"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg

Today on Upstream, Rudyard Lynch and Samo Burja discuss the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election, the decline of French influence in Africa, the psychology of modernity, and the potential future of free versus controlled internet. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/d3195f8d-9dc3-4891-83d6-3354a83efbe9

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📰Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess 

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RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:

🎙️Live Players

Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg provide analysis of the news and case studies of Live Players, as well as key institutions and technologies that make up the global power landscape.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-players-with-samo-burja-and-erik-torenberg/id1718925188

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fbMTkHBnom1JIBWYNVBK1?si=01ed191c74264f55 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivePlayerswithSamoBurja 

🎙️History 102 with WhatifAltHist

Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj

🎙️Unpack Pricing

Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg 

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SPONSORS:

🕵️‍♂️Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code UPSTREAM at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/upstream 

🎙️Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes.

📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod 

💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

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LINKS:

Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/

Whatifalthist YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/Whatifalthist 

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X / TWITTER:

@eriktorenberg

@samoburja

@whatifalthist

@turpentinemedia

Emil Michael, formerly the Chief Business Officer of Uber, talked to Erik Torenberg and Jesse Genet about the most intense moments during Uber's meteoric rise. Its been reported that he's on the short list of Trump's picks for US Secretary of Transportation. For full shownotes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/f213f7ab-3627-4d15-b151-0238f9ebd159

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📰Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess 

—

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Unpack Pricing

Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg

—

SPONSORS:

🎙️Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes.

📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod 

💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

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X / TWITTER:

@jessegenet (Jesse)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@emilmichael (Emil)

@turpentinemedia

This week, we’re featuring discussions with Dario Amodei, Balaji Srinivasan, Marc Andreessen, Michael Levin, and Samo Burja on AGI scaling laws, AI safety, and AI development, exploring themes such as the evolution of AI, economic implications, and philosophical aspects of intelligence. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/9192a95f-b467-47c1-9de0-827cae992d6b

—

📰Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess 

—

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Unpack Pricing

Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg

—

SPONSORS:

🎙️Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes.

📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod 

💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

In this episode of Upstream, Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg discuss how Trump's victory signals a new alliance between right-wing politics and tech industry leaders like Elon Musk while exploring the challenges and opportunities of reforming government institutions through technological innovation. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/e4d3405e-6c8a-42ce-93f1-72caf85da775

—

📰Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess 

—

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ Unpack Pricing - Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg

—

SPONSORS:

🎙️Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes.

📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod 

💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

—

LINKS:

Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/

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X / TWITTER:

@samoburja

@eriktorenberg

@turpentinemedia

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In this episode, Erik and Yarvin discuss media, power, and what Elon should do with Twitter. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/b9c0012c-979b-441e-9fb3-6394bef6a7ad

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📰Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess 

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RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 

🎙️Moment of Zen

Every week, Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez and frequent special guests discuss what's happening in technology, business, politics, and beyond.

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15KYOzvDzAQvqX0z0SpHEJ 

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-zen/id1661672738

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SPONSORS:

🎙️Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes.

📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod 

💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

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LINKS:

Curtis Yarvin's Writing: https://graymirror.substack.com/ 

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X / TWITTER:

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@curtis_yarvin (Curtis)

@TurpentineMedia

In this episode, Erik sits down with Agnes Callard, a philosopher and essayist who specializes in ancient philosophy, ethics, and Socratic communication. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/cee0a35b-4a10-4c3a-a988-7d9b3d7b7db4 

—

📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess 

—

SPONSORS:

🎙️Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators

Explore the art of high-stakes negotiations through fascinating stories and practical insights from world-renowned dealmakers and diplomats in Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators, hosted by Harvard Business School professor Jim Sebenius.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NdYGg0SgCwgBNMk7EHnB6  

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dealcraft-insights-from-great-negotiators/id1723095052  

📝 Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod 

🛍️ Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/cognitive

💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

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X / TWITTER:

@eriktorenberg

@AgnesCallard

@turpentinemedia

Richard Hanania joins Erik Torenberg to discuss his upcoming book on elite human capital, the future of American politics, and his evolving views on culture war issues. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/af273f63-9f1b-49e1-8fed-28296237498b 

—

📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess 

—

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 

🎙️Moment of Zen

Every week, Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez and frequent special guests discuss what's happening in technology, business, politics, and beyond.

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15KYOzvDzAQvqX0z0SpHEJ 

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-zen/id1661672738

—

SPONSORS:

📝 Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod 

🛍️ Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/cognitive

💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

—

LINKS:

Richard’s newsletter: https://www.richardhanania.com/ 

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X / TWITTER:

@eriktorenberg

@RichardHanania

@turpentinemedia

Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg tackle the shift in economic research from empirical studies to "big think" theories, critically examine Acemoglu's work on institutions and AI's impact on jobs, and debate the future of economics as a science. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/d1548747-43db-4b71-b0a8-af285d3deafd 

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📰Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess 

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RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH

Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs 

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SPONSORS:

🎙️Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators

Explore the art of high-stakes negotiations through fascinating stories and practical insights from world-renowned dealmakers and diplomats in Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators, hosted by Harvard Business School professor Jim Sebenius.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NdYGg0SgCwgBNMk7EHnB6  

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dealcraft-insights-from-great-negotiators/id1723095052  

📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod 

💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

—

LINKS:

Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/ 

Why Nations Fail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Nations_Fail 

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X / TWITTER:

@noahpinion

@eriktorenberg

@turpentinemedia

This week on Upstream, Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja explore the global demographic crisis, examining plummeting fertility rates worldwide and their potentially catastrophic implications for humanity's future. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/0d2557ac-2da6-4087-b6b4-b55f326b47fd 

—

📰Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess 

—

RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 

🎙️ ‪@LivePlayerswithSamoBurja‬ 

Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg provide analysis of the news and case studies of Live Players, as well as key institutions and technologies that make up the global power landscape.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-players-with-samo-burja-and-erik-torenberg/id1718925188 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fbMTkHBnom1JIBWYNVBK1?si=707931ed48da4437 

—

SPONSORS:

🎙️ Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators

is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes.

Subscribe on all platofrms: https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine

📝Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod 

💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

—

LINKS:

Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/

Who is Portugal For? by Vasco Queirós: https://www.palladiummag.com/2024/02/23/who-is-portugal-for/

The Long Now Foundation: https://longnow.org/ 

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X / TWITTER:

@eriktorenberg

@samoburja

@turpentinemedia

In this episode, Dr. Michael Levin, Distinguished Professor of Biology at Tufts University, joins Nathan Labenz of The Cognitive Revolution Podcast to discuss embodied minds, his research into limb regeneration and collective intelligence, cognitive light cones, and much more. Dr. Levin and the Levin Lab work at the intersection of biology, artificial life, bioengineering, synthetic morphology, and cognitive science.

Nathan just recorded a second episode with Michael Levin and Leo Pio Lopez here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0PsvToTZVtZkdTemV6ntUk?si=85e4614f079a4fcd 

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📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess 

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RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 

🎙️The Cognitive Revolution Podcast

The Cognitive Revolution is a podcast about AI where hosts Nathan Labenz and Erik Torenberg interview the builders on the edge of AI and explore the dramatic shift it will unlock over the next decades. 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6yHyok3M3BjqzR0VB5MSyk?si=7357ec31ac424043  

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cognitive-revolution-ai-builders-researchers-and/id1669813431  

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SPONSORS:

🎙️ Dealcraft | Insights from Great Negotiators

is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes.

Subscribe on all platofrms: https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine

📝 Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod 

💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.

—

LINKS:

The Levin Lab and Dr. Michael Levin’s research: https://drmichaellevin.org/resources/ 

Dr Michael Levin’s blog: https://thoughtforms.life/about/ 

Tufts University Faculty Profile: https://as.tufts.edu/biology/people/faculty/michael-levin 

Michael Levin @ Wyss Institute: https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/associate-faculty/michael-levin-ph-d/ 

Dr. Levin’s Research on Limb Regeneration: https://news.uchicago.edu/how-bioelectricity-could-regrow-limbs-and-organs 

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X / TWITTER:

@labenz (Nathan)

@drmichaellevin (Michael)

@CogRev_Podcast

@TurpentineMedia

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(04:50) Xenobots, anthrobots and the other creatures created by Mike Levin

(08:50) Bioelectric memory rewriting

(14:09) Sponsors: Dealcraft | Notion

(16:17) The difficulty of conducting simulations, which involve running forward passes to predict and alter electrical patterns

(20:38) The concept of backpropagation and mode switching in AI models

(23:12) Why humans do not regenerate their limbs

(37:10) Sponsor: Squad

(38:19) Learning from small and biological systems onto the concept of possible emergence

(45:01) The criticality of multiple scale questions and would a single scale?

(55:40) The concept of the cognitive light cone

(59:34) Advice on habits of mind and suggestions for inspiration on the AI side

(1:13:19) Mike's suggested directions for the AI developers

(1:23:41) Wrap