Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1EeTFGKxYuDojR5kvqpCyt — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — SPONSOR: NETSUITE | SHOPIFY | INCOGNI | SQUAD Over 41,000 businesses trust NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud ERP, to future-proof their operations. With a unified platform for accounting, financial management, inventory, and HR, NetSuite provides real-time insights and forecasting to help you make quick, informed decisions. Whether you're earning millions or hundreds of millions, NetSuite empowers you to tackle challenges and seize opportunities. Download the free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at https://netsuite.com/zen. Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/momentofzen. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code MOMENT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/moment Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE: Jon's recently published pieces: Tech for Trump: https://www.city-journal.org/article/tech-for-trump The New Control Society: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-new-control-society Erik's substack: https://eriktorenberg.substack.com/  — X / TWITTER: @JonAskonas @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Second Opinion 🎙️ Join Christina Farr, Ash Zenooz and Luba Greenwood as they bring influential entrepreneurs, experts and investors into the ring for candid conversations at the frontlines of healthcare and digital health every week. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A8NwQE976s32zdBbZw6bv Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/second-opinion-with-christina-farr-ash-zenooz-md-luba/id1759267211 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecondOpinionwithChristinaFarr -- HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE: Jon discusses Silicon Valley's shift away from Democrats, pointing to tech leaders like Zuckerberg, Nadella, and Bezos appearing at Trump's inauguration. The "tech right" is explained as one of three pillars of the new right coalition, alongside MAGA and "MAHA" (Make America Healthy Again). Jon identifies key factors driving tech's rightward shift: frustration with Democratic regulations affecting crypto, AI, and energy production; COVID governance failures; and cultural issues. The podcast examines potential tensions within this coalition, particularly around immigration and transhumanism, where tech interests may conflict with MAGA priorities. Jon analyzes how the new right coalition is united by opposition to "the Cathedral" (establishment institutions) rather than external threats. They discuss Project 2025 and "DOGE" (Department of Government Efficiency) as attempts to dismantle bureaucracy and bring transparency to government spending. The conversation explores how Democrats might respond, including moderating on culture war issues and adopting an "abundance agenda."

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: (00:01:36) How Dan is building Farcaster (00:02:39) Using Ethereum is expensive (00:04:14) Crypto and climate change (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 (00:17:11) Coinbase has its own blockchain now (00:21:47) Are SPACs worse than Crypto's scammy retail stuff (00:24:21) Chamath and accountability (00:30:24) How will crypto get to a billion users? (00:39:11) The case for Farcaster and the future of social media (00:52:25) How much value can be captured by subscaled social networks? (00:56:51) Why we'll see startups move away from venture-backed business models (00:59:26) Most successful media company of the past decade (01:03:59) Crypto's regulations are a gray cloud over financial innovation (01:08:08) Opportunities to expand upside for people, from businesses to UBI (01:09:12) Crypto is not politicized (01:14:40) Genetics and IQ (01:24:04) The Sam Harris + Ezra Klein Charles Murray debate (01:32:48) Why this is the next major culture war issue RELATED EPISODES: Upstream w/ Erik Torenberg ft/ Sam Harris Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0DeR2VZOjpnE9pQ9b3Om9S?si=u662cEDUTt6D27D09Jnk0w Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e10-sam-harris-on-populism-polarization-and-his-beef/id1678893467?i=1000614749192 Upstream with Erik Torenberg ft/ Ezra Klein Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/36vTPPcpisMVXSgq9bnj1w?si=WEysQWc4RouTxd1hzNl1iw Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e3-ezra-klein-on-supply-side-progressivism-polarization/id1678893467?i=1000607892890 SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | Vanta | NetSuite Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://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 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: http://netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

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 https://bit.ly/Riverside_MoZ + use code ZEN for 20%.  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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics TIMESTAMPS: (0:00) Antonio’s EA rant (2:12) Local SF politics is changing (18:10) Tech vs. Media (26:30) Sponsors: Secureframe and Riverside (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 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: https://momentofzen.substack.com/  SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen Thank you to Secureframe for sponsoring (Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount) and Graham Bessellieu for production.

Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg dissect the complex web of religion, nationalism, and power that shapes Middle Eastern politics. In this analysis, Samo reveals why traditional solutions have failed and offers a look at how demographic shifts and emerging ideologies will transform the region's future. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — SPONSORS: NETSUITE More than 40,000 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: https://netsuite.com/zen - Download your free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning SHOPIFY Shopify: Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/cognitive GIVEWELL GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. (Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to support our show.) SQUAD Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — X / TWITTER: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @samoburja (Samo) @turpentinemedia @MOZ_Podcast — HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE: Middle Eastern governments often struggle with instability due to ethnic and religious divisions. The Syrian civil war exemplifies the challenges of governance in the region. Assad's fall may not significantly alter the power dynamics in Syria. Kurdish autonomy is a critical factor in the future of Syria. Islamist groups pose a significant challenge to stability in the region. Turkey's ambitions in Syria complicate the geopolitical landscape. Demographic changes will impact the political future of Syria. Foreign support has not been effective in sustaining the Assad regime. The future of Syria is uncertain, with many factions vying for power. Israel and Turkey's conflicting interests will shape Syria's future. Nationalism is a simple legitimizing political formula. Arab nationalism struggles due to the lack of unified representation. Geopolitical challenges hinder the formation of a unified Arab state. Islamism has emerged as an alternative unifying ideology. Political projects can lose legitimacy through repeated failures. The Taliban's legitimacy is rooted in religious authority. Democracy can be a powerful legitimizing force, even in non-democratic systems. Supporting stable monarchies may be more effective than backing rebel groups. Africa's political landscape is influenced by tribal and clan structures. Demographic changes will significantly impact the future of the Middle East.

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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period. Check out Bayeslord's article in Pirate Wires, ' The Ethos of the Divine Age' https://www.piratewires.com/p/ethos-divine-age - RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj _ SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | NETSUITE BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ – LINKS: Bayeslord and Nadia's article:https://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) SPOSNOR: NETSUITE (46:07) Leadership in E/ACC (49:36) Impact of Social Media (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) 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.

In this episode of "Moment of Zen," hosts Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja delve into the concept of populism and its impact on modern politics. For full shownotes, visit highlight: https://highlightai.com/share/0a17c191-56ca-43f0-b169-614198ecbc29 — 🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse. — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ Unpack Pricing - Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg -- SPONSORS: INCOGNI Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code MOMENT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/moment SHOPIFY Shopify: Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/cognitive GIVEWELL GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. (Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to support our show.) SQUAD Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- Follow on X: @whatifalthist (Rudyard) @samoburja (Samo) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @turpentinemedia

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 https://shopify.com/momentofzen – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | MASTERCLASS | NETSUITE Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen MASTERCLASS: https://masterclass.com/zen to get two memberships for the price of one. Learn from the best to become your best. Learn how to negotiate a raise with Chris Voss or manage your relationships with Esther Perel. Boost your confidence and find practical takeaways you can apply to your life and at work. If you own a business or are a team leader, use MasterClass to empower and create future-ready employees and leaders. Moment of Zen listeners will get two memberships for the price of one at https://masterclass.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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ –  X / TWITTER: @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia – RECOMMENDED PODCAST:  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: https://link.chtbl.com/theriff RECOMMENDED PODCAST: LIVE PLAYERS 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. 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: https://link.chtbl.com/liveplayers. –  TIMESTAMPS: (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 (00:34:34) Sponsor: MasterClass | NetSuite (00:36:13): Can we get people to move to SF and change the city? (00:44:30) Tech is politically absent at the local level (00:50:45) Talent wants to agglomerate (00:57:00) Educational challenges

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. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/zen Moment of Zen is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more about talent and partnerships: www.turpentine.co 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. 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 https://www.piratewires.com/p/pirate-wires-twitters-final-boss (https://www.piratewires.com/p/pirate-wires-twitters-final-boss) How to Blow Up A Timeline by Eugene Wei https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2023/7/6/how-to-blow-up-a-timeline (https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2023/7/6/how-to-blow-up-a-timeline) TWITTER: @micsolana (Mike) @MOZ_Podcast @eriktorenberg (Erik) @antoniogm (Antonio) @dwr (Dan) SPONSOR: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | VANTA | NETSUITE Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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 https://www.vanta.com/zen 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

Brian Chau (@psychosort) joins us to discuss why ChatGPT is woke, how the arc of tech is centralization, and mental models for politics. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics TIMESTAMPS: (01:00) Why is ChatGPT woke?  (06:23) DAN (do anything now)  (12:20) Who cares if chatGPT is a little woke?  (16:00) OpenAI is just protecting themselves  (23:00) Why is it so bad that chatGPT is a little woke?  (27:00) Why not compete with openAI directly?  (33:00) Why pluralism instead of truthism?  (40:00) How can pluralism win?  (42:00) Polarization is good  (51:00) The arc of technology is centralization  (01:12:30) Reconciling contradictions  (01:21:40) Explaining The Cathedral  (01:32:00) Why politics matters for tech Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MomentofZenPodcast Subscribe to our newsletter: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. -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.  

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: https://www.vanta.com/zen 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: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | VANTA | NETSUITE Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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: https://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ –  X / TWITTER: @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @antoniogm (Antonio) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia – SELECT LINKS: -Wikipedia : List of Jewish Nobel Laureates https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_Nobel_laureates - Book: Rise and Kill First https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_and_Kill_First - Iranian Agent - Robert Malley Spy Ring story https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/iran-spy-ring-robert-malley-lee-smith & Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/06/rob-malley-iran-security-clearance-investigation/ -Econ 102 episode where Noah Smith discusses the War in Israel and economic causes https://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 are joined by journalist Jacob Siegel to discuss disinformation, the evolving narrative between tech and political power, and geopolitics. This episode was recorded on October 1st, before Hamas' attack on Israel. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta for $1000 off: https://www.vanta.com/zen 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: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | VANTA | NETSUITE Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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: https://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ – X / TWITTER: @jacob__siegel (Jacob) @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @antoniogm (Antonio) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia – 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 (15:55) Sponsors: Vanta | NetSuite (18:10) Elon Musk relationship with Obama-era Whitehouse (22:28) Private markets vs Government subsidized innovation (24:00) Ideal balance between protectionist policies and free markets (29:45) Jacob on Israel over-leveraging its tech sector (36:00) Tracing the narrative of tech and democratic political power (42:30) Hybrid warfare since 2014 (46:20) Antonio joins the conversation (51:00) 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) Predicting the future of Israel in 30-40 years

In this episode, Erik Torenberg and economist Noah Smith dive tackle pressing questions on government efficiency, libertarianism, immigration, housing, military spending, and the future of American politics. For full shownotes, visit highlight: https://highlightai.com/share/150a6b58-03ac-4eb2-b99a-803f577b1815 -- 🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ Unpack Pricing - Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg -- SPONSORS: INCOGNI Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code MOMENT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/moment SHOPIFY Shopify: Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/cognitive GIVEWELL GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. (Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to support our show.) SQUAD Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- Follow on X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @noahpinion (Noah) @turpentinemedia

Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja examine the pervasive fascination with American political dynamics and their far-reaching impact worldwide, especially across Western democracies and European nations. They analyze how digital connectivity has accelerated the harmonization of political discourse and cultural values across borders, while exploring the emerging shifts in European political frameworks that increasingly reflect American ideological patterns and media narratives — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — SPONSOR: NETSUITE | SHOPIFY | INCOGNI | SQUAD Over 41,000 businesses trust NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud ERP, to future-proof their operations. Whether you're earning millions or hundreds of millions, NetSuite empowers you to tackle challenges and seize opportunities. Download the free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at https://netsuite.com/zen. Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/momentofzen. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code MOMENT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/moment Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — LINKS: Two buttons meme: https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.2365085899.3351/st,small,507x507-pad,600x600,f8f8f8.jpg  The Clash of Civilizations: https://www.amazon.com/Clash-Civilizations-Remaking-World-Order/dp/1451628978  Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/ — X / TWITTER: @SamoBurja @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia -- HIGHLIGHTS Global Political Influence US politics heavily impact Western countries, while Americans know little about other nations' political leaders Western countries form a connected political unit, using only other Western nations as models Internet's Unifying Effect Shared digital platforms have synchronized Western attention and culture more than ever before Younger Europeans increasingly consume political news in English online rather than in local languages Political & Cultural Transfer American political concepts (from trans rights to gun advocacy) spread to Europe Tension between traditional European media control and Silicon Valley's free speech platforms like X.com Potential European Transformation Free speech on social media could trigger significant right-wing political shifts in Europe Upcoming elections may demonstrate the impact of changing information access Questions about EU's "democratic deficit" and bureaucratic dominance Western Alignment Liberal and conservative international movements both center on US terms and platforms Military strength contributes significantly to America's cultural influence Western nations function as a de facto alliance despite having no formal "Western Union"

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg talk about their intellectual evolution, why San Francisco is back, and the ideas finding new momentum because of the thorny 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: https://www.vanta.com/zen – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | VANTA | NETSUITE Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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: https://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ – SELECT LINKS: Dan’s reference: the most interesting new city project in San Francisco: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/business/land-purchases-solano-county.html James Portnoy, Founder of Barstool, going on the offensive against a Washington Post reporter writing a hit piece: https://deadline.com/2023/09/barstool-sports-owner-dave-portnoy-confronts-washington-post-reporter-1235554436/ Most important blog: Scott Alexander’s https://slatestarcodex.com/ which is now Astral Codex Ten https://www.astralcodexten.com/ Curtis Yarvin: https://www.unqualified-reservations.org/, https://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 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: https://www.vanta.com/zen – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | VANTA | NETSUITE Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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: https://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – RECOMMENDED PODCAST: LIVE PLAYERS 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. 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: https://link.chtbl.com/liveplayers. – Sign up for our free newsletter to receive full shownotes with book and article recommendations: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ – X / TWITTER: @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik Torenberg) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia – TIMESTAMPS: (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 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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period. _ RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | NETSUITE BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://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) 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.

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. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen 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.  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. LINKS: Open letter: https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/ Scott Aronson blog post: https://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) SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | Netsuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. -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.

Today on Moment of Zen, Journalist Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry sits with Erik Torenberg to explain the volatile state of French politics following recent European Parliament elections where Macron’s party performed poorly and the National Rally did very well. The conversation offers insights into the broader implications of these political shifts, touches on the societal divisions fueling these changes, immigration, and the potential economic impact on France. 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 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: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mos4VE3figVXleHDqfXOH Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/id1753399812https://podcasts.apple.com/id1753399812 -- SPONSORS: COMMANDBAR | BABBEL | BEEHIIV | NETSUITE | SQUAD 🦾 Level up your ineffective website chatbot with CommandBar. CommandBar builds a new type of web assistant which delivers highly personalized responses, real time co-browsing, and can perform actions on behalf of the users. Learn how Hashicorp, Gusto, Freshworks and more use CommandBar at https://commandbar.com/moz 🌐 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 babbel.com/zen 🐝 Head to beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. A special offer is at https://beehiiv.com: use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months 📈 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: http://netsuite.com/zen - NetSuite has extended a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks. 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @pegobry_en (Pascal) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Introduction (00:35) Sponsor: CommandBar (04:20) Macron's Strategy & Cohabitation (08:11) The Political Landscape (14:28) Comparison with U.S. Politics (14:48) Sponsor: Babbel | beehiiv (16:22) Macron's Unpopularity & Economic Challenges (21:02) Energy Policy and the Rise of Populism (24:01) Sponsor: Netsuite | Squad (27:94) The Economic Consequences of Populism (31:11) France vs. Brexit (35:46) The Future of France (45:00) Brexit Comparison & EU Reform (52:57) The Role of Young People in the Future (54:34) 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, re-centralization, the implications of AI on the internet economy, and media perception of tech. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/zen - RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – LINK: Buy Chris' book: https://readwriteown.com/ MoZ newsletter: https://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 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.

Erik and Dan are joined by special guest Mike Solana, Editor-in-Chief of Pirate Wires (https://www.piratewires.com/) to discuss the recent AI congressional hearings, political polarization, Elon’s reign at Twitter, and much more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. LINKS: Mike Solana's Interview with Grimes (https://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: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. - Secureframe: https://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.

Part 2 of our extended conversation with Marc Andreessen, where we discuss Elon, Nietsche, and America's 1000-year empire. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) - Intro (2:00) - Unpacking the famous SBF quote (5:00) - Introducing Joe Henrich’s “WEIRD” (7:15) - Introducing Tom Holland’s “Dominion” (8:10) - Nietzsche’s criticism of Christianity (9:45) - Christianity’s inversion of morality (12:40) - Is Wokeness the logical conclusion of Christianity? (16:00) - The Christ narrative as the central narrative (17:20) - Are there any alternatives to WEIRD - Is WEIRD taking over the world? (18:20) - Antonio’s circumcision (21:30) - Why we can’t have Nietzschian morality in TV shows (25:30) - Kanye, Trump, Elon (27:30) - Introducing James Burnham and the rise of professional managerial class (32:30) - How Elon is a threat to the PMC (35:00) - Can other countries resist WEIRD? (39:30) - What would Balaji say about the case for America? (42:50) - Balaji’s Network State (44:20) - is social media going to fragment? (47:35) - America is consistent with the process of evolution (49:20) - We need more cleaving of the elites SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. -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.

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: https://netsuite.com/zen -- now through April 15th NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program. – RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Autopilot explores the adoption and rollout of AI in the industries that drive the economy and the dynamic founders bringing rapid change to slow-moving industries. From law, to hardware, to aviation, Will Summerlin interviews founders backed by Benchmark, Greylock, and more to learn how they're automating at the frontiers in entrenched industries. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YQZkKHN7EP2yWedAvSxBC?si=18377c69a2804333 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/autopilot-with-will-summerlin/id1738163836. _ SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | NETSUITE | SQUAD Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. 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: http://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: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @dwr (Dan) @agm.eth (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.

Katherine 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. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. 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 *Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe | MarketerHire* Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. - Secureframe: https://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: https://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.

In this episode of Moment of Zen, Erik Torenberg sits down with Tim Urban, writer of the popular blog Wait But Why, and author of the 2023 book What’s Our Problem? where he offers a framework for thinking about our chaotic political landscape. Tim unpacks the clash between freedom and equality in modern society. He explores how social justice movements and political extremes threaten open dialogue. Urban argues for a return to classical liberal values, challenging listeners to consider: Are we fostering true diversity of thought, or silencing dissent in the name of progress? 🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj -- 🎙️ Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes. Subscribe on all platofrms: https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine -- SPONSORS: GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to make sure they know you heard about them from us. 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast -- Follow on X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @waitbutwhy (Tim) @turpentinemedia TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:04) Tim Urban Describes the Genesis of his Book (02:11) Why Does Tim Believe Classical Liberalism is the "Least Bad" System? (06:56) The Existential Threat of Today's Technology (07:36) The Anomalous Nature of Our Era (11:44) "What's Our Problem?": A Self-Help Book for Societies (14:15) Trump's "Full-Fledged Demagogue" Presidency (21:22) Summary of the Right & Left's Illiberal Actions (24:13) Mistake Theory vs. Conflict Theory (29:23) Sponsors: Givewell | Dealcraft (37:49) The Debate on Gender Disparities in Tech (41:04) The Size and Power of the Social Justice Fundamentalist Movement (44:20) Sponsor: Squad (45:34) The Tyranny of the 3% (46:55) Two Constitutions: Individual Rights vs. Group Rights (52:34) Unsolved Questions for Tim Urban (56:17) Wrap

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: https://www.vanta.com/zen SUBSCRIBE TO AGE OF MIRACLES: Podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/ageofmiracles | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@age-of-miracles 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: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | VANTA | NETSUITE Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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: https://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ –  X / TWITTER: @packym (Packy) @juliadewahl (Julia) @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia –  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) Myth-busting: 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

Mike Solana joins Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Antonio Garcia Martinez to track the rise and ‘vibe shift’ away from the woke industrial complex, from social media algorithms and anon accounts, to media disruptions like Substack and Gawker. They discuss Peter Thiel's economic, political, and religious ideas and discuss his legacy. They also debate if the left really has lost control of culture or whether we’re just more siloed in 2023, and which GOP candidates draw on upstream intellectual ideas. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/zen Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co 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. 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 SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | Vanta | NetSuite Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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: http://netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

In this thought-provoking episode, Richard Hanania joins Erik Torenberg to discuss his upcoming book on elite human capital, the future of American politics, and his evolving views on culture war issues. For full shownotes, visit highlight: https://highlightai.com/share/dcd6fdba-6a0c-4fee-bc87-8f855df56a32 -- Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess -- 🎙️ Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes. Subscribe on all platofrms: https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine SPONSORS: SQUAD Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. NOTION Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at https://notion.com/cognitiverevolution GIVEWELL GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to make sure they know you heard about them from us. Follow on X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @RichardHanania (Richard) @turpentinemedia

Editor of Arena magazine Maxwell Meyer and pseudonymous writer Indian Bronson join Erik Torenberg for part 3 of the immigration series. They discuss the evolving dynamics between Trump's tech and MAGA supporters, cutting through online drama to examine how both sides might find common ground on immigration, talent, and America's future. This is part 3 to Bronson's earlier Moment of Zen episodes, Debating Immigration Policy and Bronson vs Everyone: H-1B Wars, Elon, and Trump — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — SPONSOR: NETSUITE | ORACLE Over 41,000 businesses trust NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud ERP, to future-proof their operations. With a unified platform for accounting, financial management, inventory, and HR, NetSuite provides real-time insights and forecasting to help you make quick, informed decisions. Whether you're earning millions or hundreds of millions, NetSuite empowers you to tackle challenges and seize opportunities. Download the free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at https://netsuite.com/zen. ☁️ Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at https://oracle.com/turpentine/ — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod — RELATED LINKS: Debating Immigration Policy: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4xR2aTcekJ60GFgTXMKGy4?si=DjML853wSLOUTmWAyqgv9g Everyone: H-1B Wars, Elon, and Trump: https://open.spotify.com/episode/79JNQHaxTKEfhkWL1pT1NH?si=NqEewJYuTlqoYDqpfxChhw Indian Bronson Substack: https://indianbronson.substack.com/ Max Meyer's Arena Magazine: https://arenamag.com/ — X / TWITTER: @mualphaxi (Max Meyer) @Indian_Bronson (Indian Bronson) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @turpentinemedia @MOZ_Podcast — HIGHLIGHTS: I. Tech/Nationalist Right Conflict & Alliance Online clash over immigration policy. Debate on whether the tech/nationalist alliance is genuine or just expedient. Core agreement on stopping illegal immigration, but disagreements on legal routes. II. Trump & Immigration Trump's long-held views on attracting high-skilled talent. Discussion of H1B visa program abuse and potential reforms. Trump's stance as pro-legal immigration, but anti-illegal immigration. III. Key Themes Online vs. reality: online debates are often more extreme. Trump & Musk: Similarities in their hands-on approach and detail-oriented style. Power: Elon Musk’s unique influence in the Trump orbit. Critique of "Hick Lib" politicians like Tim Walz, and his inauthenticity. IV. Predictions Democrats likely to do well in 2026 House elections. Focus on deportations under Trump. Continued alliance between Trump and Musk. V. Nuances of Immigration Debate Discussion on the usefulness of Country Caps. Unintended consequences of affirmative action. Welfare differences between US and Europe. The importance of high-skilled immigration to economic growth, with caveats. VI. Closing Thoughts Real conversation between powerful people took place. Emphasis on balancing economic benefits with the idea of America as a nation with shared history. Emphasis on trusting figures like Trump, J.D. Vance and those around them.

Today on Moment of Zen, Samo Burja and Rudyard Lynch return for for a mind-bending discussion and deep dive into the concept of "long ripples" — how ideas and events from the distant past continue to shape our present and future in unexpected ways. From Plato's influence on modern political movements to the unforeseen consequences of the Industrial Revolution, this conversation challenges our understanding of historical cause and effect. Are we truly progressing, or are we caught in cycles we fail to recognize? Can we learn from the past, or are we doomed to repeat it in new, technologically-amplified ways? This episode is a rollercoaster ride through time, technology, and human nature, forcing us to reconsider our place in the grand sweep of history.  Both Samo and Rudyard are hosts of Turpentine shows, Live Players and History 102, respectively. CHECK OUT: Live Players: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fbMTkHBnom1JIBWYNVBK1 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-players-with-samo-burja-and-erik-torenberg/id1718925188 History 102: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 — 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: turpentinenetwork.co — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes. Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine — 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 https://bit.ly/WorkOS-Turpentine-Network 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — LINKS: Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/ Whatifalthist YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/Whatifalthist — FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg @samoburja @whatifalthist @turpentinemedia — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:15) Exploring Plato's Influence (05:10) Historical Ripples and Convergent Evolution (06:45) The Fall of Civilizations (12:43) Comparing Civilizational Cycles (17:42) The Future of Human Civilization (23:30) Sponsor: Dealcraft (29:02) AI and Genetic Engineering: Potential and Pitfalls (33:30) Pandemic Era Reflections (34:04) Genetic Engineering and Society (34:49) Sponsor: WorkOS | Squad (36:43) 19th Century Misconceptions (39:23) Cycles of Societal Transformation (41:54) Intellectual Decay and Historical Rewriting (44:13) Anthropology and Cultural Studies (46:34) Decline of Western Institutions (53:12) Space Exploration and Technological Decline (1:01:15) Hypernormalization and Social Reality (1:01:49) Wrap

Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja dive deep into how Xi Jinping is shaping China's society today and its place in the world. They discuss Xi’s firm hold on power, his connections with different political groups, and how his decisions are affecting China's economy, military, and politics. Make sure to subscribe to Samo Burja's Bismarck Brief and the Live Players podcast to read analyses and briefs like this one: Bismarck Brief: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/ Live Players: https://link.chtbl.com/liveplayers — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST:  Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith Join Microsoft Vice Chair Brad Smith as he explores tech's impact on society with Bill Gates and Satya Nadella sharing untold stories and insights on Microsoft's AI-fueled future. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bYASdhkHwovdSmU4YAjYg Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tools-and-weapons-with-brad-smith/id1632459165 -- SPONSORS: BREX | NETSUITE | SHOPIFY | INCOGNI Ready to take your startup to the next level? Visit https://www.brex.com/grow to join the 30,000+ companies already streamlining their finances with Brex. Get high-yield banking, smart expense management, and scalable financial tools designed specifically for founders who want to focus on building, not bookkeeping. Over 41,000 businesses trust NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud ERP, to future-proof their operations. Whether you're earning millions or hundreds of millions, NetSuite empowers you to tackle challenges and seize opportunities. Download the free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at https://netsuite.com/zen. Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/momentofzen. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code MOMENT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/moment -- X / TWITTER: @SamoBurja @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia -- HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DISCUSSION: Consolidated unprecedented power through anti-corruption campaigns Dismantled previous oligarchic system but created succession crisis Maintains Marxist ideology while managing slowing economic growth Limits wealth influence and civil society (Jack Ma case) Reframes economic challenges as equality/environmental successes Belt and Road Initiative less impactful than expected Scientific innovation hindered by political conformity Future paths: South Korea-style model or renewed socialist focus Demographic challenges may limit long-term economic/military power

"If you can't compete on history, compete on philosophy". 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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro   (14:00) Why knowing history makes you a better entrepreneur  (21:00) Christianity’s moral innovations  (30:00) America as culture exporter  (38:00) Consumer culture and social progressivism  (51:00) Egalitarianism eats the world  (1:05:48) Equality of Opportunity vs Equality of Outcome  (1:13:00) Equality of Opportunity IS Equality of Outcome  (1:18:00) Wokeness isn't receding SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -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.

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: https://www.vanta.com/zen 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: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | VANTA | MASTERCLASS | NETSUITE Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen VANTA: https://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: https://www.vanta.com/zen MASTERCLASS: https://masterclass.com/zen get two memberships for the price of 1 Learn from the best to become your best. Learn how to negotiate a raise with Chris Voss or manage your relationships with Esther Perel. Boost your confidence and find practical takeaways you can apply to your life and at work. If you own a business or are a team leader, use MasterClass to empower and create future-ready employees and leaders. Moment of Zen listeners will get two memberships for the price of one at https://masterclass.com/zen NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ –  X / TWITTER: @dwr (Dan) @antoniogm (Antonio) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia –  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: Masterclass | NetSuite (37:15) Living in the society of spectacle (39:15) Showy narcissism (38:50) The psychoanalysis of narcissism (42:00) The irredentist philosophy (43:39) The underlying sentiment that Israel shouldn't exist (45:40) There is no international community (49:40) Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity (52:20) US support for Israel 15 years from now (55:00) Will Hamas be eliminated? (58:00) It seems like Israel's got it all worked out (01:01:00) Just ban TikTok

This week, Erik Torenberg is joined by Dr. Victor Davis Hanson, classicist, political commentator, and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford. Together they conduct a thought experiment: it's 2030, how can we expect to understand the legacy of Donald Trump, the shifting political landscape in Germany and the rest of Europe, the outcome of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, China's ambitions regarding Taiwan, Israel's strategic challenges, and the future of the Democratic Party? — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — SPONSOR: NETSUITE | SHOPIFY | INCOGNI | SQUAD Over 41,000 businesses trust NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud ERP, to future-proof their operations. Whether you're earning millions or hundreds of millions, NetSuite empowers you to tackle challenges and seize opportunities. Download the free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at https://netsuite.com/zen. Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/momentofzen. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code MOMENT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/moment Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE: Official site: https://victorhanson.com/ The Victor Davis Hanson podcast: https://victorhanson.com/podcasts/ Hoover Institution - featured publications and videos: https://www.hoover.org/profiles/victor-davis-hanson Erik's substack: https://eriktorenberg.substack.com/  — X / TWITTER: @VDHanson @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia -- HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE: Reflecting on Trump's Legacy Trump's Second Term JD Vance's Future Ukraine-Russia Conflict US-Europe Relations The Future of Europe China's Ambitions and Taiwan Israel's Strategic Dilemmas The Future of the Left

Dan and Erik discuss how Elon got coded right-wing, why liberals are more depressed than conservatives, crime and prisons. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. LINKS: Patrick Collison interviews Sam Altman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1egAKCKPKCk RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Upstream with Erik Torenberg: https://link.chtbl.com/Upstream TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode preview (02:48) Twitter’s new CEO and Elon (9:00) When did Elon become right-wing coded? (15:00) Contrasting Zuck and Elon (16:28) Sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire (18:26) Contrasting Elon and Sam Altman (23:00) Elon’s quest to increase “net truth” (29:00) AI race / live players (31:45) Accountability within private vs public sector (34:00) Facebook bull case (40:30) Jonathan Haidt’s anti-facebook case (45:00) Why depression is on the rise (51:00) Why liberals are more depressed than conservatives (59:00) Living in America is higher variance (1:06:00) Different approaches to curbing crime TWITTER: @MOZ_Podcast @eriktorenberg (Erik) @dwr (Dan) More shownotes released in our Substack: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | NetSuite | Secureframe | MarketerHire Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months - NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. - Secureframe: https://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: https://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.

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: https://netsuite.com/zen. – RELATED CHANNELS: Subscribe to History 102: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj Subscribe to WhatifAltHist: https://www.youtube.com/@WhatifAltHist -- SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | NETSUITE | SQUAD Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. 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: http://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: @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.

Marc Andreessen is our guest on the first Moment of Zen, a weekly podcast where Dan Romero (Farcaster), Antonio Garcia Martinez (Spindl), and Erik Torenberg (Village Global/On Deck) discuss the latest in tech, business, and culture. 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. TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) All-in Tribute (02:15) What happens to SBF? FTX = Enron + Theranos (06:00) History of collapses in crypto (09:10) DeFi/Web3 actually works (12:35) Redemption arc for SBF/Caroline? Comparing with other frauds (16:37) In an alternate universe, what could FTX have become? Steelmanning FTX the business (23:30) What’s going to happen to Twitter? (25:20) How would we advise Elon? (26:20) Is controversy good for Twitter? (27:10) The killer app for Twitter is to dunk on your enemies (27:40) Bull case for Twitter (35:00) Tech civil war? The fight for free speech (41:15) Future of AI - open vs closed? (46:10) Intersection of AI and crypto (54:00) Role for gov’t regulation (59:50) 2023 Predictions TWITTER: Dan Romero: www.twitter.com/dwr Antonio Garcia Martinez: www.twitter.com/antoniogm Erik Torenberg: www.twitter.com/eriktorenberg Marc Andreessen: www.twitter.com/pmarca SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. -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. Thanks to Rob Pera and Molly Mielke for production

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 more. Moment of Zen is sponsored by Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period. -- Check out Erik's new show Request for Startups featuring a rotating cast of founders and investors (including Dan) sharing their requests for startups they want to exist in the world, and also their stories of navigating the idea maze in different sectors so founders don’t have to reinvent the wheel anymore. The first episode is out now - we over better dating apps, references as a service, and WeWork for productivity Watch and Subscribe on Substack: https://requestforstartups.substack.com/p/receipt-based-dating-reference-checks Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/request-for-startups-with-erik-torenberg/id1728659822 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/739L1LR32QI2XyoZlRh5nv -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj -- SPONSORS: BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ – 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 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.

This Valentine's Day weekend, we're airing the debut episode of Modern Relationships featuring Varda space founder Delian Asparouhov and repeat M.O.Z. guest Nadia Asparouhova. Delian and Nadia talk about how they make their relationship work, dating in San Francisco, and why overcommunication might do more harm than good. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — SPONSOR: NETSUITE | SHOPIFY | INCOGNI | SQUAD Over 41,000 businesses trust NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud ERP, to future-proof their operations. With a unified platform for accounting, financial management, inventory, and HR, NetSuite provides real-time insights and forecasting to help you make quick, informed decisions. Whether you're earning millions or hundreds of millions, NetSuite empowers you to tackle challenges and seize opportunities. Download the free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at https://netsuite.com/zen. Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/momentofzen. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code MOMENT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/moment Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE: Nadia's writing: https://nadia.xyz/  Delian's site: https://delian.io/  Erik's substack: https://eriktorenberg.substack.com/  — X / TWITTER: @nayafia @zebulgar @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod -- HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE: Delian and Nadia met in San Francisco, where Delian quickly pushed for commitment while Nadia was initially intrigued but uncertain about his intense personality. They built their relationship on minimal but direct communication, believing that over-communication can create problems where none exist. Their careers grew alongside their relationship, with both valuing some shared context in tech while pursuing different interests. Having their first child changed their dynamic from independence to necessary schedule coordination, though they work to maintain their individual pursuits. Delian advocates for men having children younger to grow alongside their careers, while Nadia emphasizes women should have time to find themselves first. The couple balances ambitious careers with family life, seeing their domestic world as an expanding universe rather than a limitation. They approach conflicts with a "short memory" philosophy, choosing not to overanalyze small issues and accepting that some days will have tension.

Erik Torenberg and economist Noah Smith dissect the Democratic Party's path forward. Smith advocates for fiscal responsibility over progressive rhetoric, refocusing democracy concerns away from voter ID laws toward election integrity, and embracing patriotic messaging instead of identity politics. Their exchange ventures into Elon Musk's influence on Republican effectiveness, the merits of Japanese bureaucratic models, and building a more competitive political landscape where both parties can harness entrepreneurial talent to implement practical governance solutions. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — SPONSOR: NETSUITE | SHOPIFY | INCOGNI | SQUAD Over 41,000 businesses trust NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud ERP, to future-proof their operations. Whether you're earning millions or hundreds of millions, NetSuite empowers you to tackle challenges and seize opportunities. Download the free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at https://netsuite.com/zen. Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/momentofzen. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code MOMENT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/moment Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- RELATED LINKS: How the Democrats can fight back against MAGA https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/how-the-democrats-can-fight-back Only fools think Elon is incompetent https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/only-fools-think-elon-is-incompetent — X / TWITTER: @noahpinion @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia -- HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE Three Recommendations for Democrats: Anti-Inflation Strategy: Emphasize fiscally responsible policies, cut deficits, and abandon price controls and MMT rhetoric Democracy Focus: Focus specifically on election integrity rather than voter ID laws or gerrymandering Patriotic Messaging: Abandon progressive "America was founded on racism" rhetoric and embrace traditional American values Tech Leadership Dynamics: Elon Musk has transformed Republican effectiveness through entrepreneurial approaches Democrats have alienated tech entrepreneurs through "tech bro" antagonism Democrats need their own tech-savvy leaders (suggestions included Sam Altman, Marc Benioff, Reid Hoffman) Biden's Economic Record: The Inflation Reduction Act was misnamed but had positive industrial policy effects Biden successfully fought inflation through Fed policy, deficit reduction, and energy production The administration's effective actions contradicted progressive rhetoric Project 2025 Critique: Good intentions but lacks nuanced understanding of government functions Relies too heavily on right-wing social media ecosystem for information Would benefit from consulting policy experts at conservative think tanks Social Media Transformation: Twitter/X has become narrower and more political under Musk A more fragmented social media landscape is positive for America Social platforms naturally polarize along political lines Alternative Economic Model: Need for a "third way" beyond neoliberalism Combine industrial policy, regulatory reforms, and Japanese-style bureaucratic approaches Emphasize efficient governance over ideological purity Cultural Observations: "Situationships" replacing traditional relationships among young people Free speech principles being abandoned by some Democrats Increasing education polarization in political alignment

Byrne Hobart joins Antonio, Dan, and Erik to discuss SVB, finance, and crypto. 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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:45) Sponsors (01:28) Dan’s story with SVB (06:00) Byrne intro (Check out Thediff.co) (07:00) How Byrne identified SVB’s insolvency (15:30) How banking works (22:10) Fractional reserve banking (27:00) Banking on-chain (32:00) Understanding illiquidity (46:00) Housing market (53:00) How much can crypto recreate the financial system? (1:08:00) Crypto is financial system for digital native world (1:15:25) Are we at the end of (financial) history? (1:20:00) Finance is never solved SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -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.

Katherine Boyle, GP at a16z and Mike Solana, Editor in Chief of Pirate Wires joined Erik, Dan, and Antonio to discuss whether a liberal arts degree is worth it and how to save San Francisco. They cover the drawbacks of the current educational system, the opportunity cost of our educated class, and elitism. This episode originally aired June 17th, 2023. - RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | NETSUITE | MASTERCLASS BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. MASTERCLASS: https://masterclass.com/zen get two memberships for the price of 1 Learn from the best to become your best. Learn how to negotiate a raise with Chris Voss or manage your relationships with Esther Perel. Boost your confidence and find practical takeaways you can apply to your life and at work. If you own a business or are a team leader, use MasterClass to empower and create future-ready employees and leaders. Moment of Zen listeners will get two memberships for the price of one at https://masterclass.com/zen – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ – TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (03:40) MOZ's first fight - institutionalism vs anti-institutionalism (07:18) The Shift in Educational Trends (14:30) Sponsor: Shopify | NetSuite (26:00) The Importance of Humanities in Education (30:00) The Importance of Technical Literacy in Society (31:00) Sponsor: MasterClass (35:40) The Problem with Overemphasis on College Education (48:15) The Impact of Drug Culture on Cities (58:50) The Evolution of San Francisco's Tech Scene (01:00:45) Political Engagement in San Francisco (01:22:00) The Struggles of Millennials

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. Moment of Zen is part of Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co 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. TIMESTAMPS: (01:00) Episode Preview (03:30) What is the American Crisis right now? (08:00) New social model for the information age (11:24) Sponsors: Vanta | NetSuite (16:30) A(brahamic) bomb and revolutionary change in human society (22:40) Has religion peaked or is the world getting more religious? (28:00) Who believes in happy endings? (30:30) Israel vs. American Jews (33:00) Israeli-Palestinian conflict still matters, just not to Israelis in power (36:40) Characterizing American foreign policy (45:00) Nation states vs Network States h/t Balaji (54:20) Defining the next era of Post Liberalism (1:01:00) Populists, Plutocrats, Technocrats, and the Intelligentsia (1:11:00) Israel’s future and what’s at stake (1:24:00) Could California be Republican again? (1:30:00) Golda Meir and female power (1:33:50) Arafat and a jasmine-scented night in Gaza LINKS: -What Really Matters podcast: https://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/what-really-matters -Walter Russell Mead, The A(braham) Bomb: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/abraham-bomb-via-meadia-walter-russell-mead -Antonio Garcia Martinez, Among the Protestors: https://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: Beehiiv | Shopify | Vanta | NetSuite Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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 https://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: http://netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

In this episode, "Steve" (anonymous friend of the podcast) joins the podcast to discuss the current state of the 2024 presidential election, providing insights on polling, election integrity, and potential outcomes for both candidates. He offers a balanced analysis of the race between Trump and Harris, discussing swing states, voter demographics, and possible post-election scenarios. For full shownotes, visit highlight: https://highlightai.com/share/1c755ce8-0c73-44ca-8d14-184a40e37f2d -- Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ Unpack Pricing - Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg -- 🎙️ Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes. SPONSORS: SQUAD Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- Follow on X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @turpentinemedia -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (04:00) Close Elections & Historical Trends (07:40) The Electoral College & Swing States (12:15) Sponsors: Givewell | Squad (13:13) Kamala Harris' VP Choice (17:30) Election Integrity & 2020 Trauma (28:40) Voter ID Concerns & Potential for Fraud (36:50) Predicting the Outcome & Election Night (39:20) October Surprises & Viral Stories (42:50) Trump & Harris: Potential Outcomes of Defeat (52:50) 2028 Candidates & The Future of Politics (59:00) The Rise of Non-Traditional Candidates (1:00:30) Wrap

Erik Torenberg and Noah Smith are joined by Dario Amodei, CEO and Co-founder of Anthropic. Dario talks about the economics of AI development, the comparative advantage of AI companies like Anthropic, AI safety, and his stance on California's SB 1047 bill. They also discuss the impacts of AI on global power dynamics, competition between the US and China, and inequality in an AI-powered world. This episode was recorded this week on Turpentine’s show Econ 102. Check it out for more like this: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs?si=8fab4d65ddf5422a — 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: turpentinenetwork.co — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast — 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 https://bit.ly/WorkOS-Turpentine-Network 🌐 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 https://babbel.com/torenberg 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — LINKS: Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/ Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/ — FOLLOW ON X: @noahpinion @eriktorenberg @anthropicAI @turpentinemedia — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (04:23) Dario's intellectual evolution (06:37) Is Google the Bell Labs of Al? (10:07) Economic moats in Al (12:35) Scaling hypothesis and Al's future (17:05) National security and Al (19:04) Leopold Aschenbrenner's essay (20:33) Al's impact on business models (26:30) Noah's big thesis  (29:51) Sponsors: WorkOS (31:58) Al arms races? (36:17) Al's impact on labor and skill distribution (40:41) Sponsor: Babbel | Squad (44:35) Future of Al and a hyperscaling world (41:42) A vision of radical abundance (49:55) Al safety and inequality (54:06) The SB 1047 debate (58:56) Rabbit alignment problem (01:01:25) Wrap

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: https://netsuite.com/zen. – SPONSOR: BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. 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: http://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. – FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @dwr (Dan) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia – 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 – 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) Sponsor: NetSuite (17:00) Impact of Globalism and State Capacity (35:00) Understanding the History of Communism (46:14) Reflections on Nixon's Presidency (51:00) Predicting the Future: Technology and Policy (53:30) Insights from the Book 'Dominion' (57:37) Reflections on Society and Morality (01:03:00) Perspectives on Peter Thiel (01:11:00) Current State and Future of Cryptocurrency (01:27:00) Power and Influence of Memes (01:32:00) Learning from Influential Figures in Tech 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.

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: https://link.chtbl.com/Upstream REFERENCES: Ben's new book: Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral Semafor: https://www.semafor.com/ TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (4:00) Ben Smith’s book “Traffic” (9:00) Buzzfeed’s cultural impact (11:00) Regrets around the Steele Dossier (16:00) Sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire (17:30) Objectivity vs subjectivity in journalsim (21:00) Left wing vs right wing journalism (26:20) Tech media (30:00) Cambridge Analytica bullshit (34:00) Buzzfeed Uber controversy (37:30) Tech and media fall out (50:30) The root of tech vs media dissonance (1:06:00) Free speech (1:13:00) “The book is a eulogy to a rotting corpse that got what was coming to it” (1:16:30) Ads vs subscription (1:21:00) Future of media TWITTER: @MOZ_Podcast @semaforben (Ben) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @antoniogm (Antonio) More shownotes released in our Substack: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Secureframe | MarketerHire Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen - Secureframe: https://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: https://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.

From Elon's immigration takes to Silicon Valley's clash with MAGA nationalists, this conversation between Erik Torenberg and Indian Bronson, a pseudonymous writer, dives deep into tech's newest culture war. Indian Bronson breaks down why Trumps's coalition has split over this issue and why America's elite and working class can't see eye to eye. This is part 2 to Bronson's earlier Moment of Zen episode, Debating Immigration Policy. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — SPONSOR: ORACLE ☁️ Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at https://oracle.com/turpentine/ — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. Founders Fund's Delian Asparouhov and researcher Nadia Asparouhova kick off the series with an unfiltered conversation about their relationship evolution. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod — RELATED LINKS: Debating Immigration Policy: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4xR2aTcekJ60GFgTXMKGy4?si=DjML853wSLOUTmWAyqgv9g Indian Bronson Substack: https://indianbronson.substack.com/ Bernie Sanders: The Vox conversation: https://www.vox.com/2015/7/28/9014491/bernie-sanders-vox-conversation — X / TWITTER: @Indian_Bronson (Indian Bronson) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @turpentinemedia @MOZ_Podcast — HIGHLIGHTS Political Coalition Discussion: Discussion of Trump's winning coalition between nationalists and technologists Highlights tension between nationalist interests and tech industry goals Mentions Elon Musk's role in energizing the electorate for Trump Immigration Policy Debate: Detailed discussion of H1B visa program (approximately 85,000 workers annually) Contrast between different types of skilled immigration: Legitimate cases (like Elon Musk's companies hiring specialized talent) Problematic cases (like Disney's IT staff replacement controversy) Criticism of current immigration system as satisfying narrow interests rather than broader American needs "America First" Philosophy: Emphasis on policies benefiting Americans primarily Discussion of obligations to American citizens versus immigrants Comparison with other countries' policies (Singapore, Japan mentioned as examples) Cultural and Economic Issues: Discussion of declining American metrics (youth suicide rates, marriage rates, patriotism) Critique of promises made to Americans regarding economic policies Debate about automation and future of work Bernie Sanders Reference: Discussion of Sanders' 2015 interview with Ezra Klein Sanders' opposition to open borders as a "right wing proposal" His concern about impact on American workers Tech Culture Commentary: Discussion of "jock vs. nerd" dynamic in American culture Criticism of changes in NASA's culture and tech sector Advocacy for "jock-nerd alliances" as beneficial for innovation Call to Action: Encouragement for Americans feeling left behind to reach out Emphasis on opportunities still available for starting businesses Offer of guidance and introductions to VCs

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. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics   TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (08:00) What happened with SVB (15:00) Constructive debate (59:00) Where we agree and where we disagree (1:07:00) If the U.S. implodes, there’s no where else to go (1:18:00) Responding to critics   SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | Netsuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. -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.  

For the holiday stretch, we're publishing a few of our favorite episodes from this year. Today, we’re airing Erik's solo interview with Sam Harris over on his Upstream podcast. This discussion covers Sam’s concerns about populism, polarization, and inequality. We also discuss why Sam is hated by the left and the right. Moment of Zen will return with a new episode this weekend. This episode originally aired on May 29th, 2023 - RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj - Check out Erik's new show Request for Startups featuring a rotating cast of founders and investors (including Dan) sharing their requests for startups they want to exist in the world, and also their stories of navigating the idea maze in different sectors so founders don’t have to reinvent the wheel anymore. The first episode is out now - we over better dating apps, references as a service, and WeWork for productivity Watch and Subscribe on Substack: https://requestforstartups.substack.com/p/receipt-based-dating-reference-checks Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/request-for-startups-with-erik-torenberg/id1728659822 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/739L1LR32QI2XyoZlRh5nv – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | NETSUITE BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ – X / TWITTER: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (05:07) Discussion on Misinformation and Social Media (07:34) Sam Harris's Decision to Leave Twitter (14:43) SPONSORS: SHOPIFY | NETSUITE (19:30) Exploring the Conflict Between Left and Right (22:27) Debate on Equality, Disparities, and Discrimination (28:54) Continuation of the Discussion on Equality and Discrimination (46:57) The Rise of Contrarianism and its Impact on Politics (51:55) The Dangers of Conspiracy Theories and Misinformation (55:19) The Impact of Online Politics and Misinformation (01:00:28) The Influence of Wealth and Power on Society (01:06:03) The Dangers of Polarization (01:25:19) The Role of Capitalism and the Need for Reform (01:28:28) Wrap

Erik Torenberg and Antonio Garcia Martinez sit down with political strategist + former chief adviser to Boris Johnson's right hand Dominic Cummings who is known for architecting Brexit. They discuss whether Brexit actually saved Britain from the far right, the San Francisco homelessness complex, the 2024 election, educational polarization, & more. Sell and grow with Shopify: Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/momentofzen – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | VANTA | MASTERCLASS BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://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: https://www.vanta.com/zen MASTERCLASS: https://masterclass.com/zen get two memberships for the price of 1 Learn from the best to become your best. Learn how to negotiate a raise with Chris Voss or manage your relationships with Esther Perel. Boost your confidence and find practical takeaways you can apply to your life and at work. If you own a business or are a team leader, use MasterClass to empower and create future-ready employees and leaders. Moment of Zen listeners will get two memberships for the price of one at https://masterclass.com/zen – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ –  X / TWITTER: @Dominic2306 (Dominic) @antoniogm (Antonio) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast @TurpentineMedia -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: LIVE PLAYERS 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. 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: https://link.chtbl.com/liveplayers. - TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:19) Introduction (04:57) Inspiration for Brexit (13:00) Extreme parties in US vs UK  (15:46) SPONSOR: VANTA (16:41) Francis Fukuyama’ and Walter Kaufmann on liberalism (22:05) European wokeness explosion (26:48) The fix SF movement (31:08) SPONSOR: VANTA (32:46) SF homeless industrial complex (34:05) Techies in politics (38:29) Elon and Israel (40:56) SPONSOR: MASTERCLASS (41:49) Israel’s PR will never win in the west (52:42) New elitism (59:15) Appealing in the 2024 election (01:10:24) Abortion laws (01:00:13) British royals (01:24:26) Educational and political polarization (01:35:02) A reformed republican Party (01:39:41) Can we fix SF?

Writer, VC, and podcaster Nic Carter joins us to talk about Balaji's bet, Operation Chokepoint 2.0, and the Fed's financial crisis. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics Podcast Info: (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 SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | Netsuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. -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.

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. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. Walter Russell Mead, historian, pundit, and author is encyclopedic about politics, culture, and history from immigration to religion, literature to finance. Mead is one of our favorite guests on Moment of Zen. 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). Every week on What Really Matters, Mead and deputy editor Jeremy Stern analyze the revolutionary changes upending American life and connect them to larger trends. Go to tabletmag.com/podcasts/what-really-matters or subscribe to What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. LINKS: Liel’s writings for Tablet: https://www.tabletmag.com/contributors/liel-leibovitz RECOMMENDED PODCASTS: Upstream with Erik Torenberg: https://link.chtbl.com/Upstream Unorthodox from Tablet: https://www.tabletmag.com/tags/unorthodox TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode preview (03:06) Askhenazi vs Sephardic (04:14) Universalism vs Particularism (15:28) Sponsors: Secureframe | MarketerHire (37:08) Christian vs Jewish notions of Justice (49:28) Liel’s political evolution (52:42) Palestinians vs Israelis (1:00:00) Abraham Accords - Obama vs Trump approach to Israel (1:07:00) What do the left vs right of Israel believe? (1:12:00) What does Netanyahu want (1:16:02) Liel is Long-term bullish, short-term bearish on Israel (1:19:00) Israel isn’t dependent on U.S. anymore (1:29:27) What would Liel’s smartest critic say about this conversation (1:34:52) Future of America / Israel relationship TWITTER: @MOZ_Podcast @liel (Liel) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @antoniogm (Antonio) Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

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: https://www.vanta.com/zen Discussion recorded on October 22, 2023.  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: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | VANTA | NETSUITE Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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: https://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – NEW SHOW FROM TURPENTINE: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics –  Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ – 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?

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 and its broader implications: why the material is so hard to replicate, the citizen journalist aspect and the democratization of science, condensed matter physics, a call for scientific ambition, and more. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.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: https://twitter.com/alexkaplan0/status/1684044616528453633  LK-99 Paper (submitted by Kwon): https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.12008  LK-99 Paper (submitted by Lee and Kim): ​​https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.12037  X / TWITTER: @alexkaplan0 (Alex) @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast SPONSOR: Beehiiv | Shopify | Vanta | NetSuite Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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 https://www.vanta.com/zen 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

For the holiday stretch, we're publishing a few of our favorite episodes from this year of Moment of Zen. Today, we’re airing our first ever episodes with Marc Andreessen (released exactly one year ago). Marc discussed SBF, Twitter and censorship, and more. In the second half of this extra long episode with Marc, we get into the ideas of Nietzsche, Henrich, Burnham and more of Marc's intellectual influences. This episode originally aired in two parts on December 28 & 30th, 2022. - RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | NETSUITE | MASTERCLASS BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. MASTERCLASS: https://masterclass.com/zen get two memberships for the price of 1 Learn from the best to become your best. Learn how to negotiate a raise with Chris Voss or manage your relationships with Esther Perel. Boost your confidence and find practical takeaways you can apply to your life and at work. If you own a business or are a team leader, use MasterClass to empower and create future-ready employees and leaders. Moment of Zen listeners will get two memberships for the price of one at https://masterclass.com/zen – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ – TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Re-airing our first ever episodes (05:00) Future of Binance (11:57) Exploring the Potential Redemption Arc for SBF (16:00) Sponsors: Shopify | NetSuite (26:05) Twitter under Elon Musk (33:43) Sponsors: MasterClass (40:53) The Power Dynamics in Tech Companies and Their Influence on Free Speech (55:08) The Future of Consumer Web 3 and Its Potential Impact on Tech Industry (01:56:19) The Future of American Society

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. Make sure you're subscribed to https://link.chtbl.com/moz to get notified when we release Part 2. Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co 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. TOPICS DISCUSSED: (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 X / Twitter @balajis (Balaji) @dwr (Dan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @MOZ_Podcast SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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 https://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: http://netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja analyze Curtis Yarvin's arguments about government inefficiency, comparing corporate and state governance structures. The conversation covers how bureaucracies decay over time, China's approach to governance, and Yarvin's influence in shifting Silicon Valley libertarians toward more right-wing positions. They also examine his evolution from a cancelled figure to a mainstream intellectual voice. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — SPONSOR: NOTION | NETSUITE | SHOPIFY | SQUAD Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at https://notion.com/upstreampod Over 41,000 businesses trust NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud ERP, to future-proof their operations. With a unified platform for accounting, financial management, inventory, and HR, NetSuite provides real-time insights and forecasting to help you make quick, informed decisions. Whether you're earning millions or hundreds of millions, NetSuite empowers you to tackle challenges and seize opportunities. Download the free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at https://netsuite.com/zen. Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/momentofzen. Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod  — HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE: Curtis Yarvin's influence on tech-right thinking challenged conventional political discourse through digital platforms. Corporate efficiency doesn't follow natural selection principles - institutional success requires active leadership rather than market forces alone. Government accountability and innovation are stifled by bureaucratic gridlock, with catastrophic potential costs to society (exemplified by China's one-child policy). Mainstream political ideologies (left & right) are more aligned than they appear, suggesting democracy isn't the final stage of political evolution. Engaging with controversial thinkers like Yarvin reveals important critiques of current systems, even when disagreeing with their proposed solutions. Societal progress requires harnessing collective energy and maintaining efficient governance structures.

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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period. This episode is a collaboration with one of Turpentine's biggest shows, Econ 102. Check out Econ 102: https://www.podpage.com/econ102/ _ Check out Erik's new show Request for Startups featuring a rotating cast of founders and investors (including Dan) sharing their requests for startups they want to exist in the world, and also their stories of navigating the idea maze in different sectors so founders don’t have to reinvent the wheel anymore. The first episode is out now - we over better dating apps, references as a service, and WeWork for productivity Watch and Subscribe on Substack: https://requestforstartups.substack.com/p/receipt-based-dating-reference-checks Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/request-for-startups-with-erik-torenberg/id1728659822 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/739L1LR32QI2XyoZlRh5nv – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | NETSUITE | MASTERCLASS BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. MASTERCLASS: https://masterclass.com/zen get two memberships for the price of 1 Learn from the best to become your best. Learn how to negotiate a raise with Chris Voss or manage your relationships with Esther Perel. Boost your confidence and find practical takeaways you can apply to your life and at work. If you own a business or are a team leader, use MasterClass to empower and create future-ready employees and leaders. Moment of Zen listeners will get two memberships for the price of one at https://masterclass.com/zen – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://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 & MASTERCLASS (30:05) Asia & US foreign policy (41:46) The importance of focusing on Asia (48:20) U.S. production during World War II (50:14) China's production capabilities (58:57) US military budget and production (59:56) Industrial production in World War II (01:14:48) Political unity and continuity in foreign policy

Today on Moment of Zen, we're airing a discussion between Samo Burja and Rudyard Lynch - two intellectual heavyweights tackling the idea that civilizations may have inherent differences that can alter our understanding of the course of history and politics. Both Samo and Rudyard are hosts of Turpentine shows, Live Players and History 102, respectively. This is a fascinating discussion on threads that bridge Silicon Valley with ancient civilizations like Babylon, the impact of Abrahamic religions, and the idea that societies go through cycles that may upend our current assumptions CHECK OUT: Live Players: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fbMTkHBnom1JIBWYNVBK1 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-players-with-samo-burja-and-erik-torenberg/id1718925188 History 102: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 — 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: turpentinenetwork.co — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast — 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 https://bit.ly/WorkOS-Turpentine-Network 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. 🚀 Elevate your investment game with Altea by Alts.co. Discover vetted deals in unconventional asset classes, network with captivating individuals, and indulge in exclusive travel experiences. Ready to invest in pro sports teams or film financing? Apply now at https://www.alts.co/zen and redefine your investment journey. — LINKS: Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/ Whatifalthist YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/Whatifalthist — FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg @samoburja @whatifalthist @turpentinemedia — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:40) Beginning of Discussion on Civilizational Differences (02:46) Abrahamic vs Non-Abrahamic Societies (07:29) Classical Civilization vs Modern Western Civilization (11:16) Literacy Rates in Ancient Rome (14:48) Pre-modern Feminism and Ancient Greek Society (20:06) Sponsors: WorkOS | Alts (22:08) Continuation After Sponsor Break (26:39) Cycles of Civilization and Political Theory (30:04) Deforestation and Environmental Changes in Ancient Civilizations (32:08) Sponsor: Squad (33:12) Spengler's Theory of Civilizational Rise and Fall (36:53) Archaeology and Museums in Ancient Babylon (38:09) Societal Decline in Ancient Civilizations (40:11) Modern China as a Hybrid Civilization (42:22) New Religions in California (46:40) Machine Worship and Singularity Beliefs (51:10) Regional Differences Within America (54:11) Obscure Civilizations: Nuragic and Khmer (58:03) Wrap

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—discussing their impacts, motivations, and differing views on societal change. 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: https://link.chtbl.com/liveplayers. – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | VANTA | MASTERCLASS | NETSUITE BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen VANTA: https://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: https://www.vanta.com/zen MASTERCLASS: https://masterclass.com/zen get two memberships for the price of 1 Learn from the best to become your best. Learn how to negotiate a raise with Chris Voss or manage your relationships with Esther Perel. Boost your confidence and find practical takeaways you can apply to your life and at work. If you own a business or are a team leader, use MasterClass to empower and create future-ready employees and leaders. Moment of Zen listeners will get two memberships for the price of one at https://masterclass.com/zen NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ – 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. (30:12) The Importance of Live Players in Innovation and Change (34:47) Sponsors: MasterClass, NetSuite (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

Today we are airing Erik's interview with Joe Lonsdale, originally published on Upstream in 2023. Joe Lonsdale is the co-founder of Palantir, managing partner at 8VC, and the founder of The Cicero Institute, a nonpartisan policy organization discusses the root causes of educational inequality and homelessness, and argues for competence over culture wars, data-driven solutions, and market incentives to fix some of the US' most plaguing problems. Grow your newsletter with Beehiiv: head to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj – SPONSORS: NETSUITE | BEEHIIV | 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: http://netsuite.com/zen - NetSuite has extended a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks. BEEHIIV 🐝 Power your newsletter with Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. Head to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months SQUAD 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. – LINKS: Cicero Institute: https://ciceroinstitute.org/ 8VC: https://www.8vc.com/ Palantir: https://www.palantir.com/ Joe Lonsdale's blog: https://blog.joelonsdale.com – FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @JTLonsdale (Joe) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:47) Philanthropy and Impact: Joe's Approach to Social Change (01:18) Nonpartisan Solutions for Broken Systems (02:55) Cicero Institute's Mission and Impact Across States (07:42) Addressing Education Inequality and Accountability (12:32) Reforming Prisons and Probation with Data and Accountability (16:12) Tackling Homelessness with Common Sense and Accountability (18:53) Sponsor: Netsuite | Beehiiv (21:16) Introducing Market Incentives, Market Competition, and Market Accountability (25:06) Sponsor: Squad (26:34) Innovative Approaches to Healthcare (31:12) Rethinking Healthcare and Leadership (31:32) Innovating Within vs. Outside the System (32:13) The Challenge of Reforming Institutions (33:41) Navigating the Complexities of Defense and Innovation (37:36) The Power of State-Level Impact and Education Reform (39:29) Silicon Valley's Influence and Responsibility (40:32) Cultural Shifts and the Role of New Institutions (55:27) The Future of American Competence and Optimism (57:42) Wrap

This episode centers on the alarming issue of declining fertility rates worldwide, examining specific country examples such as Japan, South Korea, and Turkey, and the societal and technological implications of these demographic changes.  Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg explore potential interventions, such as tax breaks for families, and the possibility of extreme measures like state-managed reproduction programs. They also tackle cultural and economic factors influencing fertility and the urgency of addressing this underpopulation crisis to prevent civilizational collapse.  -- 🎙️ Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes. Subscribe on all platforms: https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine -- 🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj -- SPONSORS: GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to make sure they know you heard about them from us. Elevate your investment game with Altea by Alts.co. Discover vetted deals in unconventional asset classes, network with captivating individuals, and indulge in exclusive travel experiences. Ready to invest in pro sports teams or film financing? Apply now at https://www.alts.co/zen and redefine your investment journey. 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast -- Follow on X: @samoburja @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:37) Demographic Challenges and Fertility Crisis (02:16) Global Fertility Trends and Anomalies (04:13) Fertility Bouncebacks (07:58) The Impact of Modernity on Fertility (09:59) The Unpredictability of Fertility (13:51) The Hopelessness of the Situation (14:12) Future Population Projections and Concerns (17:05) Life Expectancy and Healthspan (17:08) Sponsors: Givewell | DealCraft (18:58) Life Expectancy and Healthspan continued (21:48) Sponsors: Alts | Squad (21:52) Potential Solutions and Interventions (22:33) The Urgency of the Crisis (29:13) The Case for Family Tax Breaks (30:30) The Implications of Declining Fertility Rates (33:17) Urbanization and Population Shifts (35:32) The Future of Industrial Society (37:29) AI and Human Extinction Scenarios (41:02) Cultural and Political Dynamics of Fertility (44:30) The Politics of Underpopulation (50:05) Innovative Solutions to Population Decline (57:46) The Ethics of Genetic Engineering (59:06) Conclusion and Call to Action

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: Turpentine.co If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen 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. TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:03) New Podcast recommendation: In The Arena (01:28) Why it’s important to break down the elite camps and their worldviews (02:51) Elite bracket breakdown (10:00) Technooptimism, AI, and regulation (12:08) Davos mindset versus revolutionaries (13:00) Why doesn’t tech support the arts? (15:00) Sponsor: Secureframe (17:00) Tech needs to tell a better story (21:42) Where does Elon fit into this framework? (23:13) Institutionalists vs anti-institutionalists (Elon, Sachs, Sam Altman, Thiel, Vijaya)  (35:00) How does the tech worldview enter politics and public stewardship successfully? (39:00) Is Twitter an institution? (42:00) Antonio’s depressing statement (48:30) How the desire for high status in a digital world has affected local philanthropy (55:44) Who are the most high status people in the world? High status education? (01:04:00) Building parallel institutions (01:08:00) Nadia discusses her article about GitHub (01:15:00) What do American intellectuals get? Experts? Substackers? (01:17:00) Idea machines TWITTER: @nayafia (Nadia) @MOZ_Podcast @eriktorenberg (Erik) @antoniogm (Antonio) @dwr (Dan) SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months Shopify ( https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen NetSuite ( http://netsuite.com/zen ) 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. Secureframe ( https://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: https://momentofzen.substack.com/

Writer and technologist Eugene Wei joins Dan, Erik and Antonio to talk about Twitter, Threads, and his views on remote work. We reference Eugene's writing a lot on the podcast and mentioned his recent piece, How to Blow Up a Timeline in last week's MoZ episode with Mike Solana (see links below). Listeners, 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 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. LINKS REFERENCED: Eugene Wei, How to Blow Up a Timeline https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2023/7/6/how-to-blow-up-a-timeline American Prometheus https://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: Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen NETSUITE: 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

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 transformation from founder to candidate, 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 https://www.vanta.com/zen Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co 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. 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 (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: Beehiiv | Shopify | Vanta | NetSuite Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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: http://netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

In this episode, Carlos Pereira, partner at BITKRAFT Ventures, joins Erik, Antonio and Dan as they delve into the significant transformations within gaming, betting, and combat sports, facilitated by cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, emphasizing the groundbreaking integration of cryptocurrency through Web3 gaming. 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj – SPONSORS: NETSUITE | BEEHIIV | 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: http://netsuite.com/zen - NetSuite has extended a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks. BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months SQUAD 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. - LINKS: Bitkraft VC: https://www.bitkraft.vc/ – FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @cegapereira (Carlos) @dwr (Dan) @antoniogm (Antonio) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Opening Banter (01:28) Diving Into Crypto and Gaming Discussions (02:11) The Evolution and Challenges of Web3 Gaming (04:44) Analyzing the Crypto Gaming Landscape (13:48) The Future of Gaming: Web3 and Beyond (17:23) Sponsor: Netsuite | Beehiiv (18:29) Deep Dive into Web3 Gaming and Digital Economies (32:38) Exploring User-Generated Content and Game Modding (34:14) Sponsor: Squad (42:19) Investment Perspectives on Gaming and Infrastructure (45:47) The Fascinating World of Gaming Business (49:49) The Evolution of Gaming: From PVE to PVP (51:40) The Intriguing Dynamics of Safe Zones in Games (53:29) The Rise of Financialized Gaming Experiences (1:06:31) Karate Combat: A New Era of Crypto-Infused Sports (1:17:15) The Future of Media and Crypto's Role (1:23:13) Wrap

Balaji Srinivasan returns to go deeper into his theory of the Social Lens. Balaji, Erik, and Dan discuss the tactics the Gray tribe can use to create, identify, grow, and scale their power, how the tribal lens maps to geopolitics, the Blue playbook through the last several decades of world history, and more. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/zen Note: This is an unfiltered discussion that functions as an early draft for an essay and video Balaji plans to release soon. 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 SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | Vanta | NetSuite Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen 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 https://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: http://netsuite.com/ZEN and download your own customized KPI checklist.

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. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/zen Check out our other interviews with Marc: Moment of Zen E1: on SBF/FTX, Twitter, and Open AI/Chat GPT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0smJY3xJXFhVsL0cX2BtVf?si=89cfd3ddc0434eb0 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-zen/id1661672738?i=1000591411124 Moment of Zen E2: on Elon Musk, Nietzsche, and America's Thousand Year Empire Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0qzUqkt0rCIfVsbUw7eZ77?si=1f7eec7bc1954380 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-zen/id1661672738?i=1000591713971 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? (52:50) What would Nietzsche say? (54:00) LLMs are already the subject of a religious war (01:03:30) What comes after liberalism (01:11:20) 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 TWITTER: @pmarca (Marc) @dwr (Dan) @antoniogm (Antonio) @eriktorenberg (Erik) LINKS: Marc Andreessen, Fighting https://pmarca.substack.com/p/fighting Marc Andreessen, Why AI Will Save The World. https://pmarca.substack.com/p/why-ai-will-save-the-world Eric Voegelin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Voegelin Book: Regime Change by Patrick J. Deneen https://www.amazon.com/Regime-Change-Toward-Postliberal-Future/dp/0593086902 SPONSOR: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | VANTA | NETSUITE Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. -SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -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 https://www.vanta.com/zen -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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

Amjad Masad, the founder of Replit, joins Dan, Antonio, and Erik to talk about AGI, religion, and conspiracies. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/UPSTREAM 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. TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) - Antonio’s circumcision (01:20) - The future of Replit (06:30) - The future of coding (09:46) - 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 (01:04:40) - Dismissing religion is the classic midwit meme (01:07:20) - History is a series of conspiracies (01:15:00) - Modern day true conspiracies (01:21:05) - “Are the frogs gay?” (01:22:50) - Why does truth matter? (01:30:40) - Prediction Markets (01:36:30) - The only places where truth matters: wars, elections, and markets SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. -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.

Noah Smith joins Erik Torenberg to discus the aftermath of Trump's election and discuss the conditions why Kamala Harris lost. For full shownotes visit https://highlightai.com/share/59de7631-50e2-4e47-b135-317b057b8434 -- Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ Unpack Pricing - Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg -- 🎙️ Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes. SPONSORS: SHOPIFY Shopify: Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/cognitive GIVEWELL GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. (Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to support our show.) SQUAD Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- Follow on X: @noahpinion (Noah) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @turpentinemedia --

David Sacks is known as a CEO/investor in multiple unicorns, and most recently a media mogul with All-In. In this episode, he sits down with Erik Torenberg to trace his intellectual and political history from his days fighting student activism at Stanford to now. We cover the political and cultural changes in the last 30 years of silicon valley, how the real distinction today is between the college-educated and the not, and how even though 2⁄3 of the country didn’t go to college, their views are not represented in our institutions today. This episode was recorded in December 2022 but is just as relevant today.  🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj – SPONSORS: NETSUITE | BEEHIIV | 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: http://netsuite.com/zen - NetSuite has extended a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks. BEEHIIV 🐝 Power your newsletter with Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. Head to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months SQUAD 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. – FOLLOW ON X: @davidsacks @eriktorenberg (Erik) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia LINKS: Craft Ventures: https://craftventures.com/ All-In Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@allin Glue.ai: https://glue.ai/ SaaS Grid : https://www.saasgrid.com/ – FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @DavidSacks (David) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia – TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (02:11) How did tech become less free speech-oriented? (03:35) Why is PayPal so woke? (06:02) Woke Capitalism game (08:52) Corporations and governments collaborating to censor (16:22) Tracing political history in Silicon Valley  (20:54) College educated vs. not is the biggest difference in US Our elite is not democratic (22:54) Sponsor: NetSuite | Beehiiv (29:15) Foreign Policy and Realism (32:28) U.S. Russiaphobia (36:30) Sponsor: Squad (38:05) Big Tech Monopolies and Regulation (41:42) The Future of Silicon Valley and Monopolies (42:32) Regulating Acquisitions and Startup Ecosystems (45:39) Censorship and Section 230 (47:17) The Role of Free Speech in Social Progress (53:52) Institutional Reform and Accountability (54:56) Elon Musk's Influence on Tech and Media (1:06:33) The Future of Political and Economic Accountability (1:19:30) Wrap

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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen (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?

Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg talk about what's happening between Bill Ackman and Harvard: they touch on the 10-7 movement and the focus on DEI in universities, the future of education and the challenges of disrupting elite schools, the value of credentials, and more. Moment of Zen is sponsored by Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period. - RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj _ Check out Erik's new show Request for Startups featuring a rotating cast of founders and investors (including Dan) sharing their requests for startups they want to exist in the world, and also their stories of navigating the idea maze in different sectors so founders don’t have to reinvent the wheel anymore. The first episode is out now - we over better dating apps, references as a service, and WeWork for productivity Watch and Subscribe on Substack: https://requestforstartups.substack.com/p/receipt-based-dating-reference-checks Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/request-for-startups-with-erik-torenberg/id1728659822 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/739L1LR32QI2XyoZlRh5nv – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | NETSUITE BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. SHOPIFY: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen NETSUITE: http://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: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. – Sign up for our newsletter to receive the full shownotes: https://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) 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.

Marc Andreessen, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) returns to Moment of Zen to discuss Trump's new administration, the political vibe shift for Silicon Valley, why San Francisco may be the cultural center of the universe, and what comes after wokeness. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — SPONSORS: VANTA | SQUAD Vanta automates security compliance and builds trust, helping companies streamline ISO, SOC 2, and AI framework certifications. Learn more at https://vanta.com/nlw Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. Founders Fund's Delian Asparouhov and researcher Nadia Asparouhova kick off the series with an unfiltered conversation about their relationship evolution. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod  — X / TWITTER: @pmarca (Marc) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @turpentinemedia @MOZ_Podcast — HIGHLIGHTS The Unraveling of Preference Falsification Opening discussion about “winning” Examples of preference falsification unwinding Commerce Secretary’s comments on innovation Democrats shifting positions The Brendan Eich Case Study and Origins of Cancel Culture Mozilla controversy as inflection point Historical context of 2008 politics Impact on tech industry Personal reflection on not speaking up The Future of “Soft Authoritarianism” Discussion of whether wokeness is truly ending Role of bureaucracies and institutions Legal embedding of policies Cultural vanguard vs institutional power The Corporate Dismount from DEI Legal challenges to DEI policies Role of Civil Rights Division Corporate strategies for policy changes Supreme Court impact Culture Wars and Comedy Evolution of counterculture to culture Role of humor in cultural power Late night comedy’s transformation Discussion of “laughter vs. claptor” Changes in entertainment industry The Secret Networks and Information Flow Role of WhatsApp groups and Signal Modern samizdat comparison Evolution of private communication networks Impact on preference falsification Elon Musk’s role in cultural shift Hollywood and Entertainment Transformation Dad shows phenomenon Top Gun success as cultural indicator Bob Iger and Disney’s pivot Entertainment industry adaptation San Francisco as cultural bellwether Technology and Political Engagement Silicon Valley’s political evolution Software vs. hardware innovation Regulatory challenges to tech Response to criticism of tech involvement “Politics is interested in you” The New Administration’s Team Quality of appointments Comparison to historical administrations Getting to Mars Marc's thoughts on the appointments BOOKS MENTIONED: "Private Truth, Public Lies" by Timur Kuran: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674707580 "The Power of the Powerless" by Václav Havel: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Powerless-Vaclav-Havel/dp/178487504X "Why are Jews Liberal" by Norman Podhoretz: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Jews-Liberals-Norman-Podhoretz/dp/0307456250 "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand: https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451191145 Pew Research Survey: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2023/03/15/americans-feel-more-positive-than-negative-about-jews-mainline-protestants-catholics/

In this episode of Moment of Zen, Balaji Srinivasan sits down with Erik Torenberg to discuss the massive vibe shift in Silicon Valley a week after Trump's near-assassination, tech's emerging role as a counter-elite force, why Biden is president NPC, January 6, and the role of the media. 🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj 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. -- RECOMMENDED PODCASTS: 🎙️1 to 100 | Hypergrowth Companies Worth Joining Every week we sit down with the founder of a hyper-growth company you should consider joining. Our goal is to give you the inside story behind breakout, early stage companies potentially worth betting your career on. This season, discover how the founders of Modal Labs, Clay, Mercor, and more built their products, cultures, and companies. Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/70NOWtWDY995C8qDqojxGw Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1762756034 - 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: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mos4VE3figVXleHDqfXOH Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/complex-systems-with-patrick-mckenzie-patio11/id1753399812 -- SPONSORS: Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months 🌐 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 Babbel.com/torenberg 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. 🦾 Level up your ineffective website chatbot with CommandBar. CommandBar builds a new type of web assistant which delivers highly personalized responses, real time co-browsing, and can perform actions on behalf of the users. Learn how Hashicorp, Gusto, Freshworks and more use CommandBar at https://commandbar.com/moz -- LINKS: Librem 5 Phone: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/ School of Fish Meme: https://x.com/balajis/status/1489288836349784064 Graph: History is Running in Reverse: https://x.com/balajis/status/1749858089665257497 FBI Lost Count of Number of Informants at Jan 6: https://nypost.com/2023/09/19/fbi-lost-count-of-number-of-informants-at-capitol-on-jan-6-ex-official/ Most important article: https://time.com/5936036/secret-2020-election-campaign/ --- FOLLOW US ON X: @balajis (Balaji) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @turpentinemedia (Turpentine) --- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Introduction (01:21) The Vibe Shift in the Tech Industry (02:54) The Tech Counter-Elite (08:01) Tech's Influence on Politics (14:32) Tech's Impact on the Republican Party (20:40) The Democrat Party and the Tech Counter-Elite (26:49) Sponsors: beehiiv | Babbel (29:39) The Core Disagreement: Who Should Run Things? (38:45) The Power Struggle Between the Elite and Counter-Elite (38:49) Sponsors: CommandBar | Squad (40:02) Political Parties as Swarms of Ideologies (49:56) Adapting to a Changing World Order (1:12:41) The Media's Role in Shaping Public Opinion (1:26:48) The Potential for New Cities and Countries (1:41:54) Wrap  

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. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics 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) SPONSORS: Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv: Shopify: NetSuite: Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen - NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen 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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. - Secureframe: https://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.

Dan and Erik discuss picking markets, NFT's, disinformation, and Fentanyl. 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, David Sacks, Katherine Boyle, Joe Lonsdale, and more upcoming. Subscribe here: Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/3z8TldL Spotify: bit.ly/40letd0 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. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics TIMESTAMPS: (0:00) Preview of episode (1:45) Crypto in a bear market (9:00) How to pick markets (17:45) Sponsors - Secureframe | MarketerHire (18:57) Why do NFTs matter (48:00) Disinformation (1:01:00) Social media fragmentation (1:10:00) Biggest U.S problems (1:13:00) How to fix the Fentanyl program TWITTER: @MOZ_Podcast @eriktorenberg (Erik) @dwr (Dan) More shownotes and reading material released in our Substack: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Secureframe | MarketerHire Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -Shopify: https://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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen - Secureframe: https://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: https://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.

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. This episode is a great companion to Episode 17 with Mike Solana, another passionate advocate for fixing the city of San Francisco. Michelle is a founder and writes a newsletter at notesfromthefront.substack.com. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  REFERENCES:  Sam Quinones' book - Dream Land: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic https://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 https://www.amazon.com/Least-Us-Tales-America-Fentanyl-ebook/dp/B0932RRNVL/ Matt Taibbi’s book - Hate Inc. https://www.amazon.com/Hate-Inc-Todays-Despise-Another/dp/1682194078/ TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode preview (04:45) Michelle’s friend group (11:00) Twitter shapes the real world (14:00) Trump derangement syndrome (16:00) Sponsors: Secureframe (18:00) Reading the news (22:00) The war on drugs (38:30) How to fix SF (50:00) History of media polarization (59:00) Michelle’s three point plan if she were mayor (01:15:00) Should Michelle run for office? (01:21:00 )Twitter reshaping politics TWITTER: @MOZ_Podcast @michelletandler (Michelle) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @dwr (Dan) Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe | MarketerHire Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months -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: https://shopify.com/momentofzen -NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen  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: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months. - Secureframe: https://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: https://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.

Today we're sharing a recent interview Erik gave to Alex LaBossiere that covers lots of themes we discuss on Moment of Zen - including Erik's views on tech vs. the media, hypocrisy of the elites, risk orientation, and the thesis behind Turpentine. Grow your newsletter with Beehiiv, head to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months -- SPONSORS: NETSUITE | BEEHIIV | 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: http://netsuite.com/zen - NetSuite has extended a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program for a few more weeks. BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months SQUAD 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. - LINKS: Alex Labossiere podcast: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@labossiere Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7lf0G6SBTArFlJYuHlPPoy?si=459fb368b525468d&nd=1&dlsi=eb2b481981f44211 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/labossiere-podcast/id1566013149 - FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @adlabossiere (Alex) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia - TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (05:38) On Investing vs Operating (08:05) Trust and Direct Distribution (11:55) Legacy Media and the Techlash (17:54) Sponsor: Netsuite | Beehiiv (20:32) What is Turpentine (22:23) Lessons From 1000 Interviews (23:51) The Printing Press, Barbells, and the Future of Media (28:13) Pre-Internet Journalism and Survival of the Fittest Ideas (31:35) Creator Monetization and Price Discrimination (37:45) Sponsor: Squad (39:12) Does Media Have a Direction? (46:02) Tailwinds and Turpentine at Scale (53:55) Creating More Startups and Understanding Risk (58:42) Is Entrepreneurship Founder or Market Limited? (1:03:22) What Do Most People Get Wrong About Community Building? (1:05:51) Probabilistic vs Deterministic Mindsets (1:08:48) On Faith over Logic (1:12:22) Modernity and God Shaped Holes (1:15:02) The Hypocrisy of Elites (1:17:47) Asking Erik Questions He Asks People (1:19:05) What Should More People be Thinking About? (1:22:37) Wrap

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: https://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 https://bit.ly/WorkOS-Turpentine-Network 📈 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: 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 Babbel.com/zen 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast -- LINKS: Base: https://www.base.org/ Coinbase Developer Platform: https://cdp.coinbase.com/ New Limit: https://www.newlimit.com/ Farcaster: https://www.farcaster.xyz/ Stand With Crypto: https://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 of Moment of Zen, Erik Torenberg engages Indian Bronson, a pseudonymous writer, for a debate about immigration policy, national identity, and the future of American society. For full shownotes, visit highlight: https://highlightai.com/share/a08fc2a5-ff40-4d3b-8f2c-7174fde876cf -- 🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse. -- SPONSORS: NETSUITE More than 40,000 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: https://netsuite.com/zen - Download your free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning SHOPIFY Shopify: Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/cognitive GIVEWELL GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. (Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to support our show.) SQUAD Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- Links: IB's writing: https://indianbronson.substack.com/ -- Follow on X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @Indian_Bronson (Bronson) @turpentinemedia

Today on Moment of Zen, we're bringing you the second episode of "This Won't Last", the newest show from Turpentine. Keith Rabois, Logan Bartlett, Kevin Ryan, and Zach Weinberg share a rare anecdote about the first venture investment into OpenAI, lay out the bull and bear case for the leading AI companies and discuss regulatory chess games at play in American politics. 🔥 Apply to join over 400 Founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj -- SPONSORS: GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit https://www.givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to make sure they know you heard about them from us. 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast -- Follow on X: @eriktorenberg @rabois @kevinryan @loganbartlett @zachweinberg @turpentinemedia TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:25) OpenAI's First Venture Investment (07:40) Foundational AI Talent and OpenAI's Growth (15:59) Sponsors: Squad | Givewell (16:27) OpenAI's Staggering Revenue Projections and Valuation (20:39) AI Model Development and Competition (25:28) Consumer Distribution and OpenAI's Competitive Landscape (29:40) Google's Response and OpenAI's Public Market Potential (32:15) Anthropic's Position and the Safety Debate (34:03) AI Safety Concerns and the Role of the US Military (38:04) The Shift in Perspective on AI and the Military (41:28) Social Media Regulation and the Role of Government (45:18) State-Level Regulation and the Challenges of Online Platforms (51:02) Gambling Regulation and Individual Accountability (55:17) Cryptocurrency and the Global Casino (58:13) Accredited Investor Status and the Downstream Implications of Regulation (101:12) Healthcare Regulation and the Challenges of Risk Assessment (104:29) Individual Accountability and the Trade-Offs of Social Fabric Insurance (107:16) The Limits of Do-Your-Own-Research (1:10:39) The Spectrum of Evidence and the Challenge of Communicating Confidence (1:14:27) A Promise to Return to Healthcare

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: https://netsuite.com/zen – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. NETSUITE: http://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: http://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. – LINKS: https://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 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.

This week, Noah Smith joins Erik Torenberg to discuss America's future. They cover the 2024 presidential race, the Chevron ruling from the Supreme Court, and the polarization of the education system. Noah and Erik also discuss where wokeness goes from here, and the potential outcomes of integrating more conservatives into the civil service through initiatives like Project 2025. Noah also debunks the deep state myth and discusses the real issues surrounding Biden's age, questioning the influence of "political handlers" and the reality of a "deep state." 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://hmplogxqz0y.typeform.com/to/JCkphVqj -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ Second Opinion - A new podcast for health-tech insiders from Christina Farr of the Second Opinion newsletter. Join Christina Farr, Luba Greenwood, and Ash Zenooz every week as they challenge industry experts with tough questions about the best bets in health-tech. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1759267211 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A8NwQE976s32zdBbZw6bv 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: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mos4VE3figVXleHDqfXOH Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/complex-systems-with-patrick-mckenzie-patio11/id1753399812 -- SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | BABBEL | SQUAD 🌐 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 babbel.com/zen 🐝 Head to beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. A special offer is at https://beehiiv.com: use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. 💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg (Erik) @Noahpinion (Noah) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Preview (01:09) 4th of July Celebrations and Mailbag Questions (01:51) Debate Reflections: Trump vs. Biden (02:35) Biden's Age and Democratic Dilemma (03:09) Kamala Harris: The Successor Debate (04:12) Michelle Obama: A Potential Candidate? (07:06) The Deep State: Myth or Reality? (11:30) Bernie Sanders and the DNC (13:58) Chevron Ruling and Its Implications (19:10) Sponsor: beehiiv | Babbel (22:44) Project 2025 and Civil Service Polarization (30:34) Reflecting on the Floyd Protests (31:57) The Impact of Trump's Presidency (35:05) Sponsors: Squad  (36:29) Debating the Administrative State (38:31) Challenges in the Education System (46:56) Redistribution and Class in America (53:37) The Future of UBI and Cash Benefits (57:51) Wrap