The podcast arrives at 'late stage' Gary discourse as Matt and Chris attempt to enter the man, the myth, and the legend, Gary Stevenson, into a reductive classification system (that once again includes no mention of inequality). The gurometer was not built to handle this level of elite education and trading acumen, and has often been dismissed by arrogant elites due to its scrappy nature and lack of fancy credentials... but it persists. Just remember, an attack on the Gurometer is ultimately an attack on you, your family, and all you hold dear.

Sources

• Reddit thread asking us to do better
• Jacobin: Portrait of the Trader as a Young Rebel
• Richard Murphy's analysis of Gary's Economics
• Tax Policy Associates' analysis of some tax reform proposals
• Gary on Twitter explaining that traders understand the economy a lot better than economists like Piketty and Stiglitz

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (47 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Gurometer of Gary

01:02 Gary Stevenson: Other Opinions

07:31 Gary's Wealth Tax Proposal

12:21 Guru Features and Scoring

13:11 Galaxy Brainness

15:34 Cultishness

18:04 Anti-Establishmentarianism

20:04 Grievance Mongering

23:15 Self Aggrandisement and Narcissism

24:25 Cassandra Complex

25:40 Revolutionary Theories

28:12 Pseudo Profound Bullshit

30:07 Conspiracy Mongering

32:21 Excessive Profiteering

34:24 Moral Grandstanding

36:14 Guru Scoring and Analysis

37:34 Quick Fire Guru Bonus Points

40:37 Matt's confusing Binary Measure

In this episode, Matt and Chris take a look at one of the UK’s most compelling economic crusaders: Gary Stevenson, aka Gary’s Economics. A millionaire trader turned YouTube firebrand, Gary’s message is simple and potent: wealth inequality is spiralling, the ultra-rich are hoarding everything, and economists and politicians are either complicit or clueless.

Gary’s story has all the trappings of a mythic arc: from humble East London roots to Citibank’s trading floor, where he made millions betting against the poor during the financial crisis. Now he claims the system is so broken that only someone like him, working class and mathematically gifted, someone who entered the high-power world of financial trading and took on the system, could see it. As Gary puts it, a sort of economic Copernicus, who brought a revolutionary message that was dismissed by a stultifying orthodoxy.

With his righteous critique comes a hefty dose of swagger, whether it is in considering himself like a Usain Bolt of trading or in the frequent laments about how exhausting it is to be a lone voice of truth facing bad-faith hit pieces. Gary straddles an odd tension: self-effacing underdog one moment, saviour-on-a-soapbox the next. He rails against academia, dismisses journalists as clickbait merchants, and urges people not to heed critics, due to their ulterior motives.

Our hosts explore the contradictions of a millionaire revolutionary who's not even bothered but also a bit miffed the phone isn’t ringing; a tireless advocate for the poor but also someone who seems to frequently drop in his elite credentials and just how rich he is.

So strap in for a deep dive into charisma, critique, and class warfare economics. Is Gary the economic truth-teller we need, or a populist guru-in-the-making with revolutionary zeal and a finely tuned YouTube brand?

Sources

• Gary's Economics- Understand the Economy Part 3: Why is Inequality Ignored?
• Gary's Economics- Signing off: How close are we to winning higher taxes on the rich?
• Novara Media- Everything They Tell You About the Economy is WRONG | Aaron Meets Gary Stevenson
• Gary Stevenson (2024). The Trading Game: A Confession
• Financial Times: Gary Stevenson claims to have been the best trader in the world. His old colleagues disagree
• Financial Times: He made millions betting against economic recovery. Now he wants to fix things
• The Daily Mail's hit piece on Gary
• Reddit thread discussing Gary's Thesis
• Plain Bagel - The Canadian Housing Crisis Explained
• Patrick Boyle on the Pandemic Real Estate Bubble
• Asianometry on an interesting historical case when radical appropriation of wealth worked
• Economics Explained on the generational effects on wealth inequality
• Stansbury, A., & Schultz, R. (2023). The economics profession’s socioeconomic diversity problem. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 37(4), 207-230.

Influential economists focused on inequality and arguing for a wealth tax (as well as other things)

• Anthony B. Atkinson - Inequality: What Can be Done? (Anthony focused on numerous other strong measures, arguably more effective than a wealth tax)
• Steven P. Jenkins is at the LSE, and wrote "Changing Fortunes: Income Mobility and Poverty Dynamics in Britain"
• Thomas Piketty - Capital in the Twenty-First Century
• Emmanuel Saez & Gabriel Zucman, advisers to Elizabeth Warren
• International Inequalities Institute at LSE
• CASE: Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at LSE

We immerse ourselves in the dark waves of the discourse to bring you treasures beyond mere mortal ken.

Supplementary Material 27

00:00 Introduction & Australian Holidays

03:53 James Lindsay's New Revelations

07:20 Michael O'Fallon's Conspiracy Hipsterism

09:41 Trump, Bukele, and Transparent Conspiracies

11:53 The Whitehouse declares the Lab Leak is a FACT

14:42 The conspiracy leak treadmill: UFOs, RFK assassination, and lableak

21:26 The Rise of the Idiots: Grimes on Transformers Cinematography

29:17 Lex vs. Flint: The mask slips

33:21 The Iron Curtain falls on Lex's Subreddit

35:18 Subreddit Moderation Choices

41:46 Douglas Murray on Joe Rogan

46:36 Darryl Cooper's Nazi Apologetics, the Role of Experts and JAQs

57:25 Strategic Disclaimers & Convincing Apologetics

01:03:28 The Rogansphere and Media Power

01:07:30 Murray on the Lab Leak

01:12:19 Murray's Anti-Establishment Hypocrisy

01:19:10 Standards in Journalism

01:22:42 Alternative Media's Double Standards

01:28:33 Douglas Murray joins Sam Harris

01:29:26 The Psychology of Religious Extremism

01:36:04 Radicalisation and Extremism

01:41:24 Murray's 'Criticism' of MAGA

01:44:32 What is even the Right Wing?

01:55:11 What about Elon Musk?

02:05:40 AfD isn't that bad, and Elon has promoted Douglas too!

02:16:10 Rogan and the Moon Landing

02:17:16 Sam is still a bad judge of character

02:19:29 Isn't everyone a hypocrite?

02:23:16 Free Speech Debates

02:26:58 The role of Moderation

02:31:37 Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hr 32 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Sources

• Sam Harris Episode 410 Douglas Murray: The Whole Catastrophe
• Joe Rogan Experience #2303 - Dave Smith & Douglas Murray
• Flint's post about Lex Fridman
• Grimes on Transformers' cinematography
• James Lindsay on being used by Nazis
• Nathan Barley on YouTube
• Whitehouse website on the Lab Leak
• Joe Rogan Experience #2307 - Tim Dillon

In this episode, Matt and Chris pour themselves a stiff drink and slip into the fever‑dream crossover of Jordan Peterson and Michael Shellenberger, a conversation that opens with the claim that Western Europe is now the single greatest threat to free speech; yes, croissants and GDPR apparently out‑authoritarian China and Russia. According to Shellenberger, we can now rest safe as free speech has been restored and “America Is Back!” thanks to God-Emperor Trump and the living avatar of honest utterance, Elon 'Horus' Musk.

Our hosts marvel as Shellenberger insists USAID is a rogue soft‑power leviathan that somehow staged January 6th, sabotaged the 2020 election, and deserves to be nuked from orbit... although he can’t quite prove any of that YET​. Alongside the conspiratorial drivel there is also a heavy serving of Peterson's obscurantist mythicism and dinner‑party anthropology as he explains how Hungary is a model democracy, the US nation beset by parasites, and that this is all inevitably connected to how people are not paying enough attention to Jesus​.

But that is not all! You will also learn about Manly Men vs. Gentlemen, Musk’s “move fast and break government” ethos, and the revelation that free speech is not a nice‑to‑have but a must‑have—unless you are a lawyer, journalist, or student on the wrong side of the Trump administration.

So buckle up for an hour of dystopian déjà vu, as two self‑styled rebel intellectuals morph into state propagandists, cheerleading every single action of Trump and Musk while lecturing the rest of us on free thought.

Sources

• “Trump, Musk, Kennedy: The Dawn of Transparency,” The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, Ep. 526.
• Shellenberger's Substack, including gems like "Why Trump’s Victory Is, For Millions Of Us, Cathartic" and "Both USAID And The CIA Were Behind The Impeachment Of Trump in 2019"
• Taibbi & Shellenberger testify to the House Judiciary Committee to help uncover "the Biden-Harris Administration's unconstitutional censorship campaign"
• Singal-Minded articles detailing Shellenberger's sloppy journalism and conspiracy theories

In this stunning crossover episode, Matt and Chris are joined by Australian 'media personality' and podcast host Josh Szeps for a joyful discussion of podcasts, gurusphere, and general media dynamics. As you might imagine, we discuss issues around the heterodox sphere, cultures of criticism, and the issues involved with 'platforming' controversial figures. We discuss the constantly surprising popularity of Lex Fridman and his unique interview style, how the heterodox respond to criticism, and rampant hypocrisy. Also, Matt is finally held to account for his food takes, and we find out the real story behind the Olympic mascot, Olly the Kookaburra.

Sources

• Josh's Substackistan podcast

We project our insecurities onto the gurusphere, wallowing in our inadequacy to bond over shared hatred of outgroups, and interview Flint Dibble along the way.

Supplementary Material 26

00:00 Introduction and Greetings

01:53 Ol' Squeaky and Lex's horny poems

05:11 Eric Weinstein is still waiting for the call

09:26 Interview with Flint Dibble

11:05 Introduction and Catching Up

12:19 Joe Rogan and Public Perception

14:57 Hypocrisy and Slander

16:05 Graham Hancock and Neo-Nazi Connections

22:08 Upcoming Exposé on Joe Rogan

23:03 Pyramids of Giza: New Claims

24:45 Debunking the Mega Structures Theory

25:20 The Researchers Behind the Claims

28:21 Scientific Methods and Evidence

31:58 Conclusion on Pyramids and Science

35:13 Gurusphere Dynamics

37:47 Pseudo-Archaeology and Public Perception

46:11 Mr. Beast's Egypt Adventure

50:36 The Role of Pseudo-Archaeology in Conspiracy Theories

58:50 Post-Interview Discussion

59:53 Trump's Tariffs and Economic Impact

01:04:30 The Amazing Tariff Formula

01:09:45 Geoffrey Miller's 9D Chess Theory of the Tariffs

01:13:30 Contrapoints Conspiracy Video

01:14:55 Some things Matt will not mention on Tariffs

01:17:35 QAnon Anonymous on Graham Hancock

01:22:33 Some Other News covers Joe Rogan

01:30:13 Ryan Beard's Destiny Content Nuke

01:32:33 The Studies Show covers Conspiracies

01:33:53 Hasan argues for tariffs

01:37:40 Back to Rogan and Chris Williamson

01:39:21 Critically Reviewing Cory Clark's Study

01:47:58 Incestuous Bro Podcasts and Legacy Media Struggles

01:53:00 Bonding over outgroup hatred and Criticism Capture

02:02:04 USAid is funding the attacks on Tesla!

02:07:56 Trump's Badass Son humilates Biden

02:10:28 Tribal Hypocrisy

02:11:52 Joe Smashes All Your Paradigms!

02:14:59 The villain, Sam Harris criticizes the hero, Lex Fridman

02:20:18 Does Lex speak to EVERYONE?

02:23:44 Concluding Thoughts from Maladjusted Haters

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hr 25 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Sources

• Archaeology with Flint Dibble- Megastructures under Giza Pyramids⁉️ ARCHAEOLOGY REWRITTEN or viral 💩?
• Piers Morgan episode with Flint and Milo Rossi
• Joe Rogan Experience #2293 - Chris Williamson
• QAnon Anonymous: Graham Hancock’s Ancient Apocalypse (E318)
• Contrapoints: Conspiracy
• The Studies Show: Conspiracy Theories
• What "Happened" To Joe Rogan? - SOME MORE NEWS
• Men's Health: Joe Rogan Responds to the Controversy Surrounding His 'Endorsement' of Bernie Sanders
• Ryan Beard: Content Nuke Destiny
• Hasan making a progressive case for tariffs
• Sam Harris' recent podcast criticising Lex and Rogan
• Lex's wounded bird response to Sam Harris' criticism
• Clark, C. J., Fjeldmark, M., Lu, L., Baumeister, R. F., Ceci, S., Frey, K., ... & Tetlock, P. E. (2024). Taboos and self-censorship among US psychology professors. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17456916241252085.

In this very special decoding, Matt and Chris revisit the wisdom of the internet’s favourite philosopher-warrior/political theorist, Lex Fridman, as he dives once again into the complex realities of the Ukraine war. Joining Lex is IDW hero and conservative commentator Douglas Murray, who actually offers some sensible insights on the specific topic of Ukraine. Fear not, though, Lex ensures his signature 'non-partisan' approach remains intact, framing Zelensky as a potentially corrupt leader who is emotionally driven, and responsible for prolonging the conflict to evade the inevitable investigations. Meanwhile, Putin remains a tragically misunderstood patriot whose greatest crime is that he loves his country a little too much.

Lex is in rare form, reaching new heights of weaponised naiveté, and bravely defending himself against the legions of online "grifters, drama-farmers, liars, bots, sycophants, and sociopaths." Expect generous servings of geopolitical delusions, questionable polemics, and heartfelt serenades to Joe Rogan—all delivered with Lex’s characteristic humility and wisdom as a love-filled Man of Peace. We are genuinely sorry to drag you back into Lex's world, but someone has to keep an eye on his Ukraine takes.

Sources 

• Lex Fridman- Douglas Murray: Putin, Zelenskyy, Trump, Israel, Netanyahu, Hamas & Gaza | Lex Fridman Podcast #463
• DTG: Lex Fridman's Take on the Zelensky Interview: The Wounded Bird and Ukrainian Bot Farms
• DTG: Douglas Murray: Can indulgent dinner conversation save OUR civilisation?

We embrace our hybridity, stare down Lovecraftian Donkey-Dragon hybrids, and enter into true Dialogos.

Supplementary Material 25

01:06 DTG Grievance Mongering

02:25 Book Club Reflections

04:09 Important Health and Lifestyle Updates

09:51 Andrew Huberman's Trail of Death

17:14 Jeff Bezos and Media Control

25:04 Another exciting round of Lab Leak Discourse!

31:17 Scientific Evidence vs. Public Discourse

38:28 Matt and Chris' Respectful Debate

44:05 Rewriting of Covid History

47:04 Conspiracies and Political Pressure

50:40 Eric Weinstein is STILL Waiting for the Call

59:41 Pageau considers the Lovecraftian Horrors of Sesame Street

01:07:17 Sarah Haider (Re)Invents 'Pioneer Traditionalism'

01:11:36 Chris Williamson's annual pilgrimage to the Khan

01:12:37 Fact Checking Bullshit with Eric Weinstein

01:17:16 Breathless Reactions to New Pyramid Theories

01:22:59 Credulity Checking with Matt's Son

01:24:40 Cruel Racist Attacks on Poor Graham Hancock from the Devil Flint Dibble

01:31:44 The Insane Hypocrisy of Alternative Media: Corrupt Academics are being controlled!

01:37:21 Soaring Rhetoric, Petty Tribalism, and Obvious Hypocrisy

01:39:19 No Charity for evil Flint Dibble

01:43:35 Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 46 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Sources

• New York Times- Zeynep Tufekci: We Were Badly Misled About the Event That Changed Our Lives
• Kristian Andersen's BluSky thread about the article
• Kristian Andersen's article about the emails/slack messages, etc.
• Huberman's lamentations for his dead friends
• The Rubin Report: Analyzing Trump’s Tactics | Eric Weinstein
• Joe Rogan Experience #2293 - Chris Williamson
• Flint Dibble: Megastructures under Giza Pyramids⁉️ ARCHAEOLOGY REWRITTEN or viral 💩?
• Daily Express- Netflix Ancient Apocalypse: Graham Hancock slams neo-nazis using work to spread race hate
• The last time we said the same thing about the Lab Leak
• Chris doing a Dyno! and a little bonus

In this very special episode, Matt and Chris, despite swearing off any further Dr. K content after their previous three-part series, find themselves bleary-eyed and once again tumbling into the familiar depths of the K-Hole.

Yes, they’re back with Dr. K, everyone’s favourite enlightened Twitch non-therapy therapist, now emerging from a self-declared midlife crisis with some powerful new revelations. Chief among them: while enlightenment may not technically be for sale, you can certainly pay to “level up your propensity for it.”

After years of humble-bragging about undercharging for his mental health guides, Dr. K has boldly pivoted to defending high-priced spiritual initiations. If you thought enlightenment involved effort, introspection, and maybe a bit of humility, think again—it turns out you can outsource your spiritual growth to a guru, who will do the grinding for you. Great news for Elon Musk.

Join Matt and Chris as they machete their way through a jungle of surreal analogies—landscaping contracts, parental down payments, Bluetooth enlightenment, and monetised spiritual energy transfer—all in service of a worldview where the real obstacle to self-actualisation is your reluctance to wire $10,000 to a spiritually enriched craftsman for a golden amulet.

So fill up your chakras, empty your critical thinking cup, and enjoy this trip through the mystic marketplace—where your spiritual awakening is just one overpriced relic away.

Links

• Squeex: Indian Hate on the Internet (A Discussion w/ Dr. K)
• DTG- Dr. K (Part 1): OPed Ayurvedic Medicine vs. Nerfed 'Western' Allopathy
• DTG- Dr. K (Part 2): Rhetorical Judo Flips
• DTG- Dr. K (Part 3): Therapeutic Non-Therapy

In the wake of our Naomi Klein episode, the masses have spoken. And like the responsible Gurometricians that we are, we've taken your feedback to heart and thus open this episode with a series of scientific and spiritual recitations. Then it's straight back into the sweet science—and mystical art—of Gurometry, as we test how well it measures up to Naomi Klein’s anti-capitalist spirit. Fun for the whole family!

P.S. Don't worry—Chris Langan’s Gurometer has not been forgotten and will be arriving very soon!

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 4 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Gurometer: Naomi Klein

00:00 Introduction

01:29 Sponsor Shoutouts!

03:29 Naomi Klein Feedback

05:03 Podcast Format Limitations and Reading the Book!

11:37 Consistency in Standards of Evaluation

20:21 Evaluating the Arguments Independent of the Conclusions

24:53 The Importance of Disconfirming Evidence

26:28 Differing Definitions Cross-Culturally

29:36 The Gurometer

29:59 Galaxy Brainness

32:03 Cultishness

34:02 Anti-Establishmentarianism

38:12 Grievance Mongering

38:55 Self-Aggrandizement

41:29 Cassandra Complex

44:06 Revolutionary Theories

46:53 Pseudo Profound Bullshit

49:25 Conspiracy Mongering

53:57 Excessive Profiteering

54:48 Moral Grandstanding

56:04 Final Scores and Reflections

58:52 Quickfire Guru Bonus Points