"The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg

E64: US vs China’s Strategies, Uber’s Growth Model, AI Supply Chains

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This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg discuss technological inflection points and examine how legal frameworks mask continued globalization despite apparent retrenchment, explores US-China dynamics, analyzes AI industry structure and emerging models, and considers Uber's strategic positioning against autonomous vehicles.


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Highlights from the Episode:

  • Globalization isn't truly reversing, but adapting through legal structures that help bypass trade barriers (like routing Chinese goods through Vietnam)
  • China's economic model succeeded in early growth stages but faces challenges with an over-leveraged real estate sector and declining population
  • Taiwan remains in a surprisingly stable but tense relationship with China despite rhetoric suggesting imminent conflict
  • The AI industry is evolving beyond simple model providers/applications into specialized layers with different data access advantages
  • Financial engineering works well for known variables but struggles with pure research funding due to fundamental uncertainty
  • Uber faces an existential challenge from autonomous vehicles that initially complement their marketplace but could eventually replace it


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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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