"The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg

E66: The Politics of Alex Karp and Palantir, DOGE Breakdown, and AI vs Blogging


Listen Later

This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg explore the effects of technological change on media and society, covering topics such as the AI debate, blogging's social impact, AI's influence on search and data, the changing news industry, foreign aid cuts, and the rise of new tech elites.


---

🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse.


---

Highlights from the Episode:

  • AI and Written Content: The comparison is made to how society adapted to blogging, which was initially viewed as disruptive but was eventually incorporated into mainstream media ecosystems.
  • Media Evolution and Business Models: "Real news" remains the least lucrative part of the news business due to high fixed costs and difficult monetization.
  • On The Washington Post's Strategy: Byrne suggests Bezos might be positioning the Post to serve an underserved audience: center-right libertarians who want economic growth while avoiding both progressive politics and Trumpism.
  • Tech Elites and Government: Tech and government used to be more closely intertwined (semiconductor industry, Apollo program) but have diverged.
  • Foreign Aid and USAID: Argument that programs like PEPFAR (HIV/AIDS relief) have been highly effective in terms of lives saved per dollar.


    --

    SPONSORS:


    NetSuite

    More than 41,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://netsuite.com/102


    ---

    LINKS:

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


    ---

    X / TWITTER:

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

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

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

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

    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8
    • 4.8

    4.8

    20 ratings


    More shows like "The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg

    View all
    This Week in Startups by Jason Calacanis

    This Week in Startups

    1,273 Listeners

    a16z Podcast by Andreessen Horowitz

    a16z Podcast

    1,030 Listeners

    Conversations with Tyler by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

    Conversations with Tyler

    2,389 Listeners

    Odd Lots by Bloomberg

    Odd Lots

    1,775 Listeners

    Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy by Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts

    Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy

    2,315 Listeners

    All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

    All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

    9,095 Listeners

    Dwarkesh Podcast by Dwarkesh Patel

    Dwarkesh Podcast

    389 Listeners

    Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist by Joe Lonsdale

    Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist

    164 Listeners

    Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson by Andrew Sharp and Ben Thompson

    Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson

    94 Listeners

    "Moment of Zen" by Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez

    "Moment of Zen"

    91 Listeners

    "Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg by Turpentine

    "Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg

    145 Listeners

    The Ben & Marc Show by Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz

    The Ben & Marc Show

    135 Listeners

    BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley by BG2Pod

    BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley

    461 Listeners

    Money Stuff: The Podcast by Bloomberg

    Money Stuff: The Podcast

    371 Listeners

    Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11) by Patrick McKenzie

    Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11)

    121 Listeners