Videos

Erik Torenberg sits down with Jon Askonas to look at the impact of disruptive technology in important areas like the media, religion, culture, and politics. Jon is an assistant professor of politics at Catholic University, a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation and a writer for publications like…

Balaji Srinivasan joins Erik Torenberg and his Moment of Zen co-host Dan Romero to share his new theory of the Tribal Lens, why cognitive territories will gain increasingly more power than land-defined territories, why the US is no longer a beacon in the world, and Balaji strategy to fix San…

Erik Torenberg sits down with Emad Mostaque, founder of Stability AI, and Sam Lessin, GP of Slow Ventures and former VP Product at Facebook to debate how paradigm shifting AI will be for the different sectors of the global economy, startups vs incumbents, and whether AI is actually a good…

On the @UpstreamwithErikTorenberg podcast, Vivek Ramaswamy talks about elite misperceptions of MAGA supporters, and then turns the tables to question the self-selecting filters for who decides to study what field of science. #vivekramaswamy #vivek

Republican presidential nominee talks about diversity, in and of itself, as a flawed goal for businesses on the @UpstreamwithErikTorenberg podcast. Click through to listen to the full episode #podcast #vivek #vivekramaswamy

Erik Torenberg sits down with Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican presidential candidate rapidly rising in the polls. Vivek recorded this interview with us in late march. Given the attention from his performance at the first GOP debate this week, we decided to re-run it. We go deeper on many of the…

Samuel Hammond is a Canadian-born, DC-based senior economist for the Foundation for American Innovation, a think tank focused on bridging the cultures of Silicon Valley and DC. His research focuses on innovation and the institutional impact of disruptive technologies. He is an unconventional thinker and writer (Substack: https://www.secondbest.ca/) who participates…

Biotech founder and investor Martin Shkreli joins Erik Torenberg and his co-host Jesse Genet on In The Arena podcast to dissect his controversies and crises through the lens of leadership. Martin goes deep into the leadership decisions and regulatory environment that led to him serving time in prison, the lessons…

Bryan Caplan is a writer and professor of economics at George Mason University, as well as the author of four books, including The myth of the Rational Voter, and The Case Against Education. His upcoming book is on Feminism. In this conversation, we talked about Bryan's views on sex and…

Marc Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz sits down with Erik Torenberg and his @MomentofZenPodcast co-hosts Dan Romero and Antonio Garcia Martinez to discuss AI, religion, San Francisco politics, Eric Voegelin, and life extension. Subscribe to Moment of Zen: https://link.chtbl.com/moz Upstream and Moment of Zen are a part of the Turpentine podcast…

We're excited to introduce Upstream listeners to Econ 102 from Turpentine. In episode 1, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg discuss the highs and lows of Biden's first term, Biden's policies in comparison to previous presidents and other leaders, as well as China - its real estate sector, industrial and manufacturing…

In this episode, Erik sits down with Agnes Callard, a philosopher and essayist who specializes in ancient philosophy, ethics, and Socratic communication. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/UPSTREAM Upstream is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn about sponsorships, email Erik@turpentine.co or…

Erik sits down with writer and political scientist Richard Hanania. Richard has a new book titled The Origins of Woke: Civil Rights Law, Corporate America, and the Triumph of Identity Politics. This extended discussion encompasses Richard’s intellectual education and views on how the world works, including affirmative action, the dynamic…

In this episode, Erik sits down with Balaji Srinivasan to discuss the Fiat Crisis, geopolitics, conspiracies, and the signs of decline for a hyperpower. Balaji is an angel investor, tech founder, philosopher, and author of The Network State. He was formerly the CTO of Coinbase. This riveting conversation is, in…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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