NET Society Ep56 Die in the Chair
Nov 24, 2025
The discussion highlights the growing gap between tech winners and the general populace, likening today’s sentiment to the 90s and drawing parallels to the Jacksonian era's wealth disparity. Record-breaking art sales raise questions about the identity of contemporary buyers. The hosts dive into the evolution of AI coding, the challenges within the crypto market, and the cultural shifts in education. Notably, they explore the idea of 'dying in the chair' as a metaphor for work ethic, emphasizing the intertwining of wealth and personal identity.
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Growing Tale Of Two Economies
- Aaron Wright frames today's economy as a "tale of two cities" where top firms and capital outpace everyday workers.
- He warns automation and AI are accelerating wealth concentration without trickle-down benefits.
Weekend With The Ultra-Rich
- Chris Furlong recounts spending time with the ultra-rich and being shocked by luxury scaling and private amenities.
- He uses that experience to illustrate rapid social separation and a changing aspirational baseline.
Jacksonian Echoes In Modern Politics
- Aaron connects current politics and social fracturing to Jacksonian-era patterns of populism, bank wars, and patronage.
- He suggests historical echoes may predict rising institutional strain, not necessarily civil war.
