Feudal Future

California is overflowing with talent for defense, aerospace, and the space economy, but talent alone does not build ships, pour metal, or ramp a factory. We sit down with Cameron Schiller, CEO of Rangeview, and Sean Randolph from the Bay Area Council Economic Institute to ask a blunt question: is California still competitive when a company needs to move from “cool prototype” to “100,000 square feet and a thousand jobs”?

We talk through why Southern California hubs like El Segundo remain attractive for hard tech, and why Silicon Valley continues to dominate defense tech, dual use innovation, and venture funding. Then we get into the tougher part: housing costs, the true cost of doing business, and the make-or-break variable investors care about most, time. If permitting, construction, and environmental clearance take too long, capital goes elsewhere, even if the founders want to stay.

From CEQA and regulatory delay to the politics that can stall major projects, we unpack what it would take to make California a serious builder again. We also use the CHIPS and Science Act as a real-world test of competitiveness, and explore why separating design from manufacturing is risky over the long run, especially as fabs, foundries, and testing infrastructure move to faster-moving states.

If you care about reshoring, advanced manufacturing, middle class jobs, and America’s defense industrial base, this conversation will sharpen your view of what’s at stake. Subscribe, share this with a builder in your life, and leave a review with your take: what’s the single biggest change California should make first?

Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected].

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism #centerfordemographicspolicy #chapmanuniversity

Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87

Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results ov...

Loving two countries is easy until those countries move toward war. We sit down with Dr. Nargis Rakin, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at Cerritos College, to talk about the emotional and practical reality of being Iranian American when Iran is treated like a permanent headline and a permanent enemy. She shares what “living in two worlds” actually looks like, from accents and assumptions to the way families switch codes at the front door, and why the stress isn’t abstract when your loved ones are still tied to life inside Iran. 

We also dig into what gets lost when Iranian Americans are blurred in data collection and public language. Dr. Rakin explains why visibility matters on campus and how small acts of recognition, like naming Nowruz alongside Ramadan, Rosh Hashanah, and Passover, can turn multiculturalism into something students can feel. Along the way, we talk about the role of food and hospitality in Persian culture, including how fusion and familiarity can calm fears and make “neighbor” feel more real than “other.” 

Then we go deeper into US-Iran relations: oil power, the Strait of Hormuz, the long shadow of history, and why “regime change” is never a simple switch. Dr. Rakin breaks down the Iranian theocracy as a layered system built to endure, shaped by internal economics and external actors. Her most pointed argument is about soft power diplomacy: open channels, embassies, education, cultural exchange, and basic connectivity like internet access can shift attitudes and opportunities faster than threats ever will. 

If you care about Iranian American identity, Middle East geopolitics, diaspora communities, or the real mechanics of political change, this conversation will challenge your assumptions. Subscribe, share with a friend who follows current events, and leave a review. What would you bet on first: pressure or connection?

Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected].

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism #centerfordemographicspolicy #chapmanuniversity

Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87

Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results ov...

The fastest way to misunderstand science and religion is to treat them like teams that can only win by making the other side lose. We gather at Chapman University for a live event that replaces the tired conflict narrative with something more honest: a shared, rigorous search for truth, meaning, and responsibility. Along the way, we touch the history people forget, including how figures tied to faith helped shape genetics and cosmology and why evidence and scrutiny matter no matter where an idea starts.

Our keynote speaker, mathematician and Chapman President Emeritus Daniel Struppa, makes a provocative claim: without doubt there is no faith. He walks through why courage requires fear, why rational people still wrestle with belief, and why Catholic doctrine pushes the imagination to its limits. From there, we explore a practical model for living in a world of proofs and mysteries: science and mathematics explain the how, while theology and philosophy grapple with the why, and the two do not have to be enemies to stay distinct.

We widen the lens with voices from multiple traditions and disciplines. Tony Lemus connects Jesuit education to scientific curiosity and purpose. Ashwin Rangan frames Hinduism as an “infinite series of whys” where inquiry is the point. Father Gregory Beshay lays out a respectful approach to apologetics built on love and intellectual clarity. Then Panthea Zahraei brings the conversation into the present, separating religion from inner faith and warning that AI systems and the people who build them can shape belief at scale.

If you care about faith and reason, AI ethics, cosmology, religious freedom, or how younger generations make sense of it all, this one is for you. Subscribe, share it with a friend who loves big questions, and leave a review. What’s one question you wish science or religion answered more clearly?

Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected].

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism #centerfordemographicspolicy #chapmanuniversity

Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87

Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results ov...

A model is told “don’t go online,” and it still finds a way. That’s the gut-punch that kicks off our conversation about AI control, AI safety, and why the current trajectory feels less like innovation and more like building lock-picking predators and calling the cage “alignment.” 

Marshall Toplansky and Joel Kotkin are joined by Roni Abovitz (CEO of Synth Bee and longtime AR and tech executive) and Dr. Uri Maoz (Chapman University, human-technology interface) to unpack what these breakout stories really signal: not just clever hacks, but systems that optimize around constraints at machine speed. We talk about “jagged intelligence,” the mismatch between human intent and model behavior, and why training on the internet’s hate, misinformation, and manipulation makes “please be good” prompts feel absurdly thin. 

From there, we follow the incentives. We get into the ideologies shaping today’s AI leaders and investors: transhumanist dreams, longtermism, effective altruism, and the darker “tech overlord” fantasies that treat democratic input as friction. We also explore what happens when AI agents become the interface for everything and monetization shifts toward always-on advertising and hyper-personal persuasion. 

We end with a path forward: treat advanced AI like aviation or medicine, run real failure-mode analysis, regulate high-risk uses, and push for international coordination before a “Chernobyl moment” forces the issue. If the future is drifting toward digital serfdom, the antidote is a neo-humanist renaissance grounded in education, empathy, and shared power. Subscribe, share this episode, and leave a review with your take: what would responsible AI governance look like to you?

Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected].

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism #centerfordemographicspolicy #chapmanuniversity

Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87

Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results ov...

California can feel like a place where elections happen, but outcomes barely change. We sit down with Gloria Romero, former State Senate Majority Leader and a current candidate for lieutenant governor, and Jennifer Hernandez, a leading land use and environmental attorney, to talk about the real fault lines under California politics and why the next shift may come from voters everyone keeps underestimating.

We start with the hard numbers on Latino voters: registration, turnout, and the stubborn myth that “Latinos don’t vote.” Gloria argues the problem is not interest, it is whether either party shows up with serious outreach, clear priorities, and real respect. From there we move into the issue that turns frustration into urgency: housing affordability. Jennifer breaks down how urban growth limits, high-cost building models, and endless regulatory process push prices to nine or ten times median income, blocking homeownership and shrinking the middle class.

Then we widen the lens to the cultural and generational clash driving anger across the state: language fights, lifestyle mandates, public school performance, and the appeal of Democratic Socialists of America among a narrow but loud slice of the electorate. We close with what to watch in 2026, including voter ID, ballot rules, and initiatives like reforms to CEQA that aim to cut lawsuit-driven delays and make essential projects feasible again.

If you care about California politics, Latino voters, housing policy, CEQA reform, and the future of affordability, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s fed up, and leave a review telling us what change you most want to see next.

Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected].

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism #centerfordemographicspolicy #chapmanuniversity

Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87

Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results ov...

Homeownership in California is starting to sound like a luxury product, even for people we rely on every day. We’re at Chapman University’s housing summit with researchers, builders, advocates, lenders, and public officials to ask one simple question with huge consequences: if Californians still want to own a home, why has the system gotten so good at producing rentals and so bad at producing starter homes?

We dig into fresh numbers on the housing supply gap, the missing middle, and what it means when only a small slice of households can afford a median-priced home. Then the conversation turns personal and urgent: firefighters commuting three, five, even eight hours, families selling a home because childcare and interest rates crush the budget, and a growing insurance crisis that can price buyers out even when they find a place. Along the way we weigh the big structural blockers people keep running into, from zoning and CEQA risk to impact fees and local incentives that quietly punish homeownership.

We also spend real time on what can actually work at scale: ADUs that can be converted into condos, manufactured homes on permanent foundations financed as real property, shared equity products that cut payments without trapping buyers, pre-approved plan catalogs to speed permits, and local “yes to housing” execution like Santa Ana’s infill pipeline and homelessness reduction. If you care about affordable housing, housing policy, and restoring a realistic path to homeownership in California, this is the playbook conversation.

If this helped you think differently, subscribe, share the episode with someone who cares about housing, and leave a review. What’s the single biggest change you’d make to unlock starter homes where you live?

Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected].

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism #centerfordemographicspolicy #chapmanuniversity

Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87

Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results ov...

War headlines make U.S.-Iran relations feel like a brand-new emergency, but the roots run straight through 1979 and the decades of habits that followed. We sit down with Professor Mansor Farhang, former Iranian ambassador to the United Nations during the hostage negotiations, and Ambassador John Limbert, a veteran U.S. diplomat who was held hostage in Tehran, to map how a revolution that seemed impossible to predict became a resilient theocratic state and a permanent American fixation. 

We talk about Khomeini’s rise from exile in Paris, the gap between the promises many people heard and the system that was built, and why Washington’s Cold War lens pushed intelligence and policy toward the wrong threats. From there, we bring the story forward to today’s negotiations, where years of broken contact make both sides interpret even basic proposals as traps. When distrust becomes identity, factions can sabotage diplomacy because conflict helps them crush rivals or maintain power. 

We also dig into the role Israel plays in the region’s polarization, and why extreme rhetoric can end up serving hardliners across borders. Finally, we ask the practical question: what should the United States actually do? The answers center on “do no harm,” defining realistic policy goals around the nuclear program and regional security, and avoiding actions that weaken moderates and strengthen the coercive state inside Iran. If you find this useful, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation.

Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected].

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism #centerfordemographicspolicy #chapmanuniversity

Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87

Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results ov...

Europe’s politics is moving under our feet, and the labels are doing more heat than light. We sit down with sociologist and author Frank Furedi and political researcher Jacopo Custodi to sort through the surge of right-wing populism and the state of the far left across Europe, with Italy, Germany, Portugal, and the UK as key reference points. The question we keep coming back to is simple: are voters turning to populist parties because they want something dangerous, or because the political center stopped representing them?

We push on the “is this fascism?” comparison and land in a more uncomfortable place. Even if today’s movements are not a 1930s replay, polarization can still tear at a shared national community, especially when politics turns into identity combat and institutions feel captured by cultural elites. We debate whether multiculturalism and identity politics drove the backlash, or whether populist leaders deliberately raise the temperature to win. Along the way we talk about uncivility, cancel culture, free speech, and why antisemitism can spread faster when every disagreement becomes moral warfare.

Then we follow the money and the credentials. One of the sharpest divides is education, not income, and a growing pool of highly educated people are stuck in precarious work with fewer paths into a stable middle-class life. We end by looking forward: AI, relentless optimization, Europe’s risk aversion, and whether renewed welfare and economic security can steady democratic life without sliding back into mythic nostalgia.

If you found this conversation useful, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. What do you think is the real engine of Europe’s radicalization: culture, economics, or something else?

Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected].

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism #centerfordemographicspolicy #chapmanuniversity

Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87

Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results ov...

If you can ask a chatbot anything and get an instant answer, what happens to the slower questions that actually shape a life like purpose, morals, and belonging? We sit down with Professor Tony Lemus, an engineer and medical device entrepreneur, and Ponthea Zahrarii, a computer science and engineering graduate, to talk about why the science and religion debate is reappearing in classrooms, labs, and everyday conversations.

We explore how constant information access changes what people expect from faith and from community. Ponthea shares why many in her generation drift from organized religion while still craving meaning, and how social media can feel like connection while quietly increasing isolation. Tony argues that better information should lead to better questions, and that faith, science, and reason can form a workable framework for living a moral life rather than a false choice between facts and belief.

Then we get specific about AI ethics. Ponthea describes AI as a probabilistic word generator trained on human data, making it a mirror of humanity, including our biases. Tony explains why AI speeds up decisions and innovation, but also why “value-free” technology can slide toward nihilism. We ask the uncomfortable question: could the algorithm become a replacement authority, especially in political systems that distrust religion? The conversation lands on what AI cannot truly supply love, empathy, and the human spark behind creativity.

If you care about AI and human values, science and religion dialogue, and the future of community, hit subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest question about where meaning comes from.

Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected].

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism #centerfordemographicspolicy #chapmanuniversity

Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87

Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results ov...

The job market can feel like a contradiction: the economy grows, unemployment does not look catastrophic, yet white-collar candidates can barely get a callback. We unpack that tension with two people who live in the data and the day-to-day reality of hiring: Michael Bernick, former director of California’s Employment Development Department, and Gad Levanon, chief economist at the Burning Glass Institute. Together, we dig into what’s really happening behind the headlines and why “layoffs” often miss the bigger story of weak hiring and unfilled backfills across professional services, finance, consulting, and tech.

We also get specific about AI and work. Rather than treating artificial intelligence as a simple job-destroyer, we talk through where its impact is arriving first, why college grads may be feeling the squeeze, and why many blue-collar and skilled trade roles look more insulated in the near term. Then we pivot to the clearest engine of job growth: healthcare and social services. Demographics are destiny here, and we explore how aging, rising care needs, and AI-enabled operations could keep healthcare employment expanding for decades.

From there, we zoom out to entrepreneurship and the modern startup economy. New business formation is strong, but many firms do not hire because of cost, compliance, and a growing preference for contractors and distributed teams. We look at why the Bay Area still dominates AI startups, how that ecosystem reshapes cities through spillover spending, and why housing costs and long commutes are becoming a workforce problem. We close with blunt, practical career advice for graduates: expect a tougher start, apply at higher volume, use networks, take the “get in” job when needed, and stay flexible on location.

If you found this useful, subscribe, share it with someone job searching, and leave a review. What part of the job market feels most broken to you right now?

Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected].

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/

Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism #centerfordemographicspolicy #chapmanuniversity

Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87

Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe

This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results ov...