O'Shaughness: It's much easier to be pessimistic and negative like the old quote, pessimist sound smart and optimist make money. And it also defaults to all of our base code in human OS. We are emotionally driven creatures. The biggest fear is fear of the unknown. So if you have a novel threat, everybody's going to pay attention to that novel threat because we're programmed to do so.
Rohit is a VC and essayist who writes fascinating, thought-provoking essays on complexity, progress, innovation and technology over at Strange Loop Canon. He joins the show for a second time to discuss the lessons learned from the FTX meltdown, why there isn’t a philosophy of business, creating an AI picture book, and a whole lot more. Important Links:
Show Notes:
- What can VCs learn from FTX?
- FTX, hubris and good manners
- “Don’t let anyone push you into a decision that you don’t want to make”
- Signing up to the right narratives
- Why you can’t beat the market
- Why isn’t there a philosophy of business?
- Markets, desire and innovation
- How AI allows us to talk to machines in our language
- The complexities of the AI sentience debate
- How AI unlocks new outlets for creativity
- The need for positive stories
- The three components of innovation
- “Curiosity is a shit starter”
- Finding new ways to create community
- Openness and experimentation
- MUCH more!
Books Mentioned:
- What Works on Wall Street: A Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time; by Jim O’Shaughnessy
- The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism; by Howard Bloom
- Unflattening; by Nick Sousanis
- Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the 20th Century; by Brad DeLong
- American Gods; by Neil Gaiman
- Lessons: A Novel; by Ian McEwan