Venkatesh Rao is a writer, consultant, and author. He has been writing about indie consulting for years and has recently published The Art of Gig, Volumes 1 & 2, which together take an in-depth look at the gig economy. Venkatesh joins the show to discuss tragic luck, becoming slightly nonsensical, the advantages of mediocrity, and a whole lot more! Important Links: Venkatesh's Website Venkatesh's Blog Venkatesh's Substack Venkatesh's Twitter The Art of Gig The Art of Gig: our synthesis The Gervais Principle Show Notes: Origins of The Art of Gig Paycheck People Learning how to take risks Is there a risk-taking gene? The case for fixed-point futurism Finding meaning Personality types, narrative, and becoming a courageous thinker Don’t get tragically lucky Generational agency Sparring, pressure and meaning-making Be slightly nonsensical Teaching others to appreciate randomness Towards infinite games; be mediocre Understanding divergentism MUCH more! Books Mentioned: The Art of Gig: Volumes 1 & 2; by Venkatesh Rao The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich; by Tim Feriss Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself; by Daniel H. Pink The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story For Work and Life; by Paul Millerd Tempo: timing, tactics and strategy in narrative-driven decision-making; by Venkatesh Rao The Redemptive Self: Stories Americans Live By; by Dan P. McAdams Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life As Play and Possibility; by James Carse Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity; by David Allen

In this episode, Venkatesh Rao, founder of Ribbonfarm and author of the book Tempo discusses the 3 types of decision-makers and shares how to adopt useful mental models *** Go Premium: Members get early access, ad-free episodes, hand-edited transcripts, searchable transcripts, member-only episodes, and more. Sign up at: https://fs.blog/membership/   Every Sunday our newsletter shares timeless insights and ideas that you can use at work and home. Add it to your inbox: https://fs.blog/newsletter/   Follow Shane on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ShaneAParrish

Explore the nuanced relationship between AI and society with Venkatesh Rao, discussing voice, time in AI systems, abstract planning, and reasoning. Dive into the intersection of data, intelligence, and reasoning in AI, comparing AI learning to human processes. Discover the importance of protocols in AI scaling, privacy challenges, and evolution of mathematical tools in AI. Delve into real-world AI applications, coordination problems in ML, and the need for real-time commitments.

This episode was a delight. Venkatesh Rao is the creator of Ribbonfarm and has been writing about the internet, technology, and gig life. This conversation focuses on his recently published book, The Art of Gig.  If you are thinking about working independently, becoming a freelancer, or are interested in consulting, you should definitely buy his book:The Art of Gig, FoundationsThe Art of Gig, SuperstructuresWATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/KC63HrF8V4EYou can find Venkatesh:on Twitter @vgron RibbonFarm (blog and substack)His consulting website: venkateshrao.comLinks Mentioned:How Karate Kid Ruined The Modern World (Cracked)Lords of StrategyWhat Theorising Is, Theorising Is NotTempo, by VenkateshJim KellerSquad WealthWe talked about:1:00 The scripts Venkatesh grew up with 5:05 Preparing for the leap, Dan Pink's books 10:48 Predictable income vs adventure18:58 Is $100 enough to build confidence in a project?21:08 Understanding the big consulting companies 27:18 The positioning vs people's school33:34 "Avoid polished deliverables" 42:17 Helping the executives take a step back 47:54 Systematic doubt and systematic confidence 51:40 What is "the clutch class" and why does it matter? 59:34 "What the clutch class is doing on evenings and weekends everyone will be doing in 10 years" 1:01:54 Keeping a 10-foot pole between your public identity and freelance gigs 1:03:38 How does Venkatesh work with clients? 1:07:53 The Yak collective and the future of indie consulting 1:12:34 Why the gig economy will outgrow the paycheck economy?📕Buy Paul’s Book (Published Jan 2022): The Pathless Path📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to BoundlessPaul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:I use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Your HereI record high-quality video using Riverside: Sign Up HereBecome a sponsor of the Podcast / NewsletterWant to upgrade your Zoom studio? Check out Kevin Shen’s Dream Studio CourseWant to launch a course? Podia or Teachable are both greatWeb Hosting: Skystra Fast WordPress HostingHost your own community" Circle 14-day free trial 📘 GOOD WORK: LIVE! => Learn More📕 Buy Paul’s Book (50k+ Sold): The Pathless Path😁 Join Hundreds On Unconventional Paths: Pathless Path Community📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdInstagram: @pathlesspaulPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to Pathless (23k+ People)Paul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:Accounting, Taxes, And Payroll For Your S-Corp (Ideal for $60k+ income): CollectiveLooking for alternatives to traditional health insurance in the US? Check out CrowdhealthI use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Yours HereI record high-quality videos using Riverside: Sign Up Here

Tim Beiko, who runs Ethereum's core protocol meetings, teams up with writer Venkatesh Rao to discuss their 'Summer of Protocols' research program. They explore the importance of protocols, workplace safety, the consequences of ignoring hand hygiene in medicine, evolution of protocols and cultural adaptation, urban protocols, the importance of state and memory in technological systems, and the social side of blockchains.

After some weeks of nativity bliss and medical drama we are back! A joy to invite Venkatesh Rao to take us down a number of his bunny trails, focussing initially on his great piece The Permaweird, the latest in his Great Weirding series. We discuss the tendency to call "crisis!", a generally ambient sense of weirdness, and how the latest developments in AI suggest that isn't slowing down anytime soonThe Permaweird: https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/p/the-permaweirdSubscribe to Ribbonfarm: https://studio.ribbonfarm.com/Follow Venkatesh on twitter: https://twitter.com/vgr 

How can newly minted futures and foresight folk make their mark and attract the right work? What does it take to assemble an informal group of independent thinkers to collaborate at the frontier of change?Today’s guest is Venkatesh Rao - writer, consultant, and Yak Herder at the Yak Collective. To go further into Venkat's back catalogue, I have 3 book recommendations:- Tempo explores timing, tactics, and strategy in narrative-driven decision-making- The Gervais Principle is a internet cult classic using The Office to explore organisational dynamics, and a fantastically entertaining read- The Art of Gig - a 2 volume philosophical guide to the modern gig economy for independent consultants.Links from today's showYak Collective: https://www.yakcollective.org/The Art of Gig: https://artofgig.com/Tempo: https://amzn.asia/d/77AlQ1xThe Gervais Principle: https://amzn.asia/d/0JDGd54https://venkateshrao.com/Support FuturePod: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=12821399

Author Venkatesh Rao discusses 'The Gervais Principle' which explores organizational dynamics, status economics, and the impact of sociopaths, clueless individuals, and losers in companies. The podcast analyzes characters from The Office and contrasts profiles like Michael Scott and Adolk Eichmann, shedding light on promotions, management, and executive performance within firms.

In the Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles, famous as the shooting location for science fiction films set in the future, I talked with the author and public intellectual Venkatesh Rao about his mind-bending and time-bending project on the history and possible future of temporality. For full show notes, go to: http://thaddeusrussell.com/podcast/102/

Writer and management consultant Venkatesh Rao talks about Waldenponding with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Rao coined the term Waldenponding to describe various levels of retreating from technology akin to how Thoreau extolled the virtues of retreating from social contact and leading a quieter life at Walden Pond. Rao argues that the value of Waldenponding is overrated and that extreme Waldenponding is even somewhat immoral. Rao sees online intellectual life as a form of supercomputer, an intellectual ecosystem that produces new knowledge and intellectual discourse. He encourages all of us to contribute to that intellectual ecosystem even when it can mean losing credit for some of our ideas and potentially some of our uniqueness.