"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg

Latest Episodes:

E30: Aaron Ginn on the Moral Idea Maze, the GPU Revolution, and US-China Relations Oct 27, 2023

Show notes

Erik Torenberg sits down with Aaron Ginn, the CEO and co-founder of Hydra Host and the co-founder of the Lincoln Network (now Foundation for American Innovation). They discuss tech and politics, US-China relations, the GPU revolution, and foreign policy predictions. Upstream is proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/upstream

Upstream is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

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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.

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SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | MERCURY | VANTA

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 "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three months.

Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg 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 ecommerce 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 ecommerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg.

Looking to give your startup a competitive edge? Meet Mercury: https://mercury.com/ Mercury is banking for ambitious companies—a modern partner that can provide you with the tools and resources you need to turn your startup into the best version of itself. It’s software built to help you scale, with safety and stability, when you need to — whether you're a team of two, or a team of 1,000. Join more than 100,000 startups on Mercury, the powerful and intuitive way for ambitious companies to bank. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and involve bank and trust members FDIC.

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:55) Aaron's background

(07:23) Aaron's journey on his moral idea maze

(11:30) Innovation and progress in the human experiment

(15:09) Sponsors: Mercury | Vanta

(17:15) Can a right wing parallel economy for everything happen?

(19:51) NVIDIA versus the public cloud

(28:55) Status of GPUs 6 months to a year from now

(34:19) Kinetic interaction with China

(42:05) GPUs: Foreign policy concerns and predictions

(51:20) Comparison of Biden's and Trump's foreign policy

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LINKS:

Hydra Host: https://hydrahost.com/

Book: The Terrible Truth About Liberals

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terrible_Truth_About_Liberals

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X/ Twitter

Aaron @aginnt

Erik: @ErikTorenberg

Upstream : @upstream__pod

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.

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E29: Sense-Making, a Top 1% Information Diet, and Generation Warfare with Michael Guimarin Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

Erik Torenberg sits down with Michael Guimarin, a Silicon Valley operator and educator who helps people hone their information diets, to discuss the divide between institutions and networks and how to shift from consensus to resonance. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/upstream

Upstream is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

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SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | MERCURY | VANTA

Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period

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LINKS:

Michael's newsletter: https://theinfodiet.com/ (Course is currently sold out)

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TWITTER:

Michael: @MichaelGuimarin

Erik: @ErikTorenberg

Upstream : @upstream__pod

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(02:10) How decisionmaking outcomes are based on information inputs

(04:40) How we understand reality is defined by generational access to technology

(05:45) Economics of distributing information

(08:50) Michael Guimarin's approach vs Jordan Hall or Daniel Schlac

(10:41) Before Google: Consensus

(11:00) After Google: Resonance

(13:50) Framework: The four estates

(16:35) Sponsors: Mercury | Vanta

(18:35) The divide between institutions and networks

(21:00) Why humans can't predict step changes

(25:00) Painting a future which links authority and responsibility

(29:00) Where Michael differs from Balaji on decentralization

(33:20) Sponsor: NetSuite

(34:25) Shifting from consensus to resonance

(36:00) The timeline for resolving these issues is over two generations

(40:00) Longevity

(45:25) The information diet as a war

(48:15) Artificial Intelligence

(50:50) Do we concede too easily when we get power over institutions?

(01:01:00) A top 1% to the top .001% information diet: emotional mastery

(01:05:00) How should you adjust the inputs?

(01:07:30) Information trillionaires

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E28: Richard Hanania Returns | Trump, the Sexual Revolution, and Immigration Oct 06, 2023

Show notes

Writer and political scientist Richard Hanania is back on Upstream to discuss Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican establishment, the sexual revolution, immigration, and his ideological differences with Curtis Yarvin. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/upstream

Upstream is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

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SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | MERCURY | VANTA

Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period

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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

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TWITTER:

Richard: @RichardHanania

Erik: @ErikTorenberg

Upstream : @upstream__pod

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(02:12) Attempted cancellation

(05:00) Gender Differences

(07:45) Racial Profiling

(15:30) Law and Culture: How should conservatives reorient their approach

(20:00) Sponsors: Mercury | Vanta

(26:15) Richard’s views on dismantling the administrative state

(31:00) Are the elites governing the US doing a bad job on public health and law enforcement?

(34:15) Sponsor: NetSuite

(35:15) Where Richard overlaps with classical liberalism

(37:00) How Richard thinks of the Republican establishment

(42:35) Richard’s perspective on the recent Bari Weiss debate on the impact of the sexual on women.

(48:00) How to increase fertility and the quality of the population

(53:00) Richard’s evolution on immigration

(58:00) Should a country determine its demographics?

(01:02:00) How important is inequality?

(01:05:30) Debating Curtis Yarvin

(01:16:00) What comes after liberalism – and who cares?

(01:21:00) Balaji’s Gray tribe

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E27: Robin Hanson on Elites, Experts, and the Truths We Resist Sep 29, 2023

Show notes

Robin Hanson, economist, author ,and futurist, sits down with Erik Torenberg to discuss Robin’s ideas about status, truth, and the obstacles for innovation. Upstream is proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/upstream

Upstream is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

–

SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | MERCURY | VANTA

Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period

–

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(05:38) How Robin developed his theory of the Sacred

(09:07)The Sacred binds people together

(17:17) Elites

(19:00) Sponsors: Mercury | Vanta

(37:20) Gossip networks

(38:00) Sponsor: NetSuite

(39:13) Proposal to fix academia

(45:37) Falsehoods

(01:05:12) Double agents in our minds

(01:08:36) What is cringe?

(01:12:31) Therapy

(01:17:02) How falling fertility will affect innovation

(01:23:49) Social change strategies for reviving fertility rates

Producer: Natalie Toren

Editor: Graham Bessellieu

For inquiries about guests or sponsoring the podcast, please email natalie@turpentine.co

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E26: Ben Horowitz on AI, the Future of Venture Capital, and Wartime VCs Sep 22, 2023

Show notes

Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and one of the most influential venture capitalists of the last decade, sits down with Erik for Turpentine VC. They shed light on how Ben thinks about firm-building and where the future is going. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/upstream

Subscribe to Turpentine VC to hear upcoming episodes with top VC minds: Alfred Lin of Sequoia, Elad Gil, and partners at Benchmark: https://www.podpage.com/turpentinevc/

Join our free newsletter to get Erik's top 3 insights from each episode every week:

https://turpentinevc.substack.com/

SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | SHOPIFY | MERCURY | VANTA

Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period

Looking to give your startup a competitive edge? Meet Mercury: https://mercury.com/

Mercury is banking for ambitious companies—a modern partner that can provide you with the tools and resources you need to turn your startup into the best version of itself. It’s software built to help you scale, with safety and stability, when you need to — whether you're a team of two, or a team of 1,000. Join more than 100,000 startups on Mercury, the powerful and intuitive way for ambitious companies to bank. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and involve bank and trust members FDIC.

TIMESTAMPS:

(01:00) Episode Preview

(03:55) Ben on what allows the legendary VC firms to be great for multi-decades

(05:05) a16z’s unique product-first, investor-second approach

(06:20) YC as a16z’s closest spiritual analog

(09:40) Ben on why venture firms should stay private

(11:40) How a16z scaled their fund sizes to market opportunities

(12:40) Why a16z chose to go bigger than Benchmark or USV on fund size

(14:20) “Spreadsheet” VCs vs. people-first VCs

(16:00) a16z’s customer-focused strategy

(17:28) The firm’s unique approach to governance

(17:50) Sponsor: Mercury, Vanta

(19:55) Shared economics and centralized control

(21:20) Ben’s view on the future of venture

(24:00) How Ben thinks about riding trends like AI, crypto, etc.

(27:00) a16z’s AI strategy

(32:00) Will a16z expand into multi-asset firms like BlackRock?

(33:00) How a16z thinks about their LPs differently from other firms

(35:28) Sponsor: NetSuite

(38:00) Peacetime vs. Wartime VCs

LINKS:

Why Software Is Eating the World: https://a16z.com/why-software-is-eating-the-world/

X / TWITTER:

@bhorowitz (Ben)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@TurpentineVC

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E25: Jon Askonas on 2nd Order Effects of AI, the Media Ecology of Reality, and Conservatism Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

Erik Torenberg sits down with Jon Askonas to look at the impact of disruptive technology in important areas like the media, religion, culture, and politics. Jon is an assistant professor of politics at Catholic University, a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation and a writer for publications like The New Atlantis and Compact. We are proudly sponsored by Vanta.Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/upstream

Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Mercury | Vanta

Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period

Looking to give your startup a competitive edge? Meet Mercury: https://mercury.com/

TIMESTAMPS:

(01:00) Episode Preview

(03:00) Jon’s thesis: The end of consensus reality

(04:20) What people have underestimated and overestimated since the 70s

(06:00) What comes after the nation state?

(07:00) The role of military technology in the next era

(09:45) What inputs are most important in determining a country’s dominance

(11:00) Countering Bali’s theory of the decline of the US dollar

(13:00) What has happened to our consensus reality?

(16:49) Sponsors: Mercury, Vanta, and NetSuite

(18:50) Social Media is a red herring. The internet itself was the disruptor

(21:30) Why solving the problems of social media won’t return the world to sanity

(26:20) Fragmentation is a good thing

(29:25) 2nd order effects of AI

(30:30) E/acc vs EA

(32:50) Creating a religion out of AI

(40:00) The problem with conservatives and technology

(46:25) Conservatives ignoring the culture

(52:00) Future of the right?

(57:00) How do we make sense of a world where we can’t determine a fact?

(59:10) Believing science, experts, and Sam Harris

X/ TWITTER:

Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenberg

Jon’s Twitter: @JonAskonas

Podcast Twitter: @Upstream__Pod

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E24: Balaji Srinivasan on Social Tribalism, Cloud Cartography, Internet Values Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

Balaji Srinivasan joins Erik Torenberg and Moment of Zen co-host Dan Romero to share his new theory of the Tribal Lens, why cognitive territories will gain increasingly more power than land-defined territories, why the US is no longer a beacon in the world, and Balaji strategy to fix San Francisco. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/zen

Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Mercury | Vanta

Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period

Looking to give your startup a competitive edge? Meet Mercury: https://mercury.com/

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:30) Episode Preview

(09:55) Cloud Cartography: If you don't control the cognitive territory. you don't control the lands

(14:44) Sponsors: Mercury, NetSuite

(18:30) Why people don't take the internet seriously?

(23:00) The US is not a nation state

(25:10) A civilization state

(26:00) Why Americans should learn about India's history / India and the US are converging

(33:25) Why a civil war doesn't seem realistic to people now

(40:00) Where else should a talented person move?

(41:20) Asia is the new global center,

(48:20) Internet first, not America first

(01:03:25) Software vs. Hardware

(01:05:25) Elon and the Grey Strategy

(01:17:15) Israel is looking away from the US for partners

(01:20:25) The Tribal lens integrates both domestic and foreign politics

(01:21:25) Will blue always win?

(01:24:25) Making sense of the China meltdown story

(01:36:15How to fix San Francisco

(01:51:25) Irrationality is an advantage

(02:06:25) Dan and Erik debrief

X / Twitter

@balajis (Balaji)

@dwr (Dan)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@MOZ_Podcast

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E23: Emad Mostaque and Sam Lessin Debate Whether AI is a Good Investment for VC Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of Upstream, Emad Mostaque, founder of Stability AI, and Sam Lessin, GP of Slow Ventures and former VP Product at Facebook, discuss how paradigm shifting AI will be for different sectors of the global economy, whether startups or incumbents have the edge, and whether AI is actually a good investment for Venture Capital. Topics covered in this debate span: the attention and information economy, SaaS markets, how AI-created entertainment will impact society and our relationships, porn, and AI disruption of highly-regulated industries. Erik Torenberg and The Cognitive Revolution AI podcast host Nathan Labenz serve as moderators, asking questions towards the end. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/zen

Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Mercury | Vanta

Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period

Looking to give your startup a competitive edge? Meet Mercury: https://mercury.com/

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

(01:00) Episode Preview

(03:20) AI as an extender rather than a deck shuffler

(07:45) Is AI a disruptive or sustaining innovation?

(09:13) What is intelligence?

(11:47) The attention and information economy

(16:43) Storytelling, the stock market, and the economy

(18:13) Sponsors: Mercury, Vanta, NetSuite

(25:30) Startups vs incumbents

(27:40) Disrupting highly-regulated industries

(28:47) AI in education: an AI tutor for every child

(31:40) AI as StackOverflow 2.0 for engineers

(33:45) Regulatory Arbitrage

(36:20) The oracle problem

(38:00) Apple as the weakest live player in AI

(42:15) AI in communities and the future of social media

(43:00) Replika on Valentine’s Day and AI-generated porn

(50:10) How does the market for inference shape up? Inference vs. cloud

(52:30) What are the most likely incumbents to be disrupted?

(53:25) Will big tech continue to opensource?

(55:30) Birth rate in US in the future given AI

(57:00) Can any AI leader sustain high gross margins in the future?

(58:00) Stability’s business model

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E22: Vivek Ramaswamy on his Presidential Run, Intellectually Oppressive Culture, Otherism Aug 25, 2023

Show notes

Erik Torenberg sits down with Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican presidential candidate rapidly rising in the polls. Vivek recorded this interview with us in late march. Given the attention from his performance at the first GOP debate this week, we decided to re-run it. We go deeper on many of the soundbites that have been popping up this summer, including his ideas about the culture war, affirmative action, and climate science. We also cover his ambitious transformation from Silicon Valley founder to political candidate, and discuss his radical policy proposals. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/zen

Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Vanta

Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period

X/TWITTER:

Erik's Twitter: @eriktorenberg

Vivek's Twitter: @VivekGRamaswamy

Podcast Twitter: @Upstream__Pod

Erik's Substack: eriktorenberg.substack.com

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Episode Preview

(03:03) When Vivek set his sights on running for president

(09:02) Vivek’s presidential platform: Affirmative action, Climate, Fed, Drug crisis

(15:35) Sponsors: Vanta, NetSuite

(16:36) Where Vivek overlaps/differs with Silicon Valley: free speech, DEI, SVB

(24:19) How Vivek conceptualizes a meritocracy

(30:25) How to remove politics from corporations

(41:00) Silicon Valley should empathize more with the rest of the country?

(42:24) Cultural otherness

(55:06) Defining “woke”

(56:22) What’s it like to run a presidential campaign

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E21: Sam Hammond on AI, e/acc, and Institutional Disruption Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

Samuel Hammond is a Canadian-born, DC-based senior economist for the Foundation for American Innovation, a think tank focused on bridging the cultures of Silicon Valley and DC. His research focuses on innovation and the institutional impact of disruptive technologies. He is an unconventional thinker and writer (Substack: https://www.secondbest.ca/) who participates in nuanced dialogue with different thinkers across economics, tech, policy, and philosophy. In this conversation we discuss Sam’s views on AI, mental models for his worldview, polarization, and how political influence really works. We're proudly sponsored by Vanta. Get $1000 off Vanta with https://www.vanta.com/zen

Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Vanta

Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

LINKS:

thefai.org

https://www.secondbest.ca/

X/ TWITTER:

@hamandcheese

@joinfai

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@upstream__pod

TIMESTAMPS