Samo Burja is the founder and president of Bismarck Analysis, an industrial analysis and consulting firm studying failing organizations, and the author of "Great Founder Theory" which explores how exceptional individuals shape history by creating innovative institutions rather than merely steering events. He also chairs the editorial board of Palladium Magazine.
Samo discusses:
- How organisations decline when they shift goals to match diminished capabilities instead of pursuing bold visions, illustrated by NASA's evolution from space exploration to Earth observation
- Why social technologies (like trust networks) are as crucial as material technologies in driving innovation and economic growth, with religious communities like Protestant merchants historically enabling trade through shared values
- Britain's potential to regain global prominence through ambitious projects like nuclear energy, Antarctic resource development, and AI compute infrastructure, but only with live players who break from institutional scripts
Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Timestamps
(00:00:00) - Introduction
(00:02:23) - Organisational Decline
(00:07:29) - Energy Challenges
(00:19:04) - NASA's Evolution
(00:28:26) - AI and Society
(00:37:29) - Social Technologies
(00:56:19) - Britain's Status
(01:05:45) - Political Opportunities
(01:16:16) - Future Prospects
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