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June 23, 2023

E13: Kevin Kelly on Multiple Futures, AI, and Becoming Better Humans

This week our guest is Kevin Kelly, the founding executive editor of Wired magazine, technologist, and author. We go into Kevin’s predictions for AI, interspeciation, and how humans need to be having more children. We also talk about practical and unpretentious advice for succeeding, communicating, and being good members of…

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June 16, 2023

[Bonus] Palmer Luckey of Anduril Industries on China, DefenseTech, and U.S. Policy

Today, we have a special new show to share. The Hill & Valley is a podcast that offers an inside look into how tech and the US government are starting to move closer together and pave the future of American technological leadership and national security. The show is hosted by…

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June 9, 2023

Tim Urban thinks the rewards outweigh the risks of speaking up for your beliefs

Tim Urban talks to Erik Torenberg on E12 of @UpstreamwithErikTorenberg about why we all should voice our opinions publicly to protect liberalism. #shorts #podcast

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June 9, 2023

E12: Tim Urban on Liberalism, Heresy, and Equality

Erik Torenberg sits down with Tim Urban, writer of the popular blog Wait But Why, and author of the 2023 book What’s Our Problem? where he offers a framework for thinking about our chaotic political landscape. In this discussion, Erik and Tim discuss liberalism, why heresy is important, and the…

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June 2, 2023

E11: Katherine Boyle on Building Companies, Families, and Careers

Erik Torenberg sits down with Katherine Boyle, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz where she invests in companies that promote American dynamism. Erik and Katherine discuss the private sector versus the public sector, the American dream in conflict with the rise of therapeutic culture, and how to reinstill a love…

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May 28, 2023

E10: Sam Harris on populism, polarization, and his beef with the left and the right

Erik sits down with Sam Harris, an author, neuroscientist, podcaster, and philosopher. Sam is known for having crucial conversations about morality, religion, rationality, and the pursuit of truth. This discussion covers Sam’s concerns about populism, polarization, and inequality. We also discuss why Sam is hated by the left and the…

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May 26, 2023

[Bonus Episode] Moment of Zen w/ Mike Solana, Erik Torenberg and Dan Romero

We're excited to introduce Upstream listeners to Moment of Zen, a weekly podcast hosted by Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, Antonio Garcia Martinez, and additional guests (@MomentofZenPodcast ) This episode features special guest Mike Solana, Editor in Chief of Pirate Wires (https://www.piratewires.com/) in conversation with Erik and Dan. They cover the…

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May 19, 2023

E9: Benedict Evans on AI, Web3, VR and the Future of Tech

Erik sits down with independent analyst Benedict Evans for a wide-ranging discussion of predictions and frameworks spanning the vast realm of technology - where we’ve been, where we’re going, and what really matters. AI scout and podcast host Nathan Labenz (The Cognitive Revolution) joins for the last 20 minutes to…

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May 12, 2023

E8: Samo Burja on America's future, China, AI, and the new global order

Erik sits down with political scientist Samo Burja (@SamoBurja ) who founded Bismarck Analysis, a consulting firm that analyzes institutions (ranging from governments to companies). He is one of the most interesting and wide-ranging thinkers today. In this episode, they discuss the current state and future state of America, China,…

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May 5, 2023

E7: Andrew Yang on How He Would Cure American Politics

Andrew Yang is a former founder of Venture for America and former candidate for president of the United States. Yang is now focused on introducing a third party to our two-party political system. He sits down with Erik to talk about why politics is broken and how to fix it,…

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April 29, 2023

E6: Vivek Ramaswamy on running for president in 2024 and his message to Silicon Valley

Vivek Ramaswamy is a 2024 Republican presidential candidate who founded biotech company Roivant Sciences, now public. He has written books about what he sees as the excesses of woke capitalism and started an asset management firm called Strive, meant to be a right-wing competitor with BlackRock. With his presidential campaign,…

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April 21, 2023

E5: How Billionaire Joe Lonsdale Will Fix America

Joe Lonsdale is the founder of Palantir, 8VC, a number of other unicorns he’s incubated, and Cicero Policy Institute. In this episode we focus mostly on his policy, breaking down what are the real problems in healthcare, education, crime/police, homelessness and what are the solutions he recommends to fix them.…

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April 15, 2023

E4: David Sacks on his intellectual and political journey

David Sacks is known as a CEO/investor in multiple unicorns, and most recently a media mogul with All-In. In this episode, we trace David’s intellectual and political history from his days fighting student activism at Stanford to now. We cover the political and cultural changes in the last 30 years…

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April 7, 2023

E3: Ezra Klein on supply-side progressivism, polarization, + what SV misses about politics

Ezra Klein, journalist, political analyst, and podcaster, sits with Erik Torenberg to go deeper into the intellectual movement of supply-side progressivism and what Silicon Valley misses about politics. This conversation was recorded in early February 2023, but is even more relevant today. Check out the other podcasts we run: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY0OE_54Viqx_qtXuh-85VA…

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April 3, 2023

Balaji: The price of freedom is nuclear war | Upstream with Erik Torenberg

Balaji tells Erik that "Nuclear war might just be the price we pay for freedom." on Episode 2 of Upstream with Erik Torenberg. Full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN0f7... Upstream with Erik Toreneberg Main channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoPT... Support our sponsors: Secureframe | Mercury | MarketerHire - Secureframe: https://secureframe.com/ Sign up for a free demo…

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April 3, 2023

The hypocrisy of the media | Balaji on Upstream with Erik Torenberg

Balaji on how the media manipulates headlines to favor their agendas. Full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN0f7... Upstream with Erik Toreneberg Main channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoPT... Support our sponsors: Secureframe | Mercury | MarketerHire - Secureframe: https://secureframe.com/ Sign up for a free demo and mention Upstream during your demo to get 20% off your first…

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March 31, 2023

E2: Balaji Srinivasan on his past and future predictions and why tech can't escape pollitics

Balaji Srinivasan, author of The Network State and co-founder of Counsyl, talks to Erik Torenberg about his past and future predictions, the future of the left and right, and why tech will never be able to escape politics. CLIPS PLAYLIST: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEK9Wx_NiDzqZYSq2DDt45g PODCAST INFO: Upstream Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1678893467 Upstream Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0bYfnuju3PhHFtSGgiMmoz…

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March 24, 2023

E1: Marc Andreessen on His Intellectual Journey the Past Ten Years

Marc Andreessen of a16z sits with Erik Torenberg to go deeper into his intellectual and political journey, and his quest to find out how the world works. PODCAST INFO: Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/3z8TldL Spotify: bit.ly/40letd0 Podcast website: bit.ly/40BAjbH SOCIAL LINKS: Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenberg Marc’s Twitter: @pmarca Podcast Twitter: @Upstream__Pod Erik’s Substack:…

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March 24, 2023

This is Upstream with Erik Torenberg

Welcome to the Upstream podcast, where Erik Torenberg interviews the world's most foundational thinkers to map the constellation of ideas that matter across tech, culture, and politics. You'll hear topics here first, and in the mainstream months later. Make sure to subscribe and never miss an episode.

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