The Importance of Culture in the Internet

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. 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 recent AI congressional hearings, The Culture War's evolution, Twitter under Elon, and much more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/UPSTREAM

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO "MOMENT OF ZEN"

Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/moz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MomentofZenPodcast

MoZ's first episode from Dec '22 featured Marc Andreessen and other guests who have appeared on MoZ include: Balaji Srinivasan, Katherine Boyle, Amjad Masad, Nic Carter, Noah Smith, Michelle Tandler, Byrne Hobart, and more.

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction to this episode of Moment of Zen

(00:48) On what Mike Solana would say to Congress about AI

(08:00) Contrasting Zuck, Brian Armstrong, and Sam Altman’s approach to regulation

(14:20) Sponsor: Secureframe

(16:30) AI doomerism is just marketing for big AI

(26:00) Elon’s wins and losses so far as Twitter CEO

(38:00) Taylor Lorenz Mythology

(40:00) Twitter’s regime change // How the tables have turned. Muahahaha.

(50:00) Evolution of polarization

(58:00) Silver lining of polarization

(1:07:00) Distinguishing Elon’s antics from his philosophy

(1:18:00) The right is adopting woke tactics

(1:24:00) Social media and depression follow up

(1:28:00) Is half of Gen Z non-straight?

(1:32:00) Ellen Pao

(1:34:30) Is Pirate Wires conservative media? (No)

TWITTER:

@MOZ_Podcast

@micsolana (Mike)

@piratewires

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@dwr (Dan)

@antoniogm (Antonio)

Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe 

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

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all ecommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one ecommerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg.

-NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/upstream 

NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform -> NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/upstream and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.

-Secureframe https://secureframe.com/

Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention UPSTREAM during your demo to get 20% off your first year. Secureframe has just released Secureframe Trust, a new product that lets you showcase your organization's security posture to build customer trust.

--

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.