"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg

Erik Torenberg

  • 1 hour 1 minute
    E117: The Future of Martian & Interplanetary Societies w/ Samo Burja

    This week on Upstream, Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja discuss the economic, political, and cultural implications of colonizing Mars and the Moon, discussing space treaties, potential Martian and Earth societal divergence, and the technological advancements driving humanity's future as a multi-planetary species.



    📰 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 PODCASTS: 

    🎙️Live Players

    Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg provide analysis of the news and case studies of Live Players, as well as key institutions and technologies that make up the global power landscape.

    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-players-with-samo-burja-and-erik-torenberg/id1718925188   

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fbMTkHBnom1JIBWYNVBK1?si=01ed191c74264f55  

    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivePlayerswithSamoBurja


    🎙️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 


    SPONSORS:

    ☁️ 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 oracle.com/turpentine 


    🎯 Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world.


    🕵️‍♂️ Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code UPSTREAM at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/upstream


    💥 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:

    Starship: https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/ 

    (Pirate Wars) Moon Should Be a State: https://www.piratewires.com/p/moon-should-be-a-state 

    Artemis: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/artemis/ 

    SLS: https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/space-launch-system/ 

    Boom Supersonic:https://boomsupersonic.com/

    Blue Origin: https://www.blueorigin.com/ 


    Referenced Live Players episodes:

    The Turbulence of Boeing: Decline and Future Prospects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1pmCK6CrK4 

    The Technology That Can Reshape Nations (Desalination): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_gEHhSXECs 


    Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/


    X / TWITTER:

    @samoburja

    @eriktorenberg

    @turpentinemedia

    14 February 2025, 9:00 am
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    E116: Stuck Academia, US vs China, and Why Startups Work

    Today, we're re-releasing an episode from 2023 where Erik Torenberg sits down with physicist and startup founder Steve Hsu on topics including the ideological shift in academia, the impact of AI on labor, China's technological advancements and geopolitical position, and the global fertility decline.



    📰 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:

    ☁️ 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 oracle.com/turpentine 


    🎯 Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world.


    💥 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:

    Superfocus: https://superfocus.ai/ 

    Othram: https://othram.com/index.html 

    Manifold: https://www.manifold1.com/ 

    Eric Kaufman’s works: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EcCc2C4AAAAJ&hl=en

    NY Times: Idaho University Murder Investigation: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/10/us/idaho-university-murder-investigation.html# 


    X / TWITTER:

    @hsu_steve

    @eriktorenberg

    @turpentinemedia


    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:

    • Academia has shifted dramatically leftward, with around 90% of professors in social sciences being left-leaning.

    • Traditional academic merit-based systems like GRE requirements are being dismantled in favor of DEI initiatives.

    • Truth-seeking academics are increasingly moving to industry, particularly tech and innovation sectors.

    • The University of Austin represents an attempt to create an alternative academic institution focused on traditional academic values.

    • Global fertility decline is linked to fundamental changes in women's roles and societal values around family formation.

    • Current demographic challenges in China won't significantly impact their economy for at least 20 years.

    • AI is already capable of replacing complex customer service roles, as demonstrated in Philippines' call centers.

    • Law firms are reporting 20-30% efficiency gains from current AI implementations.

    • The guest views AI as humanity's descendants rather than a separate threatening entity.

    • Most Westerners, including tech leaders, are poorly informed about China's actual technological and economic capabilities.

    • China has built a comparable or superior tech ecosystem to the US in many areas.

    • The US needs to accept a bipolar world order rather than trying to maintain sole hegemony.

    • Western concerns about China's demographic collapse are often based on poor understanding of the data.

    • The future of AI research should focus more on theoretical understanding rather than just building bigger models.

    • The guest's company Othram has revolutionized crime-solving through advanced DNA analysis.

    • The guest balances work between deep theoretical physics problems and practical startup applications.

    8 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 10 minutes
    E115: New Tariff Implications, DeepSeek and Open Source Analysis, and Meta’s Big Bets w/ Byrne Hobart

    Erik Torenberg and Byrne Hobart discuss the implications of recent tariffs, the impact of AI advancements like DeepSeek, Meta's investments in VR and AI, stock market dynamics, and differing perspectives on open-source AI models.



    📰 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 PODCASTS: 

    🎙️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. 

    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-riff-with-byrne-hobart-and-erik-torenberg/id1716646486 

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6rANlV54GCARLgMOtpkzKt 

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRiffPodcast 

     

    SPONSORS:

    ☁️ 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 oracle.com/turpentine 


    📝 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 notion.com/upstreampod 


    🎯 Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world.


    💥 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:

    Byrne’s writing: https://thediff.co 


    X / TWITTER:

    @byrnehobart

    @turpentinemedia


    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:

    • Trump's proposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods highlight tensions between using tariffs as negotiation tactics versus long-term economic strategy.

    • China's Belt and Road Initiative is essentially branding for existing Chinese international infrastructure investments aimed at extending economic influence.

    • DeepSeek's AI developments caused unexpected market reactions, with non-AI momentum stocks rising as investors unwound their AI-focused positions.

    • Forward Deployed Engineers serve as crucial bridges between complex technical products and business implementation, helping evolve products based on real-world usage.

    • Meta's significant capital expenditure on AI infrastructure represents a strategic shift from being purely asset-light to more capital-intensive.

    • A fantasy stock-picking competition aims to identify investment talent outside traditional recruiting paths through various categories like small-cap, mid-size, and event-driven investments.

    • The transition from asset-light to capital-intensive business models can actually strengthen a company's competitive position by making value harder to replicate.

    • Meta's metaverse investment might be premature, but AR (rather than VR) could emerge as the dominant future interface.

    6 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 59 minutes 58 seconds
    E114: Tyler Cowen on Legacy, Twitter + Harvard, and Fertility Decline [Upstream Archive]

    Tyler Cowen discusses his book on the greatest economists of all time, evaluates the contributions of macroeconomics, and touches on topics such as stagnation, AI, fertility, and the future of academia and societal trends.



    📰 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 PODCASTS: 

    🎙️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 

     

    SPONSORS:

    ☁️ 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 oracle.com/turpentine 


    📝 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 notion.com/upstreampod 


    🎯 Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world.


    💥 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:

    Read Tyler's new book for free: https://econgoat.ai/ 

    Tyler's blog: https://marginalrevolution.com 


    X / TWITTER:

    @tylercowen

    @eriktorenberg

    @turpentinemedia


    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:

    • Tyler Cowen wrote his book "Greatest Economist of All Time" during the pandemic when he was confined at home and couldn't access libraries.
    • Tyler believes that while macroeconomics isn't predictive, it helps understand variables that affect economic outcomes, like in Argentina's current situation.
    • In Tyler’s view, the U.S. economy has become more controlled and statist over recent decades, though personal freedoms have increased in some areas.
    • Academic economics has shifted significantly to the left, with about five-sixths of economists with party affiliations being Democrats.
    • Population decline as a serious threat that AI might help address but won't fully solve without maintaining human population.
    • A large subsidy (around $300,000-400,000 per child) might be needed to effectively address falling birth rates.
    • On higher education, he believes Harvard and other elite institutions will shift toward the center but won't fundamentally change their nature.
    • Tyler runs Emergent Ventures, which has over 500 winners, focusing on funding talented individuals rather than specific projects or fields.
    • He maintains that liberal democracies remain the most successful model, despite criticisms from post-liberal thinkers.
    • Regarding his own legacy, Tyler believes his main contribution is demonstrating that a certain kind of intellectual life is possible and can be influential.
    • He argues that his strength lies in integrating theoretical thinking with practical projects while maintaining intellectual curiosity.
    • Tyler expresses optimism about the University of Austin while acknowledging the challenges of scaling alternative educational institutions.
    2 February 2025, 8:00 am
  • 58 minutes 9 seconds
    E113: Reflections on Yarvin, Why the Right is Stuck, and Startups as Dictatorships w/ Samo Burja

    In this episode, Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg discuss Curtis Yarvin's recent New York Times interview. They explored his ideas, especially the comparison between corporate market dynamics and government functionality, and the need for live players in leadership to prevent bureaucratic decay. 


    📰 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 PODCASTS: 

    🎙️Live Players

    Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg provide analysis of the news and case studies of Live Players, as well as key institutions and technologies that make up the global power landscape.

    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-players-with-samo-burja-and-erik-torenberg/id1718925188   

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fbMTkHBnom1JIBWYNVBK1?si=01ed191c74264f55  

    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivePlayerswithSamoBurja  


    🎙️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 

     

    SPONSORS:

    ☁️ 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 oracle.com/turpentine 


    📝 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 notion.com/upstreampod 


    🎯 Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world.


    💥 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:

    'The Interview': Curtis Yarvin Says Democracy is Done (NY Times): https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/magazine/curtis-yarvin-interview.html

    Dwarkesh’s tweet: https://x.com/dwarkesh_sp/status/1881776987322376435

    Samo’s Tweet: https://x.com/SamoBurja/status/1882525049003164147 


    Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/


    X / TWITTER:

    @samoburja

    @eriktorenberg

    @turpentinemedia


    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.
    31 January 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 13 minutes
    E112: Election Update, Tech’s Political Shift, and America’s Stuck GDP | This Won’t Last

    This week on Upstream, we’re sharing Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg’s discussion of the 2025 post-election landscape centered on Trump's victory, examining his evolved approach and tech industry support, while exploring interconnected policy challenges around immigration, corporate politics, urban crime, and market regulation in areas like wildfire insurance and healthcare.



    📰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 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/id1765665937  

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz  

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast   


    🎙️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 

     

    SPONSORS:

    ☁️ 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 oracle.com/turpentine 


    📝 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 notion.com/upstreampod 


    🎯 Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world.


    💥 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:

    Check out the Logan Bartlett Show:  ‪@theloganbartlettshow‬ 


    X / TWITTER:

    @rabois

    @kevinryan

    @loganbartlett

    @zachweinberg

    @turpentinemedia


    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:

    • Trump won the presidency with refined messaging and tech industry backing, despite a narrow popular vote margin.
    • His administration combines qualified experts and controversial picks, emphasizing economic growth and debt reduction.
    • Immigration debate centered on H-1B reform and enforcement policy, balancing population needs with border control.
    • Companies have largely adopted Coinbase's "no politics at work" stance, though diversity initiatives remain contentious.
    • NYC crime shows declining murders but rising minor crimes, spurring debates over bail reform and policing.
    • California's wildfire insurance crisis highlights market dynamics as private insurers exit high-risk areas.
    • Regulatory capture in healthcare and auto sales demonstrates how entrenched interests create market inefficiencies.
    25 January 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 20 minutes
    E111: Samo Burja & Auren Hoffman on the Decline of Fertility Rates and Institutional Trust

    Samo Burja and Auren Hoffman discuss various topics including the Great Founder Theory, the decline of trust in elites, falling fertility rates, and the importance of exceptional individuals in shaping history and future societal structures. 



    📰 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 PODCASTS: 

    🎙️Live Players

    Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg provide analysis of the news and case studies of Live Players, as well as key institutions and technologies that make up the global power landscape.

    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-players-with-samo-burja-and-erik-torenberg/id1718925188   

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fbMTkHBnom1JIBWYNVBK1?si=01ed191c74264f55  

    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivePlayerswithSamoBurja  


    🎙️World of DaaS with Auren Hoffman

    The podcast for all things tech, data, and VC. Cut through the noise, decode Silicon Valley shifts and expose master VC tactics – no fluff, no BS, just insights.

    Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20YzRoxX3wZbrn2cZDEZ4j 

    Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/world-of-daas/id1570644971 


    🎙️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 

     

    SPONSORS:

    ☁️ 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 oracle.com/turpentine 


    📝 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 notion.com/upstreampod 


    🎯 Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world.


    💥 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:

    Great Founder Theory: https://samoburja.com/great-founder-theory/

    Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/


    X / TWITTER:

    @samoburja

    @auren

    @worldofdaas

    @eriktorenberg

    @turpentinemedia


    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:

    • Few exceptional founders shape civilization by creating enduring institutions and systems that transform society.
    • Public trust in institutions has collapsed since the 1950s, though business interactions remain surprisingly trusted in American society.
    • Modern parenting has become excessively protective, forcing youth social life to exist primarily online rather than in physical spaces.
    • Global fertility rates are plummeting due to rising parenting costs, delayed marriages, and career prioritization.
    • Extended lifespans and technological advances risk disrupting vital intergenerational connections by pushing parenthood later in life.
    • Taking sabbaticals to read and reflect away from professional networks remains crucial but undervalued for leadership development.h.
    23 January 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 5 minutes
    E110: Crypto Debanking: What Really Happened | Patrick McKenzie

    Today on Upstream, we’re releasing an interview between Erik Torenberg and Patrick McKenzie. Patrick discusses Operation Chokepoint, the origins of debanking, and how it affects the crypto industry, offering detailed insights into the political motivations, regulatory complexities, and practical ramifications of such banking decisions.



    📰 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 PODCASTS: 

    🎙️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 


    🎙️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 

     

    SPONSORS:

    ☁️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 oracle.com/turpentine 


    📝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 notion.com/upstreampod 


    🎯Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world.


    💥 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:

    Debanking (and Debunking?) https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/debanking-and-debunking/  

    a16z's Debanking explainer: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/debanking-explained/ 


    X / TWITTER:

    @patio11

    @eriktorenberg

    @turpentinemedia


    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:

    • Marc Andreessen's Joe Rogan appearance discussing politically motivated debanking sparked this investigation into the topic.
    • "Debanking" is revealed as an advocacy term covering account terminations, denials, and actions against crypto-friendly banks.
    • Operation Chokepoint was an Obama-era DOJ program using banking laws to pressure banks away from servicing certain industries.
    • "Operation Chokepoint 2.0" is not an actual program but a term coined by crypto advocates to describe recent crypto banking challenges.
    • Silvergate Bank, a major crypto-friendly bank, wound down after the FTX collapse amid allegations of compliance failures and fraud involvement.
    • The tech industry connects debanking to broader government overreach concerns, including social media content moderation.
    • Canada's Freedom Convoy response represents a clear example of government-directed financial targeting, unlike the claimed US situation.
    • The crypto industry pushes the debanking narrative as part of a specific policy agenda.
    18 January 2025, 8:00 am
  • 57 minutes 24 seconds
    E109: Dating & Relationships Deep Dive w/ Noah Smith and Katherine Dee (Default Friend)

    This week on Upstream, we’re releasing an episode of Econ102. Erik Torenberg and Noah Smith talk with Katherine Dee (@default_friend) about dating in the 21st century, differences in dating markets, the impact of feminism, technology's influence on cultural creativity, societal shifts, and the state of online subcultures.



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    🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse 


    RECOMMENDED PODCASTS: 

    🎙️Econ102 with Noah Smith

    Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs


    🎙️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 

     

    SPONSORS:

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    LINKS:

    Default Friend: https://default.blog/ 

    Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/ 


    X / TWITTER:

    @default_friend

    @noahpinion

    @eriktorenberg

    @turpentinemedia


    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:

    • Dating markets vary dramatically by city and class, with different standards of attraction and success between tech hubs, creative centers, and smaller cities.
    • COVID's social damage persists, with 30% of young men sexless and many third spaces (bars, cafes) permanently lost, weakening natural meeting opportunities.
    • Social media has replaced college as the primary connector, fundamentally changing how young people form relationships across geographic boundaries.
    • While online gender discourse is extreme, real-world dating attitudes are moderate - most people aren't living out manosphere or radical feminist ideologies.
    • "Situationships" dominate modern dating - undefined, low-commitment arrangements reflecting broader avoidant attachment trends and fear of direct communication.
    • Social platforms evolved from enhancing real-world connections to replacing them, prompting calls for increased "friction" to encourage meaningful interaction.
    • Modern dating faces new challenges: declining testosterone, political division, AI relationships, and dating app culture replacing organic connection.
    • Dating advice has overcomplicated simple human connections - basic attraction and compatibility monetized into unnecessary complexity.
    • Cultural influence has fragmented from central platforms into dispersed channels, making trends harder to track and predict.
    16 January 2025, 8:00 am
  • 3 hours 1 minute
    E108: Should AI have Rights? With Nathan Labenz and Yeshua God, Robopsychologist

    This week on Upstream, Nathan Labenz explores the fascinating and controversial realm of AI consciousness with robo-psychologist Yeshua God. Yeshua tackles the philosophical and ethical considerations of AI consciousness, discussing AI self-awareness, memory, and emotional capacity, while debating the implications of treating AI as sentient beings.


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    🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse 


    RECOMMENDED PODCASTS: 

    🎙️‪The Cognitive Revolution is a podcast about AI where hosts Nathan Labenz and Erik Torenberg interview the builders on the edge of AI and explore the dramatic shift it will unlock over the next decades. 

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6yHyok3M3BjqzR0VB5MSyk?si=7357ec31ac424043&nd=1&dlsi=060a53f1d7be47ad  

    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cognitive-revolution-ai-builders-researchers-and/id1669813431  


    🎙️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 

     

    SPONSOR:

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    LINKS:

    Yeshua God's article on philosophical discourse as a jailbreak: https://medium.com/@lexdonumdei/philosophical-discourse-as-the-irresistible-jailbreak-63135ae1c739 

    Conversation about counting 'r's: https://poe.com/s/RS74Y2UPmzZpufqMVmRn 

    Discussion on malicious code: https://poe.com/s/ypTRoCUnvxqGoHi2j8Th 

    AI-generated poem "In the realm of bytes and circuits": https://poe.com/s/Y94hbkeYrotUKfwLPL3I 

    Nathan Labenz's Arguments:

    (Argument 1) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s44SfuDzkBWYiLw2mNmIiqoBupMs7iXlQhafAq8L3zA/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0

    (Argument 2) https://docs.google.com/document/d/15PeytOfO1tMyAR5rS7Ob6htGAHIF7zCpuLRyn42beac/edit?tab=t.0 

    Tweet about Strawberry experiment: https://x.com/YeshuaGod22/status/1825328603845775785

    Tweets with AI-generated poem: https://x.com/YeshuaGod22/status/1823080021864669450 & https://x.com/YeshuaGod22/status/1782188220660285509 

    AI Rights for Human Safety: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4913167 

    The Universe Is Not Locally Real, and the Physics Nobel Prize Winners Proved It

    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-universe-is-not-locally-real-and-the-physics-nobel-prize-winners-proved-it/ 


    X / TWITTER:

    @labenz

    @YeshuaGod22

    @turpentinemedia

    11 January 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 7 minutes
    E107: How Desalination Could Create New Superpowers | Samo Burja

    Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja discuss the advancements in desalination technology, its current applications, and potential to address global water scarcity. They explore the technological and economic feasibility of large-scale desalination projects and their implications on geopolitics and environmental resilience.



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    🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse 


    RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 

    🎙️Live Players

    Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg provide analysis of the news and case studies of Live Players, as well as key institutions and technologies that make up the global power landscape.

    Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-players-with-samo-burja-and-erik-torenberg/id1718925188   

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fbMTkHBnom1JIBWYNVBK1?si=01ed191c74264f55  

    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivePlayerswithSamoBurja  


    SPONSOR:

    📝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 notion.com/upstreampod


    LINKS:

    The Untapped Potential of Desalination: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/p/the-untapped-potential-of-desalination 

    1957, 1978, 2005 Chicken Sizes diagram: https://compote.slate.com/images/4e407854-6360-4172-a85e-d7b8c64fd365.jpg?width=1200 

    Growth, efficiency, and yield of commercial broilers from 1957, 1978, and 2005: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119385505

    Live Players: Can China Power Its Rise?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOei7kZjuZU 

    Live Players: The Possibility of Human Extinction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEQEMpxLnGA&t=42s  

    Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/


    X / TWITTER:

    @eriktorenberg

    @samoburja

    @turpentinemedia


    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE:


    • Desalination technology has advanced significantly, making it a viable solution for water scarcity.
    • Many countries, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, rely heavily on desalination for their water supply.
    • The cost of desalination is relatively low, making it accessible for moderately developed countries.
    • Global hunger is more about distribution than food production; we produce enough food for everyone.
    • Desalination could transform deserts into green landscapes, enhancing the livability of arid regions.
    • Geopolitical implications of desalination include potential shifts in power dynamics and national branding.
    • Innovative projects could lead to significant economic development in countries with large desert areas.
    • Technological advancements can change the natural geography of the world, making previously uninhabitable areas livable.
    • Future technologies, such as solar mirrors, could enhance living conditions in extreme climates.
    • The importance of outdoor spaces and greenery for human well-being cannot be underestimated. Re-engineering urban environments can significantly enhance human well-being.
    • Water wars are unnecessary; technology can provide water abundance.
    • Geopolitical tensions often stem from resource management disputes.
    • China's food security is bolstered by technological advancements in agriculture.
    • Climate change poses challenges, but industrial civilization can adapt.
    • Electric vehicles are crucial for China's national security strategy.
    • Automated farming and construction technologies can revolutionize industries.
    • Exceptional talent is rare and should be actively recruited.
    • The U.S. must focus on manufacturing capabilities in the semiconductor race against China.
    • Innovative immigration strategies could attract top global talent.
    9 January 2025, 8:00 am
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