"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg
You’ll hear consequential ideas here first, and in the mainstream months later. Upstream is a curated nexus feed from the Turpentine podcast network, bringing you expert-level conversations hosted by some of the most compelling thinkers in the world including Noah Smith, Samo Burja, Byrne Hobart, Erik Torenberg, and Nathan Labenz.
Guests include Marc Andreessen, Balaji Srinivasan, Dario Amodei, Brian Armstrong, David Sacks, Sam Harris, Katherine Boyle, Curtis Yarvin, and many more unmissable conversations.
51
E91: Why We Do Philosophy w/ Agnes Callard
In this episode, Erik sits down with Agnes Callard, a philosopher and essayist who specializes in ancient philosophy, ethics, and Socratic communication.
76 min
52
E90: Elites, Institutions, and Trump with Richa...
Richard Hanania joins Erik Torenberg to discuss his upcoming book on elite human capital, the future of American politics, and his evolving views on culture war issues.
73 min
53
E89: Economics as a Science w/ Noah Smith
Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg tackle the shift in economic research from empirical studies to "big think" theories, critically examine Acemoglu's work on institutions and AI's impact on jobs, and debate the future of economics as a science.
41 min
54
E88: The Fertility Apocalypse w/ Samo Burja
This week on Upstream, Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja explore the global demographic crisis, examining plummeting fertility rates worldwide and their potentially catastrophic implications for humanity's future.
59 min
55
E87: Embodied Minds and Cognitive Agents with D...
In this episode, Dr. Michael Levin, Distinguished Professor of Biology at Tufts University, joins Nathan Labenz of The Cognitive Revolution Podcast to discuss embodied minds, his research into limb regeneration and collective intelligence, cognitive light cones, and much more.
81 min
56
E86: Techno-capitalism with Bryan Johnson
Bryan Johnson joins Antonio Garcia Martinez and Erik Torenberg to discuss the deeper spiritual beliefs behind the "Don't Die" movement in the face of AI and the inadequacy of human clock speed.
61 min
57
E85: Analyzing Everything with Byrne Hobart and...
This week on Upstream, we’re releasing a conversation between Patrick McKenzie and Byrne Hobart where they navigate the compelling terrains of in-app purchases and restaurant economics.
84 min
58
E84: Let’s Fix Social Media with Jonathan Haidt
In this episode of Upstream, Erik Torenberg sits in with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt to discuss his book, 'The Anxious Generation.'
55 min
59
E83: How Patty McCord Built Netflix’s Culture
This week on Upstream, former Netflix HR executive Patty McCord sits down with Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich to dive deep into the creation and impact of Netflix's renowned culture deck, hailed as a pivotal document in Silicon Valley.
62 min
60
E82: America’s Future with Palmer Luckey
This week on Upstream, we revisit a 2023 conversation between Jacob Helberg, Delian Asparouhov, Christian Garrett and Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril Industries and Oculus VR where they discuss the intersection of Silicon Valley and U.S. defense technology.
66 min
61
E81: Status, Sacred, and Neglected Truths with ...
In this episode of Upstream, Erik Torenberg is joined by economist and futurist Robin Hanson.
81 min
62
E80: Financial Plumbing with Patrick McKenzie a...
In this episode of Upstream, Erik Torenberg interviews Patrick McKenzie (patio11) about the intricacies of the financial system, focusing on banking, money laundering, and regulatory compliance.
51 min
63
E79: How Civilizations Cycle & Collapse | Samo ...
This week on Upstream, we’re featuring a discussion between Samo Burja, Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg about the inherent differences between civilizations and their impact on history and politics.
56 min
64
E78: Fertility, Healthy Humans, and Ending Gene...
Erik Torenberg is joined by Noor Siddiqui, founder and CEO of Orchid, to explore groundbreaking advancements in reproductive technology, especially the world's first whole genome embryo screening.
65 min
65
E77: Academic Fraud & the Spiritual Quest for ...
Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja are joined by Ben Landau-Taylor, a Senior Analyst at Bismarck Analysis.
57 min
66
E76: "The CEO is Always Responsible” | This Won...
This week on Upstream, we’re dropping the first episode of Logan Bartlett, Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, and Zach Weinberg's newest podcast This Won’t Last.
84 min
67
E75: The Future of AI-Enabled Companies with Om...
Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg are joined by Omar Shams, the founder of Mutable AI, for a deep dive into Omar’s great piece, The AI Organization. In this conversation, they explore the potential of AI to transform organizational productivity, the limitations of financial metrics in GDP, and AI's role in political processes and societal structures.
64 min
68
E74: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei Talks Scaling L...
Erik Torenberg and Noah Smith are joined by Dario Amodei, CEO and Co-founder of Anthropic.
59 min
69
E73: Brian Armstrong on Crypto in 2024, Politic...
Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, joins Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Antonio Garcia Martinez on Moment of Zen in August 2024 to talk about the company's evolution and the broader crypto landscape. Armstrong discusses Coinbase's focus on product development, their efforts in Washington D.C., why he listens to Balaji Srinivasan, and strategies for increasing global crypto adoption.
56 min
70
E72: Eoghan McCabe on San Francisco, Tech Leade...
In this episode of Upstream, Erik Torenberg sits down with Eoghan McCabe who opens up about his journey entering Silicon Valley, leading Intercom, shifting company culture, and becoming politically engaged.
49 min
71
E71: Marc Andreessen on Higher Education and Te...
In this episode of Upstream, we’re releasing an interview from 2021 with Marc Andreessen, Sriram Krishnan, and Aarthi Ramamurthy. They discuss the higher education system's inefficiencies, high costs, and lack of competition, and explore innovative education models including cohort-based learning and unbundling education components.
27 min
72
E70: Katherine Boyle on Religion, Journalism, a...
In this episode of Upstream, we revisit a 2020 conversation with Erik Torenberg and Katherine Boyle exploring the intersection of religion and media in this tech-driven world.
53 min
73
E69: Balaji Srinivasan on the Rise of the Tech ...
Last week, Erik Torenberg sat down with Balaji Srinivasan to discuss the vibe shift to the right in Silicon Valley, particularly after the attempted assassination of President Trump.
98 min
74
E68: Tyler Cowen on Talent, the Importance of S...
This week on Upstream, we’re releasing a fascinating discussion with economist, professor, and bestselling author Tyler Cowen about how to find talented people.
51 min
75
E67: A Deep Dive on René Girard with David Gor...
This week on Upstream, we're releasing a 2019 interview with David Gornoski on the Village Global podcast. We take a deep dive into René Girard's Mimetic Theory, exploring its far-reaching societal impacts and surprising connections to ancient rituals and myths.
79 min