Infinite Loops

Will Storr is an award winning journalist and author. His book ‘The Status Game’ transforms our understanding of human nature by demonstrating how our unconscious desire for status ultimately drives our behaviour. Important Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/wstorr?s=21&t=ZdtIqP9eE3_a5qZocDjEXQ Website: https://willstorr.com The Science of Storytelling: https://www.thescienceofstorytelling.com Show Notes: Will’s origin story The strange case of David Irving The fundamental nature of status games The Stanford prison experiment and dominance games The status games played by cults Luxury beliefs Why we are all moral hypocrites The importance of being funny Social status and socioeconomic status Human OS and the education system How status seeking leads to the “very best of human nature” The murderous nature of reputation destruction The post WW1 humiliation of Germany Loaded magazine Finding the true reason behind seemingly crazy beliefs The value of religion Trading status Spreading humility Why we could be wrong about our closest beliefs Books Mentioned: The Unpersuadables: Adventures with the Enemies of Science; by Will Storr The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History; by Howard Bloom The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism; by Howard Bloom The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous; by Joseph Henrich The Science of Storytelling; by Will Storr Slaughterhouse-Five; by Kurt Vonnegut Selfie: How We Became so Self-Obsessed and What It’s Doing to Us; by Will Storr The Status Game: On Social Position and How We Use It; by Will Storr

Vitaliy Katsenelson is the CEO of a value investment firm IMA, author of two books on investing, and a recently published non-investing book named “Soul In The Game”. Known for his uncommon common sense, Forbes magazine called him "The New Benjamin Graham." Vitaliy loves to read, listen to classical music, play chess, and write about life, investing, and music. Important Links: Blog: https://contrarianedge.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/vitaliyk Twitter: https://twitter.com/vitaliyk IMA: https://imausa.com/ Favorite classical music website: https://myfavoriteclassical.com/ “The Gateway Drug to Classical Music” Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1tfsohjLty6IK2b2B8AGE0 Show Notes: Coming to America from Soviet Russia How movies shape perception Two frameworks to understand the mind Programming yourself with the words you use The Thinker and the Prover Abracadabra—I create as I speak Four modes of communication Not letting an idea become your identity Writing about both sides of the argument Reality is nuanced Depersonalize your arguments A mathematical formula to determine outcomes Table cloth model of investing Event, Judgement, Reaction framework Reframing your worries away Is the USA still the best place to be for talented people? Elon Musk’s distinctiveness Favorite classical composers Opera as a plunger for the writer's block Introducing kids to classical music The best financial advice Vitaliy ever got Can money buy happiness? Experiencing self vs. remembering self Traveling is an antidote for monotony Going outside your myopic circles “The Gateway Drug to Classical Music” playlist And MUCH more! Books Mentioned: Soul In The Game; by Vitaliy Katsenelson Think Again; by Adam Grant Influence; by Dr Robert B. Cialdini The Wealthy Barber; by David Chilton Gödel, Escher, Bach; by Douglas Hofstadter How to Win Friends & Influence People; by Dale Carnegie

Dennis McKenna is the founder of the McKenna Academy and has conducted research in ethnopharmacology for over 40 years. He is a founding board member of the Heffter Research Institute, and was a key investigator on the Hoasca Project, the first biomedical investigation of ayahuasca. Important Links: McKenna Academy: https://mckenna.academy/ ESPD 55 (Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs): https://espd55.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DennisMcKenna4 ICEERS (International Center for Ethno-botanical Education, Research, and Service): https://www.iceers.org/ Show Notes: ESPD 55 conference Goals of the McKenna Academy How psychedelics affect our relationship with nature Bridging the gap between ancestral and moderns scientific knowledge Psychedelics on the safety scale Nixon’s war against drugs Fear of persecution in the medical community LSD being really responsible for the birth of modern neuroscience DMT reopening the door to clinical research Using psilocybin for end of life applications Psychedelics are not just “band-aids” Dissipation of knowledge among indigenous tribes Reality hallucination Therapeutic utility of psychedelics Future of psychedelic research Making psychedelics more accessible Protecting endangered plants Forming alliances with indigenous communities Books Mentioned: The Immortality Key; by Brian Muraresku How to Change Your Mind; by Michael Pollan Psychology and Alchemy; by Carl Jung

David Perell is prolific writer and online educator, who runs a writing school called “Write of Passage”. David also hosts the “The North Star Podcast” featuring interviews with writers, athletes, and entrepreneurs. Important Links: Website: https://perell.com/ Writing School: https://writeofpassage.school/ Friday Finds Links: https://perell.com/friday-finds-links/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/david_perell Show Notes: Origins of “Write of Passage” Writing leads to thinking David’s ever expanding portfolio Live the life that you teach Applying lessons from Disneyland to a writing course Four Seasons of writing education Ana’s success with David’s course Writing as a career transition Average course cohort age Building a personal monopoly Advice for an aspiring creator Dive into the work of the people you admire Managing fear of creating in public The network age Building a product for high-schoolers Finding your tribe on the internet Going against the trend with long-form essays Checklists and prescriptions The cover band strategy for investing Building an internet native education system Schools stifling creativity The Never-Ending Now Books Mentioned: Zero to One; by Peter Thiel One Summer: America, 1927; by Bill Bryson The Status Game; by Will Storr Invest Like the Best; by Jim O'Shaughnessy

Shreyas Doshi is a startup advisor who has formerly worked in the product teams of tech firms like Stripe, Twitter, Google, Yahoo. He regularly writes about product, strategy, org psychology, leadership, and life! Important Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/shreyas LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreyasdoshi Show Notes: Shreyas’s childhood Operating with the owner mindset The LNO framework Getting good at leveraging time The antithesis principle Having a great manager Individual vs. group decision making “Apple Pie” positions Beware of certainty theater Social media: A global intelligence network Minimizing your opportunity costs The issue with following the rubric Lessons from school at the workplace Learning to unlearn Tao Te Ching on leadership Being an invisible leader Tight vs. weak grip And MUCH more! Books Mentioned: The Science of Storytelling; by Will Storr The Status Game; by Will Storr Tao Te Ching; by Lao Tzu

Our recurring guest (who rarely recurs these days), Alex Danco, comes back for his sixth appearance on Infinite Loops! Important Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alex_Danco Website: https://alexdanco.com/ Newsletter: https://danco.substack.com/ Show Notes: Our planned, but unplanned conversations Pink Floyd were philosophers From Heraclitus, to Lao Tzu, to Gita, to Deutsch Where does decision making come from? Projection 101 Can you versus can’t you read people’s mind Jim throwing big fancy words like “Phylogenetic inertia” Corn: The apex predator Self-serving nature of memetic theory The Mirror Philosophy What is a “creator”? Communication theory by Gregory Bateson The Founding Murderer Consequences of eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge "The most entertaining outcome is the most likely.” Hot media vs. Cool media The Wire, and dumb Stringer The state of accreditation Balancing mystery with transparency Knowing pop culture as a status symbol And MUCH more! Books Mentioned: The Science of Storytelling; by Will Storr The Status Game; by Will Storr Happy; by Derren Brown The Selfish Gene; by Richard Dawkins Steps to an Ecology of Mind; by Gregory Bateson War and Peace; by Leo Tolstoy

Johnathan Bi started out getting trained in Mathematics, and then eventually went on to study Philosophy and Computer Science at Columbia. He hosts a lecture series on René Girard’s Mimetic Theory and is also a founding member of Lonsdale Investment Technology. Important Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnathanBi Lecture series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qu6vBebwwg Website: https://johnathanbi.com/ Lonsdale Investment Technology: https://www.longterm.com/ Show Notes: Becoming pessimistic with age Humiliation always comes back to bite you How Jonathan got introduced to Buddhism and Girard Why Jonathan left academia The driving human emotion Has modernity ignored the “spirit”? Girard’s apocalyptic predictions Wild, wild west of capitalism The mystery with the discovery of the skull What does eugenics say about science? Science becoming dictatorial Buddhism figuring out the inner telescope Physical vs. metaphysical desires Mimesis in asset valuation Price to magic ratio Nietzsche's will of power Is delusion bad? Can internet lead to greater violence? “The Buddhist Solution” Girard—A rescuer of spirit And MUCH more! Books Mentioned: The Status Game; by Will Storr The Struggle for Recognition; by Axel Honneth Sapiens; by Yuval Noah Harari The Science of Storytelling; by Will Storr The Origin of Species; Charles Darwin Untimely Meditations; by Friedrich Nietzsche

Dan McMurtrie is the Portfolio Manager at Tyro Partners, an asset management firm for institutions and HNWIs; and the General Partner at Anchorless Bangladesh, an early stage venture fund focused on Bangladeshi startups. Links: Dan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperMugatu Tyro Partners: https://www.tyropartners.com/ Anchorless Bangladesh: https://www.anchorless.vc/ Coolworks: Jobs in Great Places: https://www.coolworks.com/ Show Notes: Are we in the schadenfreude part of the market cycle? Going back to the fundamentals Solving the agency problem Taking concentrated beta risk Having clarity around your goals The behavioral risk in investing Do not get married to your investment thesis It’s always you vs. you Investing is about understanding other people's mistakes Societal costs of stablecoins being unstable Compatibility of social media and representative democracy Issues with the current US Govt. administration Number one existential risk for US currently Risks of information overload Improving education about commerce Dopamine manipulators Leadership vs. Stakeholder management America vs China for policy changes US legal immigration system And MUCH more!

George Mack, a creator and marketing expert who founded the Multiply agency, shares insights on the intersection of mental models, marketing, and technology. He discusses the rise of TikTok and its impact on communication and learning. Mack highlights the importance of specific knowledge in tech and challenges traditional education models. He also dives into the balance of luck in decision-making and the significance of embracing individuality. Additionally, he emphasizes the evolving landscape of social media marketing and the necessity for modern mental frameworks in entrepreneurship.

Ian Cassel is the founder of MicroCapClub, a community where hundreds of investors have discussions on US and Canadian microcap companies. They also help you become better investors with educational content covering investing strategies, intelligent fanatic CEOs, great investors, and more. Ian is also Founder and CIO at Intelligent Fanatics Capital Management, whose goal is to own the smallest, most illiquid, least institutionally owned, misunderstood businesses that are run by intelligent fanatics. Ian’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/iancassel MicroCapClub: https://microcapclub.com/ Intelligent Fanatics Capital Management: https://if.capital/ Show Notes: Microcaps are boons for quants How Ian fell in love with microcaps Managing other people’s money Advantages and risks of microcap investing Profitability, scarcity, and great stories The top-down and bottom-up investment framework Not being limited by minimum market caps Being a hands-on investor Turnovers in microcap portfolios PE taking over microcap firms Increasing the flywheel of serendipity Preparing to be effortless Not getting into arguments with people with made up minds Being honest about your investment approach The “mute” button hack Identifying bad management Importance of base rates Educating about microcaps Optimism beats pessimism Do macroeconomic factors really matter? What is chasing you? Books Mentioned: The Psychology of Money, by Morgan Housel The Tao Jones Averages, by Bennett Goodspeed