Bradley Tusk, venture capitalist and political strategist, discusses his fictional novel 'Obvious in Hindsight' which delves into the challenges of innovative technology, including flying cars, battling politicians and mafia. The podcast explores conflicts between data, safety, and politics in autonomous driving, as well as challenges faced by weed shops and perpetual scaffolding in cities like New York. Tusk also shares personal experiences with political corruption and the FBI, and explores tactics used by politicians to generate media attention.
Read more
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
auto_awesome
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
Bradley Tusk's novel, 'Obvious in Hindsight,' delves into the challenges faced by innovative technology, such as flying cars, as they encounter obstacles like politicians and vested interests.
Tusk emphasizes the importance for startups and tech companies to consider the regulatory and political landscape, highlighting the need to mobilize customers and build political alliances to drive change.
Deep dives
Bradley Tusk's Novel 'Obvious in Hindsight' Explores the Intersection of Technology and Politics
Bradley Tusk's new novel, 'Obvious in Hindsight,' delves into the fictional story of innovative technology: flying cars. The book highlights the challenges faced by this new technology as it enters different cities and encounters obstacles such as politicians, mafia members, and other vested interests. Tusk draws from his real-life experience as a venture capitalist and political strategist to shed light on how technology and politics intersect. He discusses the underlying motivations of founders, VCs, politicians, and lobbyists, revealing the political realities that startups must navigate. The novel offers valuable insights into the importance of understanding and anticipating regulatory issues, mobilizing customers, and changing political inputs. Through a cautionary tale, Tusk provides tech entrepreneurs with a practical understanding of the political landscape and the strategies needed to succeed.
The Impact of Politics on Innovation and Disruption
Bradley Tusk's novel, 'Obvious in Hindsight,' serves as a reminder of how politics can significantly impact innovation and disruption. Tusk highlights that startups and tech companies must consider not only the engineering and marketing challenges they face but also the regulatory and political landscape. By sharing real-world examples from his work with companies like Uber and Bird, Tusk demonstrates the importance of mobilizing customers and building political alliances to drive change. The book serves as a reminder to entrepreneurs that political considerations are just as critical to success as any other aspect of their business.
Navigating Political Complications in Startup Growth
Bradley Tusk's novel, 'Obvious in Hindsight,' portrays the challenges and complications that startups face when navigating the political landscape. Tusk's firsthand experience as a political strategist enables him to explore the complexities of regulatory issues that disruptors often encounter. The novel highlights the need for startups to understand politicians' underlying motivations and realize that decisions are primarily driven by re-election concerns. Tusk emphasizes the power of mobilizing passionate customer bases as a means to influence political outcomes. By shedding light on these political dynamics, Tusk arms entrepreneurs and venture capitalists with the knowledge needed to navigate the regulatory hurdles and successfully drive startup growth.
The Role of Political Interests in Shaping Industries
Bradley Tusk's novel, 'Obvious in Hindsight,' uncovers the significant influence of vested political interests on shaping industries. Drawing from his experiences in both politics and venture capital, Tusk highlights the need for technology disruptors to recognize and navigate these political forces. The novel illustrates how political motivation often drives decisions, with re-election and attention-seeking as primary factors. Tusk advises entrepreneurs to assess the relative strengths of political stakeholders and mobilize passionate customer bases that can influence political outcomes. By understanding these dynamics, startup founders can anticipate regulatory challenges and strategize effectively to create industry-wide transformations.
Bradley Tusk is a venture capitalist, political strategist, writer, and owner of P&T Knitwear bookstore. In this conversation, we talk about his brand new book, called “Obvious in Hindsight.” It is all about a fictional story of innovative technology, flying cars, and what they have to go through with politicians, mafia members, etc. This is a great conversation about how technology meets politics, and the reality on the ground.
=======================
Base is making it their mission to bring a billion people onchain. But what exactly is Base? It's an Ethereum L2 offering a seamless experience for both builders and users. With near-zero gas fees and rapid transaction speeds, Base is shaping the future of the onchain world. Base is a canvas for everyone, with hundreds of apps in the Base ecosystem, whether you're an emerging creator, a seasoned developer, or someone exploring the onchain space for the first time, Base is designed to bring your ideas to life. So, if you're looking for a platform where the future of onchain is being built daily, Base is your destination. Join in and make onchain the next online. Learn more at base.org and follow along on Twitter at @BuildOnBase to see cool things to do onchain, everyday.
=======================
Trust and Will has simplified the process of creating and managing your will or trust online. They leverage a data-driven, design-first approach and amazing customer support to help you protect your legacy from the comfort of your home starting at just $159. Sign up today for 10% off using https://trustandwill.com/pomp
=======================
Pomp writes a daily letter to over 250,000+ investors about business, technology, and finance. He breaks down complex topics into easy-to-understand language while sharing opinions on various aspects of each industry. You can subscribe at https://pomp.substack.com/
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode