Mike Solana, VP at Founders Fund, discusses societal trust issues, media bias, future of news, college education challenges, taboo topics in academia, meme warfare in politics, China trade reciprocity, AI x-risk, upcoming election dynamics, and more in a thought-provoking podcast.

The Pirate Wires crew discuss the tech press's reaction to Marc Andreessen's manifesto, San Francisco's war on self-driving cars, the controversial hiring decision by the NYT, and cancel culture. They explore topics such as luxury beliefs, decentralized disinformation campaigns, and contradictory views on America. The conversation also dives into cancel culture and the consequences of expressing controversial views, including the controversy surrounding coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Our guest this week is Mike Solana, founder and editor-in-chief of Pirate Wires (Piratewires.com). We discuss the broken local politics of San Francisco, tech and media fights, how we should handle Tik Tok,and why AI enthusiasts are losing. We record our interviews with Riverside. Go to https://bit.ly/Riverside_MoZ + use code ZEN for 20%. We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.RECOMMENDED PODCAST:The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord.https://link.chtbl.com/hrhereticsTIMESTAMPS:(0:00) Antonio’s EA rant(2:12) Local SF politics is changing(18:10) Tech vs. Media(26:30) Sponsors: Secureframe and Riverside(28:00 )Why does SF hate tech?(31:00) How to win over California(38:00) Institutionalist vs. anti-institutionalist(55:50) Taylor Lorenz(1:01:30) Tik Tok(1:03:40) Why Solana isn’t a libertarian anymore(1:07:55) Why is the onus on billionaires instead of government(1:14:20) Dan swears off Peter Zeihan(1:16:00) Anti-tech tech podcasts(1:18:20) AI criticism is coming from within tech(1:19:50) Aella(1:21:30) AI safety debate(1:32:00) What Solana is motivated byTWITTER:@MOZ_Podcast@micsolana (Mike)@eriktorenberg (Erik)@dwr (Dan)@antoniogm (Antonio)More shownotes and reading material released in our Substack: https://momentofzen.substack.com/ SPONSORS: Beehiiv | Shopify Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three months-Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial periodShopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/momentofzenThank you to Secureframe for sponsoring (Use "Moment of Zen" for 20% discount) and Graham Bessellieu for production.

Discussing the TikTok bill passing in the house and potential Senate approval, fake meat ban in Florida, Don Lemon's cancelled Twitter show, and Neil Young returning to Spotify after a boycott. Insights into political and financial factors, controversies with Elon Musk, and the implications of censorship during the pandemic.

Katherine Boyle and Mike Solana join Erik, Dan, and Antonio to discuss whether a liberal arts degree is worth it and how to save San Francisco.Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: turpentine.coWe're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.a16z Podcast: https://future.com/a16z-podcast/The a16z podcast is a lighthouse for current and future founders, breaking down the most important trends in technology.TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Episode Preview(04:30) Recapping the first Moment of Zen fight(07:00) Is a Liberal Arts degree worth it?(010:30) The siren song of The Social Network(14:00) Finance vs Tech in the 2010s(15:35) Sponsor: Secureframe(16:40) 4 out of the 5 people on this episode got a liberal arts degree(21:00) Are elite schools still worth it? Are middle tier colleges worth it?(29:00) Are CS degrees necessary?(31:00) Zero sum: college vs vocational school(42:00) Mike Solana’s political future in San Francisco(44:45) How tech failed SF(46:40) How to talk about drug dealers, drug addicts, and recreational drug use(51:30) Wealth in SF, geographically(1:01:00) Housing(1:0400) Fentanyl will be a key issue in the upcoming election(1:08:00) Dangerous memes, aspirations, and not accepting market realitiesLINKS:Season of the Witch by David Talbot: https://www.amazon.com/Season-Witch-Enchantment-Terror-Deliverance/dp/1439108242Base Reality by Mike Solana: https://www.piratewires.com/p/base-reality-an-interview-with-grimes-6b3TWITTER:@KTmBoyle (Katherine)@micsolana (Mike)@MOZ_Podcast@eriktorenberg (Erik)@antoniogm (Antonio)@dwr (Dan)SPONSORS:Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝 to https://Beehiiv.com and use code “MOZ” for 20% off your first three monthsShopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial periodShopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/momentofzenNetSuite (http://netsuite.com/zen)NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.Secureframe (https://secureframe.com/)Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention MOZ during your demo to get 20% off your first year.

Mike Solana, guest writer, discusses Peter Thiel's core ideas and the shift away from woke culture. They cover Substack's impact, the Feminist Critique of Snow White on TikTok, and the question of whether culture has changed or if we're just more siloed. The podcast also explores the contradictions of cancel culture, the tension between Christianity and social justice, and the influence of Peter Thiel in the tech industry.

Mike Solana, the Editor-in-chief of Pirate Wires, discusses Trump Memecoin, tech's shift right, democrat crackdown on crypto, broken media in 2024, growth vs degrowth in tech, memetic wars, information battles, social media impact, and being 'terminally online'.

Former VP at Founders Fund, Mike Solana, talks about controversial ideas, freedom vs. equality, resurgence of Marxism, roots of anti-American sentiment, libertarianism, hereticon conference, changing media landscape, individualism vs. collectivism, longevity research, AI development, Mars colonization, trauma as a status symbol, modern culture war, and anti-American sentiment in American culture.

Podcast discusses fallout from a Rolling Stone hit piece, a digital showdown between Taylor Lorenz and TikTok libs, a viral family feud over amateur breakdancing, and the shifting liberal vibe post-pandemic. Dive deep into media manipulation, ethical dilemmas of enjoying art by controversial figures, and the complex dynamics of online drama and public perception.

The Pirate Wires staff discusses Snow White controversies, the plane lady's authenticity, San Francisco homelessness crisis, and corruption in the Maui wildfire story.