This book provides the exclusive inside story of Facebook, from its inception in a Harvard dorm room to its current status as a global phenomenon. David Kirkpatrick, with the full cooperation of Facebook’s key executives, chronicles the company’s creation, its rapid growth, and its significant influence on social life, marketing, politics, and business. The book highlights Mark Zuckerberg’s unwavering vision and his focus on growth over profits, as well as the company’s successes and missteps. It also explores how Facebook has become instrumental in various aspects of modern life, including political protests and social interactions worldwide.
In this book, Thomas Frank explores the transformation of Kansas from a state with a radical past to a stronghold of conservative politics. He argues that the culture wars have allowed the Republican Party to capture the populist language of social class, presenting themselves as the embodiment of working-class anti-elitism. Frank analyzes how conservatism, once associated with class privilege, became the creed of many ordinary Americans, particularly in Kansas, where workers and farmers support policies that often harm their own economic interests. The book critiques the role of the Democratic Party in neglecting its traditional support base, such as organized labor, and how this neglect has contributed to the rise of conservative politics[1][2][4].
On this week's episode of The Riff, Erik Torenberg and Byrne Hobart explore the impact of technological change on markets, touching on meme investments, ESG, the rise of meme stocks and coins, Trump’s policies, China’s economic strategies, industrial policy debates, and how these factors could shape the future political and economic landscape.
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Highlights from the Episode:
- Trump's recent cryptocurrency launch represents a significant shift in his financial strategy.
- Meme coins/markets serve as a way to quantify social media competition and turn online engagement into measurable outcomes.
- China's growth model succeeded in transitioning from low to middle income but faces difficulties reaching high-income status.
- Japanese 30-year bonds now yield more than Chinese ones, suggesting market expects higher long-term growth in Japan.
- Bipartisan concerns over TikTok's influence and Chinese ownership, coupled with Trump's reversal on the ban, highlight shifting political coalitions.
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RECOMMENDED PODCAST:
Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. Founders Fund's Delian Asparouhov and researcher Nadia Asparouhova kick off the series with an unfiltered conversation about their relationship evolution.
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod
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LINKS:
Byrne’s writing: https://thediff.co
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X / TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/ByrneHobart (Byrne)
https://twitter.com/TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)
"The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg 
