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Jan. 12, 2024

E41: Steve Hsu on the Future of Everything

E41: Steve Hsu on the Future of Everything

In this episode of Upstream, Erik sits down with theoretical physicist and startup founder Steve Hsu. They discuss political polarization in academia, the fertility crisis, AI, and more.

In this episode of Upstream, Erik sits down with theoretical physicist and startup founder Steve Hsu. They discuss political polarization in academia, the fertility crisis, AI, and more. Make informed decision for high impact donations with GiveWell, which is offering Upstream listeners donation matching up to $100. To claim your match, go to https://www.givewell.org ➡️ pick “Podcast” and enter "Upstream with Erik Torenberg" at checkout.

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SPONSORS: Shopify | GiveWell

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GiveWell: https://www.givewell.org/

Have you ever wondered where your donation could have the most impact? GiveWell has now spent over 15 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found in global health and poverty alleviation. Make informed decisions about high-impact giving. If you’ve never donated through GiveWell before, you can have your donation matched up to $100 before the end of the year, or as long as matching funds last. To claim your match, go to https://www.givewell.org/ and pick “Podcast” and enter "Upstream with Erik Torenberg" at checkout.

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LINKS

Superfocus: https://superfocus.ai/

Othram: https://othram.com/index.html

Manifold: https://www.manifold1.com/

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X / TWITTER:

@hsu_steve (Steve)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@upstream__pod

@turpentinemedia

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro

02:21 Political polarization in academia

05:47 The decline of meritocracy in academia

10:00 Why can't academia change?

13:27 Truth-seeking in startups

20:36 Sponsors | Shopify | Givewell

23:36 The fertility crisis

32:11 AI and labor

41:06 What industries are safe from AI automation?

44:05 AI Safety vs accelerationism

47:51 Understanding the rise of China

58:46 The future of the US/China relationship

01:00:41 How does Steve allocate his time?

01:04:41 Steve's suggestions for underexplored opportunities

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Upstream is a production from Turpentine

Producer: Sam Kaufman

Editor: Michelle Poreh

For guest or sponsorship inquiries please contact Sam@turpentine.co