E64: US vs China’s Strategies, Uber’s Growth Model, AI Supply Chains

This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg discuss technological inflection points and examine how legal frameworks mask continued globalization despite apparent retrenchment, explores US-China dynamics, analyzes AI industry structure and emerging models, and considers Uber's strategic positioning against autonomous vehicles.

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Highlights from the Episode:

• Globalization isn't truly reversing, but adapting through legal structures that help bypass trade barriers (like routing Chinese goods through Vietnam)
• China's economic model succeeded in early growth stages but faces challenges with an over-leveraged real estate sector and declining population
• Taiwan remains in a surprisingly stable but tense relationship with China despite rhetoric suggesting imminent conflict
• The AI industry is evolving beyond simple model providers/applications into specialized layers with different data access advantages
• Financial engineering works well for known variables but struggles with pure research funding due to fundamental uncertainty
• Uber faces an existential challenge from autonomous vehicles that initially complement their marketplace but could eventually replace it

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LINKS:

Byrne’s writing: https://thediff.co

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