Episode description

Venkatesh Rao is a writer, consultant, and author. He has been writing about indie consulting for years and has recently published The Art of Gig, Volumes 1 & 2, which together take an in-depth look at the gig economy.

Venkatesh joins the show to discuss tragic luck, becoming slightly nonsensical, the advantages of mediocrity, and a whole lot more!

Important Links:

• Venkatesh's Website
  
• Venkatesh's Blog
  
• Venkatesh's Substack
  
• Venkatesh's Twitter
  
• The Art of Gig
  
• The Art of Gig: our synthesis
  
• The Gervais Principle
  

Show Notes:

• Origins of The Art of Gig
  
• Paycheck People
  
• Learning how to take risks
  
• Is there a risk-taking gene?
  
• The case for fixed-point futurism
  
• Finding meaning
  
• Personality types, narrative, and becoming a courageous thinker
  
• Don’t get tragically lucky
  
• Generational agency
  
• Sparring, pressure and meaning-making
  
• Be slightly nonsensical
  
• Teaching others to appreciate randomness
  
• Towards infinite games; be mediocre
  
• Understanding divergentism
  
• MUCH more!
  

Books Mentioned:

• The Art of Gig: Volumes 1 & 2; by Venkatesh Rao
  
• The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich; by Tim Feriss
  
• Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself; by Daniel H. Pink
  
• The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story For Work and Life; by Paul Millerd
  
• Tempo: timing, tactics and strategy in narrative-driven decision-making; by Venkatesh Rao
  
• The Redemptive Self: Stories Americans Live By; by Dan P. McAdams
  
• Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life As Play and Possibility; by James Carse
  
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity; by David Allen