Erik is joined on this episode by Paul Bohm (@paulsbohm), investor and entrepreneur. They tackle a variety of topics on this wide-ranging episode, including: - How Paul became fascinated with self-perpetuating systems. - Why the European startup scene is problematic, why he is short Silicon Valley, and the idea of importing law from one jurisdiction to another (as companies do with Delaware C Corp designation). - The idea of narrative bias, what a “zombie field” is, and the rule of “Occam’s Biki...
Oct 06, 2019•1 hr 8 min
Erik is joined by John Vervaeke (@vervaeke_john), a psychology and cognitive science professor at the University of Toronto. They discuss: - How John has been working on bridging the gap between cognitive science and spirituality. - Why he says that we need to “awaken” from the meaning crisis, not “solve” it. - What he wants people building virtual reality and social media platforms to know. - Why he says that people these days don’t value democracy the way people did in the past. - The biggest ...
Oct 03, 2019•1 hr 55 min
Erik is joined by Charles Eisenstein (@ceisenstein) on this episode. He is the author of Climate: A New Story and The Ascent of Humanity, among others. They discuss: - The main thread that runs throughout Charles’s works. - Why technological utopias and the age of leisure have been widely predicted but have never actually come about. - How humanity shaping its environment has caused problems for humans, and why trying harder and harder to solve those problems has perpetuated them. - Why the happ...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 46 min
Erik is joined on this episode by Bonnitta Roy (@bonnittaroy), philosopher, author, organizational consultant, and insight guide. They discuss: - The new way of looking at the world that she advocates for. - Why she says that scientific thinking does not serve humanity well in all situations. - Why people take approaches to problems that result in increasingly complex systems over time. - The limitations of systems thinking and determinism. - Insights from cognitive neuroscience about how the bo...
Sep 29, 2019•1 hr 59 min
Joining Erik on this episode are Laura Deming (@laurademing), creator of Longevity Fund, and Will Eden (@williamaeden), entrepreneur in residence with Errik Anderson at Ulysses and formerly of Thiel Capital. They talk about: - The history of biotech and the big trends and companies in the space over the past several decades. - The breakdown of the different areas within biotech. - The new business model in biotech that’s been driven by VCs. - How the public market in biotech companies is impacti...
Sep 26, 2019•1 hr 22 min
Jordan Hall (@jgreenhall) joins Erik on this episode. He is founder of Neurohacker Collective and an influential thinker about Game B. In this episode they discuss: - His frustrations with Silicon Valley and what he wishes entrepreneurs understood better about the system in which they are working. - Why he thinks Steve Jobs’ talents could have been put to better use. - The relation of software eating the world to topics around Game B. - His explanation of the difference between something with a ...
Sep 24, 2019•1 hr 23 min
Jim Rutt (@jim_rutt) joins Erik on this episode. He is an entrepreneur, technologist, research fellow, and host of The Jim Rutt Show. Note that this episode contains adult language and may not be suitable for listening in all situations. They discuss: - The change in the ethos of business over the last several decades, and why it’s now the case in Jim’s opinion that “honesty and good faith is a sucker strategy.” - Why Jim is no longer an Ayn Randian. - How to change politics and society via the ...
Sep 22, 2019•1 hr 52 min
Erik is joined on this episode by JD Ross (@justindross) and Sean Linehan (@seanlinehan). JD is co-founder of Opendoor and Sean is co-founder of Placement and former VP of Product at Flexport. They discuss: - What Sean is doing with Placement and his personal story for where the idea came from. - How they “navigated the idea maze” and what they learned from the ideating they did. - What has led to the rise of the ISA and their thoughts on the space. - How they think about working in spaces that ...
Sep 19, 2019•1 hr 29 min
Andrew Kortina (@kortina) joins Erik on this episode. He is the co-founder of Venmo and Fin. They talk about: - How he became interested in the US tax code and what changes he might like to see made to it. - The insights from his examination of how the US government spends its money. - Capitalism, inequality, and how to ensure everyone can live a life with dignity. - Status signalling through consumption and how to fix the inefficiency of conveying information through goods. - Tribalism as a pre...
Sep 17, 2019•1 hr 27 min
Zachary Stein (zakstein.org) joins Erik on this episode. He is a writer, educator, and futurist. They discuss: - Why he says that all institutions are fundamentally educational institutions. - The crises that humankind is facing and how to make our way through them. - The new educational paradigms he foresees. - What it means to be psychologically sovereign. - The history of measurement and the fact that prior to a few hundred years ago, no one knew how old they actually were. - How to resolve t...
Sep 15, 2019•1 hr 44 min
Erik is joined on this episode by Bryan Caplan (@bryan_caplan), economist and author. They have a wide-ranging discussion on a number of different topics. They discuss: - The case for open borders and the underappreciated benefits of immigration. - His responses to some of the common arguments against increased immigration. - Why he thinks that universal basic income is a “terrible idea.” - His thoughts on the charter cities movement. - His most impactful (and controversial) policy recommendatio...
Sep 12, 2019•1 hr 41 min
Taylor Pearson (@TaylorPearsonMe), joins Erik on this episode. He is an author, entrepreneur, and investor. On this episode they talk about: - The basics of the thesis that markets are eating the world and how Taylor became interested in the idea. - The implications of markets becoming more prevalent in every aspect of life. - How smart contracts and the blockchain enable markets to eat the world. - How closely related the idea that software is eating the world is to the idea that markets are. -...
Sep 10, 2019•1 hr 11 min
Samo Burja (@SamoBurja), founder of Bismarck Analysis, joins Erik for this episode. You can find him on Medium at medium.com/@samo.burja. They talk about: - Whether capitalism and democracy are incompatible and what the future holds for democracy. - Why economists need to look inside companies to learn from their cultures, not just at the relations between companies. - Why the grey hoody is as much a worker’s uniform as the suit of the 1950s was. - The coming merger of east and west coast media ...
Sep 08, 2019•1 hr 13 min
Erik is joined by Tiago Forte (@fortelabs), creator of Building a Second Brain, founder of Forte Labs, and writer at Praxis. They talk about: - Why productivity is not an end in and of itself. - Why content creation (not just consumption) is integral to your career. - How to better deal with the 11 hours of media a day that the average person consumes. - Why the “average human life is now too complex to be managed by the average human brain.” - Why hyperfocus and intense productivity are symptom...
Sep 05, 2019•1 hr 16 min
This is a special live episode that was recorded at Village HQ in San Francisco on June 14 2018. It originally aired on July 4 2018. The event was put on in partnership with Xoogler, a network of former Googlers who have come together to help each other with their startup ambitions. Village Global co-founder Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) chatted with Jo Varshney (@jo_getter), founder and CEO of VeriSIM Life and Kiran Bellubbi (@smalldozes), founder of Keyo, about their experience with the Vill...
Sep 03, 2019•1 hr 3 min
Erik interviews Elliot Olds (@elliot_olds) on this episode. He is a thinker on AI, crypto, economics and prediction markets. (Remember — applications for the winter vintage of our network catalyst accelerator are due September 20 — make sure to apply before then. Check out more info below.) They talk about: - The merits of prediction markets, and why they can be thought of as a “meta solution” akin to a generalized AI - The technical and political hurdles that prediction markets face - The most ...
Sep 02, 2019•1 hr 9 min
We apologize for the audio quality of this episode — we had technical difficulties during recording. Remember: applications for the winter vintage of our network catalyst accelerator are due September 20 — make sure to apply before then. Check out more info below. Erik is joined on this episode by Dr. Cameron Sepah (@drsepah), founder, investor, entrepreneur, and a clinical psychologist. They talk about: - Why founders have to be “chief psychologists” (as popularized by Mark Suster) - Which fram...
Aug 31, 2019•1 hr 43 min
Erik is joined on this episode by Richard Craib (@richardcraib), founder of Numerai and Erasure, and Riva-Melissa Tez (@rivatez), part of strategy at Intel. They discuss: - What Richard is working on at Numerai, a hedge fund that gives away its (anonymized) data for free. - The Erasure protocol and the value of information marketplaces. - Whether prediction markets for stocks can work. - Whether the Numerai model could work with other types of data, for example, in healthcare. - Whether the qual...
Aug 29, 2019•44 min
Remember: applications for the winter vintage of our network catalyst accelerator are due September 20 — make sure to apply before then. Check out more info below. Venkat Rao (@vgr), joins Erik on this episode. He writes at Ribbonfarm, Breaking Smart, and The Art of Gig. They talk about: - Why the ambient humour level fluctuates in a society and the “seriousness bubble” in Silicon Valley before 2016. - Mediocrity and its merits. - Hannah Arendt, humans as social creatures, and why “to be whole i...
Aug 27, 2019•2 hr 1 min
Erik is joined by David Gornoski on this episode. He is an entrepreneur, speaker, and writer. They talk about: - How David came to be interested in René Girard’s work. - The explanation for why human desires are usually borrowed from each other. - Mimesis and society’s role models. - How Christianity has influenced society. - The human fascination with conflict and drama. - What religion can teach us. - How Girardian philosophy applies to criminal justice, foreign policy, and government. Thanks ...
Aug 25, 2019•1 hr 19 min
Robert Cottrell (@robertcottrell), editor of The Browser, joins Erik on this episode. They talk about: - The two main errors that publications made in the shift to online after the advent of the web. - Why paywalls are not an effective model. - The bond that readers have with individual writers rather than publications, and how business models could change to accommodate that. - Why long form writing is the most under-appreciated form of art today. - Lessons to learn from his prolific reading ha...
Aug 22, 2019•1 hr 5 min
Jeff Morris Jr. (@jmj), Director of Product, Revenue at Tinder, and investor at Chapter One, joins Erik on this episode. We sincerely apologize for the audio quality of this episode. We had technical difficulties with the recording. They discuss: - Using tech to bridge online and offline experiences. - The idea of wellness as a status symbol. - What $10B companies may have emerged ten years from now. - The future of dating apps. - Why he’s excited about ISAs. - Why tech talent might need agents....
Aug 20, 2019•53 min
Erik is joined on this episode by PJ Kershaw (@pjkershawnz), early stage investor and crypto thinker. They discuss: - Why PJ says that the current model of companies with shareholders has “reached its zenith.” - How DAOs will change the world. - How public goods can be better delivered using new models. - Lessons from Singapore. - The future of venture capital in the age of crypto. - How VC fund structure will change. - Who the LPs will be in new forms of funds. - The difference between investin...
Aug 16, 2019•57 min
Erik is joined on this episode by Lawson Baker (@lwsnbaker), head of special projects at TokenSoft. He’s also working on a new company. They talk about: * Bitcoin as the future not just of finance, but also of work. * What the internet and the future of work looks like ten years out. * The “de-evolution of the firm” and how corporations will become less important in business. * Where Lawson would be investing if he was running a venture fund. * Why prediction markets are so exciting to Lawson. *...
Aug 16, 2019•42 min
Erik is joined on this episode by Brad Glisson (@GlissonBrad), co-founder and CEO of Quilt, formerly Thoughtblox. They discuss: - What social capital is, why it is important, and how it is distinctive from other forms of capital. - The studies around social capital and some of their insights. - How social capital impacts and intersects with reputation. - Whether a codified reputation system, like a “Yelp for people” would ever be feasible (or desirable). - What makes a great community. - What Br...
Aug 13, 2019•26 min
We are honored to have Anne Wojcicki (@annewoj23), co-founder and CEO of 23andMe, among our small group of luminary LPs whose financial capital and engagement power the next wave of Village Global founders. She joined us in Mountain View for an intimate fireside chat with the first Chief Data Scientist for the United States Office of Science and Technology Policy, DJ Patil (@dpatil). They discussed: - Why the US healthcare system is broken. - The state of direct-to-consumer healthcare. - Tailore...
Aug 11, 2019•52 min
Michael Dempsey (@mhdempsey), partner at Compound, joins Erik on this episode to talk through a wide array of sectors that he has delved into. (We apologize for the audio quality of this episode. We had technical difficulties during recording). They talk about: - The model and approach at Compound, including how writing definitive blog posts about a particular industry fits into their investing strategy. - The state of robotics today, including why he’s not as bullish on robots in warehouses as ...
Aug 08, 2019•1 hr 6 min
Erik is joined on this episode by Nicolas Colin, co-founder and director of The Family, and author of Hedge: A Greater Safety Net For The Entrepreneurial Age. They discuss: - Why in the future we can expect more social change from tech companies than from government. - The key functions of version 1.0 of the social safety net. - How to solve the problem that most jobs are located in cities, but cities are also mostly unaffordable. - Why the 21st century will be more like the 19th century than th...
Aug 06, 2019•2 hr 26 min
Erik is joined on this episode by Danielle Strachman (@DStrachman) and Mike Gibson (@William_Blake), co-founders and general partners at 1517 Fund. They also both worked extensively on the Thiel Fellowship. They discuss: - The story of the genesis of the Thiel Fellowship. - The lessons learned from running the Fellowship. - Their idiosyncratic paths to running a venture capital fund. - The signals they relied on to find the right applicants. - How to change how higher ed works in the US. - The l...
Aug 04, 2019•1 hr 5 min
Alex Tabarrok (@ATabarrok), economist and author, joins Erik on this episode for a wide-ranging discussion. They talk about: - The contributions of economics to society over the past several decades and the biggest challenges ahead for the field - What “the great forgetting” means in economics and why bad ideas from the past keep coming back - The arguments for open borders - Why Alex thinks we should focus on increasing the number of police as opposed to increasing punishment for offenders - Wh...
Aug 01, 2019•1 hr 57 min
