"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg E5: How Exactly Joe Lonsdale Would Fix The Public Sector
Effective Government
- Focus on effective government through accountability.
- Work at the state level to pass legislation and scale successful programs to other states.
Accountability and Culture
- Unaccountable institutions often embrace virtue signaling to protect themselves.
- Implementing accountability measures forces these institutions to focus on impactful work.
Education Inequality
- Education inequality is a more significant issue than wealth inequality.
- Focus on accountability in education spending rather than just increasing funding.
Joe Lonsdale is the founder of Palantir, 8VC, a number of other unicorns he’s incubated, and Cicero Policy Institute. In this episode we focus mostly on his policy, breaking down what are the real problems in healthcare, education, crime/police, homelessness and what are the solutions he recommends to fix them. We talk about how the right is focused on the culture war when fixing accountability will actually be a more effective way to change the culture. We talk about the future for the right, why wealth inequality is the wrong metric to measure, and what it means to believe in America in 2023. This episode was recorded in February 2023. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/UPSTREAM
--
TIMESTAMPS:
(3:10) How Joe Lonsdale maximizes his impact
(5:10) The focus of Joe’s public policy org, Cicero
(7:58) Why institutional reform is more effective than fighting the culture war
(10:11) Misunderstandings about education
(12:56) government unions shouldn’t exist
(15:02) Misunderstandings about prison reform and crime
(18:31) Misunderstandings about homelessness
(21:13) Sponsors
(26:52) Explaining our healthcare problems
(32:53) When to reform vs start new institutions
(38:00) What’s the power of a presidency / State reform vs federal reform
(40:54) The frontier vs the core
(43:40) Draining the swamp
(43:50) Wealth inequality
(47:20) Equality of opportunity is a myth
(49:00) Appreciating billionaires
(52:00) Peter Thiel isn’t really focused on politics
(54:00) The future of the right
(58:42) Why be an American optimist
SOCIAL LINKS:
Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenberg
Joe’s Twitter: @JTLonsdale
Podcast Twitter: @Upstream__Pod
Erik’s Substack: eriktorenberg.substack.com
Joe’s Substack: blog.joelonsdale.com
Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | 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. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg.
- 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.
--
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.