Hidden Forces

By Demetri Kofinas

Business Investing

What's Hidden Forces about?

Host Demetri Kofinas interviews some of the most brilliant minds in science, technology, finance, politics and culture in an effort to uncover the underlying forces driving the most powerful changes we experience in the world.

4.8

977 ratings

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LAST EPISODE

Index Funds, ETFs, & the Pa...

10.25.2021

In Episode 216, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Robin Wigglesworth, the Financial Times global finance correspondent about the history of passive investing and its evolution into what some argue has become a market-distorting phenomenon that is making markets less efficient by ...

Hidden Forces episodes:

10.25.2021 Index Funds, ETFs, & the Passive Investing Revolution \| Robin Wigglesworth In Episode 216, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Robin Wigglesworth, the Financial Times global finance correspondent about the history of passive investing and its evolution into what some argue has become a market-distorting phenomenon that is making markets less efficient by ...
10.18.2021 Andrew Yang on His Forward Party and the Rise of a New Political Consensus In Episode 215, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Andrew Yang, Founder of the Forward Party, about his decision to leave the democratic party and his run for president in 2020. Demetri and Andrew discuss the Forward Party's platform and delve into ...
10.11.2021 Uncontrolled Spread: How COVID-19 Crushed Us & How to Fight the Next Pandemic \| Scott Gottlieb In Episode 214, Demetri Kofinas speaks with fmr. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb about his new book “Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us & How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic.” Topics include a discussion about the nature of the virus ...
10.04.2021 How Washington Works in the New Gilded Age \| David Wessel In Episode 213, Demetri Kofinas speaks with David Wessel, senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution and author of “Only the Rich Can Play: How Washington Works in the New Gilded Age.” Wessel tells the story of the ...
09.27.2021 Wireless Wars: China’s Dangerous Domination of 5G \| Jon Pelson In Episode 212, Demetri Kofinas speaks with telecom industry veteran and author of “Wireless Wars,” Jon Pelson, about how American companies invented cellular technology, transferred that technology to China, and then sat by and watched as their Chinese competitors drove ...
09.23.2021 A Nihilist’s Guidebook for the Modern Investor \| Demetri Kofinas In Episode 211, Demetri Kofinas shares his recent appearance on “The Empire’s New Clothes,” a documentary series where host Bradford Pope McArthur examines the cyclical forces that make and break empires and tries to answer the big questions of how ...
09.20.2021 A.I. Future: Utopia or Apocalypse? Ten Visions For Our Future \| Kai-Fu Lee In Episode 210, Demetri Kofinas speaks with leading Chinese technology venture firm CEO Kai-Fu Lee about his book “AI2041: Ten Visions for Our Future,” in which he explores the future of a world driven by artificial intelligence, what it will ...
09.16.2021 Lessons from the Soviet Union and the Flight to Safety \| Simon Mikhailovich In Episode 209, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Simon Mikhailovich, founder and Managing Partner of “The Bullion Reserve,” about his experience growing up in and emigrating from the Soviet Union, and the economic and political lessons we can apply from that ...
09.13.2021 The Age of Crisis: COVID-19 & our Post-Pandemic Future \| Adam Tooze In Episode 208, Demetri Kofinas speaks with renowned historian Adam Tooze about his latest book “Shutdown” and the nature of the forces that the COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed, their constancy, and their implications for shaping not only our children’s futures ...
09.06.2021 China's Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia \| Daniel Markey In Episode 207, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Daniel Markey, author of “China’s Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia,” about China’s interests in Central Asia, its Belt & Road Initiative, and its complicated relationships with Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, ...
08.30.2021 How America Lost the ‘Good War’ in Afghanistan \| Jonathan Schroden In Episode 206, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Jonathan Schroden, who has served as a strategic advisor on Afghanistan to the US military since 2008, about the humanitarian and political disaster that is currently unfolding there. The two discuss (1) the ...
08.26.2021 Afghanistan Withdrawal & Implications for U.S. Policy in Asia \| Laurel Miller In Episode 205, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Laurel Miller, Director of International Crisis Group’s Asia Program who previously served as acting Special Representative for Afghanistan & Pakistan in the U.S. State Department. The two discuss the recent U.S. withdrawal from ...
08.23.2021 Opportunities for Value Investing, China's Digital Currency, & the Pivot to Asia \| James Aitken In Episode 204, Demetri speaks with macro-financial strategist James Aitken in this over 2hr-long conversation that ranges from a discussion about the oil industry and the impact of ESG mandates to the post-Covid economy & opportunities for value investing. The ...
08.16.2021 Kofinas Answers Audience Questions in First-Ever “Ask Me Anything” Episode In Episode 203, Demetri Kofinas answers dozens of audience questions about his process for guest selection, outreach, and preparation, thoughts about certain conspiracies, the business side of podcasting, his experience creating a TV show on RT, and much, much more.
08.09.2021 A History of the Future: Hope & Fear in the Social Smartphone Era \| Rory Cellan-Jones In Episode 202, Demetri Kofinas speaks with BBC principal technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones about the biggest developments and news stories in tech, as well as how changes in technology have transformed the news industry and opened the door to newly ...
08.02.2021 Is Elon Musk Humanity’s Savior or a Supervillain? \| Tim Higgins In Episode 201, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Wall Street Journal automotive and technology reporter Tim Higgins, about his new book “Power Play,” which chronicles the chaotic rise of Tesla and its controversial CEO Elon Musk. We learn about the challenges ...
07.26.2021 WeWork, Adam Neumann, & the Great Startup Debacle \| Maureen Farrell In Episode 200, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Maureen Farrell about the rise and fall of WeWork, a real estate company that was at one point the most valuable start-up in America, despite racking up over $10 billion dollars in losses ...
07.19.2021 The Asian Financial Crisis & the Birth of the Age of Debt \| Russell Napier In Episode 199, Demetri Kofinas speaks with investor and author of “The Asian Financial Crisis,” Russell Napier, about the 97-98 crisis, its drivers, and the practices & policies that made it possible. The second hour is spent on the resolution ...
07.12.2021 The Memory Thief & the Secrets Behind How We Remember \| Lauren Aguirre In Episode 198, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Lauren Aguirre, an award-winning science journalist who tells the story of a team of doctors responsible for discovering a surprising connection between the use of opioids and memory loss. This condition, first detected ...
07.05.2021 Revenge of the Real: Politics for a Post-Pandemic World \| Benjamin Bratton n Episode 197, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Benjamin Bratton, author of “Revenge of the Real: Politics, for a post-pandemic world,” about how our response to the pandemic demonstrates a critical inability on the part of society to govern itself. This ...
06.28.2021 Crypto Ethics & How to ‘Make Money Great Again’ \| Hasu & Demetri In Episode 196, Demetri is interviewed at ETHGlobal by crypto researcher & writer Hasu about his theory of financial nihilism and hyperreality, with a particular focus on how these trends manifest in Bitcoin, Ethereum, DeFi, and the larger crypto ecosystem. ...
06.21.2021 Mental Immunity & the Search for a Better Way to Think \| Andy Norman In Episode 195, Demetri Kofinas speaks with philosopher Andy Norman about how mental immunity works and how epidemics of nonsense spread by exploiting loopholes in the chain of reasoning that most of us rely on in order to make sense ...
06.14.2021 The Power of Mimetic Desire in Markets, Politics, & Culture \| Luke Burgis In Episode 194, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Lukis Burgis, about the power of mimetic desire, what it is, and how it operates in society at large, whether that be in financial markets, politics, or the broader economy. In practical terms, ...
06.07.2021 Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness \| Tim Grover In Episode 193, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Tim Grover, the preeminent authority on the science and art of physical and mental dominance. Tim has personally trained and worked with some of the most elite athletes in the world, including Michael ...
06.01.2021 Financial Nihilism, Narrative Investing, & the Hyperreality of Markets In Episode 192, Demetri Kofinas shares a recent appearance he made on the Grant Williams Podcast. Demetri shares his opinion on many of the subjects he covers on his own podcast including the phenomenon of financial nihilism, the hyperreality of ...
05.24.2021 Podcast Update: The Will to Win, Mimetic Desire, & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Demetri shares his thoughts about the news cycle and provides listeners with a sneak peak into the next 5 weeks of content, including episodes on the will to win and memetic desire.
05.17.2021 Ultrasound Money & the Ethereum Triple Halving \| Nikhil Shamapant In Episode 191, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Nikhil Shamapant, the author of a recently published report that sets an ambitious, 18-month price target on Ethereum of $150,000 per ETH—more than 30x current levels. Nikhil believes this will be driven primarily ...
05.10.2021 The Sources of Chinese Communist Party Conduct \| Josh Rogin In Episode 190, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Josh Rogin, a foreign-policy columnist and author of “Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century.” You will learn how CCP influence operations work, who they target, and how ...
05.03.2021 Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe \| Niall Ferguson In Episode 189, Demetri Kofinas speaks with historian Niall Ferguson about his latest book, “Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe.” The two discuss the emerging cold war between Western democracies led by the United States and a coalition of authoritarian powers ...
04.26.2021 Existential Risks & the Future of Humanity \| Toby Ord In Episode 188, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Toby Ord, a Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy at Oxford University and author of “The Precipice,” a book that focuses on the big picture questions facing humanity’s long-term future and the risks which ...
04.19.2021 What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters \| Steven Koonin In Episode 187, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Steven Koonin, fmr. Chief Scientist at BP and Undersecretary for Science in the U.S. Dept. of Energy under Barack Obama. Koonin explains why the science of climate change is far from settled by ...
04.05.2021 Solving the Oracle Problem: Blockchain’s Missing Link \| Sergey Nazarov In Episode 186, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Sergey Nazarov, Co-founder of Chainlink, about the crucial role played by its decentralized oracle network in securing billions of dollars in value across the blockchain ecosystem. This conversation is meant to educate you ...
03.29.2021 Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism \| Mariana Mazzucato In Episode 185, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Mariana Mazzucato about the subject of her latest book “Mission Economy,” in which she argues for a more innovative, collaborative, and mission-oriented approach to thinking about government's role in the economy. This conversation ...
03.22.2021 The Lonely Century: Coming Together in a World That’s Pulling Apart \| Noreena Hertz In Episode 184, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Noreena Hertz, a renowned thought leader, academic, and broadcaster, about how a growing sense of loneliness and isolation—from ourselves and from each other—is contributing to much of the social instability, political dysfunction, and ...
03.15.2021 Engine of Inequality: The Fed & the Future of Wealth in America \| Karen Petrou In Episode 183, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Karen Petrou, co-founder and Managing Partner of Federal Financial Analytics and author of “Engine of Inequality: The Fed and the Future of Wealth in America.” This episode is meant to help you better ...
03.08.2021 This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyber-Weapons Arms Race \| Nicole Perlroth In Episode 182, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Nicole Perlroth, award-winning cybersecurity journalist for The New York Times and author of a new book on the cyber-weapons arms race titled “This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends.” The purpose ...
03.01.2021 Silicon Valley’s Ultimate Exit: Arguments for and Against the Network State \| Balaji Srinivasan In Episode 181, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Balaji Srinivasan, an angel investor, entrepreneur, and prominent futurist who’s views on crypto, the future of education, and the network state put him at the forefront of innovation and disruption in money, business, ...
02.22.2021 Podcast Update: Cybersecurity, Financial Warfare, the Mission Driven State, & More In Episode 180, Demetri Kofinas provides listeners with a sneak peak into the next 5 weeks of content, including episodes on the networked state, financial warfare, cybersecurity, the loneliness epidemic, and how to rebuild the mission-driven state.
02.15.2021 Generational Conflict, Decentralization, & Global Disorder \| Radigan Carter In Episode 179, Demetri Kofinas shares the overtime to episode 177 with Radigan Carter. The two discuss the security and politics of the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, as well as what’s happening within the United States (i.e. the radicalization ...
02.08.2021 Meme ‘Stonks’: How Call Options & Reddit Broke Wall Street \| Lily Francus In Episode 178, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Lily Francus, a 25-year-old PhD student in bioinformatics who spends her time modeling complex, dynamic systems, trading meme stocks, and writing about options, derivatives, and how stories and ideas spread on the Internet.
02.01.2021 Generational Wealth-Building During a Fourth Turning \| Radigan Carter In Episode 177, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Radigan Carter, an investor who has spent the last two decades of his life working across five continents as a member of the US military, as a private contractor, and as a special ...
01.25.2021 Cryptocurrencies, Foreign Threats, & the Fight of a Generation In Episode 176, Demetri Kofinas shares his thoughts on a series of interconnected topics including Tether, Bitcoin, domestic terrorism, generational conflict, and foreign interference.
01.18.2021 Restoring Trust in an Age of Political Polarization \| Kevin Vallier In Episode 175, Demetri Kofinas speaks with philosopher Kevin Vallier, author of “Trust in a Polarized Age,” about the causes and consequences of declining social and political trust, the two-way relationship between trust and polarization, and what can be done ...
01.15.2021 Future of Financial Media & Digital Assets \| Jason Yanowitz & Michael Ippolito In Episode 174, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Michael Ippolito and Jason Yanowitz, the founders of Blockworks, a financial media brand that delivers breaking news and premium insights about digital assets to millions of investors. In this conversation, Jason and Michael ...
01.13.2021 Social Media Purge: The Urgent Need to Regulate Big Tech \| Matt Stoller In Episode 173, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Matt Stoller, about the reaction of Big Tech to the storming of the Capitol building, what it reveals about the power that data monopolies have over their competitors & the government, and how ...
01.11.2021 America’s Political Precipice & the Hyperreality of Markets: Grant Williams & Ben Hunt In Episode 172, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Grant Williams and Ben Hunt about the urgent social, political, and economic issues facing the United States and what Americans can do to help themselves and their country in this moment of heightened ...
01.04.2021 The Code of Capital: Markets, Big Tech, & Blockchain \| Katharina Pistor In Episode 171, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Katharina Pistor, a leading legal expert on money & finance and a prominent commentator on cryptocurrencies who has dealt extensively with issues of digital statehood and monetary sovereignty. She explains how the law ...
12.28.2020 The Future of Freedom, Governance, and the Networked State In Episode 170, Demetri Kofinas shares an interview he recently did on the Bankless podcast, where he gives his views on the future of freedom and governance. Topics include cryptocurrencies, global macro, monetary policy, geopolitics, and more.
12.21.2020 The Tyranny of Merit: What Has Become of the Common Good? \| Michael Sandel In Episode 169, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Michael Sandel, professor of Government Theory at Harvard University Law School and host of the BBC series “The Public Philosopher,” about how our society has moved away from a politics of the common ...
12.14.2020 Understanding the STABLE Act and the Push to Regulate Crypto \| Rohan Grey In Episode 168, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Rohan Grey, an expert on the legal design and regulation of digital fiat currency and one of the prime authors of the recently proposed STABLE Act. The two discuss the bill’s language and ...

Older episodes

10.25.2021 Index Funds, ETFs, & the Passive Investing Revolution \| Robin Wigglesworth In Episode 216, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Robin Wigglesworth, the Financial Times global finance correspondent about the history of passive investing and its evolution into what some argue has become a market-distorting phenomenon that is making markets less efficient by ...
10.18.2021 Andrew Yang on His Forward Party and the Rise of a New Political Consensus In Episode 215, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Andrew Yang, Founder of the Forward Party, about his decision to leave the democratic party and his run for president in 2020. Demetri and Andrew discuss the Forward Party's platform and delve into ...
10.11.2021 Uncontrolled Spread: How COVID-19 Crushed Us & How to Fight the Next Pandemic \| Scott Gottlieb In Episode 214, Demetri Kofinas speaks with fmr. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb about his new book “Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us & How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic.” Topics include a discussion about the nature of the virus ...
10.04.2021 How Washington Works in the New Gilded Age \| David Wessel In Episode 213, Demetri Kofinas speaks with David Wessel, senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution and author of “Only the Rich Can Play: How Washington Works in the New Gilded Age.” Wessel tells the story of the ...
09.27.2021 Wireless Wars: China’s Dangerous Domination of 5G \| Jon Pelson In Episode 212, Demetri Kofinas speaks with telecom industry veteran and author of “Wireless Wars,” Jon Pelson, about how American companies invented cellular technology, transferred that technology to China, and then sat by and watched as their Chinese competitors drove ...
09.23.2021 A Nihilist’s Guidebook for the Modern Investor \| Demetri Kofinas In Episode 211, Demetri Kofinas shares his recent appearance on “The Empire’s New Clothes,” a documentary series where host Bradford Pope McArthur examines the cyclical forces that make and break empires and tries to answer the big questions of how ...
09.20.2021 A.I. Future: Utopia or Apocalypse? Ten Visions For Our Future \| Kai-Fu Lee In Episode 210, Demetri Kofinas speaks with leading Chinese technology venture firm CEO Kai-Fu Lee about his book “AI2041: Ten Visions for Our Future,” in which he explores the future of a world driven by artificial intelligence, what it will ...
09.16.2021 Lessons from the Soviet Union and the Flight to Safety \| Simon Mikhailovich In Episode 209, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Simon Mikhailovich, founder and Managing Partner of “The Bullion Reserve,” about his experience growing up in and emigrating from the Soviet Union, and the economic and political lessons we can apply from that ...
09.13.2021 The Age of Crisis: COVID-19 & our Post-Pandemic Future \| Adam Tooze In Episode 208, Demetri Kofinas speaks with renowned historian Adam Tooze about his latest book “Shutdown” and the nature of the forces that the COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed, their constancy, and their implications for shaping not only our children’s futures ...
09.06.2021 China's Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia \| Daniel Markey In Episode 207, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Daniel Markey, author of “China’s Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia,” about China’s interests in Central Asia, its Belt & Road Initiative, and its complicated relationships with Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, ...
08.30.2021 How America Lost the ‘Good War’ in Afghanistan \| Jonathan Schroden In Episode 206, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Jonathan Schroden, who has served as a strategic advisor on Afghanistan to the US military since 2008, about the humanitarian and political disaster that is currently unfolding there. The two discuss (1) the ...
08.26.2021 Afghanistan Withdrawal & Implications for U.S. Policy in Asia \| Laurel Miller In Episode 205, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Laurel Miller, Director of International Crisis Group’s Asia Program who previously served as acting Special Representative for Afghanistan & Pakistan in the U.S. State Department. The two discuss the recent U.S. withdrawal from ...
08.23.2021 Opportunities for Value Investing, China's Digital Currency, & the Pivot to Asia \| James Aitken In Episode 204, Demetri speaks with macro-financial strategist James Aitken in this over 2hr-long conversation that ranges from a discussion about the oil industry and the impact of ESG mandates to the post-Covid economy & opportunities for value investing. The ...
08.16.2021 Kofinas Answers Audience Questions in First-Ever “Ask Me Anything” Episode In Episode 203, Demetri Kofinas answers dozens of audience questions about his process for guest selection, outreach, and preparation, thoughts about certain conspiracies, the business side of podcasting, his experience creating a TV show on RT, and much, much more.
08.09.2021 A History of the Future: Hope & Fear in the Social Smartphone Era \| Rory Cellan-Jones In Episode 202, Demetri Kofinas speaks with BBC principal technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones about the biggest developments and news stories in tech, as well as how changes in technology have transformed the news industry and opened the door to newly ...
08.02.2021 Is Elon Musk Humanity’s Savior or a Supervillain? \| Tim Higgins In Episode 201, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Wall Street Journal automotive and technology reporter Tim Higgins, about his new book “Power Play,” which chronicles the chaotic rise of Tesla and its controversial CEO Elon Musk. We learn about the challenges ...
07.26.2021 WeWork, Adam Neumann, & the Great Startup Debacle \| Maureen Farrell In Episode 200, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Maureen Farrell about the rise and fall of WeWork, a real estate company that was at one point the most valuable start-up in America, despite racking up over $10 billion dollars in losses ...
07.19.2021 The Asian Financial Crisis & the Birth of the Age of Debt \| Russell Napier In Episode 199, Demetri Kofinas speaks with investor and author of “The Asian Financial Crisis,” Russell Napier, about the 97-98 crisis, its drivers, and the practices & policies that made it possible. The second hour is spent on the resolution ...
07.12.2021 The Memory Thief & the Secrets Behind How We Remember \| Lauren Aguirre In Episode 198, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Lauren Aguirre, an award-winning science journalist who tells the story of a team of doctors responsible for discovering a surprising connection between the use of opioids and memory loss. This condition, first detected ...
07.05.2021 Revenge of the Real: Politics for a Post-Pandemic World \| Benjamin Bratton n Episode 197, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Benjamin Bratton, author of “Revenge of the Real: Politics, for a post-pandemic world,” about how our response to the pandemic demonstrates a critical inability on the part of society to govern itself. This ...
06.28.2021 Crypto Ethics & How to ‘Make Money Great Again’ \| Hasu & Demetri In Episode 196, Demetri is interviewed at ETHGlobal by crypto researcher & writer Hasu about his theory of financial nihilism and hyperreality, with a particular focus on how these trends manifest in Bitcoin, Ethereum, DeFi, and the larger crypto ecosystem. ...
06.21.2021 Mental Immunity & the Search for a Better Way to Think \| Andy Norman In Episode 195, Demetri Kofinas speaks with philosopher Andy Norman about how mental immunity works and how epidemics of nonsense spread by exploiting loopholes in the chain of reasoning that most of us rely on in order to make sense ...
06.14.2021 The Power of Mimetic Desire in Markets, Politics, & Culture \| Luke Burgis In Episode 194, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Lukis Burgis, about the power of mimetic desire, what it is, and how it operates in society at large, whether that be in financial markets, politics, or the broader economy. In practical terms, ...
06.07.2021 Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness \| Tim Grover In Episode 193, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Tim Grover, the preeminent authority on the science and art of physical and mental dominance. Tim has personally trained and worked with some of the most elite athletes in the world, including Michael ...
06.01.2021 Financial Nihilism, Narrative Investing, & the Hyperreality of Markets In Episode 192, Demetri Kofinas shares a recent appearance he made on the Grant Williams Podcast. Demetri shares his opinion on many of the subjects he covers on his own podcast including the phenomenon of financial nihilism, the hyperreality of ...
05.24.2021 Podcast Update: The Will to Win, Mimetic Desire, & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Demetri shares his thoughts about the news cycle and provides listeners with a sneak peak into the next 5 weeks of content, including episodes on the will to win and memetic desire.
05.17.2021 Ultrasound Money & the Ethereum Triple Halving \| Nikhil Shamapant In Episode 191, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Nikhil Shamapant, the author of a recently published report that sets an ambitious, 18-month price target on Ethereum of $150,000 per ETH—more than 30x current levels. Nikhil believes this will be driven primarily ...
05.10.2021 The Sources of Chinese Communist Party Conduct \| Josh Rogin In Episode 190, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Josh Rogin, a foreign-policy columnist and author of “Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century.” You will learn how CCP influence operations work, who they target, and how ...
05.03.2021 Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe \| Niall Ferguson In Episode 189, Demetri Kofinas speaks with historian Niall Ferguson about his latest book, “Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe.” The two discuss the emerging cold war between Western democracies led by the United States and a coalition of authoritarian powers ...
04.26.2021 Existential Risks & the Future of Humanity \| Toby Ord In Episode 188, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Toby Ord, a Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy at Oxford University and author of “The Precipice,” a book that focuses on the big picture questions facing humanity’s long-term future and the risks which ...
04.19.2021 What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters \| Steven Koonin In Episode 187, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Steven Koonin, fmr. Chief Scientist at BP and Undersecretary for Science in the U.S. Dept. of Energy under Barack Obama. Koonin explains why the science of climate change is far from settled by ...
04.05.2021 Solving the Oracle Problem: Blockchain’s Missing Link \| Sergey Nazarov In Episode 186, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Sergey Nazarov, Co-founder of Chainlink, about the crucial role played by its decentralized oracle network in securing billions of dollars in value across the blockchain ecosystem. This conversation is meant to educate you ...
03.29.2021 Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism \| Mariana Mazzucato In Episode 185, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Mariana Mazzucato about the subject of her latest book “Mission Economy,” in which she argues for a more innovative, collaborative, and mission-oriented approach to thinking about government's role in the economy. This conversation ...
03.22.2021 The Lonely Century: Coming Together in a World That’s Pulling Apart \| Noreena Hertz In Episode 184, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Noreena Hertz, a renowned thought leader, academic, and broadcaster, about how a growing sense of loneliness and isolation—from ourselves and from each other—is contributing to much of the social instability, political dysfunction, and ...
03.15.2021 Engine of Inequality: The Fed & the Future of Wealth in America \| Karen Petrou In Episode 183, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Karen Petrou, co-founder and Managing Partner of Federal Financial Analytics and author of “Engine of Inequality: The Fed and the Future of Wealth in America.” This episode is meant to help you better ...
03.08.2021 This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyber-Weapons Arms Race \| Nicole Perlroth In Episode 182, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Nicole Perlroth, award-winning cybersecurity journalist for The New York Times and author of a new book on the cyber-weapons arms race titled “This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends.” The purpose ...
03.01.2021 Silicon Valley’s Ultimate Exit: Arguments for and Against the Network State \| Balaji Srinivasan In Episode 181, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Balaji Srinivasan, an angel investor, entrepreneur, and prominent futurist who’s views on crypto, the future of education, and the network state put him at the forefront of innovation and disruption in money, business, ...
02.22.2021 Podcast Update: Cybersecurity, Financial Warfare, the Mission Driven State, & More In Episode 180, Demetri Kofinas provides listeners with a sneak peak into the next 5 weeks of content, including episodes on the networked state, financial warfare, cybersecurity, the loneliness epidemic, and how to rebuild the mission-driven state.
02.15.2021 Generational Conflict, Decentralization, & Global Disorder \| Radigan Carter In Episode 179, Demetri Kofinas shares the overtime to episode 177 with Radigan Carter. The two discuss the security and politics of the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, as well as what’s happening within the United States (i.e. the radicalization ...
02.08.2021 Meme ‘Stonks’: How Call Options & Reddit Broke Wall Street \| Lily Francus In Episode 178, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Lily Francus, a 25-year-old PhD student in bioinformatics who spends her time modeling complex, dynamic systems, trading meme stocks, and writing about options, derivatives, and how stories and ideas spread on the Internet.
02.01.2021 Generational Wealth-Building During a Fourth Turning \| Radigan Carter In Episode 177, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Radigan Carter, an investor who has spent the last two decades of his life working across five continents as a member of the US military, as a private contractor, and as a special ...
01.25.2021 Cryptocurrencies, Foreign Threats, & the Fight of a Generation In Episode 176, Demetri Kofinas shares his thoughts on a series of interconnected topics including Tether, Bitcoin, domestic terrorism, generational conflict, and foreign interference.
01.18.2021 Restoring Trust in an Age of Political Polarization \| Kevin Vallier In Episode 175, Demetri Kofinas speaks with philosopher Kevin Vallier, author of “Trust in a Polarized Age,” about the causes and consequences of declining social and political trust, the two-way relationship between trust and polarization, and what can be done ...
01.15.2021 Future of Financial Media & Digital Assets \| Jason Yanowitz & Michael Ippolito In Episode 174, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Michael Ippolito and Jason Yanowitz, the founders of Blockworks, a financial media brand that delivers breaking news and premium insights about digital assets to millions of investors. In this conversation, Jason and Michael ...
01.13.2021 Social Media Purge: The Urgent Need to Regulate Big Tech \| Matt Stoller In Episode 173, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Matt Stoller, about the reaction of Big Tech to the storming of the Capitol building, what it reveals about the power that data monopolies have over their competitors & the government, and how ...
01.11.2021 America’s Political Precipice & the Hyperreality of Markets: Grant Williams & Ben Hunt In Episode 172, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Grant Williams and Ben Hunt about the urgent social, political, and economic issues facing the United States and what Americans can do to help themselves and their country in this moment of heightened ...
01.04.2021 The Code of Capital: Markets, Big Tech, & Blockchain \| Katharina Pistor In Episode 171, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Katharina Pistor, a leading legal expert on money & finance and a prominent commentator on cryptocurrencies who has dealt extensively with issues of digital statehood and monetary sovereignty. She explains how the law ...
12.28.2020 The Future of Freedom, Governance, and the Networked State In Episode 170, Demetri Kofinas shares an interview he recently did on the Bankless podcast, where he gives his views on the future of freedom and governance. Topics include cryptocurrencies, global macro, monetary policy, geopolitics, and more.
12.21.2020 The Tyranny of Merit: What Has Become of the Common Good? \| Michael Sandel In Episode 169, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Michael Sandel, professor of Government Theory at Harvard University Law School and host of the BBC series “The Public Philosopher,” about how our society has moved away from a politics of the common ...
12.14.2020 Understanding the STABLE Act and the Push to Regulate Crypto \| Rohan Grey In Episode 168, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Rohan Grey, an expert on the legal design and regulation of digital fiat currency and one of the prime authors of the recently proposed STABLE Act. The two discuss the bill’s language and ...

Hidden Forces

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Hidden Forces episodes:

Index Funds, ETFs, & the Passive Investing Revolution | Robin Wigglesworth

Andrew Yang on His Forward Party and the Rise of a New Political Consensus

Uncontrolled Spread: How COVID-19 Crushed Us & How to Fight the Next Pandemic | Scott Gottlieb

How Washington Works in the New Gilded Age | David Wessel

Wireless Wars: China’s Dangerous Domination of 5G | Jon Pelson

A Nihilist’s Guidebook for the Modern Investor | Demetri Kofinas

A.I. Future: Utopia or Apocalypse? Ten Visions For Our Future | Kai-Fu Lee

Lessons from the Soviet Union and the Flight to Safety | Simon Mikhailovich

The Age of Crisis: COVID-19 & our Post-Pandemic Future | Adam Tooze

China's Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia | Daniel Markey

How America Lost the ‘Good War’ in Afghanistan | Jonathan Schroden

Afghanistan Withdrawal & Implications for U.S. Policy in Asia | Laurel Miller

Opportunities for Value Investing, China's Digital Currency, & the Pivot to Asia | James Aitken

Kofinas Answers Audience Questions in First-Ever “Ask Me Anything” Episode

A History of the Future: Hope & Fear in the Social Smartphone Era | Rory Cellan-Jones

Is Elon Musk Humanity’s Savior or a Supervillain? | Tim Higgins

WeWork, Adam Neumann, & the Great Startup Debacle | Maureen Farrell

The Asian Financial Crisis & the Birth of the Age of Debt | Russell Napier

The Memory Thief & the Secrets Behind How We Remember | Lauren Aguirre

Revenge of the Real: Politics for a Post-Pandemic World | Benjamin Bratton

Crypto Ethics & How to ‘Make Money Great Again’ | Hasu & Demetri

Mental Immunity & the Search for a Better Way to Think | Andy Norman

The Power of Mimetic Desire in Markets, Politics, & Culture | Luke Burgis

Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness | Tim Grover

Financial Nihilism, Narrative Investing, & the Hyperreality of Markets

Podcast Update: The Will to Win, Mimetic Desire, & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Ultrasound Money & the Ethereum Triple Halving | Nikhil Shamapant

The Sources of Chinese Communist Party Conduct | Josh Rogin

Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe | Niall Ferguson

Existential Risks & the Future of Humanity | Toby Ord

What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters | Steven Koonin

Solving the Oracle Problem: Blockchain’s Missing Link | Sergey Nazarov

Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism | Mariana Mazzucato

The Lonely Century: Coming Together in a World That’s Pulling Apart | Noreena Hertz

Engine of Inequality: The Fed & the Future of Wealth in America | Karen Petrou

This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyber-Weapons Arms Race | Nicole Perlroth

Silicon Valley’s Ultimate Exit: Arguments for and Against the Network State | Balaji Srinivasan

Podcast Update: Cybersecurity, Financial Warfare, the Mission Driven State, & More

Generational Conflict, Decentralization, & Global Disorder | Radigan Carter

Meme ‘Stonks’: How Call Options & Reddit Broke Wall Street | Lily Francus

Generational Wealth-Building During a Fourth Turning | Radigan Carter

Cryptocurrencies, Foreign Threats, & the Fight of a Generation

Restoring Trust in an Age of Political Polarization | Kevin Vallier

Future of Financial Media & Digital Assets | Jason Yanowitz & Michael Ippolito

Social Media Purge: The Urgent Need to Regulate Big Tech | Matt Stoller

America’s Political Precipice & the Hyperreality of Markets: Grant Williams & Ben Hunt

The Code of Capital: Markets, Big Tech, & Blockchain | Katharina Pistor

The Future of Freedom, Governance, and the Networked State

The Tyranny of Merit: What Has Become of the Common Good? | Michael Sandel

Understanding the STABLE Act and the Push to Regulate Crypto | Rohan Grey

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