This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Barry’s new novel, ‘The System’ 2:33 CIA lessons & seeing like a Martian 7:17 Fiction, empathy, and geopolitics 9:55 No cartoon villains 10:58 How power really works in DC 15:25 Feinstein vs. Brennan: the 'sit down' 18:32 Why we excuse ourselves 20:05 Jobs, jets & hidden threats 21:28 The problem with the House 26:15 Valeria’s dilemma: bend or break 30:10 How power corrupts 37:35 Humiliation and geopolitic...
Jun 28, 2025•47 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The dueling Sam Altman biographies 4:36 Who is the real Sam Altman? 16:06 OpenAI’s origin—did Sam scam Elon? 20:50 Why the OpenAI board coup failed 35:27 Good and bad critiques of OpenAI 47:14 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Timothy B. Lee (Full Stack Economics, Understanding AI, AI Summer). Recorded June 16, 2025. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NonzeroPods...
Jun 26, 2025•49 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Courtney’s and Alex’s Always at War podcast 2:54 Have restrainers given up on Trump? 11:10 The legacies of Hamilton Jordan 16:31 Courtney: Money drives war 25:40 Palantir cashes in 32:45 Alex: Blame American exceptionalism first Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Alex Jordan (The Quincy Institute, Always at War), and Courtney Rawlings (The Quincy Institute, Always at War). Recorde...
Jun 24, 2025•46 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 1:27 - Washington 2:08 - Silicon Valley 2:47 - China 3:31 - Africa 4:10 - Europe 5:01 Bob joins to discuss the Israel-Iran war 08:51 Has Trump had a change of heart? 13:44 The Pandora's Box of a US attack 18:21 Connor makes the pro-bombing-Iran argument 22:09 Bob: A diplomatic solution would have been 'trivially easy' 28:09 Trump's missed opportunity for a win 32:11 Where Israeli and American interests d...
Jun 21, 2025•1 hr 6 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 The time Alex blocked everyone's view of Jennifer Aniston 4:40 How Alex acquired the Bibi interrogation tapes 9:00 What the Bibi Files suggest about the Gaza war 11:58 Bibi's bribes 16:40 Bibi-Trump parallels 27:03 Barriers to getting the movie distributed (and where to watch it) 42:10 Heading to Overtime (and Bob’s and Alex's unfinished film) Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and...
Jun 17, 2025•46 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 1:22 - Israel-Iran 2:14 - Sanctions 2:57 - NATO 3:35 - Revolving doors 4:22 - US-China trade war 5:34 How China views the Israel-Iran crisis 10:17 Why the Iran attacks undermine US-China talks 11:32 How the US and China reached the brink of all-out trade war 19:21 China's not-so-secret weapon in trade talks 22:36 Why China won't back down 29:06 Trump vs. his advisers 35:00 Structural obstacles to US-Chin...
Jun 14, 2025•49 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The Trump-Musk blowup, reconciliation, and fallout 21:10 Trump vs Elon: a psycho-analysis 26:43 Where do Trump and Elon go from here? 30:42 Remembering Brian Wilson and Sly Stone 39:48 Will AI turn us all into narcissists? 46:31 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against ...
Jun 13, 2025•50 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Steven’s years at OpenAI 2:23 An insider's view of the AI boom 11:59 The real meaning of “Feel the AGI” 16:45 AI safety’s rationalist kernel 24:39 What’s really driving the AI arms race(s)? 29:55 Is stifling China’s AI development smart? 44:31 Dario Amodei’s geopolitical naivete 56:34 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Steven Adler (https://stevenadler.subst...
Jun 10, 2025•58 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 4:42 Jennifer: Why Trump should walk away from Ukraine 9:50 Can Ukraine survive without US support? 12:50 Why a comprehensive peace deal is unlikely 17:20 The perils of US mediation 19:25 Are the peace talks making progress? 21:20 How grinding wars end 26:37 Understanding Russia's battlefield advantage 33:04 Ukraine's shrinking army 35:02 Striking Russian bombers: morale boost vs. nuclear risk Recorded J...
Jun 07, 2025•44 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 A sublime Nonzero-TAC crossover event 3:07 Some bad MSM reporting on US-Iran negotiations 20:37 Would Kamala have been better than Trump on Gaza? 34:03 Is a two-state solution conceivable? 38:43 Buchananite conservatives on China 46:30 China, AI, and Covid-19 51:28 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Curt Mills (The American Conservative), Andrew Day (The Americ...
Jun 06, 2025•55 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The scope of Trump's assault on Harvard 8:17 What Trump demanded from Harvard 11:25 What makes certain universities vulnerable 15:35 Ideology and “viewpoint diversity” at Harvard 22:40 Trump’s attacks on media and cultural institutions 27:56 The costs of lost research 33:25 How woke was Harvard? 37:19 Antisemitism and philosemitism at Harvard 47:11 Steve's new FP piece on the importance of global rules (Heading to...
Jun 04, 2025•50 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 4:57 Trump's sanctions dilemma: Migration crackdown vs. regime change 6:23 How sanctions helped trigger Venezuela’s economic collapse 9:58 The power of 'secondary sanctions' 14:17 How sanctions drove inflation, hunger, and state failure 19:11 From Venezuela to the US: Understanding the migrant wave 21:03 Inside the Trump split: Rubio’s hardline vs. Grenell’s dealmaking 33:16 Francisco: The US needs to be...
May 31, 2025•48 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Paul aces Bob’s worthwhile Canadian pop-quiz 5:48 Trump’s corruption: Illegal or just unprecedentedly gross? 10:49 Elon bows out 16:40 Trump’s crusade against elite colleges continues 24:41 Is JD Vance more dangerous than Trump? 31:52 Are AI doomers walking their talk? 40:44 Trump makes Canada a golden offer 45:53 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloo...
May 30, 2025•48 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Why Max helped organize the 2023 “Pause AI” letter 7:12 AI as a species not a technology 12:32 The rate of AI progress since 2023 21:44 Loss of control is the biggest risk 32:42 How to get the NatSec community’s attention 36:12 How we could lose control 38:17 He we stay in control 47:30 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Max Tegmark (MIT, Future of Life Inst...
May 27, 2025•49 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 4:29 Bob joins to talk foreign policy 5:52 The DC shootings and the war in Gaza 12:12 Israel's growing isolation 24:23 Are we headed toward an arms race in space? 33:56 An end to the era of arms control? 35:34 Programming update and transition to Overtime Recorded May 23, 2025. Read this week's edition of the Earthling: https://www.nonzero.org/p/the-ai-doctor-will-see-you-now https://twitter.com/NonzeroN...
May 24, 2025•41 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 How significant are the Middle East data center deals? 12:27 Why did AI safety hawks quit talking about international cooperation? 19:02 Why build data centers in the Middle East? 27:44 Microchips and security risks 31:10 The unexamined assumptions of Sinophobia 42:24 What ever happened to peace, love, and understanding? 48:10 AI Czar David Sacks takes on his critics 51:35 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzer...
May 20, 2025•52 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 5:25 Why the PKK's disbanding should be the biggest news of the week 10:22 How did Turkey get the PKK to lay down arms? 13:47 A breakthrough for Turkey-Iraq relations 20:35 How Syrian Kurds are trying to make nice with Damascus 27:09 The end of US sanctions on Syria 34:29 Rebuilding a shattered state 37:42 Turkey and Israel: Syria caught in the middle Recorded May 16, 2025. Read this week's edition of th...
May 17, 2025•42 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Is Kanye’s new song really pro-Hitler? 12:31 How free should free speech be? 16:49 Substack economics 23:59 Welcome to Sam Altman’s orb 30:25 Can higher education survive AI? 41:19 Did Carney tame Trump? 44:35 Good and bad signs from Trump 2.0 49:11 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The...
May 16, 2025•53 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The week's major international stories 3:22 Trump's approach to everything 9:04 The Houthi deal 11:47 Trump's Middle East trip and Gaza 15:50 India-Pakistan conflict 20:22 Media coverage of Trump 2.0 24:10 Trump’s biggest Jan 6 transgression 30:39 Is the Republic at stake? 31:44 Heading into overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True), Derek Davison (Foreign Exchanges, American Pre...
May 14, 2025•32 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 6:32 Is Trump breaking with Israel? 12:16 Making sense of the US-Houthi ceasefire 16:20 Will the US give Saudi Arabia nuclear power? 23:00 Reading the tea leaves on US-Iran talks 27:19 Would Trump really go to war with Iran? 29:28 Are restrainers gaining ground in the Trump administration? 35:56 How Israel could undermine US-Iran talks Recorded May 9, 2025. Read this week's edition of the Earthling: http...
May 10, 2025•41 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Holly’s newsletter and her work with PauseAI 3:45 The state of AI safety 10:54 Why Holly started PauseAI US 14:55 Is AI acceleration… accelerating? 23:47 What rationalists got wrong about the singularity 29:43 Mechanize Inc. and the danger of AI safety sellouts 40:10 Holly: Here’s why AI should alarm you 48:25 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Holly Elmore ...
May 08, 2025•52 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Which think tanks are anti-Blob? 2:36 What's the real goal of Bibi’s new Gaza “operation”? 7:22 Why can’t (or won’t) the US rein in Israel? 14:51 Who’s undermined the ‘rules-based order’ more—Biden or Trump? 20:35 In search of anti-Blob Dems for 2028 23:46 How neoliberalism seeded Trump’s tariff chaos 29:36 AI, DC, and the x-risk of China-hawkism 41:30 Matt on what most miss about foreign policy 48:38 Heading to O...
May 06, 2025•51 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:30 Headlines 5:10 Bob joins to discuss Trump's first 100 days 6:50 What the Waltz firing means for Trump's foreign policy 12:27 Has Rubio really dropped his hawkish proclivities? 15:50 Trump's jungle rulebook 21:57 Is Trump putting the US on track for war with China? 25:58 Middle East fires: Yemen, Syria, Iran 37:40 Trump's about-face on Gaza 40:03 Gen Z and the Trump Effect Recorded May 2, 2025. Read this week's edi...
May 03, 2025•45 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 The state of play in Russia-Ukraine 4:02 Anatol: Here’s how the war could end 12:35 Which side wants peace more? 20:18 Why hasn’t Trump used his leverage? 24:37 Anatol’s plan for peace 32:47 What Russia-Ukraine reveals about the military-industrial complex 39:48 What Trump's military purges reveal about his presidency 43:21 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and...
Apr 30, 2025•45 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:15 The new NonZero World 1:24 Headlines 4:39 Stories of the week 17:22 Michael Brendan Dougherty on Pope Francis' foreign policy legacy 18:58 Michael: The pope should be a voice for peace 23:47 A European church no more 27:24 Michael: The Vatican went too far in deal with China 37:10 How the Holy See helped Obama reach out to Cuba 44:40 The pope's moral clarity on Gaza 48:47 A restrainer in the Vatican? Recorded Apri...
Apr 26, 2025•52 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Trump and Elon’s bad week = good news for Bob… 6:01 …but bad news for Canada's prime minister? 18:23 Trump’s crackdown on speech expands 29:28 Debating embryo-screening ethics 42:24 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Paul Bloom (https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net, University of Toronto, The Sweet Spot, Against Empathy). Recorded April 24, 2025. Twitter: htt...
Apr 24, 2025•47 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Pratap’s bona fides 3:40 How Pratap ran afoul of Modi (and the price he paid) 13:17 Trump vs Modi: compare and contrast 24:14 India’s birth as a multi-ethnic state 38:09 Pratap on how we got Trump (and Modi) 48:45 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Pratap Bhanu Mehta (Indian Express, Princeton University, The Burden of Democracy). Recorded April 22, 2025. Tw...
Apr 23, 2025•53 min
Audio of the livestream titled “KOSMOPOLITIKA#2: Where Do We Belong?”—the latest installment in an ongoing (and evolving) collaboration between Nonzero and Psychopolitica . INTRODUCTIONS :4:14 Nikita: Leaving Russia. The psychedelic lineage. Humanity is a trip, not a species21:59 16 years ago, Boris took such a good nap after visiting a sacred Ancient Greek site that he still thinks about it 25:25 In The Dark Places of Wisdom: mystical practices at the root of Western civilization 26:57 What mak...
Apr 21, 2025•2 hr 2 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Ron violates retirement dress code 2:25 Trump’s “antisemitism crackdown" 14:28 Is the Israel lobby bad for American Jews? 21:53 The disturbing Tufts detention case 28:59 Why don’t more progressive Jews call out the Israel lobby? 34:24 How bad journalism makes antisemitism worse 45:53 Heading to Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Ron Kampeas (https://ronkampeas.substack...
Apr 18, 2025•49 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.nonzero.org 0:28 Sam's theory of (some of) Trump's tariffs 18:09 The bad scenario and the less bad scenario 22:58 Scott Bessent's radicalism 25:58 Will Trump display the art of the deal? 28:57 China's trade-war strengths 31:48 An intentional end to American hegemony? 36:10 Sam’s defense of chip restrictions 40:28 Heading into Overtime Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Samuel Hammond (Foundatio...
Apr 15, 2025•43 min
