Hidden Forces

By Demetri Kofinas

Technology 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.

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LAST EPISODE

Doom: The Politics of Catas...

05.03.2021

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 ...

Hidden Forces episodes:

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 ...
12.07.2020 What’s Gone Wrong with the Democratic Party & How to Fix it \| David Shor In Episode 167, Demetri Kofinas speaks with political data scientist David Shor, the man New York Magazine has called “Obama’s In-House Nate Silver” about the results of the 2020 election, why Democrats struggled to make inroads with more moderate voters, ...
11.30.2020 What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks & Romans \| Thomas E. Ricks In Episode 166, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Thomas Ricks about his book “First Principles: What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks & Romans.” The two discuss the influence of Greco-Roman thought and culture on America’s founding generation, while drawing lessons ...
11.23.2020 Emerging Markets & the Turkish Lira: Assessing the Risks & Opportunities \| Paul McNamara In Episode 165, Demetri Kofinas speaks with asset manager Paul McNamara about the macroeconomic and political forces driving the recovery in emerging markets with a particular focus on the Turkish economy and the Turkish Lira.
11.19.2020 The Long (and Short) of it: A Cynic’s Take on Markets & Investing \| Jim Chanos In Episode 164, Demetri Kofinas speaks with legendary short-seller Jim Chanos about his philosophy on markets and investing. The two also discuss the macroeconomy, the preponderance of corporate fraud, and prospects for tightening financial regulation under a new Biden administration ...
11.16.2020 Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World \| Fareed Zakaria In Episode 163, Demetri Kofinas speaks with CNN host and bestselling author Fareed Zakaria, about his book “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World.” The two explore a wide range of economic, political, social, & geopolitical challenges facing America and the ...
11.06.2020 Making Sense of Election 2020 and Its Aftermath \| Matt Taibb In Episode 162, Demetri Kofinas speaks with journalist Matt Taibbi about the state of the US presidential election. The two speculate about the sources of Trump’s outperformance, how this election may eventually draw to a close, and when we will ...
11.02.2020 Limits and Consequences of Ponzi Economics on Politics, Markets, & Society In Episode 161, Demetri Kofinas plays an interview he recently gave to Sebastien Couture and Friederike Ernst on Epicenter.TV. This is a wide-ranging, macro conversation focused on markets, politics, geopolitics, and crypto.
10.26.2020 Rise of a New Kleptocracy: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World \| Tom Burgis In Episode 160, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Tom Burgis of the Financial Times about the rise of a new, international kleptocracy. The trillions of dollars looted by members of this cabal every year are enough to buy the political power ...
10.19.2020 The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare \| Chris Brose In Episode 159, Demetri speaks with Chris Brose, fmr. Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Cmte., speechwriter to two Secretaries of State, and Head of Strategy at Anduril Industries, a defense product company working at the bleeding edge of ...
10.12.2020 Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World \| Charles Kupchan In Episode 158, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Charles Kupchan, a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, who served as special assistant to the president for national security affairs in the Obama Whitehouse and on the National Security Council under ...
10.05.2020 Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan's Defense & American Strategy in Asia \| Ian Easton In Episode 157, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Ian Easton, Senior Director at the Project 2049 Institute, and author of "The Chinese Invasion Threat” about the likelihood and consequences of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. In this two-hour long conversation, Ian ...
09.28.2020 The Rise of Mohammed bin Salman and the Future of Saudi Arabia \| Bradley Hope & Justin Scheck In Episode 156, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Wall Street Journal reporters Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck about their new book, “Blood & Oil” that chronicles the rise to power of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, a story full of ...
09.21.2020 'Accommodative' Monetary Policy & Risks to Central Bank Independence \| Bill Nelson In Episode 155, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Bill Nelson, Chief Economist of BPI and a former deputy director of the Division of Monetary Affairs at the Federal Reserve Board who helped design and manage several of the Fed’s emergency liquidity ...
09.14.2020 The Hype Machine: The Promise and the Peril of Social Media \| Sinan Aral In Episode 154, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Sinan Aral, MIT Professor and author of “The Hype Machine,” about the promise and the peril of social media. Is social media a force for meaningful connection, collaboration, and social support? Or is ...
09.07.2020 The Rise of Carry: the New Financial Order of Decaying Growth & Recurring Crisis In Episode 153, Kevin Coldiron, Jamie Lee, and Tim Lee explain how the behavior of financial markets is no longer a function of the economy, interest rates, or political developments, but rather a manifestation of what they call “the rise ...
08.31.2020 Some Thoughts to End the Summer... In this short segment, Demetri Kofinas shares some thoughts to end the summer and looks ahead at what listeners can expect to hear in the next few months.
08.24.2020 Erdoğan’s Turkey & the Revival of the Ottoman Empire \| Soner Çağaptay In Episode 152, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Soner Çağaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute and author of “Erdoğan's Empire: Turkey & the Politics of the Middle East.” The two discuss the recent crisis in the ...
08.17.2020 Uncharted Future: Learning to Navigate an Unpredictable World \| Margaret Heffernan In Episode 151, Demetri Kofinas speaks with journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker Margaret Heffernan about our unhealthy relationship with the future and how to confront the unknown challenges to come.
08.10.2020 Is Gold in a New Bull Market? A Deep-Dive Into Humanity’s 5,000-Year-Old Obsession \| Rick Rule In Episode 150, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Rick Rule, President & CEO of Sprott US Holdings about the recent break-out of gold above $2,000/oz and whether or not we are in a new bull market for the yellow metal. We ...
08.03.2020 The Death of Engagement: America’s New Cold War with China \| Orville Schell In Episode 149, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Orville Schell, Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society about the implications of Sec. Mike Pompeo's monumental speech at the Nixon Library, the history of engagement with China’s Communist ...
07.27.2020 The Rise of Decentralized Finance \| Framework Ventures’ Michael Anderson & Vance Spencer In Episode 148, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Framework Ventures founders Michael Anderson and Vance Spencer about decentralized finance, known as DeFi for short. Framework is a thesis-driven venture capital firm whose team of technologists, researchers, and investors partner with founders ...
07.22.2020 What the Twitter Hack Tells Us About Why the Internet Is Broken & How to Fix It \| Muneeb Ali In Episode 147, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Muneeb Ali, co-founder of Blockstack, a full-stack decentralized computing platform and app ecosystem that puts users in control of their identity & data. The two spend the first half of their conversation discussing ...
07.20.2020 Don’t Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars \| Irshad Manji In Episode 146, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Irshad Manji, a public intellectual, best-selling author, and Emmy award nominated documentary filmmaker whose latest book “Don’t Label Me,” attempts to educate readers on how to have conversations about politically sensitive subjects without ...
07.13.2020 The Rise of Ethereum, the Future of DeFi, & the Transformation of Crypto Media \| Camila Russo In Episode 145, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Camila Russo, the host of the Defiant podcast and author of “The Infinite Machine,” the first official account of the rise of the Ethereum blockchain. The two discuss the history of Ethereum, the ...
07.06.2020 Grandstanding: the Use and Abuse of Moral Talk \| Brandon Warmke & Justin Tosi In Episode 144, Demetri Kofinas speaks with philosophers Brandon Warmke and Justin Tosi about the phenomenon of grandstanding, which they define as “the use and abuse of moral talk for the purposes of self-promotion.” Although moral grandstanding is a spectacle ...
06.29.2020 How to Fix America's Broken Health System (And Why It Hasn't Happened) \| Vivian Lee In Episode 143, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Vivian Lee, President of Health Platforms at Verily Life Sciences (an Alphabet company) about America’s broken health system, how to fix it, and why it’s been so difficult to do until now.
06.17.2020 ‘Stonks,’ the Rise of Retail Bros, & Powell’s Money Printer \| Tony Greer In Episode 142, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Tony Greer, editor of the Morning Navigator and founder of TG Macro. The two discuss the recent rip-roaring retracement in equities and how the Federal Reserve, with its relentless money-printing has broken the ...
06.15.2020 Co-Founder of Neoliberal School on the Foreign Policy of Presidents from F.D.R. to Trump \| Joseph Nye In Episode 141, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Joseph Nye, co-founder of the international relations theory of neoliberalism about the tenures, policy challenges, failures, and opportunities of US presidents from F.D.R to Donald Trump. The second hour of their conversation, which ...

Older episodes

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 ...
12.07.2020 What’s Gone Wrong with the Democratic Party & How to Fix it \| David Shor In Episode 167, Demetri Kofinas speaks with political data scientist David Shor, the man New York Magazine has called “Obama’s In-House Nate Silver” about the results of the 2020 election, why Democrats struggled to make inroads with more moderate voters, ...
11.30.2020 What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks & Romans \| Thomas E. Ricks In Episode 166, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Thomas Ricks about his book “First Principles: What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks & Romans.” The two discuss the influence of Greco-Roman thought and culture on America’s founding generation, while drawing lessons ...
11.23.2020 Emerging Markets & the Turkish Lira: Assessing the Risks & Opportunities \| Paul McNamara In Episode 165, Demetri Kofinas speaks with asset manager Paul McNamara about the macroeconomic and political forces driving the recovery in emerging markets with a particular focus on the Turkish economy and the Turkish Lira.
11.19.2020 The Long (and Short) of it: A Cynic’s Take on Markets & Investing \| Jim Chanos In Episode 164, Demetri Kofinas speaks with legendary short-seller Jim Chanos about his philosophy on markets and investing. The two also discuss the macroeconomy, the preponderance of corporate fraud, and prospects for tightening financial regulation under a new Biden administration ...
11.16.2020 Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World \| Fareed Zakaria In Episode 163, Demetri Kofinas speaks with CNN host and bestselling author Fareed Zakaria, about his book “Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World.” The two explore a wide range of economic, political, social, & geopolitical challenges facing America and the ...
11.06.2020 Making Sense of Election 2020 and Its Aftermath \| Matt Taibb In Episode 162, Demetri Kofinas speaks with journalist Matt Taibbi about the state of the US presidential election. The two speculate about the sources of Trump’s outperformance, how this election may eventually draw to a close, and when we will ...
11.02.2020 Limits and Consequences of Ponzi Economics on Politics, Markets, & Society In Episode 161, Demetri Kofinas plays an interview he recently gave to Sebastien Couture and Friederike Ernst on Epicenter.TV. This is a wide-ranging, macro conversation focused on markets, politics, geopolitics, and crypto.
10.26.2020 Rise of a New Kleptocracy: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World \| Tom Burgis In Episode 160, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Tom Burgis of the Financial Times about the rise of a new, international kleptocracy. The trillions of dollars looted by members of this cabal every year are enough to buy the political power ...
10.19.2020 The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare \| Chris Brose In Episode 159, Demetri speaks with Chris Brose, fmr. Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Cmte., speechwriter to two Secretaries of State, and Head of Strategy at Anduril Industries, a defense product company working at the bleeding edge of ...
10.12.2020 Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World \| Charles Kupchan In Episode 158, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Charles Kupchan, a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, who served as special assistant to the president for national security affairs in the Obama Whitehouse and on the National Security Council under ...
10.05.2020 Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan's Defense & American Strategy in Asia \| Ian Easton In Episode 157, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Ian Easton, Senior Director at the Project 2049 Institute, and author of "The Chinese Invasion Threat” about the likelihood and consequences of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. In this two-hour long conversation, Ian ...
09.28.2020 The Rise of Mohammed bin Salman and the Future of Saudi Arabia \| Bradley Hope & Justin Scheck In Episode 156, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Wall Street Journal reporters Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck about their new book, “Blood & Oil” that chronicles the rise to power of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, a story full of ...
09.21.2020 'Accommodative' Monetary Policy & Risks to Central Bank Independence \| Bill Nelson In Episode 155, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Bill Nelson, Chief Economist of BPI and a former deputy director of the Division of Monetary Affairs at the Federal Reserve Board who helped design and manage several of the Fed’s emergency liquidity ...
09.14.2020 The Hype Machine: The Promise and the Peril of Social Media \| Sinan Aral In Episode 154, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Sinan Aral, MIT Professor and author of “The Hype Machine,” about the promise and the peril of social media. Is social media a force for meaningful connection, collaboration, and social support? Or is ...
09.07.2020 The Rise of Carry: the New Financial Order of Decaying Growth & Recurring Crisis In Episode 153, Kevin Coldiron, Jamie Lee, and Tim Lee explain how the behavior of financial markets is no longer a function of the economy, interest rates, or political developments, but rather a manifestation of what they call “the rise ...
08.31.2020 Some Thoughts to End the Summer... In this short segment, Demetri Kofinas shares some thoughts to end the summer and looks ahead at what listeners can expect to hear in the next few months.
08.24.2020 Erdoğan’s Turkey & the Revival of the Ottoman Empire \| Soner Çağaptay In Episode 152, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Soner Çağaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute and author of “Erdoğan's Empire: Turkey & the Politics of the Middle East.” The two discuss the recent crisis in the ...
08.17.2020 Uncharted Future: Learning to Navigate an Unpredictable World \| Margaret Heffernan In Episode 151, Demetri Kofinas speaks with journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker Margaret Heffernan about our unhealthy relationship with the future and how to confront the unknown challenges to come.
08.10.2020 Is Gold in a New Bull Market? A Deep-Dive Into Humanity’s 5,000-Year-Old Obsession \| Rick Rule In Episode 150, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Rick Rule, President & CEO of Sprott US Holdings about the recent break-out of gold above $2,000/oz and whether or not we are in a new bull market for the yellow metal. We ...
08.03.2020 The Death of Engagement: America’s New Cold War with China \| Orville Schell In Episode 149, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Orville Schell, Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society about the implications of Sec. Mike Pompeo's monumental speech at the Nixon Library, the history of engagement with China’s Communist ...
07.27.2020 The Rise of Decentralized Finance \| Framework Ventures’ Michael Anderson & Vance Spencer In Episode 148, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Framework Ventures founders Michael Anderson and Vance Spencer about decentralized finance, known as DeFi for short. Framework is a thesis-driven venture capital firm whose team of technologists, researchers, and investors partner with founders ...
07.22.2020 What the Twitter Hack Tells Us About Why the Internet Is Broken & How to Fix It \| Muneeb Ali In Episode 147, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Muneeb Ali, co-founder of Blockstack, a full-stack decentralized computing platform and app ecosystem that puts users in control of their identity & data. The two spend the first half of their conversation discussing ...
07.20.2020 Don’t Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars \| Irshad Manji In Episode 146, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Irshad Manji, a public intellectual, best-selling author, and Emmy award nominated documentary filmmaker whose latest book “Don’t Label Me,” attempts to educate readers on how to have conversations about politically sensitive subjects without ...
07.13.2020 The Rise of Ethereum, the Future of DeFi, & the Transformation of Crypto Media \| Camila Russo In Episode 145, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Camila Russo, the host of the Defiant podcast and author of “The Infinite Machine,” the first official account of the rise of the Ethereum blockchain. The two discuss the history of Ethereum, the ...
07.06.2020 Grandstanding: the Use and Abuse of Moral Talk \| Brandon Warmke & Justin Tosi In Episode 144, Demetri Kofinas speaks with philosophers Brandon Warmke and Justin Tosi about the phenomenon of grandstanding, which they define as “the use and abuse of moral talk for the purposes of self-promotion.” Although moral grandstanding is a spectacle ...
06.29.2020 How to Fix America's Broken Health System (And Why It Hasn't Happened) \| Vivian Lee In Episode 143, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Vivian Lee, President of Health Platforms at Verily Life Sciences (an Alphabet company) about America’s broken health system, how to fix it, and why it’s been so difficult to do until now.
06.17.2020 ‘Stonks,’ the Rise of Retail Bros, & Powell’s Money Printer \| Tony Greer In Episode 142, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Tony Greer, editor of the Morning Navigator and founder of TG Macro. The two discuss the recent rip-roaring retracement in equities and how the Federal Reserve, with its relentless money-printing has broken the ...
06.15.2020 Co-Founder of Neoliberal School on the Foreign Policy of Presidents from F.D.R. to Trump \| Joseph Nye In Episode 141, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Joseph Nye, co-founder of the international relations theory of neoliberalism about the tenures, policy challenges, failures, and opportunities of US presidents from F.D.R to Donald Trump. The second hour of their conversation, which ...

Hidden Forces

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Hidden Forces episodes:

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

What’s Gone Wrong with the Democratic Party & How to Fix it | David Shor

What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks & Romans | Thomas E. Ricks

Emerging Markets & the Turkish Lira: Assessing the Risks & Opportunities | Paul McNamara

The Long (and Short) of it: A Cynic’s Take on Markets & Investing | Jim Chanos

Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World | Fareed Zakaria

Making Sense of Election 2020 and Its Aftermath | Matt Taibb

Limits and Consequences of Ponzi Economics on Politics, Markets, & Society

Rise of a New Kleptocracy: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World | Tom Burgis

The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare | Chris Brose

Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World | Charles Kupchan

Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan's Defense & American Strategy in Asia | Ian Easton

The Rise of Mohammed bin Salman and the Future of Saudi Arabia | Bradley Hope & Justin Scheck

'Accommodative' Monetary Policy & Risks to Central Bank Independence | Bill Nelson

The Hype Machine: The Promise and the Peril of Social Media | Sinan Aral

The Rise of Carry: the New Financial Order of Decaying Growth & Recurring Crisis

Some Thoughts to End the Summer...

Erdoğan’s Turkey & the Revival of the Ottoman Empire | Soner Çağaptay

Uncharted Future: Learning to Navigate an Unpredictable World | Margaret Heffernan

Is Gold in a New Bull Market? A Deep-Dive Into Humanity’s 5,000-Year-Old Obsession | Rick Rule

The Death of Engagement: America’s New Cold War with China | Orville Schell

The Rise of Decentralized Finance | Framework Ventures’ Michael Anderson & Vance Spencer

What the Twitter Hack Tells Us About Why the Internet Is Broken & How to Fix It | Muneeb Ali

Don’t Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars | Irshad Manji

The Rise of Ethereum, the Future of DeFi, & the Transformation of Crypto Media | Camila Russo

Grandstanding: the Use and Abuse of Moral Talk | Brandon Warmke & Justin Tosi

How to Fix America's Broken Health System (And Why It Hasn't Happened) | Vivian Lee

‘Stonks,’ the Rise of Retail Bros, & Powell’s Money Printer | Tony Greer

Co-Founder of Neoliberal School on the Foreign Policy of Presidents from F.D.R. to Trump | Joseph Nye

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