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The Concepts of Nation, State, and Network
This chapter explores the concepts of nation, state, and network, focusing on the Chinese nation and state. It delves into China's digital border control, the Great Fireball, and the influence of other countries on the English internet.
Balaji Srinivasan returns to Upstream for an unfiltered conversation about recent events: SBF's conviction and the conflict in the middle east.
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We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.
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SPONSORS:
Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three months.
Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period
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RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
Every week investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future. Subscribe to “The Riff” with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg: https://link.chtbl.com/theriff
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X / TWITTER:
@balajis (Balaji)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@upstream__pod
@turpentinemedia
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:20) Why should we still care about the SBF story
(05:17) An uncensored Twitter exposed the crimes
(08:25) Why the system got an F on SBF
(11:30) Why the network succeeded over the state
(15:10) Sponsors: Shopify | GiveWell
(18:00) Actual crimes vs political crimes
(20:00) Did the press coverage force the indictment?
(22:00) Why didn’t the state move faster if all the pieces were there?
(29:30) Political fallout
(30:30) Sponsor: Oracle
(40:00) Progressive Muslim alliance
(42:40) Pro Middle Eastern tech
(47:50) Support for anti-Israel is where support for gay marriage was in 2000s
(48:20) TikTok is global public opinion minus India and China
(50:35) Should America intervene in the Middle East?
(52:30) The six regimes
(55:30) War with China
(57:00) Retribalization of society
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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Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode