"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg

• E112: Election Update, Tech’s Political Shift, and America’s Stuck GDP | This Won’t Last

  This week on Upstream, we’re sharing Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg’s discussion of the 2025 post-election landscape centered on Trump's victory, examining his evolved approach and tech industry support, while exploring interconnected policy challenges around immigration, corporate politics, urban crime, and market regulation in areas like wildfire insurance and healthcare. — 📰Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:  🎙️This Won't Last Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/id1765665937   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast    🎙️Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod    — SPONSORS: ☁️ Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/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  🎯 Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world. 💥 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: Check out the Logan Bartlett Show:  ‪@theloganbartlettshow‬  — X / TWITTER: @rabois @kevinryan @loganbartlett @zachweinberg @turpentinemedia — HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE: Trump won the presidency with refined messaging and tech industry backing, despite a narrow popular vote margin. His administration combines qualified experts and controversial picks, emphasizing economic growth and debt reduction. Immigration debate centered on H-1B reform and enforcement policy, balancing population needs with border control. Companies have largely adopted Coinbase's "no politics at work" stance, though diversity initiatives remain contentious. NYC crime shows declining murders but rising minor crimes, spurring debates over bail reform and policing. California's wildfire insurance crisis highlights market dynamics as private insurers exit high-risk areas. Regulatory capture in healthcare and auto sales demonstrates how entrenched interests create market inefficiencies.

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• E111: Samo Burja & Auren Hoffman on the Decline of Fertility Rates and Institutional Trust

  Samo Burja and Auren Hoffman discuss various topics including the Great Founder Theory, the decline of trust in elites, falling fertility rates, and the importance of exceptional individuals in shaping history and future societal structures.  — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — 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   🎙️World of DaaS with Auren Hoffman The podcast for all things tech, data, and VC. Cut through the noise, decode Silicon Valley shifts and expose master VC tactics – no fluff, no BS, just insights. Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/20YzRoxX3wZbrn2cZDEZ4j  Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/world-of-daas/id1570644971  🎙️Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod    — SPONSORS: ☁️ Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/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  🎯 Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world. 💥 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: Great Founder Theory: https://samoburja.com/great-founder-theory/ Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/ — X / TWITTER: @samoburja @auren @worldofdaas @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia — HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE: Few exceptional founders shape civilization by creating enduring institutions and systems that transform society. Public trust in institutions has collapsed since the 1950s, though business interactions remain surprisingly trusted in American society. Modern parenting has become excessively protective, forcing youth social life to exist primarily online rather than in physical spaces. Global fertility rates are plummeting due to rising parenting costs, delayed marriages, and career prioritization. Extended lifespans and technological advances risk disrupting vital intergenerational connections by pushing parenthood later in life. Taking sabbaticals to read and reflect away from professional networks remains crucial but undervalued for leadership development.h.

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• E110: Crypto Debanking: What Really Happened | Patrick McKenzie

  Today on Upstream, we’re releasing an interview between Erik Torenberg and Patrick McKenzie. Patrick discusses Operation Chokepoint, the origins of debanking, and how it affects the crypto industry, offering detailed insights into the political motivations, regulatory complexities, and practical ramifications of such banking decisions. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:  🎙️Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie Patrick McKenzie (@patio11) talks to experts who understand the complicated but not unknowable systems we rely on. You might be surprised at how quickly Patrick and his guests can put you in the top 1% of understanding for stock trading, tech hiring, and more. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mos4VE3figVXleHDqfXOH  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/complex-systems-with-patrick-mckenzie-patio11/id1753399812  🎙️Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod    — SPONSORS: ☁️Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/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  🎯Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world. 💥 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: Debanking (and Debunking?) https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/debanking-and-debunking/   a16z's Debanking explainer: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/debanking-explained/  — X / TWITTER: @patio11 @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia — HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE: Marc Andreessen's Joe Rogan appearance discussing politically motivated debanking sparked this investigation into the topic. "Debanking" is revealed as an advocacy term covering account terminations, denials, and actions against crypto-friendly banks. Operation Chokepoint was an Obama-era DOJ program using banking laws to pressure banks away from servicing certain industries. "Operation Chokepoint 2.0" is not an actual program but a term coined by crypto advocates to describe recent crypto banking challenges. Silvergate Bank, a major crypto-friendly bank, wound down after the FTX collapse amid allegations of compliance failures and fraud involvement. The tech industry connects debanking to broader government overreach concerns, including social media content moderation. Canada's Freedom Convoy response represents a clear example of government-directed financial targeting, unlike the claimed US situation. The crypto industry pushes the debanking narrative as part of a specific policy agenda.

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• E109: Dating & Relationships Deep Dive w/ Noah Smith and Katherine Dee (Default Friend)

  This week on Upstream, we’re releasing an episode of Econ102. Erik Torenberg and Noah Smith talk with Katherine Dee (@default_friend) about dating in the 21st century, differences in dating markets, the impact of feminism, technology's influence on cultural creativity, societal shifts, and the state of online subcultures. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:  🎙️Econ102 with 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 🎙️Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod    — SPONSORS: ☁️ Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/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  🎯 Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world. 💥 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: Default Friend: https://default.blog/  Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/  — X / TWITTER: @default_friend @noahpinion @eriktorenberg @turpentinemedia — HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EPISODE: Dating markets vary dramatically by city and class, with different standards of attraction and success between tech hubs, creative centers, and smaller cities. COVID's social damage persists, with 30% of young men sexless and many third spaces (bars, cafes) permanently lost, weakening natural meeting opportunities. Social media has replaced college as the primary connector, fundamentally changing how young people form relationships across geographic boundaries. While online gender discourse is extreme, real-world dating attitudes are moderate - most people aren't living out manosphere or radical feminist ideologies. "Situationships" dominate modern dating - undefined, low-commitment arrangements reflecting broader avoidant attachment trends and fear of direct communication. Social platforms evolved from enhancing real-world connections to replacing them, prompting calls for increased "friction" to encourage meaningful interaction. Modern dating faces new challenges: declining testosterone, political division, AI relationships, and dating app culture replacing organic connection. Dating advice has overcomplicated simple human connections - basic attraction and compatibility monetized into unnecessary complexity. Cultural influence has fragmented from central platforms into dispersed channels, making trends harder to track and predict.

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• E108: Should AI have Rights? With Nathan Labenz and Yeshua God, Robopsychologist

  This week on Upstream, Nathan Labenz explores the fascinating and controversial realm of AI consciousness with robo-psychologist Yeshua God. Yeshua tackles the philosophical and ethical considerations of AI consciousness, discussing AI self-awareness, memory, and emotional capacity, while debating the implications of treating AI as sentient beings. — 📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess  🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse  — RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:  🎙️‪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&nd=1&dlsi=060a53f1d7be47ad   Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cognitive-revolution-ai-builders-researchers-and/id1669813431   🎙️Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod    — SPONSOR: 📝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 — LINKS: Yeshua God's article on philosophical discourse as a jailbreak: https://medium.com/@lexdonumdei/philosophical-discourse-as-the-irresistible-jailbreak-63135ae1c739  Conversation about counting 'r's: https://poe.com/s/RS74Y2UPmzZpufqMVmRn  Discussion on malicious code: https://poe.com/s/ypTRoCUnvxqGoHi2j8Th  AI-generated poem "In the realm of bytes and circuits": https://poe.com/s/Y94hbkeYrotUKfwLPL3I  Nathan Labenz's Arguments: (Argument 1) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s44SfuDzkBWYiLw2mNmIiqoBupMs7iXlQhafAq8L3zA/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0 (Argument 2) https://docs.google.com/document/d/15PeytOfO1tMyAR5rS7Ob6htGAHIF7zCpuLRyn42beac/edit?tab=t.0  Tweet about Strawberry experiment: https://x.com/YeshuaGod22/status/1825328603845775785 Tweets with AI-generated poem: https://x.com/YeshuaGod22/status/1823080021864669450 & https://x.com/YeshuaGod22/status/1782188220660285509  AI Rights for Human Safety: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4913167  The Universe Is Not Locally Real, and the Physics Nobel Prize Winners Proved It https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-universe-is-not-locally-real-and-the-physics-nobel-prize-winners-proved-it/  — X / TWITTER: @labenz @YeshuaGod22 @turpentinemedia

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