Riva Tez on Genius, Mania and The Impact of Cancel Culture
Jan 1, 2024
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The podcast features Riva Tez discussing her early entrepreneurial ventures, the connection between mania and genius, cancel culture, and her early involvement in crypto. The conversation explores the impact of family influence, unconventional thinking, and the challenges of gender dynamics in the tech industry.
Early interest in crypto stemmed from exploring economic freedom and innovative governance structures.
Disdain for cancel culture due to its unfairness and negative impact on freedom of speech and intellectual diversity.
Importance of fearlessness in expressing personal viewpoints to cultivate uncancellable perspectives and foster innovation.
Deep dives
Distrust of Government and Early Interest in Crypto
The speaker's distrust of government stemmed from her personal experience caught up in the welfare system at a young age, feeling it was a trap. Early interest in crypto developed around 2013 after encountering pioneers like Cody Wilson and Ethereum developers at South by Southwest. Investing in crypto became a way to explore economic freedom and innovative governance structures.
The Influence of Cancel Culture
The speaker expressed disdain for cancel culture, seeing it as an unfair practice that can have a detrimental impact on collective intelligence. She highlighted instances where cancel culture disproportionately punished individuals for minor or misunderstood comments, leading to career ramifications. The trend of cancel culture she believed was gradually waning, recognizing its negative effects on freedom of speech and intellectual diversity.
Evolution of Cancel Culture and Collective Intelligence
The speaker reflected on the changes in cancel culture dynamics over time, noting a shift away from its peak prevalence during certain political eras. She pointed out the unjust consequences of canceling individuals based on past remarks or minor incidents, impacting the ability to express diverse ideas and stifling collective intelligence. Noting figures like Elon Musk who remain uncancelable, she emphasized the importance of free expression and intellectual freedom in fostering broader perspectives and innovation.
Supporting Crypto Adoption and Advancing Financial Independence
Reba discusses her goals of improving crypto use to offer financial freedom, aiding individuals relying on the US financial system. She emphasizes the importance of making crypto more user-friendly to drive mass adoption, aiming to create alternatives to traditional financial systems before potential crises. Additionally, she highlights the significance of integrating beauty into technology, emphasizing the need for more aesthetically pleasing experiences in the tech industry to enhance joy and creativity.
Fostering Fearlessness and Integrity in Writing and Ideation
Reba reflects on the value of fearlessness in expressing personal viewpoints, encouraging uncensored writing and ideas. She emphasizes the role of writing as a continuous learning process, advocating for sharing drafts and engaging in public learning. By maintaining high integrity and openness to challenges, Reba suggests that individuals can cultivate uncancellable perspectives, even in the face of differing viewpoints and potential controversy.
Today’s guest is Riva Tez - a philosopher, curious thinker, intellect, investor and one of my favourite people on the internet.
She studied Philosophy at UCL before digging deeper into technology and engineering and starting the Berlin Singularity.
She went on to co-found Permutation Ventures — an early stage VC fund which focused on AI startups and, she has also worked with Jim Keller at Intel as Senior Director for Strategic Technology Initiatives.
Whilst at university, Riva started a toy shop in Notting Hill where she encouraged her young clientele to become mini entrepreneurs and philosophers.
In this episode, Riva and I discuss how she got into crypto early, the link as she sees it, between mania and genius, cancel culture and what keeps her up at night.
I really enjoyed talking to Riva and I think you will get a lot from this episode so here is my conversation with Riva Tez.
