When Kevin Mandia?s phone rings, it?s often a Fortune 500 CEO or government leader with a billion-dollar problem. How did he become the go-to expert in cybersecurity? What new threats from AI led him back into the arena? And what is he building to protect the good guys?

Kevin began his career in the U.S. Air Force, defending the U.S. military from some of the earliest cyber attacks. He went on to found and lead Mandiant, scaling it into an industry leader which Google acquired in 2022 for over $5 billion. In 2013, he famously exposed China?s massive state-sponsored cyber espionage inside America. Kevin has also served on the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) and the CISA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee. He recently launched Armadin to address new AI possibilities in the cyber domain.

To begin, Kevin takes us behind the scenes of the early cyber skirmishes in the 1990s, and what it was like confronting some of the first cyber incursions from Russia and China, as well as the rise of criminal cyber enterprises. In the early 2000s, Kevin noticed glaring gaps in conventional antivirus approaches and launched Mandiant. Learn how he quickly became the first person that CEOs and governments would call if they?d been hacked. After scaling Mandiant and exiting to Google, Kevin is now back in the arena building cutting-edge solutions to new AI cyber threats. He explains the dramatic increase in the productivity and sophistication of AI agents, and why it?s upending how we build cyber defenses. Find out what he?s most worried about in 2026, and what steps governments and CEOs need to take to secure their networks and infrastructure.

0:00 Episode intro

01:30 Kevin's journey into cyber; early attacks from Russia & China

05:00 The evolution of cyber espionage and crime

08:00 Founding Mandiant; why Fortune 500 CEOs call Kevin

13:30 What's it like getting hacked by Russia?

21:30 AI hackers are here; Kevin's warning

27:00 Protecting critical infrastructure; harnessing AI for cyber defense

31:30 Engineers vs AI agents

36:40 Optimism for the future

America?s capital markets are the envy of the world, but in recent years, misguided policies have driven innovation offshore and stifled the number of companies going public. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins is reversing course. What?s his plan to make IPOs great again? What will it take for America to become the crypto capital of the world? And does he think we should expand access to private markets for retail investors?

This week, we?re honored to feature a conversation with Paul Atkins, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He also served as a commissioner at the SEC from 2002 to 2008, and worked on the staff of two SEC chairmen from 1990 to 1994. Prior to returning to the SEC in 2025, Chairman Atkins was the founder and chief executive of Patomak Global Partners, a financial services firm he founded in 2009.

We begin with Chairman Atkins? visit to Texas, the significance of Texas? new business courts, and the importance of innovation in our financial markets. Whereas his predecessor, Gary Gensler, took an adversarial, regulation-by-enforcement approach, he?s embracing new technologies and regulatory clarity. In this vein, the Chairman lays out his strategy for making IPOs great again. Learn why the number of public companies has dropped by nearly half since 2007, and how Chairman Atkins is reforming the rules around litigation and corporate governance to deter activists from harassing America?s builders. We also discuss President Trump?s vision for making America the crypto capital of the world, and what it looks like to provide clear guidelines that promote innovation and protect investors. Finally, we explore the steps he?s taking to enable retail investors to access private markets and other alternative assets.

0:00 Episode intro

1:35 Texas' new business courts / evolution of U.S. markets

7:20 The SEC's new approach to crypto

16:00 Making IPOs and public companies great again

25:00 Weaponization of shareholder proposals and ESG

32:10 National security concerns / China's bad actions

36:30 New rules for retail investors & private companies

44:35 Optimism for America's future

First, he digitized the entire federal retirement process, cutting it from six months to a few days. Now, he?s overhauling the U.S. government?s online presence, one website at a time. And Joe Gebbia has been in Washington, D.C. less than a year! Learn why he stepped up to serve, and the impact our best minds can have on D.C., in a conversation with our nation?s first Chief Design Officer.

As co-founder of Airbnb, Joe turned a living-room experiment into a multi-billion dollar global brand. Then, he launched Samara, helping homeowners reimagine their yards with state-of-the-art Accessory Dwelling Units. He also sits on the boards of Airbnb, Airbnb.org, and Tesla. Last February, he joined Elon Musk and the DOGE team in D.C. to overhaul retirement for federal workers, before setting his sights on modernizing the nation?s 27,000 .gov websites.

We begin with Joe?s journey to D.C., and how a former Democrat came to support President Trump and take on problems that have plagued government for decades. His first challenge: federal retirement and ?the mine? ? a storage facility inside a Pennsylvania mountain that houses all federal employees? retirement paperwork. Learn how Joe worked alongside career civil servants to transform a broken, six-month slog into a digital-only process that takes mere days. Now, he?s set his sights even higher: overhauling the government?s digital portals and delivering an Airbnb-like experience, starting with the Trump Gold Card, TrumpRX.gov, and, more recently, RealFood.gov and TrumpAccounts.gov. We go inside the Oval Office and Joe reveals his conversations with Pres. Trump on the importance of aesthetics, functionality, and design. Drawing inspiration from President Nixon?s beautification initiative, he worked with Pres. Trump to launch the government?s first digital makeover. It?s inspiring to see Joe?s leadership, and if you, or someone you know, wants to join his elite team of designers and engineers, there are a few spots remaining.

00:00 Episode intro

01:15 Lifelong Democrat to Trump White House

07:50 Text from Elon / Joining DOGE

10:20 ?The Mine? & fixing federal retirement

13:50 ?What if we did it in a week??

21:45 What happened to DOGE?

23:30 Becoming America?s Chief Design Officer

26:45 Inside the Oval Office with Pres. Trump

31:00 Fixing 27,000 .gov websites

34:00 Making America beautiful & functional again

Emil Michael directs the U.S. military?s research and development of advanced technologies. Previously, he led global business growth for Uber ? one of the fastest moving organizations in Silicon Valley history. Can he bring that startup speed to the Department of War? What are the six critical areas of innovation he?s prioritizing? And how is he investing in these key technologies to bolster the defense industrial base?

We?re honored to go inside the Pentagon for a special episode with Emil Michael, Chief Technology Officer and Under Secretary of War for Research & Engineering. He oversees the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Office of Strategic Capital, and other critical organizations. Prior, he helped scale multiple businesses, including D-Wave Systems, Tellme Networks, and Uber Technologies. Earlier in his career, he also served as a White House Fellow and later on the Defense Business Board.

We begin with Emil?s decision to join the Trump administration, and why he believes this is a generational opportunity to transform the culture and pace of innovation inside the Pentagon. Learn how he rolled out GenAI.mil (Google?s Gemini) to the entire force ? roughly three million people ? in a matter of months. Next, we dive into his decision to pare down the all-important Critical Technologies List, which drives the Pentagon?s R&D spending, from 14 areas to six. Then, we discuss the Department?s shift to a ?commercial first? approach and what that means for the defense industrial base. Finally, we cover his priorities for the Office of Strategic Capital, plus how he?s thinking about talent and encouraging our best and brightest to step up and serve the country.

[NOTE: This episode was recorded prior to the United States capture and extradition of Nicolas Maduro]

00:00 Episode intro

01:40 Time to disrupt the Pentagon

04:20 What did you learn from your first threat briefing?

06:30 Can you bring Uber speed to Dept of War?

08:45 Redefining the Critical Technologies List

13:30 Hypersonics and Golden Dome

18:00 Commercial first approach and changing the culture

23:00 How to recruit the best talent into government

28:45 Optimism for the future

Chris Sununu is an MIT-educated engineer who won four terms as governor of New Hampshire. Now, he's leading the charge for a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. What are his key lessons in political leadership? Why is he telling Harvard students to be wary of AI? And are real fiscal constraints on Washington, D.C. close to becoming reality? The former governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu is now the President and CEO of Airlines for America and National Chair and Board Member of Balanced Budget Now, which has secured 27 of 34 states required to call a convention for a constitutional amendment. They're on the cusp of landing several more states and closing in on a convention of states, which he hopes will pressure Congress to step in and pass an amendment through the traditional process. This is a generational opportunity to upend how D.C. operates; my friends and I are supporting their work and hope you will too. We begin with Gov. Sununu's path to politics, and how he succeeded in lowering taxes, expanding school choice, and combating an opioid epidemic with a sharply divided state legislature. Next, we talk about the right political strategies for cutting wasteful spending, lessons from DOGE, and what he would do differently to make DOGE an enduring movement. Then, we dive into his efforts to get a balanced budget amendment across the finish line. Learn why nearly all states (even California, albeit it plays games with pension math) have a balanced budget requirement and what it will take to get D.C. on board. Finally, we discuss the AI revolution and why he's bullish on plumbers and welders over students pursuing "elite" white-collar professions. As Gov. Sununu suggests, more tradespeople and fewer lawyers might not be a bad thing for our society.

00:00 Episode intro

01:34 MIT engineer turned governor

06:35 Fighting special interests

12:50 Lessons from DOGE

16:37 Forcing a Balanced Budget Amendment

26:00 AI and welders vs lawyers

29:00 Making a Balanced Budget Amendment a reality

This week, OPM Director Scott Kupor launched the U.S. Tech Force to recruit an elite cohort of engineering talent into the federal government. What will it take to make public service cool again? What can he do to ensure the government hires, fires, and promotes based on performance? And what is he doing on merit and aptitude tests that could be one of the most important reforms of Trump?s entire presidency?

We?re joined by Scott for a timely conversation about Tech Force, his role as Director of the Office of Personnel Management, and key civil service reforms. Previously, Scott built one of the leading venture capital firms as Managing Partner of Andreessen Horowitz. He also penned ?Secrets of Sand Hill Road,? a definitive guide for raising capital and navigating the startup world.

We begin our conversation with the importance of Tech Force ? a two-year program designed to surge top programmers and designers into Washington, D.C. and create an enduring talent pipeline between the public and private sectors. Next, we explore Scott?s career in Silicon Valley, how he helped build a16z from the ground up, and the lessons he?s bringing to the White House. Then, we dive into his ambitious OPM agenda, starting with addressing rampant performance inflation, improving incentives for top performers, and removing artificial barriers, like years of service or college degrees, so we can get the best talent into the right jobs. Finally, we revisit the Pendleton Act of 1883 and how to bring merit back into civil service. Learn how Scott overturned a consent decree that will allow him to bring aptitude tests back into federal hiring ? this could be one of the most consequential achievements of the Trump entire presidency!

For decades, Philip Howard has been sounding the alarm: our government is broken, and tinkering around the edges won?t work. We need a new operating system. How did it break? What do both parties get wrong? And what will it take to revive the American spirit?

Philip is the Founder of the Common Good, best-selling author, and one of the leaders in government and legal reform. His book ?The Death of Common Sense? became a powerful force for bipartisan reforms in the 1990s between President Bill Clinton and Congressional Republicans. I?ve followed his work for many years, and his newest book, ?Saving Can-Do,? offers important frameworks for injecting accountability and human judgement back into governance.

We begin with the genesis of the red tape state, and why Philip believes the collective guilt of the 1960s led to well-intentioned but ill-designed policies that broke the government. He explains how law began to supplant human judgment, politicians stopped making hard decisions, and governance was outsourced to an instruction manual run by the professional class. Case in point: there are now 150 million words of binding federal rules, most added post-1970. The U.S Constitution, by contrast, is 7,500 words. Next, we dive into his new book, beginning with what makes the American ?can-do? attitude unique. Then, he offers solutions for reinstating human authority into our institutions. And finally, a new framework for enabling America to build again. Philip makes the compelling case that what our republic needs most of all is a return to accountability over compliance, amateurs over professionals, and liberty over safetyism.

Michael Kratsios is the man of the hour, charged by President Trump to usher in the golden age of AI and American innovation. How is the White House approaching this revolution in technology? What does AI mean for the American worker? How do we stay ahead of China ? and also persuade other nations to adopt U.S. tech over Chinese?

We hosted this conversation at the 2025 Cicero Institute Courage Awards, where we recognize bold policymakers on both sides of the aisle for standing up to special interests and fighting for liberty. Amid the regulatory battle over AI, we were honored to feature Michael, who currently serves as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and a Senior Advisor to President Trump. In the first Trump term, he was the nation?s Chief Technology Officer and later acting Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering. He started his career working for Peter Thiel, first at Clarium Capital and later Thiel Capital.

We began our conversation with Michael?s journey to the White House, and his role leading the White House?s science and technology policy agenda. He outlined three key areas to winning the AI race: the right regulatory frameworks, the necessary infrastructure, and international engagement. How do we not only stay ahead of China but also persuade other nations to adopt our AI stack? Michael lays out the strategy. He also makes the case for a federal AI standard and explains why a patchwork of laws stifles innovation, hamstringing the upstarts and entrenching the incumbents. Finally, he lays out what AI will mean for the American worker, and as the man in charge of overseeing AI, quantum, space, and more, he reveals what keeps him up at night. We have a generational opportunity with AI to bring down the cost of living and lift up millions of lives; we?re grateful to have leaders like Michael at the helm.

Do great men alter the course of history, or is everything more bottom-up than we realize? Or both? We credit Thomas Edison for the light bulb, but what about the 20 competitors that were right on his heels? What can the evolution of language, biology, and complex systems teach us about entrepreneurship, investing, and the conditions for human progress?

Matt Ridley?s writings have influenced how builders, investors, and policymakers understand the world, myself included. A former member of the House of Lords, The Viscount Ridley is a prolific columnist and author whose works range from The Rational Optimist and The Evolution of Everything to The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature. An intellectual army of one, Matt has taught millions that the free exchange of ideas produces the next great innovation, not top-down policies, no matter how well-intentioned. He?s also been a rare voice of courage in the United Kingdom, fighting against free speech crackdowns, insane energy policies, and corrosive regulations.

We begin with Matt?s dire warning about the UK and its rapid descent into economic stagnation and cultural turmoil. Is this great civilization doomed? Learn where Matt sees glimmers of hope, and get a preview of his next book on the future of the West. Then, we dive into lessons from Matt?s great works, from the impact of mating choices in birds and other fascinating scientific research to the evolution of ideas and conditions for innovation. If Steve Jobs didn?t exist, would there have been a pioneer of the personal computer? Matt says yes, and you?ll hear his compelling case. His frameworks have helped shape how some of us think about technological revolutions and strategy. We also cover the AI race with China, including Matt?s perspective on industrial policy and why he believes China is not as strong as many think. Finally, we spar over religion -- Matt?s a longtime atheist -- and whether America can survive as a post-religious society.

00:00 Episode intro

01:45 Is the UK doomed?

11:40 Matt?s next book and why he?s touring the US

16:29 The extraordinary implications of Charles Darwin?s strangest idea

22:00 Industrial policy & tech race with China

27:45 Evolution of everything vs Great Man Theory

35:20 Can a post-religious America survive?

39:20 Reasons for optimism

In 2023, Memphis earned the distinction of the nation?s most violent and dangerous city. Senator Bill Hagerty had seen enough. Together with President Trump, he helped orchestrate the most important public safety initiative you probably haven?t heard of ? until now. Thousands of criminals arrested, dozens of children rescued, and they even figured out how to work around a Soros-backed District Attorney. This is just one of many fronts Sen. Hagerty is leading on since joining the U.S. Senate.

A businessman by background, Sen. Hagerty began his career at Boston Consulting Group, growing the business in key markets like Japan, before launching his own private equity firm. In 2011, he stepped up to serve, bringing billions of dollars of investment into Tennessee as the state?s Commissioner of Economic and Community Development. In 2017, he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Japan and played a critical role in bolstering our alliance and countering China, before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2020.

We begin with the Senator?s diagnosis of the government shutdown and whether Republicans should end the filibuster and break the gridlock. Then, we dive into the Memphis Task Force and the Senator?s groundbreaking work to partner with the White House and a Democratic mayor to save a great American city. More than a dozen federal agencies have quietly surged into Memphis; they?ve arrested thousands of criminals, and better yet, are doing it in a way that prevents the Soros-backed DA from releasing them back on the streets. Next, we discuss the Senator?s business career and path to ambassador. One of his great successes: accelerating the delivery of U.S. weapons to Japan ? a process that used to take five to seven years! Finally, we cover his leadership on stablecoin legislation ? the GENIUS Act ? and how he?s approaching regulatory frameworks for crypto, AI, and other emerging technologies. Sen. Hagerty has quickly become a key leader in the U.S. Senate, and you?ll see why.

00:00 Episode intro

01:20 Government shutdown; end the filibuster?

09:05 Memphis Safe Task Force

14:47 xAI in Memphis & new opportunities

20:10 Boston Consulting Group to Ambassador to Japan

25:45 Accelerating Foreign Military Sales to allies

28:46 USAID & how to reform foreign aid

31:14 GENIUS Act; leading on stablecoin legislation and crypto

33:37 How to approach AI regulation

38:55 Optimism for the future

Joe Liemandt is a legend in the technology world. Starting in the 1990s, he built a multi-billion dollar software empire, before quietly stepping out of the public spotlight for 20 years. Now, he?s back to reveal his next breakthrough: new schools that can 10X learning in two hours a day with AI and the right incentives. What were the discoveries that led him here? Why is he confident he can save American education? And how is he planning to get this to a billion kids worldwide?

Join us for a special episode with one of the great entrepreneurs of the digital era. In 1989, Joe Liemandt dropped out of Stanford to found Trilogy, which he describes as ?the first AI product to sell a billion dollars.? He also pioneered Trilogy University ? the grueling boot camp that Google and Facebook later copied ? and famously outcompeted Microsoft for talent, drawing thousands of top engineers to Austin. On top of that, he added a software acquisition firm, ESW Capital, and scaled it to massive success. Today, he?s the principal of Alpha School, a revolutionary new education model that already has its students performing in the top one percent nationwide.

We begin with the origins of Trilogy, from building ?configurators? and the earliest AI systems to creating its iconic, ultra-competitive culture. Then, we break down the acquisition strategy that turned ESW Capital into a massive success, before turning to Joe?s new mission: saving American education. Before joining Alpha, he went deep into the science of learning, notably backing Harvard economist Roland Fryer?s inner city research. Fryer experimented with paying teachers, parents, and students for good results ? the findings shocked the education world and became foundational for much of Joe?s work. Learn how the right incentives combined with the best in AI have Alpha?s third and fourth-graders outperforming the average high-school graduate. Plus, we explore Joe?s ambitious vision for the future and how school choice can help get this model into classrooms nationwide. The U.S. has spent trillions on K-12 with little or nothing to show; meanwhile, China and other advanced economies have raced far ahead in education performance. If Joe succeeds, he will fundamentally transform education, and the future of our republic, and that?s something to get excited about.

00:00 Episode intro

01:53 Stanford dropout/origins of Trilogy

06:05 Trilogy University

09:08 Roland Fryer & paying kids for good grades

12:07 Why Joe is betting $1B on education

16:55 Kids must love school more than vacation

24:45 ?The most controversial thing I?ll say today?

31:56 Why Alpha pays kids for top scores

36:52 Will this work for low-income kids?

42:57 Battle over AI & school choice

46:58 How should we teach history?

51:20 Joe?s grand vision for the future

Universities called for ?free speech? after Charlie Kirk?s murder ? UATX President Carlos Carvalho says they?re missing the point entirely. Is more speech really the answer? Should universities stay neutral and out of politics? Or do they have a higher duty, especially now?We discuss these questions and more with the new President of the University of Austin: Carlos Carvalho. Born and raised in Brazil, he watched his father ? a Navy officer ? help fight back against a communist takeover attempt in the 1960s. Carlos came to America and earned his Ph.D. in statistics from Duke University. He taught at the University of Chicago before spending 15 years as a professor at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, where he also founded the Salem Center for Policy to promote open debate and inquiry on campus. Carlos is an academic, a builder, and believes deeply in the promise of America; he?s uniquely talented and suited to lead the most ambitious new university project in more than a century.We begin our conversation with the aftermath of Charlie Kirk?s murder, and the debate over the role of universities. Learn why Carlos believes ?free speech is not enough? and why academia has a duty to stand on, and defend, America?s founding principles, while drawing an important distinction between politics and partisanship. Next, we discuss his upbringing and lessons from fighting the communists in Brazil, including his father?s sage advice: ?Learn math, learn languages, and always watch out for the communists!? Finally, we hone in on what sets UATX apart and what it looks like to train a new elite equipped with the best of the old world and the new, plus the courage and entrepreneurial energy needed to save our civilization.

00:00 Episode intro

01:50 ?Free speech isn?t enough?

06:42 Is ?Institutional neutrality? the right approach?

13:50 Fighting the communists in Brazil

21:06 How the far-left captured business schools

26:45 What sets UATX apart?

32:33 Old world meets new; bringing entrepreneurship to higher ed

40:05 Why is UATX tuition free?

44:00 Navy SEAL formula for higher ed

America?s cities are dangerous and broken, and for too long, governors stood by as city officials failed their citizens. But Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has stepped up to prove that we don?t have to tolerate incompetence or lawlessness. What bold actions did he take? Why were the results shocking? And how can his leadership be a model for other governors?

We?re joined this week by businessman-turned-governor Kevin Stitt. In 2000, he launched Gateway Mortgage with just $1,000 and a computer; when he departed, it was one of the largest privately held mortgage companies in the country. He ran for governor having never sought public office before, and since taking the helm, he?s run the state like a business: slashing regulations and restoring fiscal responsibility. During his tenure, Oklahoma has become one of the fastest growing states in the country.

We begin our conversation with Operation Safe ? the governor?s bold initiative to clean up homeless encampments and criminal activity in Tulsa after city officials let the problems fester for years. Learn about the extensive theft, drugs, and crime they exposed, while cleaning up nearly 2 million pounds of trash! More importantly, the governor restored safety and order for families and businesses, while helping the homeless seek real treatment and get off the streets. Gov. Stitt explains how President Trump?s executive order on crime and disorder paved the way for more state leaders to take action, and now that he?s proven what?s possible, city officials in Tulsa and elsewhere are on notice that their failures will no longer be tolerated.

Next, we discuss innovative solutions that can empower citizens to hold their local officials accountable. Imagine an app that gives individuals or businesses a tax rebate if they report illegal activity and the city fails to address it ? that?s what the Cicero Institute is working toward, and Gov. Stitt loves the idea! We also discuss how states can use their power to hold NGOs accountable and ensure taxpayer dollars are solving homelessness, not perpetuating it. Finally, we discuss Iryna Zarutska?s murder and the strong, but necessary, steps we need to take to deal with violent, repeat offenders. Gov. Stitt?s leadership gives us real hope that other state leaders, especially in red states, will step up, enforce the law, and prioritize the safety of the American people.

00:00 Episode intro

01:44 Operation Safe - stepping up to save Tulsa

05:48 Needles, theft & 2 million pounds of trash

10:15 Corrupt NGOs & weak politicians

13:40 Citizen apps to hold govt accountable

17:55 Soros influence in our cities

21:20 Iryna Zarutska & violent repeat offenders

Zachary Levi is best known for starring in the popular TV series Chuck and hit movies like Shazam!, while millions of children, my daughters included, know him as Flynn Rider in Disney?s Tangled. But recently, he did something even more noteworthy in his industry: he endorsed Robert Kennedy Jr. and later President Trump, while openly sharing his Christian faith. Why did he put his career at risk? What?s the story behind his $100 million studio project in Texas? And will AI open new doors for actors and writers, or will it supplant human ingenuity and, ultimately, millions of jobs?

Join us for a fascinating look behind the Hollywood curtain with a counter-cultural leader, and a spirited debate over technology?s impact on the human condition.

We begin the conversation with Zachary?s courage to speak out ahead of the 2024 elections, and the role of leaders to put principles ahead of self-preservation. Next, we reflect on the legacy of Charlie Kirk, and his ability to engage his opponents with both truth and compassion. In contrast, not a single actor had the temerity to invoke Charlie at the recent Emmy Awards, and Zachary takes us behind the curtain to explain how a quintessential American institution like Hollywood capitulated to woke ideologues. And he?s not just speaking out, he?s also building an alternative: learn about Wyldwood ? a $100 million studio project outside Austin aimed at reviving great art and providing a new kind of community for artists. Finally, Zachary discusses AI?s impact on Hollywood, and why he worries it will eventually consume the creative arts. He and I see the AI landscape very differently ? his take is more pessimistic, mine more optimistic ? but we have a fun debate, and ultimately agree that it?s our job as leaders to build toward solutions that lift up humans and preserve the values that make our civilization great.

00:00 Episode intro

01:40 Speaking out in Hollywood

07:10 Debating politics with truth & compassion

15:23 Charlie Kirk & Hollywood?s demise

20:10 Building a new type of Hollywood

25:51 Technology vs humanity - are we better off now than 1950s?

33:25 The merits of capitalism: Jeff Bezos vs Elon Musk

41:41 Debating AI & technological progress

50:05 Will AI create or replace millions of jobs?

56:45 The role of leaders / optimism for the future

Max Meyer is the Editor and Publisher of Arena ? an American technology magazine that is pro-America and pro-technology! How did legacy media become cynically motivated and ideologically captured? Will "AI slop" only make things worse? And, most importantly, what is the antidote?

We discuss these issues and more with the entrepreneur and writer behind one of America's most exciting new media outlets. Before launching Arena, Max studied geophysics at Stanford University and served as editor of the Stanford Review, where he drew national attention for his investigative reporting, including exposing former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin's ties to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.

We start with the fall of once-great magazines, like Scientific American, and why Max is going all-in on high-quality, shoe-leather journalism that stands the test of time. Next, we discuss the evolution of journalism from a working-class to elite profession, the implications therein, and why the attack pieces and hit jobs are starting to backfire. We dive into some of Arena's recent work, from the first-ever profile of Anduril CEO Brian Schimpf to covering breakout industries and entrepreneurs routinely overlooked by mainstream newsrooms. Then, we talk about Max's time as editor of the Stanford Review, and carrying on the tradition started by Peter Thiel and other editors, myself included, of challenging campus groupthink and defending Western values. Finally, we address the coming avalanche of "AI slop" and why Max is betting that trustworthy, premium-packaged content will stand apart from the noise.

Learn why top builders and leaders are reading Arena -- and subscribe here to get the magazines. You can use code ?JOE30? at checkout to get a 30% discount off your first year subscription!

NOTE: This episode was recorded before the murder of my friend Charlie Kirk.

00:00 Episode intro

01:38 What is Arena?

06:00 Why is journalism broken?

09:50 How Wired, TechCrunch, etc. went off the rails

15:07 Why Max is betting on premium, high-end media

19:00 Exposing Marxists as Editor of the Stanford Review

21:20 Should we be worried about AI slop?

25:58 What's next for Arena?

Harish Abbott is a serial entrepreneur at the forefront of the logistics revolution. He sold his last company to Shopify in 2022 for over $2 billion, and now he's back in the arena again. What are the new possibilities with AI? How will it impact workers? And what's the business opportunity he sees that no one else does?

Harish is the co-founder and CEO of Augment, a new platform building AI teammates for logistics operations. Its first product, Augie, already boasts $25 billion in freight under management. Previously, Harish co-founded Deliverr, an e-commerce fulfilment platform (acquired by Shopify) that provided one and two-day shipping to smaller merchants. He started his career at Amazon Fulfillment, where he helped build industry-leading technologies and transform online shopping as we know it.

We begin with Harish's background, why he came to America to build, and what makes our innovation economy unique. We discuss his most important lessons learned at Amazon, from Jeff Bezos obsessing over customer satisfaction to the company's unique writing culture. Next, Harish explains the origins of Deliverr, how he built a delivery network for the non-Amazon and Walmart world, and lessons learned from selling to Shopify. Then, we dive into the inflection point that sparked Augment, and how advances in LLMs can now manage vast asynchronous workflows and transform how information is traded. Learn why Harish sees a trillion dollar global opportunity to reduce waste in logistics, how he plans to capitalize on it, and why he believes AI can elevate brokers and shippers to higher-order thinking ? a win for humans and the economy.

00:00 Episode intro

01:38 Merit matters & why build in the U.S.

05:00 Lessons from Amazon & Jeff Bezos

10:29 Deliverr & bringing next-day shipping to non-Amazon world

17:15 AI & the next logistics revolution

23:58 Meet Augie - the AI teammate for logistics

28:35 The trillion dollar opportunity

32:05 The AI talent battle

38:56 Reasons for optimism

Sen. Eric Schmitt is a fighter for our country ? and knows how to win. In November 2022, as Missouri Attorney General, he sued the Biden administration for colluding with Big Tech to impose mass censorship on the American people. His actions exposed the most chilling government intrusion of our time, and launched a groundswell of opposition, culminating in Elon Musk buying Twitter. What was his strategy? How can it combat further government overreach? And how can we outsmart the far-left when it comes to redistricting, stacking the Supreme Court, and other battlegrounds?

We discuss this and more with Senator Schmitt, author of the new book: "The Last Line of Defense: How to Beat the Left in Court." After serving as Missouri Attorney General, he was elected U.S. Senator, and currently serves on the all-important Judiciary and Armed Services committees.

We begin with Sen. Schmitt's working class upbringing and his inspiration for running for office. Then, he reveals how he architected Missouri v Biden to expose the unholy alliance between the Biden White House and Big Tech to censor contrarian views (myself included, as it was later revealed in the Twitter Files). He also details his lawsuit against communist China for covering up COVID, winning $24 billion in damages for the people of Missouri. Next, we jump to his priorities in the Senate, and why he's pushing Republicans to get more aggressive, whether it's protecting the Supreme Court from court packing, defending redistricting, or securing an increase in FBI agents to crackdown on violent crime in St. Louis. Finally, we get his take on AI, and why he's wary of opportunities for censorship, but also bullish on robotics and automation bringing manufacturing back to the heartland.

00:00 Episode intro

05:00 Exposing Biden's mass censorship

09:30 How the FBI covered for Hunter Biden

15:18 Redistricting, packing SCOTUS, and next battlegrounds

21:40 Suing the CCP -- and winning

24:45 What have you learned in the Senate?

28:30 AI & Manufacturing renaissance

This week, we're honored to be joined by Venezuela's "Iron Lady" ? Maria Corina Machado. She's been physically assaulted, forced into hiding, and separated from her children, but that hasn't stopped her from standing up to dictators and fighting for liberty. Right now, she believes the end of Nicolas Maduro's regime is closer than it's ever been, and a bright new future for Venezuela ? and the entire region ? is in sight.

In the early 2000s, Maria set aside her business and career aspirations to lead a recall against Hugo Chavez, quickly earning a reputation as his "most detested adversary." She went on to serve as an elected member of the National Assembly of Venezuela from 2011 to 2014, becoming a key leader in the widespread 2014 protests against Maduro. Leading up to the 2024 presidential election, she won her party's primary elections, but was disqualified and forced out by Maduro and his cronies. Still, her opposition party went on to win overwhelmingly, and Maduro has since rejected the results and refused to relinquish power.

We begin with the tragic downfall of Venezuela, from the wealthiest country in South America to poorer than Haiti. Learn how socialism brought one of the world's most energy rich countries to its knees, and instead became the criminal hub of Latin America, flooding the U.S. with drugs and narco terrorism while providing safe harbor to Russia, Iran, Hezbollah, and other enemies. President Trump has taken strong actions in recent months, from placing a $50 million bounty on Maduro to designating cartels as terrorist organizations and directing the U.S. military to go after them ? we get Maria's take on the President's policies and what else she hopes to see from our leaders in Washington. Many Americans are rightfully wary of foreign interventions; Maria explains why she doesn't see it as regime change but rather dismantling an international criminal enterprise. Finally, we cover Maria's personal journey and sacrifice, why she continues to fight even with threats against her life, and her ultimate vision for a free and prosperous Venezuela that becomes an energy powerhouse for the Americas.

00:00 Episode intro

02:30 How Venezuela became a criminal hub

09:45 What's the right US policy? Regime change?

16:24 Parallels between Chavez & the far-left in the U.S.

22:17 Maria's personal story & sacrifice

26:36 Maria?s vision for a free Venezuela

Reusable rockets, new economics, and surging investment are quickly making space one of the most promising areas for growth and innovation. Like other areas of defense, we're in a transition from billion-dollar, exquisite satellites to the proliferation of attritable platforms. What are the new markets and opportunities this creates? How will the Golden Dome impact the space race and competition with China? And what exciting possibilities, like asteroid mining, are in our future?

This week we talk all things space with Ian Cinnamon, co-founder and CEO of Apex Space, a satellite platform company. A graduate of MIT and Stanford Business School, Ian first launched a startup incubator, Superlabs, with Mark Pincus before founding Synapse, a computer vision company later acquired by Palantir. There, Ian worked on key initiatives like Project Maven before leaving to build Apex, and bring speed and efficiency to satellite platform manufacturing.

We begin with Ian's entrepreneurial journey and how his research at MIT informed the creation of Synapse. A top talent at Palantir, he reveals what it was like working on Project Maven ? and the protesters that inspired him ? plus the "light bulb moment" that led him to launch Apex. Next, we dive into the space boom and how SpaceX upended the entire way we think about, and build, for space. Learn about the unique challenges of engineering for space, why Apex is moving toward full vertical integration, and how it plans to meet skyrocketing demand for more launches. We also discuss President Trump's ambitious Golden Dome project, new possibilities for space-based interceptors, and China's plans to overtake U.S. supremacy in space. Finally, we conclude with Ian's most exciting innovations beyond Earth, and why asteroid mining isn't as far-fetched as you might think.

00:00 Episode intro

02:09 MIT, cognitive science & building Synapse

06:17 Palantir, Project Maven, and protestors

8:53 Ian's "light bulb moment" for building Apex

15:23 The space boom & new possibilities

21:30 Engineering for space and lessons from SpaceX

27:50 China's ambitious space plans

30:19 Golden Dome & space-based interceptors

36:00 Understanding orbit altitudes for satellites

40:00 Is China trying to steal your IP?

44:13 Asteroid mining and new possibilities beyond Earth

This week we're talking dental billing! Why? Because large parts of the $5 trillion US services economy, like medical billing, are inefficient and dysfunctional, which holds back growth and increases costs for Americans. How is AI transforming these broken sectors? What's possible now that wasn't just a few years ago? And if AI can revolutionize dental billing, what does that mean for productivity at large?We dive into the AI services wave with DayDream's Shreyas Parab, co-founder & CEO, and Anton Lin, co-founder & CTO. DayDream is applying AI to transform revenue cycle management (RCM) for dentists, and helping them recover the money they are owed faster and more effectively. Chasing down errant claims can take humans years; DayDream is doing it in weeks with AI agents!We begin with the broken state of medical billing -- thousands of rules per company, little written down, and knowledge passed down person-to-person like an ancient religion. Shreyas and Anton explain how LLMs can reason through unstructured processes in ways that previous business logic couldn't. Next, we discuss the lost revenue from missing claims (nearly 20% of all claims!), and how AI agents are becoming so effective that humans can't tell the difference. This raises the obvious question: will agentic solutions result in mass layoffs? Shreyas and Anton say the opposite is true -- AI is enabling billers to operate at higher levels and focus on expanding the business instead of waiting on hold with insurance companies. If top talent plus AI can revamp Byzantine systems like dental billing, there's a tremendous opportunity to reform the entire services economy. This means economic growth, and disinflation that benefits everyone.

00:00 Episode intro

01:35 What?s so important about dental billing?

07:50 Will AI destroy dental billing jobs?

9:50 AI agents are becoming indistinguishable from humans

17:45 Private equity rolling up dental

24:56 Understanding the AI services model

Reid Hoffman is a longtime leader in Silicon Valley and vocal AI optimist; he's also a major Democratic Party donor. What happens when AI runs headfirst into labor unions and key Democratic interests? Why is Reid calling out his party for alienating Silicon Valley? And can a divided country unite around a positive AI future?Join us for an important conversation at the intersection of technology, politics, and policy. An early member of the PayPal mafia, Reid went on to co-found LinkedIn and became a prolific investor as Partner at Greylock and Chairman of Village Global. He's also a Microsoft board member, popular podcast host, and author, most recently of ?Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future."We begin with lessons from PayPal and the unique culture that united an iconic cast of characters. Then we dive into Reid's latest book "Superagency" and his case for AI optimism. Reid's enthusiasm collides with Democratic Party strongholds, so I challenged him on how he reconciles these conflicts and whether AI can win out over special interests. Case in point: autonomous trucks. Reid's a key investor in Aurora, which is based in California but launching its first trucks in Texas. Red states are increasingly the laboratories of innovation and growth, which Reid acknowledges and admits is a major challenge that he raises with blue-state governors. Next, we discuss the six levels of the AI investment stack and where Reid is focused, plus his advice for startups amid the scale compute race. We also explore the future of social media and why Reid is creating his own AI clone. Finally, we revisit Silicon Valley's pivot to the right and why Reid is calling out the Democratic Party for prioritizing DEI and identity politics over merit and innovation.We didn't focus the episode on our obvious political disagreements, but rather the areas where we agree: Reid is an optimist and shares that trait with a lot of my PayPal mafia friends even if he doesn't share our worldview. If we're going to accelerate our country into an optimistic AI future and lift up millions of lives -- which I hope to help achieve! -- then we need to have conversations across the aisle aimed at advancing pro-growth, freedom-oriented policies.

00:00 Episode intro

02:00 What made the PayPal Mafia unique?

06:38 The best arguments for AI optimism

10:59 Reid's optimism vs Democratic Party strongholds

14:15 Inflection AI & lessons for AI startups

19:53 Why Reid made an AI clone

22:54 AI tutors vs teachers unions

26:59 How Democrats alienated Silicon Valley

32:56 Pushing back on antisemitism

36:38 Advice for entrepreneurs in the AI age

We're joined this week by a key architect of President Trump's budget and regulatory agenda: Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought. How much does the Big Beautiful Bill actually rein in spending? Will DOGE cuts become permanent? What is the Impoundment Act of 1974 and why will this be a crucial fight in the coming months?

We discuss these timely policy issues and more with the "radical constitutionalist" at the helm of Trump's OMB in his first and second terms. From ending critical race theory at all federal agencies to spearheading historic deregulatory actions and making bureaucrats accountable again, Director Vought has been instrumental in some of the most consequential policy battles in Washington D.C.

In this episode, we begin with his efforts to reform the administrative state, and why the next major battle will center on the 1974 Impoundment Act and the President's authority over appropriated funds. Learn why Democrats' retaliation against President Nixon tipped the balance of power toward unelected bureaucrats, and how Director Vought seeks to restore proper constitutional balance. Next, we dive into the Big Beautiful Bill and why he believes it's the most consequential mandatory spending reform to ever pass into law. And when it comes to discretionary spending, he reiterates his commitment to make the DOGE cuts permanent and outlines possible strategies, whether through impoundment or a rescissions packages via Congress. Finally, we talk about his role in winding down one of the most egregious examples of government overreach ? the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ? and why Americans should be optimistic that, for the first time in decades, real fiscal and regulatory restraint is starting to take hold in Washington D.C.

00:00 Episode intro

01:43 Role of OMB Director & lessons from Trump?s first term

04:37 The looming battle over impoundment & Presidential power

07:25 Can we return merit & tests to government?

12:12 Big Beautiful Bill - how much does it actually cut?

19:41 What's the future of DOGE?

22:03 Dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

25:10 Can Washington DC actually be reined in?

Construction is a $2 trillion U.S. industry ($13 trillion globally) that impacts nearly every aspect of our lives. Yet, building has become too expensive and too slow to meet rising demand and aging infrastructure. What if we can apply breakthroughs from self-driving to construction? And what if we can use AI to operate heavy machinery autonomously 24/7?

This week, we bring the AI revolution into the physical world with Boris Sofman, co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Robotics. Founded by three former Waymo leaders, Bedrock emerged from stealth this week to bring autonomy to the construction industry. Boris earned his PhD in Robotics at Carnegie Mellon before founding Anki ? a consumer robotics company that produced some of the world's most popular toy robots. After Anki was acquired by Google, Boris became Director of Engineering and Head of Trucking at Waymo, where he was instrumental in Waymo's successful deployment into major cities across the country.

We begin with his journey from the Soviet Union to the U.S. as a young boy, and how Boris fell in love with engineering. We discuss the consumer robotics wave and his time building Anki, before jumping into the race for self-driving cars. Get a rare look behind the scenes at Waymo and the extreme engineering challenges Boris and his team had to solve. Next, he reveals the recent developments that unlocked autonomy for heavy construction and the immense potential to transform the cost, quality, and speed of building in the U.S. Already, unions and special interests are lining up against these technologies; learn why Boris believes autonomy will unlock a wave of pent-up demand and create even more jobs and opportunities for humans. Bedrock is one the companies and teams I'm most bullish on, and you'll see why!

00:00 Episode intro

02:16 Soviet Union to robotics leader

06:57 Conquering self-driving at Waymo

14:38 Why leave Waymo to start Bedrock?

19:10 How to make heavy machinery autonomous

24:06 AI breakthroughs that make this possible

31:06 Why autonomy will create jobs, not destroy them

37:44 The impact of the robotics revolution

America's global ascendency was tied to its industrial strength. But since the 1960s, our manufacturing might gave way to white-collar services. Now, we've on the verge of a new AI economy. Is this our moment to reindustrialize? What does it mean for trade and immigration? And how do we make sure everyone, particularly rural America, shares in the potential economic growth?

These are some of the most important policy questions that will determine the future of our country, and Marc Andreessen is the right person to ask. Several weeks ago I interviewed Marc, co-founder and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, for the first annual Ronald Reagan Economic Forum, an alternative to the World Economic Forum that offers a more dynamic, pro-growth view of the future of America and the West.

We begin with the debate over tariffs, and what Marc has learned from studying President McKinley, a key inspiration for President Trump's trade views. McKinley's protectionist agenda is well known, but Marc explains why he actually shifted to reciprocal tariffs by the end of his term as manufacturers needed new markets. Next, he details America's transformation into a services-based economy, why it benefited the coasts over the heartland, and the intense political and cultural divides that emerged. Learn why Marc believes that AI plus robotics will provide a unique opportunity to capture the manufacturing jobs of the future and help rural areas share in the upside. We also discuss the debate over immigration and what smart policies look like in an AI-driven economy. Finally, we cover the potential bottlenecks to an AI boom, and how our leaders can position America to lead an industrial renaissance.

00:00 Episode intro

02:18 Understanding McKinley & Trump on tariffs

07:20 Manufacturing to services; America's economic shift

11:30 The great clash between cities & rural America

15:50 Deindustrializing wasn?t inevitable; it was a choice

17:40 AI is a fundamental turning point

20:30 Robotics will be biggest industry ever created

23:54 High-skilled immigration + DEI hurts rural kids

29:32 What are bottlenecks to AI boom

Few people have been as influential as Dave Rubin in the new media movement and fight for free speech. He not only helped expose Big Tech's censorship but also built an alternative platform that enabled other contrarian voices to speak out. Where is new media headed next? Why are Tucker Carlson and others attacking Churchill or dabbling in antisemitic conspiracy theories? And how should we respond to a "woke right"?

This week we're joined by the comedian-turned political commentator and entrepreneur who has amassed millions of followers. An original member of the intellectual dark web, Dave challenged the limits of "acceptable speech" early on. After Patreon started censoring right-wing voices, he created Locals, where free speech reigned and power was given back to creators (I was a small investor in Locals, which was later acquired by Rumble). Dave's efforts were key in providing oxygen to alternative media voices and pressuring Big Tech to reform. He's still expanding his influence in media with a new production network, and just launched a long-time passion project: his own tequila company ? Copal. Check out their first reposado before it sells out.

We begin with Dave's recent visit to UATX, how AI is impacting education, and why he's creating an AI version of himself. Next, we dive into the origins of Locals and how Dave responded to censorship by building his own independent, free-speech platform. He also reveals what it was like inside YouTube during the heyday of Big Tech censorship and how the "Twitter Files" changed the world. Then, we take a tour of Dave's new tequila company before discussing the troubling rise of a "woke right," and why figures like Tucker Carlson are attacking Winston Churchill and flirting with antisemitic tropes. How should free speech advocates confront the spread of these bad ideas? We end with Dave's ideas for how to elevate our culture and move our collective dialogue in a positive direction.

[NOTE: this episode was recorded before the United States and Israel struck Iran's nuclear facilities.]

00:00 Episode intro

01:57 Intellectual dark web & Dave's impression of UATX

04:37 Why Dave is making AI version of himself

08:45 The origins of Locals & Dave's fight for free speech

12:40 Dave's new tequila company

18:00 Should we trust a changed BigTech?

25:20 Tucker vs Churchill

33:30 The Woke Right?

38:00 Did the Democratic Party get hijacked?

46:00 Can optimism prevail over conspiracy theories?

California has been governed by left-wing, one party-rule for 15 years, and the results speak for themselves. How did California turn deep blue? What are the policies needed to reverse course? And can those ideas actually win?This week we talk about the future of California with my longtime friend Steve Hilton. Many people know Steve from his popular Fox News show, "The Next Revolution," but may not know that his parents fled communism in Hungary to start a new life in the UK. The fight for freedom is core to who he is and why he fell in love with America, specifically California. After the success of his television show, he decided he didn't want to just talk about issues but also get in the arena. He launched his policy group, Golden Together, and recently went one step further and jumped into the race for governor.We begin with Steve's upbringing, from working class London to studying at Oxford and later serving as senior advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron. We discuss key lessons learned at the highest levels of UK government, including his DOGE-like research into the UK's crippling bureaucratic growth. Next, we cover his journey to the Golden State, why he decided to stay and fight for its future, and how terrible policies turned California into a paradise for lawyers and government unions, instead of hard-working families and small businesses. Learn why, for example, restaurants budget a million dollars a year just to deal with frivolous lawsuits, plus other insanity Steve has discovered as he travels the state. Despite the dysfunction, he still believes there's reason for optimism and explains why he's confident Republicans can win statewide office ? and why they don't need to water down their message or agenda to do it.

00:00 Episode Intro

01:30 Fleeing communism to Prime Minister?s senior advisor

06:05 Brexit, EU, and fighting UK bureaucratic growth

12:44 How Steve fell in love with CA & landed Fox News show

17:20 Why Steve got into politics

20:18 How CA became a paradise for lawyers & frivolous lawsuits

25:44 Is CA more conservative than we think?

29:27 Homeless crisis: follow the money

35:10 How to fix CA's housing nightmare

44:45 How Republicans can actually win in California

Scott Wu took the technology world by storm when he released a demo of Devin, the first AI software engineer. A year later, Devin has gone global, and his company ? Cognition AI ? is valued at over $4 billion. What are the next leaps for AI coding agents? Could the total economic impact be in the trillions of dollars? And is Scott worried that Devin may someday replace him?

Scott's journey to the epicenter of the AI race started in an unlikely place: growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the son of Chinese immigrants. At an early age, he excelled in math and was fast tracked into high school courses [not held back in the name of equity!], culminating in a national Mathcounts championship and three gold medals in competitive programming at the International Olympiad in Informatics. After highschool, he joined Addepar as a top young software engineer before attending Harvard.

Scott gathered his smartest friends and many other math, physics and programming champions under one roof to build Cognition, and when they're not architecting new AI breakthroughs, they're quizzing each other with math games. Learn why the top math minds are dominant in AI and what this tells us about the nature of AI progress and where we're headed next. Plus, the first person to solve one of Scott's tough math challenges in this episode gets free swag [leave your answer in the comments or email [email protected]]. Finally, we discuss the future of software engineering and what AI coding agents mean for economic productivity as tasks that once took months to complete now take a weekend with Devin. Is it a trillion dollar opportunity?

It's inspiring to see the impact an optimistic, brilliant mind like Scott can have on the world ? and he's still a few years shy of his 30th birthday.

0:00 Episode intro

1:38 Math prodigy to AI savant

9:43 Origins of Cognition and Devin

11:25 Why are top math minds dominant in AI?

14:40 The next wave of generative AI

18:45 Jagged intelligence & man-machine symbiosis

25:35 Solve Scott's math challenge

31:05 Scott's argument for AI optimism

35:10 Trillion-dollar opportunity?

39:10 The future of software engineering

42:10 Optimism for the future

JoeBen Bevirt has spent two decades building electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and now he's on the cusp of commercial approval and rollout. Will flying cars be as transformational as the automobile? How will air taxis impact our cities and the way we live? And how did JoeBen achieve this feat of ingenuity?

This week we're joined by the Co-Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, an American aviation company pioneering eVTOL aircraft for air taxi service. All-electric, virtually silent, and traveling up to 200mph with a pilot and four passengers, Joby is opening new possibilities in the skies above ? starting at the price of an Uber Black. The implications for productivity and quality of life are massive, saving the average person an hour or two a day sitting in traffic and unlocking new swaths of land for development.

I'm proud that 8VC co-led Joby's first investment round about a decade ago, when many others, even flying enthusiasts, thought it was a pipedream. Since then, Joby has single-handedly shaped an entire new industry, from engineering breakthroughs to regulatory pathways, ensuring that American aviation stays ahead of China. Joby expects its first passenger rides in Dubai within a year and is working closely with the Trump administration as it nears the final stages of FAA approval. Inspired by SpaceX, Joby is vertically integrated and plans to aggressively ramp manufacturing here in the U.S., backed by a $500 million investment from Toyota (bringing Toyota's total investment near $900 million). While we await the first passenger flights, Joby is also building out its infrastructure nationwide ? and they're looking for real estate and partners! You can contact JoeBen and the team here: [email protected]

00:00 Episode Intro

01:38 Flying cars are here

04:00 JoeBen's journey

05:48 Battery progress & hydrogen breakthroughs

08:50 Air taxi for the price of Uber Black

12:35 When will commercial flights start?

20:30 Why Joby is the industry leader

24:20 Why China is copying Joby

28:00 How air taxis will change your life

32:10 How Joby will transform real estate

35:45 Solving intractable problems

After leading the product team at Facebook, Sam Lessin became one of the top seed investors in Silicon Valley, known for cutting the first check into Venmo and seeding Solana (a 2,000X return!) Why does he think crypto is more disruptive than AI? Why does he believe the VC model is fundamentally shifting? And why are we, together, building a new company focused on taking merit to the extreme in corporate America?

We discuss this and more with Sam, co-founder and General Partner of Slow Ventures, a leading early stage venture fund. Prior, he was the VP of Product at Facebook during its hyper growth years. Sam is also heavily involved in fixing Harvard, his alma mater, including a recent campaign for the Board of Overseers and building a new alumni network to help return the university to veritas and its founding principles.

Sam first met Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard and watched Facebook being built firsthand. But, as he explains, fell prey to conventional status games and spent two years at Bain & Company, before breaking out and going on to play a critical role at Facebook. He then launched Slow Ventures to take big bets on unconventional ideas. Learn why he believes AI is overhyped; where venture capital is headed next; and what we're building at Meritfirst to unlock hidden talent and overhaul how companies source and hire the best and brightest.

00:00 Episode intro

01:50 Harvard & the wrong career choices

05:13 Lessons learned at Facebook

10:15 The challenges of an open internet

14:48 Venmo, Solana & Sam's investment thesis

16:55 Sam's contrarian take on AI

19:15 How venture capital is changing

24:56 How to fix Harvard

34:13 Building Meritfirst together

From co-founding PayPal and Palantir to writing the first check into Facebook and investing early in SpaceX, AirBnB, and numerous other unicorns, Peter Thiel has shaped the American technology world for over 25 years. Dozens of our most talented leaders have been inspired by Peter, and as a major influence on how we understand the world, he?s also helped to shape the future of the West. Peter likes exploring clever ideas and wisdom, and loves to win.

What's next for our civilization? How should talented people decide what to focus on? And where are the best opportunities amid our myriad challenges? There's no one better than Peter at understanding broken systems, recognizing civilizational currents, and charting a contrarian course. We begin with his mental framework for building in dysfunctional areas, and why Palantir proved more difficult than we ever thought. Peter reveals his worst investments of the past few decades and why broken sectors are often impervious to change. He explains the talent, philosophy, and timing necessary to build a truly generational company.

We also cover DOGE, President Trump's trade policy, and why Peter is more optimistic about the new administration in Washington than at any point since President Reagan. We discuss whether the vibe shift in Silicon Valley is real, and Peter's theory for how Meta (where he served on the board for 17 years) was captured by the woke mind virus. Lastly, he explains the precursors for cultural revolutions, i.e., the woke backlash, and why he's uncharacteristically bullish on the DOGE movement and new opportunities for lasting political change.

00:00 Episode intro

01:40 UATX vs Harvard

04:45 What should talented people focus on?

07:40 Peter's thesis behind Palantir

11:05 Why Palantir sued the Army

14:30 Optimism vs pessimism

17:10 Peter's worst investment areas

20:30 Peter's perspective on Trump & DOGE

25:45 Trump's trade policy & how to deal with China

30:40 New opportunities in broken areas?

35:10 Los Angeles, Austin, and broken cities

40:25 Is the Silicon Valley vibe shift real?

45:45 Cultural revolutions and why speech codes backfired

Sen. Tom Cotton is a key leader on Capitol Hill, standing up to cronyism and grift at home and our adversaries abroad. Does he think DOGE can effect lasting change? What can we do about activist judges blocking the new administration? And how do we stop the Chinese Communist Party from infiltrating our government, undermining American innovation, and targeting our kids with synthetic and digital drugs, i.e. fentanyl and TikTok?

Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and member of the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Cotton plays a vital role in shaping our nation's foreign policy. He also knows the impact of policy firsthand, having deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in the U.S. Army after graduating from Harvard and Harvard Law school. His new book sounds the alarm on America's capitulation to the CCP and is appropriately titled "Seven Things You Can't Say About China."

As the first elected official to publicly defend the lab leak theory, Sen. Cotton courageously challenged the CCP and our own establishment media, reinforcing his reputation as a bold fighter on issues foreign and domestic. We begin with DOGE and a key legislative mechanism he believes Republicans can use to remove waste, fraud, and abuse in the budget for good. He also explains why the Supreme Court needs to weigh in on activist district judges issuing nationwide injunctions. Next, we dive into his new book and the seven areas of the CCP's malfeasance, including its influence over the Panama Canal, what's going to happen with TikTok, and whether the U.S. is serious about stopping the "reverse opium war" and taking out the Mexican cartels. There are many in Hollywood, academia, corporate America, and even Washington D.C. who downplay or cave to Chinese influence; Sen. Cotton is not one of them!

00:00 Episode Intro

03:05 DOGE & activist judges

08:40 Lab leak theory and exposing lies

11:27 Seven Things You Can't Say About China

15:47 Was Pres. Trump right about China and Panama Canal?

20:06 How China infiltrated Hollywood

25:50 What's going to happen with TikTok?

29:36 The CCP's reverse opium war

38:55 Is there optimism for a free China?

Dr. Mike Israetel is one of the most influential voices in health and fitness. What are the "miracle drugs" he thinks will upend modern medicine? Why is he outspoken on AI and the coming "aesthetic revolution"? And what does he think of Bryan Johnson and living to 200?

We discuss some of the most interesting developments in health science with Dr. Mike, co-founder of Renaissance Periodization, his health and strength lab for training athletes and professionals, while sharing his insights with millions online. He earned a PhD in Sport Physiology from East Tennessee State University and later taught at Lehman College, Temple University, and the University of Central Missouri. He also pushes his own body to the limits as a competitive bodybuilder and professional Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grappler.

How did Dr. Mike become a leading authority on strength training? By following the science, he says, and debunking common myths and faulty logic. Learn about the most common misconceptions and why he believes nearly all of health and fitness boils down to a few fundamental principles. Next, Dr. Mike outlines the science behind everyday issues ? sleep, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, testosterone ? before diving deep into GLP-1s, steroids vs peptides, cutting-edge drug discovery, and why living to 200 is not as far-fetched as we think. Finally, he explains his journey into AI and philosophy, and why he believes the coming aesthetic revolution will transform the world for the better starting in the 2030s.

Check out Dr. Mike's newest nutritional product, Genius Shot, here.

0:00 Episode Intro

01:32 Debunking fitness myths

04:23 Health Science that will change your life

07:44 Health Impacts: Alcohol, Sleep, Caffeine, and Nicotine

14:44 Testosterone Decline

16:41 Why Dr. Mike Is Obsessed with AI

21:00 AI Misuse, Threats, and Capabilities

24:27 Aesthetic Revolution, Modern Drugs, and Anti-Aging Technologies

32:48 Bryan Johnson and Longevity

37:28 Biggest Potential for Fitness & Nutrition Startups

41:10 Cybernetics, Prosthetics, and the Future of Human Enhancement

Budweiser was the undisputed king of American beers, until one controversial ad campaign erased $40 billion in market cap and thousands of jobs. How did this happen? Where did top-down frameworks like ESG and DEI originate? And how can we get corporate America back on mission?

This week we're joined by Anson Frericks, a former president at Anheuser-Busch and author of the new book: ?Last Call for Bud Light: The Fall and Future of America?s Favorite Beer." He recently founded Athletic Capital and co-founded Strive Asset Management with Vivek Ramaswamy.

After graduating from Yale and Harvard Business School, Anson quickly ascended the ranks at AB InBev, which acquired Anheuser-Busch in 2008. But he began to notice the beer brand straying from its all-American roots. The culture shifted dramatically after InBev moved sales and marketing from St. Louis to New York City, and Budweiser became emblematic of a decades-long battle over the purpose of a corporation dating back to Milton Friedman's shareholder primacy theory versus the World Economic Forum's embrace of stakeholder theory. Anson explains how the latter captured boardrooms across Europe, spread to America, and led to the proliferation of ESG and DEI within our largest financial institutions.

He details how BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard wield their outsized influence to force stakeholder theory on corporate America, and explains why, shortly before Bud Light's historic collapse, he left to launch Strive Asset Management as an alternative asset manager focused solely on maximizing returns for shareholders. Anson provides an important case study in what went wrong on Wall Street and in boardrooms across the country, and more importantly, how we can get back on track.

00:00 Episode Intro

1:57 The rise & fall of Bud Light

08:50 What is the purpose of a corporation?

10:48 Milton Friedman vs Klaus Schwab

13:50 How BlackRock manipulates investors & companies

16:15 What went wrong at Bud Light

19:00 Costco doubling down on DEI

23:35 How to fight back

28:10 Why Anson left to start Strive

35:38 How to save corporate America

My friend Tim Urban is one of the most influential writers and public intellectuals of the past decade. In 2015, his predictions about the coming AI wave shaped how many builders thought about the future. What happens next in the AI revolution? What new possibilities is he excited about and what concerns him the most? And why, despite technological progress, has our culture and politics descended into tribalism?

We explore these questions and more with the writer and illustrator of the popular "Wait But Why" blog and author of "What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies." Tim's unique illustrations translate complex, technical topics in ways that are accessible and insightful to everyone from the layperson to our country?s top innovators.

After studying government at Harvard, Tim noticed a glaring hole in online discourse: content was everywhere, but quality was lacking. So he began to write in-depth about pressing intellectual questions and debates. What is the nature of intelligence? Why does Mars matter? What does the Fermi Paradox teach us about the universe? His research led him to viral success and carved out his reputation as one of the most forward-thinking writers online, followed by Elon Musk and millions more. After exploring these themes, he noticed a troubling trend: technology was progressing but our culture and politics were not. He then dedicated six years to writing "What's Our Problem?" and developed powerful frameworks for understanding human nature, political dysfunction, and how illiberal movements conquer institutions. And he doesn't just diagnose our collective ailments, but also offers an antidote for how we can all draw from the higher aspects of our mind to transcend tribalism and move society forward. Tim's writings have been instrumental in the country's "vibe shift" and restoring sanity and intelligence to our national discourse.

00:00 Episode Intro

01:35 From Harvard to blogging

04:57 Understanding the Fermi Paradox

09:46 How Tim predicted the AI revolution

13:30 Narrow vs general intelligence

17:30 Should we pause AI research?

26:00 What's Our Problem?

31:00 Higher-rung vs lower-rung thinking

34:20 America vs wrecking balls

41:50 How to conquer a society

51:20 Tim's $10k bet on Mars & optimism for the future

Self-driving is an immensely complex challenge; Tesla, Waymo, and others are locked in a years-long race. But equally challenging, and less known, is the race to develop off-road self-driving. How do you build systems that can navigate unmapped terrain, dodge boulders, and see behind trees ? all at high speeds? And how can our military deploy this technology to enhance lethality and save soldiers' lives?

We discuss these exciting breakthroughs with Byron Boots, Co-Founder & CEO of Overland AI ? one of the most exciting new U.S. defense companies. Byron holds a PhD in machine learning from Carnegie Mellon and also teaches machine learning and robotics at the University of Washington.

We begin with Byron's background as a philosopher-builder, and how he created the top ground autonomy research group in partnership with the Department of Defense. We dive into the engineering challenges of off-road self-driving, and Byron reveals what sets Overland apart from the competition. Next, we cover the strategic significance of Overland's work and how it will abstract humans from dangerous ground operations, like breaching, and transform warfare. If Overland is successful, thousands of autonomous vehicles, each with an elite operator controlling his own smart fleet, could replace the traditional ground campaigns of tanks, infantrymen, and heavy casualties ? and that's something we can all be optimistic about.

00:00 Episode Intro

01:30 Byron?s Philosopher Builder Background

05:32 DARPA challenge & Overland origin story

08:15 On-road vs off-road self-driving

13:08 How ground autonomy changes warfare

18:59 Engineering challenges in off-road autonomy

23:30 AI-enabled swarming & the future of warfare

29:03 Building with the Pentagon

32:37 Optimism for the future

In 2012, Zac Bookman and I set out to bring efficiency and transparency to state and local governments using the best of Silicon Valley technology. Some said we were naive; others laughed when we tried to raise money from them. Over a decade later, OpenGov is a govtech leader, recently acquired by Cox Enterprises for $1.8 billion. And now, government efficiency, namely DOGE, is all the rage!

What does it take to bring government out of the stone ages and into the cloud? And how can DOGE and the new administration seize upon this cultural and political sea change? We discuss this and more with OpenGov co-founder and CEO Zac Bookman. A litigator by training, Zac fought corruption as a Fulbright fellow in Mexico and as an advisor to General McMaster in Afghanistan. As we launched OpenGov, Zac was recruiting candidates on his cell phone from NATO HQ ? reflective of his intense work ethic and leadership.

We start with Zac's entrepreneurial journey and key lessons from Afghanistan, before diving into the make-or-break moments in building OpenGov. We also discuss his remarkable M&A track record and strategy of buying tiny govtech companies and helping them scale. Next, we explore Zac's advice for DOGE and how to effect meaningful and lasting change within government. Finally, Zac outlines how OpenGov is harnessing AI and the new possibilities for more functional and responsive governments around the country.

00:00 Episode intro

01:45 Zac's story

07:10 Fighting corruption in Afghanistan

11:30 The origins of OpenGov

19:35 Make-or-break moments

26:35 Understanding how local government works

28:10 Zac's unique M&A strategy

32:24 Advice for DOGE

37:35 Pivoting OpenGov to AI first

44:45 Biking across America & optimism

AI is transforming our world. Yet many people building these technologies have no grounding in the principles of Western Civilization. With the wrong ideas, we could hurtle toward an authoritarian, dystopian future. But with the right values, AI could unleash freedom and prosperity in ways never imagined. What are the philosophical frameworks needed to harness AI for good? And how do we train a new generation of philosopher builders?

We explore these timely issues with Brendan McCord, founder and chair of the Cosmos Institute, a new nonprofit equipping technologists with pro-liberty values. After graduating from MIT and Harvard Business School, Brendan served on Arctic submarine missions for the Department of Defense and later authored its first AI strategy. He went on to build and lead two AI startups that were acquired for $400 million. Now, he's educating our best and brightest minds in the timeless wisdom of Western Civilization and preparing them for the serious ethical questions that AI poses.

We begin with the importance of philosophy throughout history in harnessing emerging technologies for freedom or control. Next, Brendan breaks down the four dominant approaches to AI ? doomsayers, accelerationists, regulators, and techno-authoritarians ? and where each falls short. Alternatively, he offers three principles and their philosophical roots for harnessing AI for human flourishing: reason (John Stuart Mill), decentralization (Alexis de Tocqueville), and human autonomy (Aristotle). We also cover legitimate versus illegitimate concerns with AI and conclude with how the Cosmos Institute is putting these principles into action, from its Fellowship programs to its new AI lab at Oxford University.

00:00 Episode intro

02:04 Submarines to Building AI Companies

06:00 Why Philosopher Builders are needed

13:20 Why AI poses unique challenges

20:50 Doomsayers vs Accelerationists

25:50 Philosophical frameworks for human flourishing

30:10 Regulators & Techno-authoritarians

37:34 AI running for political office?

40:07 LLMs don't know how to reason

42:30 Purpose of the Cosmos Institute

How is AI augmenting software developers? Will it replace or commoditize certain roles? And how should aspiring engineers prepare for the future?

This week, we're joined by Dylan Serota, co-founder and CEO of Terminal, to discuss AI's impact on one of the most important aspects of company building: talent. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Dylan headed to Silicon Valley, where he helped build and scale global teams for Eventbrite. After seeing the flaws in traditional outsourcing firms, he set out to build Terminal ? a new model for a global talent platform. Behind the scenes, Terminal is enabling some of the fastest-growing tech companies, like Hims&Hers, Chime, and NextDoor, to hire and manage teams around the world.

We start our conversation with global hiring trends and how AI is transforming the competition for talent. Specifically, we discuss how new AI tools are augmenting coding and impacting demand for high-skill versus entry-level developers. We also tackle the challenges in building global teams and why some companies are reverting to face-to-face interviews and tests. Next, we explore the misaligned incentives in traditional outsourcing models and how Terminal differentiates itself. Finally, Dylan offers his advice to young engineers on how they should prepare for the AI age.

00:00 Episode Intro

02:00 The state of global talent

05:00 Why is Nike hiring thousands of engineers?

9:00 Will AI replace coders?

13:30 AI screening vs in-person interviews

18:00 Why is traditional outsourcing broken?

22:20 How Terminal helps startups scale

26:00 Advice for young engineers

Raj Bhakta is best known as the founder of Whistlepig Whiskey. But he also served in the Marines, rode an elephant across the Rio Grande while running for Congress, won a spot on The Apprentice with Donald Trump, recently purchased a college, and is reinventing the whiskey game (again). He's a patriot and creator of one-of-a-kind spirits ? with a personality to match.

The son of immigrants, Raj grew up learning his father's hotel business before setting out on his own. After adventures in investment banking, reality TV, and politics, he saw an opening in high-end American whiskey ? and he seized it. WhistlePig quickly became one of the premier craft whiskeys. After exiting in 2019, he secured one of the world's oldest stashes of Armagnac and launched his newest ventures: Hogsworth and Bhakta Spirits.

Raj recently acquired the now-defunct Green Mountain College in Vermont, where he plans to build a new university grounded in our Founding values, along with a world-class spirit library. We sample his newest whiskeys, joke about religion and politics, and learn from a great American entrepreneur.

00:00 Episode intro

01:44 Why Raj bought a college

03:32 Riding an elephant across Rio Grande

08:49 Origin story of WhistlePig

11:32 Growing up in America; joining Marines

18:32 Acquiring world's biggest stash of Armagnac

23:20 Building Hogsworth / how to blend whiskey

24:13 Catholicism vs Judaism

29:11 Working with Trump on The Apprentice

32:03 Bhakta Spirits & why drink Armagnac

39:40 Why Raj is building a new college

44:35 Advice for entrepreneurs

51:25 Bullying and adversity

In World War II, the U.S. government embraced a radical idea: putting scientists and technologists in charge of building advanced weapons. The rest, as we say, is history. What are the radical ideas we need today? And what can we learn from the history of Silicon Valley? 

This week, we talk with Steve Blank ? serial entrepreneur, Stanford professor, and influential author who created concepts that define today's innovation ecosystem. After serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, Steve landed his first job at William Perry's now-famous Electromagnetic Systems Laboratory. He went on to launch several companies, from taking on Intel in microprocessor manufacturing to building early versions of CRM. His book, "Four Steps to the Epiphany," is credited as the intellectual backbone of the lean startup movement. He has also studied the Pentagon for decades, served on the Defense Business Board, and co-founded Stanford's Gordian Knot Center. 

We start with Steve's entrepreneurial journey and the evolution of Silicon Valley over the past 50 years, from helping end the Cold War to pioneering the computer and internet age. We also examine the devolution of government and its decline from the engine of technology and research in the 20th century to today's slow, bloated bureaucracy.  Steve outlines his bold ideas for reforming the Pentagon and outpacing China in the technology race; he also breaks down the difference between execution and innovation and how the best organizations, like SpaceX, can manage both simultaneously.  Finally, we discuss why Steve had called for a pause in AI research and, given his concerns over China, if we can afford to pause. 

00:00 Episode Intro

01:40 "Bill Perry was my first boss" 

7:43 The Secret History of Silicon Valley

12:14 How US govt fell behind SV

17:05 SpaceX vs NASA

22:00 Radical ideas for Pentagon 

26:28 Execution vs Innovation

31:13 Lean startup vs fat startup 

40:11 Does industrial policy work? 

43:40 Why did Steve call for AI pause? 

What does political courage look like in action? What does it mean to stand up to special interests? And what are the fights we must take on ? and win ? to keep America free and prosperous? 

I recently interviewed Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt at the Cicero Institute's 2024 Courage Awards, where we recognized him and other bold leaders from across the country for taking on cronyism and corruption in the face of great opposition.  Stitt considers himself a businessman governor: he started Gateway Mortgage with $1,000 and a computer before scaling it into a national company. He never sought public office before running for governor, and since he's taken charge, he's run it like a business: balancing budget shortfalls, streamlining permitting, and slashing regulations. More impressively, he's demonstrated real courage in standing up to powerful special interests, like the homelessness industrial complex, and others you might not expect, like the police union. 

Learn how he succeeded in getting real help to the homeless and mentally ill, and why he vetoed a pension increase for police officers. Stitt also explains how woke nonsense and cronyism manifest even in a deep red state ? and how to fight it; why politics shouldn't be a career profession; and how he succeeded in passing one of the boldest school choice programs in the nation. Oklahoma has become one of the nation's fastest-growing states under his leadership, and you'll see why. 

00:00 Episode Intro

01:58 Entrepreneur to governor

05:29 Passing school choice

8:33 Taking on the homeless industrial complex

12:20 Vetoing police pension increase

15:45 Slashing regulations

19:05 Fixing the nursing shortfall / workforce readiness

22:13 Limiting the growth of government

For Episode 100, we have a special conversation with Elad Gil, one of Silicon Valley's great thinkers, builders, and investors. Elad has been involved with many of the leading technology companies of the past 20 years ? and likely the next 20 years. Learn how he's backed dozens of unicorns, why he thinks AI is underhyped, and where he sees investment opportunities amid this new wave of disruption. 

An early leader at Google, Elad helped build the initial mobile team, before founding MixerLabs, which was acquired by Twitter in 2009. Elad stayed on as VP of Corporate Strategy and became a key "fixer" during Twitter's hypergrowth phase. Later, he co-founded Color Health, a genetic testing company specializing in cancer detection. Over the past decade, he's backed nearly 40 unicorns, including Airbnb, Coinbase, Figma, Instacart, and Stripe. He's also invested in Harvey, Mistral, Perplexity, Pika, and other leading AI startups. 

In this episode, Elad takes us behind the scenes of the early days of Google and Twitter, and how Silicon Valley culture has evolved. He explains his three categories of exceptional founders and how he positioned himself to become one of the top angel investors. We also dive deep into AI, from the trajectory of LLMs to frameworks for investing in the AI value stack. Finally, we discuss AI's impact on education and the most exciting possibilities for the decade ahead. 

00:00 Episode intro

01:16 Building Google?s mobile team

06:01 Early days at Twitter

11:37 Building Color Health

15:57 How he?s backed dozens of unicorns

21:52 How small clusters of talent change the world

25:20 Where are the young people in government?

27:25 Where are the young startup founders?

30:17 Why AI is underhyped

36:40 Will LLMs get exponentially better?

39:10 Investing in the AI value stack

41:33 AI and the future of education

The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. The wealthiest among us don't pay their fair share in taxes. The American Dream is disappearing... Are these claims true? What data are they based upon? And does it stand up to scrutiny?

This week, we analyze the debate over income inequality and mobility in America with economist and former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm. In his book, "The Myth of American Inequality" (winner of the 2024 Hayek Prize), Gramm lays out the oft-cited data for widening inequality and exposes where it falls short. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the top 20% of earners possess 16.7 times the income of the bottom 20%. However, Gramm reveals that this data excludes nearly all government transfer payments to the poor, like food stamps, and fails to subtract the high taxes paid by top earners. Adjusting for these factors, inequality drops from 16.7X to 4X!

Gramm also points out that benefits to the poor have increased from $9,700 per household in 1967 (adjusted for inflation) to nearly $50,000 today. He argues that we suffer, not from extreme inequality, but from welfare-driven equality that encourages huge numbers of low-and-middle income Americans to drop out of the workforce.

Senator Phil Gramm served in Washington D.C. for 25 years, first as a Congressman and later as a three-term Senator from Texas. He's an economist by training who taught at Texas A&M before entering public service. His book is a must-read for understanding the inequality debate, the truth about the super-rich, and the state of the American Dream.

00:00 Episode intro

03:32 Is inequality extreme and growing?

10:45 Elon Musk and the super-rich

16:19 Is Warren Buffet cheating the government?

22:55 Industrial Revolution ? setting the record straight

29:35 Do billionaires pay their fair share?

33:40 Is the American Dream dying?

Founded in 1913, the Anti-Defamation League has played an important role in protecting the Jewish community and fighting for civil rights. But in recent years, many believe it has lurched too Left and promoted content that ends up harming Jews. I sat down with its CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, to discuss what the ADL has gotten right and debate where it's gone wrong.

Jonathan started his career in President Clinton's administration before finding success as an entrepreneur and later returning to the Obama White House. We don't align on politics, but we have mutual respect and I visited him at the White House during Obama's tenure to discuss policy issues. Many of the ADL's core activities are noble: report illegal threats against Jews, push back aggressively on anti-Semitism, and provide legal assistance for Jewish students harmed or threatened on college campuses. But recently, many on the Center and Right have taken serious issue with some of the ADL's actions, including its pressure campaigns against social media platforms and embrace of progressive politics that may be making Jews more vulnerable.

In our candid discussion, I challenged Greenblatt on ADL's Left-wing stances and its promotion of critical race theory and Ta-Nehisi Coates' earlier work. I was encouraged to hear about the ADL's aggressive actions against Harvard, Penn, and other institutions after October 7; his agreement that oppressor vs oppressed frameworks foment hate against Jews; and his call for regime change in Iran, not appeasement.

I?d like to see the ADL stop demonizing many on the Right and promoting woke nonsense on their site, distracting from its core purpose of fighting the actual enemies of Jews. But Jonathan and I agree that the ADL is an organization with a storied history and a valuable role to continue to play, especially given the pressing need to combat antisemitism today.

00:00 Episode Intro

02:15 Jonathan's background

05:14 ADL's History

08:39 Lessons from October 7

15:33 Have things improved on college campuses?

17:20 Iran funding antisemitism in the US

20:20 Has ADL gone hard Left? Does ADL teach CRT?

24:00 Will ADL stop promoting Ta-Nehisi Coates?

28:36 How wokeness causes antisemitism

At 19 years old, Jimmy John Liautaud dropped out of college to start his own sandwich shop. He spent 10 years perfecting his first 10 stores, before franchising his model and scaling to nearly 3,000 Jimmy John's locations nationwide. Then the government almost destroyed it.

This week, we sit down with the billionaire sandwich king to discuss his remarkable journey, the impact of government policy, and the consequences of elections. We dive into the business model that made Jimmy John's a national success, and how the Department of Labor under President Obama changed the regulations, sued his stores, and eventually caused him to sell the business. He now encourages business leaders to stand up and speak out, and explains why he's backing President Trump in the upcoming election.

He shares a wealth of lessons learned, including the qualities he looks for in managers and how he can tell if a restaurant will succeed or fail by looking at the front door. Along with his personal success, he's also created hundreds of millionaires within the company, including many who started as sandwich makers, and he donates millions to wildlife preservation and scholarships for disadvantaged youth. Jimmy loves his country, his family, and his community; he's a true American success story and you'll see why.

00:00 Episode Intro01:40 The first Jimmy John's store05:05 How Jimmy scaled nationwide07:03 How government almost ruined his business13:17 Why every election matters18:39 Want to win? Nail the details21:10 Turning around failing stores23:59 Minimum wage & AI + robots29:49 Final advice for entrepreneurs

Roland Fryer is a profile in courage; the Harvard economist follows the data where it leads, no matter the outcome. He studied the impact of paying kids for positive behaviors. He demonstrated how charter school best practices can transform even the worst public schools. And most controversially, he conducted a comprehensive study of police use of force, finding that racial discrimination exists at low levels of force but not in shootings. His colleagues at Harvard pressured him to shelve the study; he received death threats. Learn why he didn't cave and why says he would do it again tomorrow. 

Roland is not only a leading public intellectual but also a builder. In 2020, he co-founded Sigma Squared, which uses data science and new AI tools to help employers find the best talent for the job, or as he says, supercharge meritocracy. His goal: bring HR into the AI age and take the hiring process from a well-educated guess to a precise science.

Roland's accomplishments are even more impressive considering his upbringing: his father went to prison and his mother walked out. Yet, he fell in love with economics and worked his way through college ? including stints at McDonald's and Golden Corral ?  to become the youngest tenured black professor in Harvard's history! Roland personifies American optimism, and you'll see why. 

Learn more about Roland's research and read his study on charter school best practices here.

The U.S. Navy dominated in World War II, not because we had the most advanced ships, but because our industrial capacity was unmatched. When we lost a ship in battle, we could instantly replace it with two or three new ones. Our enemies couldn't keep pace. But today, our shipbuilding is a shell of its former self. In 1943, we built over 18,000 ships. Last year, we built eight (and retired 12). China, on the other hand, is producing hundreds of ships and now boasts 250 times the U.S. shipbuilding capacity!

How can the U.S. Navy maintain deterrence? One answer is autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) and harnessing new possibilities in AI to field and simultaneously coordinate hundreds or thousands of unmanned vessels. That's why Dino Mavrookas and his team are building Saronic Technologies ? the leading ASV manufacturer. Saronic is the only company engineering the hardware, software, and AI to create modular platforms that can be produced economically at scale. They currently offer three classes of vehicles that can be fitted with various sensors and weapons (including the possibility of torpedoes!).

Dino believes the push into unmanned, attritable systems is our generation's space race. He served 11 years as a Navy SEAL with eight combat tours before working as a private equity technology investor. He partnered with 8VC through its Build program to launch Saronic in 2022, and it has quickly become one of the fastest-growing defense technology companies. Saronic recently closed a $175 million Series B, making it the newest defense unicorn. Its advisors include former admirals and other naval leaders, and did we mention it's being built right here in Austin, Texas!

Wilbur Ross is one of the great turnaround artists in modern finance. Dubbed the "King of Bankruptcy," he restructured over $400 billion of assets, saving companies ? and jobs ? in distressed industries like steel, coal, and textiles. In 2016, he went to Washington as U.S. Commerce Secretary to take on a similar mission and defend American companies and workers in high-stakes trade negotiations, particularly with China.

We were privileged to host Wilbur for a conversation about his storied career and new book: ?Risks and Returns: Creating Success in Business and Life."  We began with his investment philosophy and how he reshaped Wall Street, including his close relationship with Mike Milken and the inception of leveraged buyouts.  Wilbur also recalls going head-to-head with Donald Trump during the bankruptcy negotiations for the Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, and explains how that interaction led him to become one of the first Wall Street leaders to support Trump's candidacy for president. 

Next, we dive into his tenure as Commerce Secretary and the ongoing debates over U.S. trade policy. He shares his favorite Trump story ? an early interaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping ? as well as the accomplishments he's most proud of, like regulatory relief, and what he wishes the administration had done differently: act faster and more boldly! Wilbur is a patriot and leader we can all learn from, and hope you'll check out his new book. 

He predicted Vladimir Putin would attack Ukraine months before it happened. Now he believes similar signals foreshadow China invading Taiwan. What similarities does he see? When and how would a Chinese incursion unfold? And what can the U.S. do to deter this conflict?This week, we're joined by Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of web security giant CrowdStrike, who departed the firm several years ago to focus on the intersection of technology, national security, and global competition as the Chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator. He's the author of an important new book: "World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century."

We begin with Dmitri's entrepreneurial journey, from building a multi-billion dollar cyber security firm to lessons learned on the front lines of Chinese and Russian cyber attacks. Next, we discuss Dmitri's new book, his Cold War II thesis, and the comparative strengths and weaknesses between China and the U.S. He lays out Putin's rationale for attacking Ukraine and the similarities he sees with Xi Jinping and Taiwan ? and even predicts the date China might invade! Finally, he explains the four key technologies where the U.S. must remain ahead of China to prevent a Cold War from turning hot.

Electronic shields are iconic elements of Star Trek, Star Wars, and other great American sci-fi. Once a fantasy, we are now building versions of these in real life! And they're a vital solution to a new type of threat confounding our legacy defense industry.

This real-life force field alternative is called directed high-power microwave (HPM), and it's an answer to drone swarms and the proliferation of autonomous, attritable threats. Founded out of 8VC Build in 2018, Epirus is building the world's most advanced HPM systems, capable of disabling hordes of drones and other electronic devices up to miles away ? and it only costs pennies to fire! This week, we talk with Epirus CEO Andy Lowery about the science behind HPM and why the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Space Force are all pursuing Epirus' technology.

We begin with the changing nature of warfare and why harnessing ? and defending against ? autonomous, attributable systems is essential for any future conflict. Next, we dive into HPM technology and its myriad applications, from taking out drones, missiles, boats, and other vehicles to defending satellites in space. We also discuss the rise of "neo-primes" like SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril and a new model for getting the best technology into the hands of our warfighters as quickly as possible. Finally, we discuss the importance of fusing Silicon Valley's AI and big data expertise with the U.S. defense-industrial base's advanced hardware experience in order to maintain our technological advantages over China and other adversaries.

Learn more about Epirus? approach to electronic warfare, and follow Epirus on Social: YouTube, LinkedIn, X