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"The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg

Investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future.  

The Riff is a part of the Turpentine podcast network.

Recent Episodes

Feb. 11, 2025

E63: OpenAI Deep Research, Elon’s Potential Hostile Takeover, and AI Agent Companies

This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg discuss the transformative impact of technological advancements, particularly OpenAI's research, Elon Musk’s $97 billion offer to acquire its controlling nonprofit, and the implicat…
Feb. 4, 2025

E62: Trump’s Tariffs, Open Source AI Models, and The Future of VR

This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg explore the impact of technological advancements on markets and businesses, covering topics like global trade tariffs, political populism, AI's evolving role, open-source vs. propri…
Jan. 28, 2025

E61: Markets React to DeepSeek, Threads vs X, and Stargate Announcement

This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg discuss the major disruptions in tech and business driven by AI advancements, examining reactions to DeepSeek's announcements, stock impacts on companies like Nvidia, volatility in …
Jan. 23, 2025

E60: Trump Coin, US Industrial Policy, and TikTok Ban

On this week's episode of The Riff, Erik Torenberg and Byrne Hobart explore the impact of technological change on markets, touching on meme investments, ESG, the rise of meme stocks and coins, Trump’s policies, China’s econo…
Jan. 18, 2025

E59: Zuck’s PR, The Loneliness Economy, and OpenAI Corporate Structure

This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg explore the historical paradigms from agrarian to industrial eras and potential future growth, while also addressing challenges in adopting new technologies like AI, institutional c…
Dec. 26, 2024

E58: How Jensen Huang Outpaces Tech Giants w/ Tae Kim, author of THE NVIDIA WAY

This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg is joined by Tae Kim, author of The NVIDIA Way, exploring NVIDIA's remarkable journey, culture, and what sets the company apart under Jensen Huang's leadership.