"The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg

E62: Trump’s Tariffs, Open Source AI Models, and The Future of VR


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This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg explore the impact of technological advancements on markets and businesses, covering topics like global trade tariffs, political populism, AI's evolving role, open-source vs. proprietary models, stock market trends, and Meta’s investments in the metaverse and AR.


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Highlights from the Episode:

  • Trump's tariff approach (particularly the proposed 25% on Canadian goods) makes sense as a negotiating bluff but is problematic as long-term strategy.
  • Unlike the US dollar system, China's currency has limited international circulation, affecting their global economic influence.
  • The market reaction to DeepSeek's developments affected both direct AI companies and adjacent sectors.
  • Meta's transition to being more capital-intensive (through AI investments) may actually strengthen their competitive position.
  • Companies like Meta have incentives to commoditize some AI capabilities while maintaining proprietary advantages in others.

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    LINKS:

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


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    X / TWITTER:

    https://twitter.com/ByrneHobart (Byrne)

    https://twitter.com/TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)

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    "The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik TorenbergBy Byrne Hobart, Erik Torenberg

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