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. In this discussion, Erik and Tim discuss liberalism, why heresy is important, and the notion of equality.  Upstream is part of the Turpentine Network. You can learn more at turpentine.co RECOMMENDED PODCASTS: Media Empires: https://www.podpage.com/media-empires/ On the first episode of Media Empires, Erik Torenberg sits down with Morning Brew's CEO Austin Rief to learn his perspective on the future of the media business, the critical elements that determine success, and where he sees the single biggest opportunity to build a media empire. TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode Preview (01:37) The story of Tim Urban’s new book “What’s Our Problem?” (08:01) Existential threat, technological innovation, and heresy (13:09) Why the left and the right aren’t respecting liberalism (15:51) Sponsor: Secureframe, Mercury (18:42) Social justice fundamentalism vs liberal social justice (25:13) Social justice fundamentalism as a religion (28:39) Freedom vs Equality (49:42) Equality and specificity (54:08) What would change if Tim wrote the book in the next few years? TWITTER: Tim’s Twitter: @waitbutwhy Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenberg Upstream : @upstream__pod SPONSORS: Please support our sponsors: Secureframe | Mercury - 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 UPSTREAM 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. - Mercury: https://mercury.com/ Now more than ever, startup founders need a safe place to put their cash. Mercury protects your money and also provides the streamlined user experience that great founders expect through partner banks and their sweep networks. Mercury offers up to $5 million in FDIC insurance, which is 20 times the per-bank limit. They also make it easy to invest any cash above the FDIC-insured amount in a money market fund, a hundred thousand startups trust Mercury with their finances. I've been a happy Mercury customer and have found their team incredibly helpful and responsive. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and involve bank and trust members FDIC.

Erik Torenberg sits down with Katherine Boyle, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz where she invests in companies that promote American dynamism. Erik and Katherine discuss the private sector versus the public sector, the American dream in conflict with the rise of therapeutic culture, and how to reinstill a love of public service. If you enjoyed this podcast you listen to Katherine's recent Moment of Zen episode next, where she discusses founder mentality, Twitter, SpaceX, and more ( https://link.chtbl.com/moz) RECOMMENDED SHOWS: Moment of Zen: https://link.chtbl.com/moz The Cognitive Revolution: https://link.chtbl.com/TheCognitiveRevolution TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode preview (02:21) What is American Dynamism? (04:49) How should VC’s view China? (07:03) We aren’t seeing China as an ally anymore (09:19) Private vs public sector (12:23) Why the public sector won’t build the next SpaceX (15:35) Sponsors: Secureframe | Marketerhire (19:00) Tradeoffs with privatization (25:20) How to reinstill a love for public service (30:02) Where Katherine differs from Balaji (32:39) What can we learn from China (34:13) Building is a political philosophy (34:56) Katherine’s family background (37:47) America is where you can escape your past (39:29) We are a nation of families moreso than individuals (41:40) What Katherine learned from being an au pair (43:48) The rise of therapeutic culture (49:38) What to do about struggling men (58:32) The problems of delaying adulthood (1:06:42) The problems of optionality (1:10:07)How religion informs her work and life TWITTER: Katherine’s Twitter: @KTmBoyle A16z’s Twitter: @a16z Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenberg Upstream : @upstream__pod LINKS: American Dynamism: https://a16z.com/american-dynamism/ Please support our sponsors: Secureframe | Mercury - 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 UPSTREAM 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. - Mercury: https://mercury.com/ Now more than ever, startup founders need a safe place to put their cash. Mercury protects your money and also provides the streamlined user experience that great founders expect through partner banks and their sweep networks. Mercury offers up to $5 million in FDIC insurance, which is 20 times the per-bank limit. They also make it easy to invest any cash above the FDIC-insured amount in a money market fund, a hundred thousand startups trust Mercury with their finances. I've been a happy Mercury customer and have found their team incredibly helpful and responsive. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and involve bank and trust members FDIC.

Erik sits down with Sam Harris, an author, neuroscientist, podcaster, and philosopher. Sam is known for having crucial conversations about morality, religion, rationality, and the pursuit of truth. This discussion covers Sam’s concerns about populism, polarization, and inequality. We also discuss why Sam is hated by the left and the right. LINKS: Sam's work: https://www.samharris.org/ Sam's podcast Making Sense: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts RECOMMENDED SHOWS: Moment of Zen: https://link.chtbl.com/moz The Cognitive Revolution: https://link.chtbl.com/TheCognitiveRevolution TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode preview (02:00) Sam’s life’s work (04:00) Sam’s concerns around the marketplace of ideas (11:25) Sam is a mistake theorist (15:45) Sponsors: Secureframe | Mercury | MarketerHire (20:00) Why Sam is hated by both the left and the right (22:30) Fundamental conflict between the left and the right (31:00) Navigating group disparities (41:00) Individual rights vs group rights (47:00) Is wokeness the new religion? (51:00) Sam’s critique of populism (58:00) Sam’s defenses of experts/institutions (1:11:00) The right doesn’t sufficiently appreciate luck (1:16:45) Polarization is better than a one-party state (1:21:00) Global governance TWITTER: Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenberg Upstream : @upstream__pod Making Sense Podcast: @MakingSenseHQ Please support our sponsors: Secureframe | Mercury | MarketerHire - 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 UPSTREAM 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. - Mercury: https://mercury.com/ Now more than ever, startup founders need a safe place to put their cash. Mercury protects your money and also provides the streamlined user experience that great founders expect through partner banks and their sweep networks. Mercury offers up to $5 million in FDIC insurance, which is 20 times the per-bank limit. They also make it easy to invest any cash above the FDIC-insured amount in a money market fund, a hundred thousand startups trust Mercury with their finances. I've been a happy Mercury customer and have found their team incredibly helpful and responsive. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and involve bank and trust members FDIC. - MarketerHire: https://marketerhire.com/upstream 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/upstream and use code UPSTREAM to get your $1,000 credit for your first hire. Thank you Graham Bessellieu for production.

We're excited to introduce Upstream listeners to Moment of Zen, a weekly podcast hosted by Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez, and additional guests. This episode features special guest Mike Solana, Editor in Chief of Pirate Wires (https://www.piratewires.com/) in conversation with Erik and Dan. They cover the recent AI congressional hearings, The Culture War's evolution, Twitter under Elon, and much more. Episode 10 of Upstream with Erik Torenberg will be released on 5/28/23. LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO "MOMENT OF ZEN" Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/moz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MomentofZenPodcast MoZ's first episode from Dec '22 featured Marc Andreessen and other guests who have appeared on MoZ include: Balaji Srinivasan, Katherine Boyle, Amjad Masad, Nic Carter, Noah Smith, Michelle Tandler, Byrne Hobart, and more. 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) Introduction to this episode of Moment of Zen (00:48) On what Mike Solana would say to Congress about AI (08:00) Contrasting Zuck, Brian Armstrong, and Sam Altman’s approach to regulation (14:20) Sponsor: Secureframe (16:30) AI doomerism is just marketing for big AI (26:00) Elon’s wins and losses so far as Twitter CEO (38:00) Taylor Lorenz Mythology (40:00) Twitter’s regime change // How the tables have turned. Muahahaha. (44:05) What we’d do if we were Twitter CEO (50:00) Evolution of polarization (58:00) Silver lining of polarization (1:07:00) 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 (1:24:00) Social media and depression follow up (1:28:00) Is half of Gen Z non-straight? (1:32:00) Ellen Pao (1:34:30) Is Pirate Wires conservative media? (No) TWITTER: @MOZ_Podcast @micsolana (Mike) @piratewires @eriktorenberg (Erik) @dwr (Dan) @antoniogm (Antonio) Please support our sponsors: 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 UPSTREAM 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.

Erik sits down with independent analyst Benedict Evans for a wide-ranging discussion of predictions and frameworks spanning the vast realm of technology - where we’ve been, where we’re going, and what really matters. AI scout and podcast host Nathan Labenz (The Cognitive Revolution) joins for the last 20 minutes to deepen the discussion on AI. RECOMMENDED SHOWS: The Cognitive Revolution: https://link.chtbl.com/TheCognitiveRevolution Moment of Zen: https://link.chtbl.com/moz TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode preview (01:47) Benedict’s annual presentations and frameworks for “the next thing” (07:00) Are Netflix and Tesla tech companies? (12:59) Why hasn’t software ‘eaten’ certain industries and fields? (14:47) Sponsors: Secureframe | Mercury | MarketerHire (18:30) Preconditions for predictions (24:30) Overhyped/underappreciated aspects of Web3 and Crypto (28:25) Blockchain, and Benedict’s prediction for decentralization (34:00) Building the next Twitter (43:33) Predictions for metaverse and VR (49:52) Consumer surplus and business models (51:37) AI predictions (55:22) Opportunities in AI (1:01:58) Bundling and unbundling lens on AI (1:06:35) Future of jobs (1:15:00) Predictions for Benedict’s next presentation LINKS: Presentations: https://www.ben-evans.com/ Book recommendation: Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre https://www.amazon.com/Reminiscences-Stock-Operator-Edwin-Lef%25C3%25A8vre/dp/0471059684#:~:text=First%2520published%2520in%25201923%252C%2520Reminiscences%2520of%2520a%2520Stock%2520Operator%2520is,recommended%2520investment%2520book%2520ever%2520written?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=turpentine-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=19fa33d3202c6df062385946b9ec3743&camp=1789&creative=9325 TWITTER: Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenberg Benedict’s Twitter:@benedictevans Please support our sponsors: Secureframe | Mercury | MarketerHire - 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 UPSTREAM 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. - Mercury: https://mercury.com/ Now more than ever, startup founders need a safe place to put their cash. Mercury protects your money and also provides the streamlined user experience that great founders expect through partner banks and their sweep networks. Mercury offers up to $5 million in FDIC insurance, which is 20 times the per-bank limit. They also make it easy to invest any cash above the FDIC-insured amount in a money market fund, a hundred thousand startups trust Mercury with their finances. I've been a happy Mercury customer and have found their team incredibly helpful and responsive. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and involve bank and trust members FDIC. - MarketerHire: https://marketerhire.com/upstream 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/upstream and use code UPSTREAM to get your $1,000 credit for your first hire.