Sean Reyes is Utah’s Attorney General and a producer for the movie “Sound of Freedom.” Steve and Sean discuss his personal story, human trafficking, and the role of technology in law enforcement. More on Reyes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Reyes NOTE: Reyes has announced that he will not seek re-election as Utah AG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEEj4UgjDL4 00:00 Sean Reyes’ early life and family history 14:21 Sean's personal journey and career 21:28 Political journey and decision to run...
Jan 25, 2024•1 hr 11 min
TP Huang returns for the third time to discuss the US-China strategic competition in terms of military technology. Previous episodes with TP include: China's EV Market Dominance and the Challenges Facing Tesla — #48: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/chinas-ev-market-dominance-and-the-challenges-facing-tesla-48 Huawei and the US-China Chip War — #44: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/huawei-and-the-us-china-chip-war-44 Steve and TP discuss: (00:00) - Introduction (02:23) - Hypersonic weapons a...
Jan 11, 2024•1 hr 24 min
Louis-Vincent Gave of Gavekal discusses China's economic growth, its focus on education, and the global implications of its economic and political policies. https://research.gavekal.com/ Steve and Louis discuss: (00:00) - Early life - Gave as French infantry officer (14:42) - Founding Gavekal (23:50) - Understanding China economic growth (32:57) - China real estate market (42:48) - The impact of China’s economic growth (48:19) - Comparing the size of the Chinese and U.S. economies (01:07:09) - C...
Dec 14, 2023•1 hr 27 min
Charles Miller is co-founder and CEO of Lynk. He is a serial space entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in the space industry. Lynk - https://lynk.world/ Steve and Charles discuss: 0:00 Introduction and guest background 1:27 Miller's early passion for space 3:54 Evolution of commercial space 6:42 Impact of Elon Musk and SpaceX 8:01 The challenges of early stage startups 11:26 The birth of Lynk, its technical challenges, and breakthroughs 33:11 Use cases for satellite connectivity 35:20 The p...
Nov 30, 2023•1 hr 3 min
TP Huang is a computer scientist and analyst of global technology development. He posts often on X: https://twitter.com/tphuang . 0:00 Introduction 2:21 How TP Huang became interested in electric vehicles 6:30 The perception and reality of Chinese products, future of Chinese auto market 9:24 The impact of Tesla on the Chinese electric vehicle market 14:41 Buying a car in China 27:05 China dominates with electric vehicle batteries 30:44 The challenges facing Tesla in China 40:11 The evolution of ...
Nov 16, 2023•1 hr 23 min
Taylor Ogan is Chief Executive Officer of Snow Bull Capital, based in Shenzhen, China. Follow him on X @TaylorOgan . Steve and Taylor discuss: 0:00 Introduction 1:02 Taylor's background and why he moved his firm to China 20:43 China post-pandemic and economic dynamism 33:43 China dominance in electric vehicles; LIDAR 56:55 Investment research: factory and site visits 1:06:52 US-China competition - the future of innovation is in China Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream ...
Nov 02, 2023•1 hr 30 min
Bharat Karnad is an Emeritus Professor in National Security Studies at the Center for Policy Research in Delhi. He was a member of India's first National Security Advisory Board and has authored several books on nuclear weapons and Indian security. Karnad's blog: https://bharatkarnad.com/ Karnad on the death of Homi Bhabha and of other atomic weapons scientists: https://bharatkarnad.com/2020/12/06/kill-scientists-disrupt-n-weapons-programmes/ An excellent documentary film on the life of Indian t...
Oct 19, 2023•1 hr 43 min
Yasheng Huang is the Epoch Foundation Professor of Global Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His new book is The Rise and Fall of the EAST: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline. Steve and Yasheng discuss: 0:00 Introduction 1:11 From Beijing to Harvard in the 1980s 15:29 Civil service exams and Huang's new book, "The Rise and Fall of the EAST" 37:14 Two goals: Developing human capital and indoctr...
Oct 05, 2023•1 hr 32 min
TP Huang is a computer scientist and analyst of global technology development. He posts often on X: https://twitter.com/tphuang . Steve and TP discuss: 0:00 Introduction: TP Huang and semiconductor technology 5:40 Huawei’s new phone and SoC 23:19 SMIC 7nm chip production in China: Yield and economics 28:21 Impact on Qualcomm 36:08 U.S. sanctions solved the coordination problem for China semiconductor companies 42:48 5G modem and RF chips: impact on Qualcomm, Broadcom, Apple, etc. 47:14 5G and Hu...
Sep 21, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Steve discusses 10 key graphs related to meritocracy and university admissions. Predictive power of SATs and other factors in elite admissions decisions. College learning outcomes - what do students learn? The four paths to elite college admission. Laundering prestige at the Ivies. Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1n-nwoeKe_DcA5tJxTwqTeZBEY7nObxkujKLxVfAzRAY/edit?usp=sharing CLA and College Learning outcomes: https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2015/01/measuring-college-learning-outcomes...
Sep 07, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Aella is a sex worker, sex researcher, and data scientist. Aella on X: https://twitter.com/Aella_Girl Interviews with ex-prostitutes on the pimp life (Las Vegas) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAlXdyjmWUo&ab_channel=PeterSantenello An earlier Aella interview with Reason: https://reason.com/podcast/2022/04/27/aella-libertarian-sex-worker-turned-data-scientist/ Steve and Aella discuss: (00:00) - Introduction (01:22) - Aella's background and upbringing (12:45) - Aella's experiences as a sex wo...
Aug 24, 2023•1 hr 39 min
Tim Dettmers develops computationally efficient methods for deep learning. He is a leader in quantization: coarse graining of large neural networks to increase speed and reduce hardware requirements. Tim developed 4-and 8-bit quantizations enabling training and inference with large language models on affordable GPUs and CPUs - i.e., as commonly found in home gaming rigs. Tim and Steve discuss: Tim's background and current research program, large language models, quantization and performance, dem...
Aug 10, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Paul Huang is a journalist and research fellow with the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation. He is currently based in Taipei, Taiwan. Sample articles: Taiwan’s Military Has Flashy American Weapons but No Ammo (in Foreign Policy): https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/08/20/taiwan-military-flashy-american-weapons-no-ammo/ Taiwan’s Military Is a Hollow Shell (Foreign Policy): https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/02/15/china-threat-invasion-conscription-taiwans-military-is-a-hollow-shell/ Steve and Paul discuss: 0...
Jul 27, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Steve Hsu, Richard Hanania, and Rob Henderson were scheduled for a June 2023 panel as part of the University of Austin (UATX) Forbidden Courses series. Steve missed the panel due to travel issues, but the three have gathered on this podcast to recreate the fun! They discuss: 0:00 Introduction 1:20 The University of Austin and forbidden courses 17:37 Will woke campus culture change anytime soon? 29:57 Common people vs elites on affirmative action 35:42 Why it’s uncomfortable to disagree about aff...
Jul 13, 2023•1 hr 34 min
Richard Sander is Jesse Dukeminier Professor at UCLA Law School. AB Harvard, JD, PhD (Economics) Northwestern. Steve and Richard discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling in Students For Fair Admissions vs Harvard and UNC. Sander has studied the structure and effects of law school admissions policies. He coined the term "Mismatch" to describe negative consequences resulting from large admissions preferences. 0:00 Introduction 1:09 Richard Sander’s initial reaction to the Supreme Court ruling 4:03 ...
Jul 01, 2023•48 min
In this episode, Steve talks to three AI engineers from his startup SuperFocus.AI. 0:00 Introduction 1:06 The Google memo and open-source AI 14:41 Sparsification and the size of models: AI on your phone? 30:16 When will AI take over ordinary decision-making from humans? 34:50 Rapid advances in AI: a view from inside 41:28 AI Doomers and Alignment Links to earlier episodes on AI and LLMs. Artificial Intelligence & Large Language Models: Oxford Lecture — #35: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes...
Jun 08, 2023•1 hr 5 min
David Paul Goldman is an American economic strategist and author, best known for his series of online essays in the Asia Times under the pseudonym Spengler with the first column published January 1, 2000. Steve and David discuss: 0:00 Introduction 2:22 David’s background in music, finance, and Asia 16:55 Looking back at the financial crisis 23:04 Rise of the Chinese economy 29:44 How Huawei’s strength is tied to China’s economic power 36:49 Competition in the global electric vehicles market 38:0...
May 25, 2023•1 hr 16 min
This week's episode is based on a lecture Steve gave to an audience of theoretical physicists at Oxford University. The topic is artificial intelligence and large language models. Lecture slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xiMeeRMVpB-_W66BnyRyUAtrLlUwQNlndqbVcguKK8U/edit?usp=sharing Chapter markers: 0:00 Introduction 2:31 Deep Learning and Neural Networks; history and mathematical results 21:15 Embedding space, word vectors 31:53 Next word prediction as objective function 34:08 Atte...
May 11, 2023•1 hr 25 min
In collaboration with her husband Malcolm Collins, Simone is an author (The Pragmatist's Guide to Life, Relationships, Sexuality, Governance, and Crafting Religion), education reform advocate ( CollinsInstitute.org ), pronatalism activist ( Pronatalist.org ), and business operator ( Travelmax.com ). Note: the YouTube version of this interview includes video of Steve and Simone. Steve and Simone discuss: 0:00 Introduction 1:49 Simone's IVF journey, and embryo screening 40:02 Dating; girl autists ...
Apr 27, 2023•1 hr 30 min
Katherine Dee is a writer, journalist, and internet historian. Steve and Katherine discuss: 0:00 Introduction 1:15 Katherine’s early life and background 21:52 Mass shootings, Manifestos, Nihilism, and Incels 59:35 Trad values, Sex negativity vs Porn and Fleshlights 1:28:54 Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter 1:33:00 TikTok 1:41:41 Adderall 1:44:07 AI/GPT impact on writers and journos 1:49:30 Gen-X generation gap: are the kids alright? References: Katherine’s Substack: https://defaultfriend.substack.co...
Apr 13, 2023•1 hr 56 min
Marc Martinez is the director of Dream Big, a documentary about Gold's Gym and the golden age of bodybuilding in Venice and Santa Monica in the 1970s. Steve and Marc discuss: (01:34) - Marc's background in bodybuilding (05:36) - Reflections on bodybuilding in Southern California (26:03) - Setting the record straight on steroid use (33:52) - Frank Zane (38:33) - Robby Robinson (40:32) - Butler, Gaines, and Arnold (42:46) - "Dream Big" (48:18) - Pumping Iron (59:44) - Hypersexuality in bodybuildin...
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Gilles Saint-Paul is Professeur à l'Ecole Normale Supérieure. He is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique in Engineering and received his PhD from MIT in Economics. Gilles and Steve discuss the French elite education system, the Yellow Vest movement, French politics and populism, and Saint-Paul’s paper on marriage markets and hypergamy. 0:00 Introduction 1:43 Gilles Saint-Paul's background and education 6:31 French and American higher elite education 14:44 The Yellow Vests 41:46 Mating and Hypergamy...
Mar 02, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Steve discusses the competition between Microsoft and Google, the competition between the U.S. and China in STEM, China’s new IVF policy, and a Science Magazine survey on polygenic screening of embryos. 00:00 Introduction 02:37 Bing vs Bard: LLMs and hallucination 20:52 China demographics & STEM 34:29 China IVF 40:28 Survey on embryo screening in Science References: Bing vs Bard and Hallucination https://twitter.com/hsu_steve/status/1625222378383876119 China demographics and STEM https://twi...
Feb 16, 2023•50 min
Steve discusses Large Language Model AIs such as ChatGPT. 0:00 How do LLMs work? 10:22 Impact of ChatGPT 15:21 AI landscape 24:13 Hallucination and Focus 33:09 Applications 39:29 Future Landscape References: Manifold interview with John Schulman of OpenAI: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/john-schulman-openai-and-recent-advances-in-artificial-intelligence-16 Blog posts on word vectors and approximately linear vector space of concepts used by the human mind: https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2017/0...
Feb 02, 2023•42 min
Dominic Cummings is a major historical figure in UK politics. He helped save the Pound Sterling, led the Vote Leave campaign, Got Brexit Done, and guided the Tories to a landslide general election victory. His time in No. 10 Downing Street as Boris Johnson's Chief Advisor was one of the most interesting and impactful periods in modern UK political history. Dom and Steve discuss all of this and more in this 2-hour episode. Steve and Dominic discuss: 0:00 Early Life: Oxford, Russia, entering polit...
Jan 19, 2023•2 hr 7 min
Sahil Lavingia founded Gumroad at the age of 19 and built it into a leading digital commerce platform. He is the author of The Minimalist Entrepreneur and an investor in early-stage startups. Steve and Sahil discuss: 0:00 Sahil's upbringing and start as an entrepreneur 9:35 Tech founder at 19 and VC investment from Kleiner-Perkins 24:15 Backstory of Gumroad 30:30 Crowdfunding Gumroad 37:09 Experiments with OpenAI LLM, ChatGPT, and the promise of AI References: Sahil's web page https://sahillavin...
Jan 05, 2023•1 hr
Geoffrey Miller is an American evolutionary psychologist, author, and a professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico. He is known for his research on sexual selection in human evolution. For reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Miller_%28psychologist%29 Steve and Geoffrey discuss: 0:00 Geoffrey Miller's background, childhood, and how he became interested in psychology 14:44 How evolutionary psychology is perceived and where the field is going 38:23 The value of higher edu...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 42 min
Anna I. Krylov (Russian: Анна Игоревна Крылова) is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Southern California (USC), working in the field of theoretical and computational quantum chemistry. Krylov is an outspoken advocate of freedom of speech and academic freedom. She is a founding member of the Academic Freedom Alliance and a member of its academic leadership committee. Her paper, The Peril of Politicizing Science, launched a national conversation among scientists and the general public ...
Dec 01, 2022•1 hr
Abdel Abdellaoui is Assistant Professor of Genetics in the Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam. Abdel Abdellaoui is a geneticist who has been involved in a wide range of studies on psychiatric genetics, behavioral genetics, and population genetics. He is particularly interested in how collective behaviors, such as migration and mate choice, influence the genetic makeup of populations and the relationship between genetic risk factors and environmental exposures. Steve...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Richard Sander is Jesse Dukeminier Professor at UCLA Law School. AB Harvard, JD, PhD (Economics) Northwestern. Sander has studied the structure and effects of law school admissions policies. He coined the term "Mismatch" to describe the negative consequences resulting from large admissions preferences. Rick and Steve discuss recent oral arguments at the Supreme Court in Students for Fair Admissions vs Harvard College and Students For Fair Admissions vs the University of North Carolina. 0:00 Rick...
Nov 03, 2022•59 min
