In this book, Andrei Lankov provides a comprehensive and accessible history of North Korea, from its creation after World War II to its current state. He argues that North Korea is not irrational but rather a living political fossil that has managed to survive against all odds through Machiavellian politics and diplomacy, including nuclear threats. Lankov humanizes North Koreans by describing their daily lives and how they cope with living in an oppressive and poor environment. He also contends that the regime is unsustainable and that any attempts at reform will likely lead to its dramatic implosion.
Cryptonomicon, a historical fiction novel by Neal Stephenson, follows the intertwined stories of two groups of people separated by time: one during World War II and the other in the present day. The novel explores themes of cryptography, technology, and the nature of war. Stephenson's intricate world-building creates a unique and immersive experience for the reader. The novel's complex plot unfolds through a series of interconnected events, weaving together personal stories with grand historical events. Cryptonomicon is a challenging but rewarding read for those interested in intellectual exploration and intricate storytelling.
This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg explore the historical paradigms from agrarian to industrial eras and potential future growth, while also addressing challenges in adopting new technologies like AI, institutional constraints at companies like Meta, post-COVID loneliness, the Scandinavian economic model, China's deflation concerns, and structural issues within OpenAI, all through a mix of personal anecdotes and historical insights.
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Highlights from the Episode:
- Historically, economic growth rates have increased roughly 10x during major paradigm shifts (from hunter-gatherer to agrarian to industrial economies).
- Meta (Facebook) invested heavily in content moderation systems but received limited credit for these improvements.
- The "Loneliness Economy" describes how COVID-19 increased time spent alone at home, allowing digital platforms like DoorDash, which use detailed user behavior data, to optimize services in ways physical businesses cannot.
- Jensen Huang's background of early hardship and drive, along with NVIDIA's strategic focus on intermediate goods like GPUs rather than consumer products, played a key role in its evolution from a graphics card maker to a leader in AI hardware.
- OpenAI's shift from a nonprofit to a for-profit structure highlights the massive capital needs of AI development, similar to how American Express's corporate structure challenges went unaddressed until they became critical, illustrating how organizational issues often get deprioritized during rapid growth.
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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 
