In this episode of Moment of Zen, Balaji Srinivasan sits down with Erik Torenberg to discuss the massive vibe shift in Silicon Valley a week after Trump's near-assassination, tech's emerging role as a counter-elite force, why Biden is president NPC, January 6, and the role of the media.

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This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.

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LINKS:

Librem 5 Phone: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/

School of Fish Meme: https://x.com/balajis/status/1489288836349784064

Graph: History is Running in Reverse: https://x.com/balajis/status/1749858089665257497

FBI Lost Count of Number of Informants at Jan 6: https://nypost.com/2023/09/19/fbi-lost-count-of-number-of-informants-at-capitol-on-jan-6-ex-official/

Most important article: https://time.com/5936036/secret-2020-election-campaign/

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FOLLOW US ON X:

@balajis (Balaji)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@turpentinemedia (Turpentine)

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:21) The Vibe Shift in the Tech Industry

(02:54) The Tech Counter-Elite

(08:01) Tech's Influence on Politics

(14:32) Tech's Impact on the Republican Party

(20:40) The Democrat Party and the Tech Counter-Elite

(26:49) Sponsors: beehiiv | Babbel

(29:39) The Core Disagreement: Who Should Run Things?

(38:45) The Power Struggle Between the Elite and Counter-Elite

(38:49) Sponsors: CommandBar | Squad

(40:02) Political Parties as Swarms of Ideologies

(49:56) Adapting to a Changing World Order

(1:12:41) The Media's Role in Shaping Public Opinion

(1:26:48) The Potential for New Cities and Countries

(1:41:54) Wrap

#11 Alfred Dorfer

Hangweyrer & Palfrader

Intro

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts