Todd Rose, co-founder and CEO of Populace and author of books including "Collective Illusions" and "The End of Average," joins the show to discuss the science behind collective illusions and their impact on society.

We explore why so many Americans self-silence, the dangers of conformity, and how one person can spark change.

Todd and I are simpatico on… pretty much everything! So this was a fun one. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!,” check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Website
• Twitter
• Collective Illusions
• The End of Average

Show Notes:

• Are We Living in the Truman Show?
• The Danger of Self-Silencing
• How to Know What People REALLY Think
• Why We Are Suckers For Groupthink
• Social Media: Why Bots Are Everywhere
• Why Persuasion is the Wrong Strategy for Fighting Collective Illusions
• There is More Social Trust in America Than You Think
• How We Can Fight Collective Illusions
• The Human Need to Be Understood
• Steelmanning & the Popperian Solution
• The Role of Fiction
• The Dawn of a New Era?
• Todd as World Emperor

Books Mentioned:

• Collective Illusions; by Todd Rose
• The End of Average; by Todd Rose
• The Power of the Powerless (essay); by Václav Havel
• Troubled; by Rob Henderson
• The Idea Factory; by Jon Gertner
• Theory of Moral Sentiments; by Adam Smith
• The Wealth of Nations; by Adam Smith
• White Mirror; by Tinkered Thinking
• The Guns of August; by Barbara Tuchman

Aerospace investor and York Space Systems chairman Chuck Beames joins me for a fascinating discussion on the commercial space revolution and the future of satellite security. A retired Air Force colonel with over 20 years experience as a space and intelligence officer, Chuck brings unparalleled expertise to our conversation about what many are calling "the second space race”.

We explore how America can leverage her free-market strengths, why ‘zero trust’ protocols could revolutionize cybersecurity, the military origins of GPS, and why Space Force needs a streamlined procurement approach.

I hope you enjoy this insightful conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Chuck's Twitter
• Chuck's Forbes Contributor Page
• The SmallSat Alliance

Show Notes:

• The Second Space Race
• The Zero Trust Approach and ‘Secure By Design’
• GPS as a Military Technology
• The Space Force is dealing with Multiple Complex Adaptive Systems
• New Paradigms in Satellite Design
• What VCs and Bankers Need to know about the Space Community
• Wargaming with AIs and Humans
• Laser Spoofing and Adversarial AIs
• Establishing Supply Chain Sovereignty
• Open Organizational Cultures
• Chuck’s Lessons from Woodworking
• The Job of an Executive Chairman
• Chuck as World Emperor

Strategy consultant turned writer Natasha Joukovsky joins me to discuss why bourgeois comfort is more conducive to writing than you think, why choice-plots make for better fiction, the eyerolling prevalence of manufactured nonchalance, our shared distaste for Atlantis Bahamas, and MUCH more!

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Natasha’s Website
• Natasha’s Substack
• The Portrait of a Mirror

Show Notes:

• “You can do everything, just not at the same time”
• It’s Recursion All the Way Down
• Pretending to Read vs Actually Reading
• Manufactured Nonchalance as a Status Signal
• Counter-Signalling, Fake-Famous & Jim’s Cursed Trip to Atlantis Bahamas
• On No-Choice Plots & Writing in Service of Beauty
• The Self-Deception of Status Hunting
• Why Bourgeois Comfort is More Conducive to Art Than You Think
• Natasha’s Next Book
• “We don’t do auctions”
• Natasha as World Empress

Books Mentioned:

• The Portrait of a Mirror; by Natasha Joukovsky
• The novels of Jane Austen
• Status Anxiety; by Alain de Botton
• The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (poem); by T.S. Eliot
• Class: A Guide Through the American Status System; by Paul Fussell
• Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid; by Douglas R. Hofstadter
• Ulysses; by James Joyce
• Metamorphosis; by Franz Kafka
• Beloved; by Toni Morrison
• In Search of Lost Time (Remembrance of Things Past); by Marcel Proust
• Collective Illusions; by Todd Rose
• The Status Game; by Will Storr
• Anna Karenina; by Leo Tolstoy
• The Theory of the Leisure Class; by Thorstein Veblen
• A Little Life; by Hanya Yanagihara

I’ve said before that one of the best parts of hosting Infinite Loops is the chance to connect with people who consistently make me think differently — and few do that quite like Tiago Forte.

Tiago Forte joins Infinite Loops for the first time, and within minutes we closed the door on his best-selling “Building A Second Brain” and were off to the races: from digitizing 50,000+ words of personal data to build an AI-powered life coach, to the emotional intelligence hiding inside envy, to the surprising lessons he learned walking through a tiny historical museum in Coconut Grove.

We also dig into the messy magic of identity shifts, how fit dads triggered a personal transformation, and why letting go of productivity-as-performance might be the most productive thing you can do. Plus: the power of NotebookLM, building AI-native systems of self-awareness, and why the future will belong to those who embrace the one-way door.

Unsurprisingly, this was a fun one. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Tiago Forte’s Website
• Tiago Forte on X
• Tiago Forte on LinkedIn
• Tiago Forte’s Annual Reviews
• Building A Second Brain Book
• The PARA Method Book
• I Replaced my $700/hour Coach with NotebookLM — Here’s What Happened (YouTube)
• What I Learned About the Future By Reading 100 Science Fiction Books

Show Notes:

• Closing the Door on Second Brain
• The Power of the Annual Review
• Tiago's Family: Incredibly Vibrant, Visual, Auditory
• Incorporating AI Into Work & Life
• Joe Hudson: Mentorship and Emotional Intelligence
• Miami: The Most Introspective Place on Earth
• Irreversible Decisions
• Archival Material: Underrated Forcing Function
• The Future of Book Publishing
• The Hard Truth on Performance Reviews
• AI Skepticism & Building Moats
• AI-First Mentality for Early Adopters
• Learning From Sci-Fi Books
• Cumulative Cultural Evolution
• Tiago as Emperor of the World

Books Mentioned:

• Building A Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential; by Tiago Forte
• The PARA Method: Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life; by Tiago Forte
• How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain; by Lisa Feldman Barrett
• Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World; by Anne-Laure Le Cunff
• Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned; by Kenneth O. Stanley and Joel Lehman
• Molecules Of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine; by Candace B. Pert
• What Works on Wall Street; by Jim O’Shaughnessy
• The Beginning of Infinity; by David Deutsch
• One Summer: America, 1927; by Bill Bryson
• White Mirror; by Tinkered Thinking
• The Forever War; by Joe Halderman

Author, speaker, founder, investor and behavioral design maestro Nir Eyal joins me for his second appearance on the show.

Today, we dig into Nir’s first book, “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products.” We also discuss the difference between coercion and persuasion, AI’s use case as our personal Jiminy Cricket and MUCH more!

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Nir’s personal blog
• Nir’s LinkedIn
• Nir’s Twitter
• Nir’s YouTube channel
• Nir’s Habit Tracking Tool
• Nir’s Schedule Maker Tool

Show Notes:

• What Makes Silicon Valley’s Tech Products So Sticky?
• The Morality of Manipulation
• The Perils of Legalized Gambling
• Twitter is for Journalists and Nerds
• AI for Behavioural Design
• Believing in our own Agency
• On Labels and Limiting Identities
• Pills Don’t Teach Skills
• The Power of an Internal Locus of Control
• Escaping Discomfort & Getting Hooked
• AI as a Self-Directed Personal Tutor
• Nir As Emperor of the World

Books Mentioned:

• Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products; by Nir Eyal
• Influence; by Robert Cialdini
• Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life; by John Kaag

Nathan Baschez is the cofounder and CEO of Lex, an AI word-processor. He also cofounded Every, was the first employee at Substack AND co-created Product Hunt.

Suffice to say, Nathan knows a thing or two about building on the internet.

He joins the show to discuss how AI is changing writing, why it’s time to rethink the article, the rise of solo founders and MUCH more.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Lex
• Twitter
• Substack
• LinkedIn

Show Notes:

• Lex: Your Spotter In the Writing Gym
• Letting People Into Your Creative Process
• Collaboration-as-a-Service
• Creation Is Fundamentally About Choices
• What Will Become of the AI Holdouts?
• AI Is Like the Internet In 1995
• Can AI Unfuck the Government?
• Blindspots While Working In Organizations
• Rethinking The ‘Article’ As A Medium
• Memes Are Dense Information Packets
• It’s Time for Solo Founders
• Why Learning About Cumulative Cultural Evolution Is Vital
• What’s Next for Lex?
• Writing As A Way To Design Thoughts
• Nathan As World Emperor

Books Mentioned:

• A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life; by George Saunders
• The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich
• The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter; by Joseph Henrich

Young, polymathic, and full of energy — Tommy Potter is on a quest to build a “CIA for Entrepreneurs.” He calls it “The Power Hour” — a startup community in Michigan that hosts dropouts, undergrads and PhDs across many industries: enterprise, consumer, CPG, aviation, gaming, robotics and AR/VR, as they work together to build cool projects.

I had a great time chatting with Tommy as we spoke about non-linear career paths, embracing authenticity, working with dazzling, delusional people and more!

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• X/Twitter
• Linkedin
• Powerhour: The CIA For Entrepreneurship

Show Notes:

• Tommy’s Origin Story
• Using The Third Door
• Lessons from Documenting the Homeless
• Can We Ever Be Our Authentic Self?
• What Traits Tommy Looks for in People
• Bringing Delusional People Together
• The East Coast - West Coast Bubbles
• Being a ‘Weirdo Broker’
• Process Over Outcomes. Serendipity Over Itinerary.
• Different Personalities in Public vs. Private Markets
• The Importance of Learning People
• Life Isn’t a Highlight Reel - Live It All
• Tommy As World Emperor

Books Mentioned:

• The Third Door: The Mindset of Success; by Alex Banayan
• One-upmanship; by Stephen Potter
• Class: Style and Status in the USA; by Paul Fussell
• Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America; by Chris Arnade
• The Science of Getting Rich; by Wallace D. Wattles
• The Act of Creation; by Arthur Koestler

Shopify Product Director Alex Danco returns for his NINTH appearance on the show — and he comes in hot. As you’ll hear, I didn’t even get a chance to introduce him before he launched into his take on what everyone gets wrong about Citizen Kane.

We also unpack the performance art of parenting, why dinner parties are the new status signals, the difference between meme and slop culture and MUCH more.

Unsurprisingly, this was a fun one. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alex_Danco
• Substack: https://danco.substack.com
• Website: https://alexdanco.com/
• Previous episode: https://newsletter.osv.llc/p/finding-method-in-the-madness?utm_source=publication-search

Show Notes:

• What EVERYONE gets wrong about Citizen Kane
• Jim’s hardest interview question
• Elon & Lutnick: clash of the cartoons
• The status hierarchy of baby strollers
• What happened to Yuval Noah Harari? (With a diversion via digital girlfriends and North Korean crypto hackers)
• Dinner parties as status signals
• Parenting as performative art
• History’s greatest memers
• Infinite Jest: the sequel (an Alex Danco & Jim O’Shaughnessy production)
• GIF culture vs AI slop
• From “code is capital” to “code is labour”
• “Did I mention that I dropped out of Stamford?”
• From Clint Eastwood to Cloud Atlas
• MORE!

Books, Articles & Films Mentioned:

• Two Thoughts: A Timeless Collection of Infinite Wisdom; by Jim O'Shaughnessy and Vatsal Kaushik
• Finnegans Wake; by James Joyce
• Invest Like the Best; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind; by Yuval Noah Harari
• Underwriters of the United States: How Insurance Shaped the American Founding; by Hannah Farber
• The Magic Mountain; by Thomas Mann
• The Gervais Principle; by Venkatesh Rao
• Scarcity & Abundance in 2025; by Alex Danco
• Cloud Atlas; by David Mitchell
• Citizen Kane; directed by Orson Welles
• F for Fake; directed by Orson Welles
• My Dinner with Andre; directed by Louis Malle
• Letters from Iwo Jima; directed by Clint Eastwood
• Million Dollar Baby; directed by Clint Eastwood
• Fawlty Towers (TV show)
• Absolutely Fabulous (TV Show)

My guest today is my former teammate Vizi Andrei, founder of The Sovereign Artist program and author of Sovereign Artist: Meditations on Lifestyle Design.

Vizi’s journey has been anything but conventional. After dabbling in various creative projects, he realized that the internet offers a unique opportunity: the freedom to take countless small risks without catastrophic consequences.

He built The Sovereign Artist program to help creators step away from the toxic hustle culture and build sustainable, meaningful lives rooted in creativity, deep work, and sacred leisure. His insights into Slow Living, the Sicilian Dream, and embracing experimentation over optimization can help one break free from comparison traps.

He joins me to discuss the dangers of chasing unrealistic benchmarks of success, the myths of modern productivity, how to unlock creative freedom, and MUCH more!

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Website
• Instagram
• The Sovereign Artist
• KronArête (Community)
• Gumroad
• X
• The Great Reshuffle

Show Notes:

• Is procrastination a signal for something bigger?
• The Sicilian Dream: challenging the hustle culture
• The Pursuit of Busyness
• The rise of the pseudo-entrepreneur
• Are we taking the internet for granted?
• The outlier obsession can kill your creative potential
• Are your goals your own? or borrowed from prepackaged societal narratives?
• Drunk with too many choices
• Crossing the bridge of nihilism
• The art of boredom: slow living might just be the answer
• Knowledge is existential; energy is everything
• MORE!

Books Mentioned:

• Sovereign Artist: Meditations on Lifestyle Design; by Vizi Andrei
• The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story for Work and Life; by Paul Millerd
• Status Anxiety; by Alain de Botton
• The Soul of the World; by Roger Scruton
• Escolios to an Implicit Text; by Nicolás Gómez Dávila
• Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder; by Nassim Taleb
• The Infinity of Lists; by Umberto Eco
• The Myth of the Eternal Return; by Mircea Eliade
• Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine; by Derren Brown

My friend Barry Ritholtz has spent his career being an astute market observer, investigating behavioral finance and data analytics. He runs Ritholtz Wealth Management which has been named ETF Advisor of the Year, Financial Times Top 300 Advisors, and one of America’s fastest-growing RIAs. He’s also the host of Masters in Business, Bloomberg Radio’s most popular podcast (50+ million streams/downloads), which he started way back in 2014.

In his new book, How Not To Invest, Barry emphasizes how avoiding rookie mistakes can significantly help you do better financially. He blends engaging stories with data-driven insights, and explores overlooked aspects of behavioral finance, psychology and the market. Reading his book is like having a casual drink with an experienced, wise, and honest friend.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Blog
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Ritholtz Wealth Management

Show Notes:

• How Amateurs Win
• Managing Emotions When the Market Goes Down
• If You Can't Afford a Financial Advisor Yet…
• Notable Financial Innovations
• Barry’s Transition from a Trader to an Investor
• Varieties of Investor Personas
• What To Do When Randomness Derails Your Plans
• Finding Your Own Maintainable Processes
• Having Reliable Information Sources
• Barry As World Emperor

Books Mentioned:

• How Not to Invest: The Ideas, Numbers, and Behaviors That Destroy Wealth - And How to Avoid Them; by Barry Ritholtz
• Winning the Loser’s Game; by Charley Ellis
• How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life; by Thomas Gilovich