Dwarkesh Podcast

Austin Vernon - Energy Superabundance, Starship Missiles, & Finding Alpha

Sep 8, 2022

Austin Vernon, an engineer focused on CO2 electrolysis and known for his insightful blog about engineering and economics, dives into the transformative concept of energy superabundance and its potential to revolutionize society. He discusses the military applications of Starship technology as a kinetic weapon, the future of nuclear energy, and the innovative approaches to carbon capture. The conversation also explores the impacts of cheaper energy on technology, urban transportation, and the emerging challenges of carbon scarcity.

02:23:31

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Episode guests

Austin Vernon

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Revolutionizing Warfare: The Impact of Starship Technology

19min

Navigating Complexity: Lessons from Manufacturing and Software

21min

Lean Manufacturing versus Innovation

15min

Innovations in Energy Production and Market Dynamics

16min

From Crypto Curiosity to Blogging Success

4min

Energy, Economy, and Innovation Insights

21min

Future of Urban Transportation

5min

The Impact of Cheaper Energy on Technology and Computing

2min

10.

Speculations on Future Carbon Scarcity and Innovative Solutions

3min

11.

Navigating Energy Futures

4min

12.

Navigating Nuclear Energy's Future

26min

13.

Capital vs. Labor: A Contrarian Perspective on Returns

2min

14.

The Economics of Irreplaceability and Brand Value in Business

2min

15.

The Efficiency of the Blogging Market and Its Hidden Rewards

4min

Austin Vernon is an engineer working on a new method for carbon capture, and he has one of the most interesting blogs on the internet, where he writes about engineering, software, economics, and investing.

We discuss how energy superabundance will change the world, how Starship can be turned into a kinetic weapon, why nuclear is overrated, blockchains, batteries, flying cars, finding alpha, & much more!

Watch on YouTube. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Read the full transcript here.

Follow Austin on Twitter. Follow me on Twitter for updates on future episodes.

Timestamps

(0:00:00) - Intro

(0:01:53) - Starship as a Weapon

(0:19:24) - Software Productivity

(0:41:40) - Car Manufacturing

(0:57:39) - Carbon Capture

(1:16:53) - Energy Superabundance

(1:25:09) - Storage for Cheap Energy

(1:31:25) - Travel in Future

(1:33:27) - Future Cities

(1:39:58) - Flying Cars

(1:43:26) - Carbon Shortage

(1:48:03) - Nuclear

(2:12:44) - Solar

(2:14:44) - Alpha & Efficient Markets

(2:22:51) - Conclusion

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