Big Ideas

Andrew Markoff joins ANOMALY to discuss military command and control systems, lessons from urban warfare, and preparing for potential conflict with China. Some highlights: His background as a Marine Corps infantry officer and Marine Raider at MARSOC, including his role as operations officer during the Battle of Mosul against ISIS How Mosul revealed America's gaps in command and control Smack Technologies' approach to "decision dominance" — using AI and machine learning to enable faster, decentralized command and control in contested environments Why traditional centralized C2 systems won't work against China China's focus on "information confrontation" and systems-based warfare Analysis of potential Taiwan conflict scenarios, from blockade to amphibious invasion, and the role of regional allies Challenges in joint operations between military services and the need for truly integrated coalition warfare capabilities Assessment of U.S. military readiness, munitions shortages, and the industrial base rebuilding efforts

Corporal Dmytro joins New Frontier to discuss his experiences in the Ukrainian military and the ongoing conflict with Russia. Some highlights: Firsthand account of the Russian invasion's early days and the chaos of initial combat operations Evolution of the conflict from early artillery dominance to drone warfare and trench combat Comparison of Ukrainian and Russian military capabilities and adaptations over time Impact of Western aid on Ukraine's defensive capabilities and morale Realities of frontline combat, including the constant threat of artillery and drone strikes Challenges of fighting against numerically superior Russian forces Shift in global perception of the conflict's duration and Ukraine's resilience Critical role of continued Western financial and military support

Brian Streem joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss building his startup in Ukraine and his thoughts on the conflict. Some highlights: Brian's company Vermeer and its vision-based navigation system for GPS-denied environments Brian's journey from film production and drone cinematography to defense technology The impact of Russian electronic warfare on GPS-dependent systems Why Brian decided to move to Ukraine to work on the ground The challenges and opportunities of developing defense technology in an active war zone Differences between US and Ukrainian defense tech entrepreneurs The balance between innovation and immediate battlefield needs in Ukraine Brian's perspective on the importance of the Ukraine conflict and its global implications

Marian Tupy (@Marian_L_Tupy) joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss his book Superabundance, innovation, doomerism, and much more. Some highlights: Do we already live in an Age of Superabundance? Are the values of the Enlightenment getting stronger or weaker? Why do we still have so many dormers? Why is doomerism seemingly so embraced by elites? The power of Malthusian ideas Is underpopulation an existential risk? Can technology save us from underpopulation? What causes resource curses? Will we have civilizational collapses in our lifetime? How fragile is the world today? Are we actually in a Great Stagnation? The usefulness of Time Prices Should we pause AI? Which countries is Marin bullish/bearish on?

Bilal Zuberi of Lux Capital (@bznotes) joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss Tech, Defense, Policy, and everything in-between. Some highlights: What Bilal looks for in a founder as a Lux GP What makes a great DefenseTech founder? How does DoD view Silicon Valley? Is DefenseTech in a bubble? Immigrant Founders in the Tech Ecosystem Tech’s Responsibility to Society Should we be pessimistic or optimistic about the world right now? Is AI headed towards regulatory capture? How Media isn’t actually against Tech Bilal’s Request for Startups

Byrne Hobart (@byrnehobart) and Tobias Huber (@TobiasAHuber) join Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss the future of Artificial Intelligence. They cover: Is AI going to kill us? Is AI going to take all of our jobs and cause massive inequality? Is it going to destroy truth? Is it better to be a tech incumbent or a startup right now? Is the future of software one-time-use? What are the consequences of negative mainstream media coverage of AI? Will model interpretability increase or decrease over time? Will AI be subject to regulatory capture? Will it be over regulated? What would the civilizational consequences of an AI ban be? What are the realistic trade offs of AI? What turmoil will it cause? How should DC approach regulating AI? What is the optimistic vision for AI? Is China ahead or behind the US in AI progress? How should people prepare themselves for AI?

Bill Martin of Raging Capital Ventures (@RagingVentures) joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss his prediction of SVB's collapse and his views on the state of the world. Some highlights: How Did Bill Predict SVB’s Collapse? His Other Bets and What Happens Next? Who Is at Fault for SVB’s Collapse? SVB? The Fed? VCs? The Impact of Passive Investing and Woke Capital on the Investment Landscape What Are the Lessons for Entrepreneurs and Regulators? Should Depositors Lose Their Money? Are We Learning Our Lessons from Crises? Should the Fed Continue Rate Hikes? How Should We Invest in the Current Climate? What’s Safe? Growing Tensions with China What Would Bill Do If He Was Starting His Career out Today?"

Michael Gibson (@William_Blake) of 1517 Fund joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss his new book, “Paper Belt on Fire: How Renegade Investors Sparked a Revolt Against the University.” They discuss: - What is the Paper Belt, and Why Should We Light it on Fire? - The Modern Indulgences of the University System - What are Alternatives to the College Degree? - What Can We Learn from the Success of the Thiel Fellowship? - Which Countries Can America Learn from on Education? - The Lost Culture of Progress, and How We’ve Given up on Solving Problems - The Decline of San Francisco - Is China More Innovative than the US? - What is America’s Next Frontier? - Why Doesn’t America Respect Builders Anymore? You can buy a copy of Michael's new book here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/paper-belt-on-fire-michael-gibson/1141459334

Eli Dourado (@elidourado) and Austin Vernon (@vernon3austin) join Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss their recent paper, Energy Superabundance: How Cheap, Abundant Energy Will Shape Our Future. Other topics discussed: - How Energy Superabundance can Lead us from a Carbon Surplus to a Carbon Shortage - How did a Scarcity Mindset Take Root in America? - The Policies that we Need for a Prosperous Century - The Future of Nuclear Energy - Building More Rather than Less to Solve Climate Change - Will China Reach Superabundance Before America? - How we can Improve Utilities and the American Power Grid - Is the Government Getting Better or Worse at Funding Innovation? - How Painful will the Next Decade be? - How do we Improve Supply Chain Resilience? - Eli and Austin’s Request for Startups - What does a World with Superabundance Look Like? You can read their paper here: https://www.thecgo.org/research/energy-superabundance/

Vitalik Buterin (@VitalikButerin), co-founder of Ethereum, joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss the future of crypto and technology. Topics discussed: - How is crypto starting to influence mainstream culture and corporations? - Is crypto positive or negative for nation states? - How much of crypto is innovation versus regulatory arbitrage? - Should we be reforming existing institutions to adopt crypto, or forming new ones? - How is exit possible in 2022? What role could DAOs play? - Vitalik’s thoughts on the War in Ukraine - Vitalik’s thoughts on San Francisco after COVID - Is the world becoming more centralized or decentralized? - Is civilizational collapse in the next 50 years likely? - Vitalik’s request for startups - Vitalik’s thoughts on the future of cities

Wes Yang on the Culture War

Eric Cline (@digkabri) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss 1177 B.C. and the late Bronze Age.

Ole Jacob Madsen joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his book "The Therapeutic Turn" and the rise of therapy culture.

Stephen Hicks (@SRCHicks) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss postmodernism.

Adrian Goldsworthy joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss ancient Rome.

Deirdre McCloskey (@DeirdreMcClosk) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss "innovism" vs. capitalism.

Michael Millerman joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the relationship between politics and metaphysics.

Patrick Wyman (@Patrick_Wyman) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss communication & mobility throughout history.

Bryan Ward-Perkins joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss late antiquity.

Rod Dreher (@roddreher) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the culture war.