North Star Podcast

My guest today is Keith Rabois, the Managing Director at Khosla Ventures. At Khosla, Keith focuses on the consumer internet, education, enterprise, financial services, and digital health.    Keith has had a front-seat to Silicon Valley history. He’s had five bosses in his career: Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, Reid Hoffman, Jack Dorsey, and Vinod Khosla.    In this episode, we talk about the lessons of sports from the San Francisco 49ers to the Oakland A’s. Keith shares a story from his first week at PayPal, where he went on a run with Peter Thiel, which sparked his hiring philosophy. Then, we talk about the future of education, how to find undiscovered talent in society, the power of accumulating advantages, and how to raise the level of ambition in society. Keith has built more billion dollar companies than just about anybody on Planet Earth, and all that wisdom shines through in our conversation.       SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.     LINKS:   Find Keith online: Twitter Linkedin Khosla Ventures page Wiki page   People mentioned: Peter Thiel Max Levchin Reed Hoffman Jack Dorsey Vinod Khosla Bill Walsh Blake Masters Elon Musk Erik Torenberg Bill Thompson William Safire Pat Riley Jerry Garcia   Books mentioned: The Score Takes Care of Itself Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History The Winner Within   Other mentions:   Khosla Ventures   Square Stripe Opendoor Zillow Stratechery Aggregation Theory   SHOW TOPICS   1:32 - Outlining the book, The Score Takes Care of Itself and its significance for entrepreneurs. “Rather than focusing on the score, focus on the process and the rest takes care of itself.” Also detailing Bill Walsh, the underlying infrastructure that he built, and the philosophy that successful companies like Square and Apple have used.   4:41 - Leadership lessons that can be learned from sports and the insights that Keith learned from Peter Thiel in the past on evaluating people and on building great companies. Pairing yourself with people that cover your blind spots and weaknesses.     9:20 - Emulating companies like Apple, Amazon, and Tesla rather than companies like Google or Facebook. The problem with people choosing the easier path in building companies and detailing building things from the ground up rather than inheriting other companies infrastructures.   12:28 - Thoughts on people who are naive about markets doing better than those who have more experience and know the markets. Hiring people who have expertise to jump the learning curve that comes with starting successful companies.   15:43 - Ways to accelerate learning and jump learning curves. Reading (primarily books and printed materials), find experts and constantly inquire, and using experts to find the right path to take. How Keith began venturing into real estate and him detailing his journey with it.   21:28 - Keith on using Twitter and his experience with finding a specific thread on China, then meeting the author of the thread. Examples of writing insightful things online and the potential in doing so. Finding people and breaking through to clutter with original content.   26:07 - Detailing accumulating advantages with companies and the effects of them. A few examples of what accumulating advantages may be within companies. A bit on accumulating advantage at the individual level, as well.   32:08 - What Keith has learned from being a bit of a Silicon Valley historian and why conference room names are predominantly Silicon Valley names. Also, a bit on why you would want to understand the history of Silicon Valley and the history of successful companies. Reading less short-form content and long-form content. Being a voracious reader.   36:35 - A musical example of being aware of things in the past and learning from tradition. Mixing original sparks with tradition. Learning more so you can better interpret information. For example, artists seeing ten-times more in a museum than an average person would.   42:47 - Keith describing the process of speech-writing and comparing it with coding. Also detailing what makes certain speeches stand out from others. William Safire’s book on great speeches, Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History.   45:30 - Creating ambition and the fluctuation of ambition over time. Discussing ambition more, spending time with the five most ambitious people you know, and believing that things are possible. Keith’s experience with ambition while growing up and his experiences with moving into tech. Specializing in your strengths and surrounding yourself with complimentary people.   52:28 - Becoming the only person in the world that does what you do and detailing this concept. Where he learned the concept and how Keith describes this for himself.   56:22 - What Keith has learned about organization and productivity that scales down to an individual level. Allocation of time and under-valuing your time. Detailing how the number one predictor of success is knowing how to efficiently allocate your time and how to get the most output out of that time. SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.

Gillian Morris is the founder and CEO of Hitlist, an app that alerts you when there are cheap flights for your dream trips. Fast Company named Hitlist one of the Best Apps of 2017 and the app has been featured as a 'Best New App' by the app store in 83 countries.   We begin this episode with a discussion of Gillian’s time as a journalist in Turkey and the time she spent in war zones in Syria and Afghanistan.   We talk about Gillian’s experience swimming across Guantanamo, why Tinder is the world’s best travel app, and how to make travel meaningful. Finally, we end the podcast with a discussion of community living and alternative parenting strategies.    ------- Guest: Gillian Morris Twitter:@gillianim Medium:  https://medium.com/@gillianim -------   Show Topics 1:24 Gillian opens with her passion for travel and how journalism opened the doors to all kinds of adventures and experiences traveling.   5:45 How living in different places and cultures opens and shapes ones perspectives and worldview.   9:00 Gillian shares the misconceptions of the western world regarding some of the Middle Eastern countries she has visited.   12:30 The differences of living in a peace prone vs conflict zone and how it affects the overall quality of life and standard of living.   19:55 Gillian shares her vision for being a catalyst in getting more people to travel as a way to broaden their perspective. How more traveling for the average American could have a profound impact on their sense of the world and themselves. 23:30 Misconceptions about travel and myth that it is extremely expensive.   32:01 David and Gillian discuss communication barriers and opportunities when dealing with new cultures or in new places.   39:35 Gillian on how flights and travelling rules are constantly changing and evolving. Flying and traveling can’t be generalized, but there a processes one can do to make it easier and more accessible.   42:05 David and Gillian discuss the trend of countries relaxing the barriers of entry for tourism and the ensuing results.   50:48 How Hitlist uses intelligence to profile a personalized experience on the app that would be most appealing and tailored to each person.    51:50 David opens of the dilemma of the two sides of privacy and freedom when it comes to subscribers privacy.     52:38 Gillian on how privacy is handled within Hitlist.   57:40 Gillian on learning an instrument and some of the key factors that make it more understandable when learning.   1:04:06 The power of small group environments and the effect of an environment on the development of its individuals.   1:08:40 Looking historically at the issues within society and the traditional family structures vs modern communities.   1:11:40 Parenting and accessibility; creating additional accessibility and affordability when it comes to child rearing for those who are interested, but maybe unequipped or afraid.   1:14:25 Gillian shares a story of her time swimming across Guantanamo.

My guest today is Michael Shellenberger, the Founder and President of Environmental Progress. Michael is one of the world’s leading pro-nuclear environmentalists. He’s been an environmental and social justice advocate for over 25 years. In the 1990s, he helped force Nike to improve factory conditions in Asia and in the 2000s, Michael advocated for the expansion of federal investment in renewables and energy efficiency.   In this episode, Michael and I talk about the virtues of nuclear energy and tackle the big misconceptions surrounding it. We explore how media narratives have shaped nuclear energy perception, the virtues and drawbacks of wind and solar energy technologies, why 17% of teachers in California can’t afford a home, the problems with anonymous lawsuits, and the fascinating impact of Proposition 13 on housing in Silicon Valley.    SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.   LINKS:   Find Michael online: Twitter Wiki page Environmental Progress page Forbes page   People mentioned: Stephen Covey Richard Rhodes Friedrich Nietzsche Jordan Peterson Søren Kierkegaard   Books mentioned: Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility (Michael’s book) Hiroshima The Rise of Nuclear Fear   Other mentions:   Environmental Progress   Michael’s Ted talks (first, second, third, and fourth) SHOW TOPICS   1:34 - Michael’s experiences in Nicaragua and Guatemala in 1988 and the effects of culture shock on his sense of gratitude and wealth. David’s own experiences with culture shock here, as well.5:15 - Discussing activism and scholarly work. Michael’s first degree (peace and global studies), his early traveling experiences, him working at a left-wing activist group, and then a few of the campaigns he’s done. Then, how he formed a coalition to push government investment in renewables and clean energies.   8:17 - Some of the technical issues with renewable energies. Also, discussing nuclear energy and fossil fuels. Detailing the story of environmental progress and the power of uranium (a can of it will produce enough energy for your life).   12:12 - The common perspective on nuclear energy and waste (weapons, Chernobyl, Fukushima, and other negative connotations). Michael clearing up some of these common misconceptions. Also, some facts on why solar and wind power aren’t as effective and efficient as most people think.   23:26 - How nuclear power gained its negative view over time. The idea that the more countries with nuclear weapons, the safer the world is. Detailing the nuclear left and the nuclear right perspectives.   31:52 - The range of unexpected things that may happen with nuclear weapons and a few close calls in the past. How the more experience with these devices, the more manageable people are with them.   34:30 - How Michael views changing people’s perspectives with rhetoric. Instead of telling someone what or how to think, rather tell them your experiences.   38:40 -  Michael’s perspective on using the media to share his ideas. How people want to follow people, instead of companies. The more personal aspects of social media.   42:29 - How changes with the media influence other things, such as politics. Discussing the benefits that come with being aligned with a particular party. A few of Michael’s favorite role models.   48:09 - How 17% of teachers in California cannot afford to live there and some details on this. The high levels of inequality there and common viewpoints from the homeowners there.   53:24 - Examples of changing human consciousness with images rather than rhetoric and some thoughts on this. Discussing the rate of improvement and development of the world over the years.   59:20 - The change in optimism for the future now compared to the high level that it was in the 1930s. Speaking on a few anxieties that we may have for the future. Also, a bit on unemployment and the replacement of jobs by technology.   1:08:20 - Michael’s idea of extending the time spent in education by a year, removing homework, and extending the school day. Also, improving the social aspect of education and improving the amount of physical activity in schools. A few extra ideas for improving education here, as well.   1:14:59 - What proposition 13 is and how it’s impacting numerous things in negative ways.   1:19:39 - A few things we can learn from Michael. How he filters information to get a higher level of truth than he would otherwise. The adjacent possible and how learning on your own can be much better than how it would be in a traditional setting. Also, a bit on what Michael’s goal is (nature and prosperity for all).   1:26:22 - What Michael does to make sure he’s producing at a consistent pace and producing quality work.   1:29:00 - Michael’s favorite story regarding nature and what inspired him to do so much with the environment and nature. Some powerful closing thoughts from Michael here, as well.   SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.

Introduction: My guest today is Samo Burja, the founder of Bismarck Analysis, a firm that analyzes institutions, governments, and companies for high net worth individuals. There’s never been an immortal human society and Samo is on a quest to find out why. Known for his Great Founder Theory, Samo’s research focuses on the causes of societal decay and flourishing.    In this episode, we talk about Samo's Great Founder Theory through the lens of Apple, Amazon and the myths that drive Silicon Valley. Then, we move to a discussion of geopolitical strategy where we talk about China, the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal, and the importance of Eurasia from a geopolitical perspective, before we jump around between ideas like intellectual dark matter, knowledge transfer, and the story of Singapore. I hope you enjoy this episode.       LINKS: Find Samo online: Website Twitter Medium Linkedin People mentioned: Jordan Peterson Jeff Bezos Bill Gates Steve Jobs Peter Thiel René Girard Nassim Taleb Ben Shapiro Jon Stewart Edward Bernays Richard Feynman Tim Cook Elon Musk Wernher von Braun The Wright Brothers Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Neil Armstrong J. Edgar Hoover Satoshi Nakamoto Lee Kuan Yew Henry Bessemer Carl Friedrich Gauss Books mentioned: Zero to One Propaganda The Sovereign Individual Other mentions: Great founder theory (Samo’s article) Amazon Apple Facebook SpaceX Paypal Kayfabe The Daily Show Ford Tesla Walt Disney NASA Man In Space, Man and the Moon, Mars and Beyond (documentaries) The Manhattan Project FBI How Roman Emperors Handled the Succession Problem (Samo’s article) Bitcoin Empire Theory Part I and Empire Theory Part II (Samo’s articles) The Heartland Theory SHOW TOPICS 2:15 - Silicon Valley being a great way to understand the great founder theory and discussion on great founders of our time. Discussion on companies later and the skills necessary for a successful company. 9:30 - Samo on Jeff Bezos’ and learning from Amazon’s ability to communicate effectively. Discussion on the bar-raiser concept within Amazon that negates the typical long-term decline of employee quality. 14:18 - Speaking on retaining people within a company and how Amazon does this effectively. Also, how a lot of the ideas around talent and institutions in Silicon Valley have come from Peter Thiel. How him and his book, Zero to One, factors into these ideas. 19:46 - Samo’s experience living under communism for a few years in Slovenia, a bit on his background, and discussion on communism itself. 25:38 - The different ways of judging and trusting institutions and the world in general. Some examples of this and the best ways to go about trusting something, as well. Living in an attention-based economy. 38:08 - How to go about building truth-based institutions within an attention-based economy and some thoughts on this. Discussion on the tradeoffs of stability and dynamism. 45:28 - Thoughts on how to build the right incentives to promote regeneration and continual growth within a society. Speaking on NASA, it’s creation, and its powerful vision in the past. A bit on the origins of the FBI, as well 56:37 - The design of an institution and the natural course of them. Thoughts on handling and improving the problem of succession. 1:02:55 - The role of death in institutions and how iconic deaths may influence major events and preserve institutions. 1:07:06 - Samo’s belief on who controls Eurasia, controls the world. America’s incentive to have some tension in Europe. Discussion on the relation between a countries economy, its naval force, and its geographical location. 1:12:15 - The Sovereign Individual thesis versus the large nation-states and some discussion on this. Thoughts on tracking every computer and a user's actions. The empowerment of people by technology. A bit on nationalism and tying it to smaller communities. 1:18:13 - Lee Kwan Yew and the radical transformation of Singapore, a bit of history and importance on the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal, and discussion on Samo’s term, intellectual dark matter. 1:29:55 - How we might be able to teach tacit knowledge, the advantage of video with this, and some examples of learning tacit knowledge. How education should be and how Samo learns and consumes information. 1:37:20 - What Samo would have said to himself and done differently ten years ago in terms of learning through conversation and from people more effectively. The significance of gaining perspectives from multiple cultures. 1:38:36 - How Samo can help us travel more effectively in terms of heuristics to think through and with learning more tacit knowledge.

My guest toady is Patri Friedman, a political theorist whose on a mission to increase competition in government. In 2008, Patri founded the Seasteading Institute with a mission create sovereign ocean colonies and "establish permanent, autonomous ocean communities to enable experimentation and innovation with diverse social, political, and legal systems.” We spend tons of time talking about Seasteading and competitive governance in the episode.  We also talk about the incredible foresight of Marshall McLuhan, the impact of modern technology on government, the future of the nation-state, the rise of city-states, and the rise of digital addictions in the internet age. I hope you enjoy this episode. This episode is everything the North Star Podcast is supposed to be: wild, wacky, weird, and wonderful. Patri has so many new and thought-provoking ideas. I hope you enjoy this episode.

Listen Here: iTunes | Overcast My guest today is James Clear, a writer focused on how we can create better habits, make better decisions, and live better lives. He recently published a new book called Atomic Habits and after reading it, I just had to interview him. In this episode, we explore the nooks and crannies of habit formation. We discuss habits through a series of conversations about James’ favorite activities: baseball, travel, weightlifting, marketing, and writing. A former ESPN academic All-American college baseball player, James has an uncanny knack for taking important ideas and making them simple and easy to implement. There’s so much actionable wisdom in this episode, so find a pen, grab a piece of paper, and press play. I hope you enjoy this episode. SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.  Links James Clear’s Website James Clear’s Twitter Atomic Habits by James Clear Show Topics 1:45 David shares his thoughts on “The Power Broker” and what makes it such an informative and impressive book. 5:50 James describes his reading habits and reading structure; specifically diving into where and what mediums he finds to be the most information rich and accessible.  9:20 – James discusses the dilemma of prioritizing “classic” books that have stood the test of time, compared to the new ideas that are innovative and have built on previous knowledge; but have not yet been tested by time. 10:35- David and James begin to delve into habits, specifically in regards to fitness and the personal responsibility that’s required. 13:45 – Sports habits; how the lessons of sports ,when applied well, can have major impacts on our habits and success in life.  18:00 - David and James continue to examine various sports and the habits and lessons they have learned from them.  27:59 - All behaviors produce multiple outcomes across time.” – James goes in depth explaining this fascinating insight about the broad influence our actions can have on our immediate and distant futures.     34:30 David descries how he structures some of the rules he has set for himself in order to make a positive effect on his goals. 35:30 – James expands on how David’s habits and structure help develop freedom and spontaneity. 38:50 – Examples from Lebron James and Brett Favre serve as case studies that explore some of the incredible feats of awareness and “one step ahead” kind of thinking that result from years of habit development. 41:44  - James shares his thoughts on compounding habits and the potential long-term gratification.  44:55 - The importance of starting small when it comes to habit forming, rather than becoming fed up with failure when overreaching.  45:55 – David questions James on  “How do habits effect or influence ones identity.” 50:53 – Tips and advice on building habits by starting small and working your way up. 53:46 – “A habit must be established before it can be improved.” James explains the importance of establishing a habit and building on it.   56:15 – How our environment and surrounding influence us and open up new opportunities.  1:00:30 – James shares his thoughts and advice on keeping up habits when on the road or traveling.  1:04:00 – James shares how his love for photography was kindled and developed. 1:07:10 – David and James continue to discuss the art and unique interpretations of photography 1:11:45 – James shares some of his writing habits and strategies used as he built up his website and articles.   1:22:10 – James goes down the rabbit hole with a question that has been on his mind: “Does conscious arise from language”  Mentions 1:45 – The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro 8:30 - The Lessons of History 9:18 - Origin of Species by Charles Darwin 21:20 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitszkin 38:07 - Cleaning the Glass Hey again, it’s David here one more time.  If you love to learn, you can sign up for my weekly newsletter, the Monday Musings, where I share the coolest things I learn every week, along with links to new articles and podcasts.

Listen Here: iTunes | Overcast My guest today is Steve Schlafman, a venture capitalist, leadership coach and partner at Primary VC. This episode is a wide-ranging, emotional journey through the nooks and crannies of investing, introspection, and sobriety. Steve is a man of many passions. In the business world, he’s invested in breakthrough companies like Zipline, Brightwheel, Bark & Co., Managed by Q, Bowery Farming, Citizen, Care/Of, Boom Aerospace, TheSkimm and View The Space. Our exploration of investing was driven by five themes: leadership, market demand, customer focus, emotion, and human impact. Outside of the office, Steve lives a sober life free of alcohol and other substances. He’s a passionate cyclist and rides more than 2,500 miles every year. This episode is particularly profound. Steve and I down down, deep into the depths of human emotion — from struggle, to pain, to addiction, to wonder and joy. I hope you enjoy this episode. Subscribe to my “Monday Musings” newsletter to keep up with the podcast. Show Topics 3:30 – Steve explains his role and his program learning what’s called “transformational coaching” and how he became attracted to the idea of coaching. 6:30 – The value of coaching and common misconceptions of how a coaching can push and direct people. As Steve puts it, as a coach, “you shouldn’t be trying to fix, but instead, [trying] to understand. You’re not coaching the issue, you’re coaching the client.” 9:50 – The mindset of a good coach. 10:30 – David raises the questions of what makes a good coach versus a great coach. 11:04 “Self management” as a coaching mechanism. 13:45 – Steve reflects on coach Belichick and what he admires about him as a coach. 15:45 – Steve continues to dive into some of the abilities beyond coaching that Belichick exemplifies, namely the ability to asses and project players potential before even becoming their coach as well as his ruthlessness and situational awareness. 19:25 – The “human centric investment philosophy” Steve pursues.  22:48 – Steve dissects genuine leadership and how it’s relevant to success as a coach and individual.   26:45 – Where does that “drive” that successful people share in common come from?  29:20 – Steve explains “Market Demand” via a story about opiate addiction and recovery.  30:10 – David and Steve dig a deeper into the opioid crisis and how they have seen it affect those around them  35:15 – Digital desensitization; how our modern relationships to tech and social media have been affecting our empathy and view of what’s going on in the world around us. 38:14 – What makes a brand a brand and the following and loyalty that having a good brand generates. 42:00  -Steve gives some examples of how great things happen organically, and not always when planned.  47:50 – David reflects on the form of expression and communication GIFs introduced when communicating digitally. 52:40- Having children is on a downward trend. David and Steve discuss some of the factors surround this new trend.  55:45 – Steve shares some of his observations from his recent trip to Sweden and the perceived quality of life by its residents. 01:02 – Steve shares some of the reasons he fell in love with cycling and what makes the sport so unique and non mundane to him.  01:08- Steve talks sobriety and what it means to him.  He details the positive and transformative effects it has had on his life.   Subscribe to my “Monday Musings” newsletter to keep up with the podcast.

Listen Here: iTunes | Overcast Subscribe to my Monday Musings Newsletter to Keep Up with the Podcast My guest today is Daniel Gross, a partner at Y Combinator, the world’s best startup studio. Daniel focuses on artificial intelligence at Y Combinator and recently founded AI Grant, a distributed AI Research Lab.  Daniel was born in Jerusalem, Israel and was accepted into the Y Combinator Program in 2010. At the time, Daniel was the youngest founder ever accepted. In 2013, Cue was acquired by Apple. At 22, Daniel was leading several search and AI efforts across the company spanning iOS, OS X and Apple Watch.  In 2017, Daniel joined Y-Combinator as a Partner. He launched YC AI, Y-Combinator’s first vertical dedicated to investing in AI companies. In 2018, Daniel founded Pioneer. Pioneer is a search engine for the millions of “Lost Einstein’s” — extraordinarily creative people around the world who have the talent, but lack opportunity. Once identified, Pioneer and makes small investments to support whatever project they’re working on. In this episode, Daniel talks about the experience of coming to America and starting a company with Y Combinator. He talks about the power of seeing life like a video game with levels, and fast, continuous feedback. Daniel also shares lessons from John D. Rockefeller on business, decision making, and company building. Finally, Daniel talks about Israel and shares his insights on why the country is so innovative. Purchase the Transcript SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP with THE PODCAST. Show Notes 5:40- Daniel talks about some of things he became fascinated with early on in life. 8:20 How Daniel took an early interest in coding through video games and reverse engineering. 8:50 The “gamifacation” strategy Daniel uses to set goals and motivate himself. 9:20 “Everything in life is some form of a video game”  Daniel explains how life can be similar to a video game in terms of seeing stages of life as levels, and setting goals and strategies to progress one from level to the next. 11:22 Daniel delves into what motivates people and specifically how our need for approval is not necessarily something to be ashamed of. 14:00 Daniel talks about YC’s earlier years and his first encounter with Steve Jobs. 16:00 Daniel describes his initial vision to create a “personal” search engine capable of sorting through your own personal data. 17:10 Daniel explains a variety of features and functions that AI and his coding have on iOS and OS devices  18:15 How will we interact with artificial intelligence in the future? 21:00 The pitfalls of trying to superimpose the current futuristic thinking rather than expecting the unexpected.  22:56 New tech often seems like a toy or novelty at first, up until it becomes mainstream.   23:27- Daniels offers his perspective on the bottlenecks we have on scientific progress and the current lack of diversity in terms of ideas.  26:00 Entry barriers most start ups have to face and overcome when entering AI development. 27:32 Daniel speaks about Assembly A.I., a start up that YC worked with. 29:30 Daniel explains the benefits of reevaluating a strategy when stuck on a challenging “level.” 34:45 David suggests the first steps to perusing progress is surrounding yourself with great people or ideas. 35:09 Reverse engineering your vision, into a plan. How to set “levels” as goals when playing the game of life.   37:39 How vital of a role our environment plays in our development and pursuit of  of progress. 38:15 Optimizing for a city versus a small group and the importance of one’s surroundings when pursuing a goal or idea. 39:38 Social/professional groups and their validity while shifting to a digital format. How strong are our online relationships when it comes to motivating us? 43:06 What makes Israel so different and innovative? 45:20 Daniel describes the first and second Intifada in Israel and the resulting send of community that was cultivated during the shared suffering.  47:46 “Scarcity creates greatness” How Israel innovates out of necessity rather than experimentally.  51:30 The “harsh” culture of Israel and its contribution to the deterrence of pursuing potentially good or risky ideas.  53:45 How optimism can be both a positive outlook for growth, but can also lead to false or unrealistic expectations   57:00 Daniel on how we can learn from history when looking at it from a cyclical point of view. 1:00.24 – How ‘stupid little ideas” can turn out to be some of the most innovative endeavors when pursued. 1:01.38 “Fitness as a ticket of admission to the world” and how it enables us to better experience more aspects of life. Purchase the Transcript SUBSCRIBE TO MY “MONDAY MUSINGS” NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP WITH THE PODCAST.

Listen Here: iTunes | Overcast My guest today is Arianna Simpson, the Managing Director at a cryptocurrency hedge fund called Autonomous Partners. Arianna’s background is fascinating. She grew up in Italy and spent time in Zimbabwe, where she got a first-hand perspective on hyper-inflation and what it does to people. That’s where we began this conversation. Then, we moved on to learning. Arianna is a voracious reader. At one point in her life, she was reading 300 books per year.  We also talk about her love for Burning Man and how to find new ideas on the internet. We explore how and why San Francisco has the culture that it does, and explore Arianna’s investing philosophy.  Please enjoy my conversation with Arianna Simpson. Subscribe to my “Monday Musings” newsletter to keep up with the podcast. Arianna Simpson Links Arianna Simpson’s Twitter Arianna Simpson’s Website David Perell’s Website North Star Media North Star Podcast “Tall Poppy Syndrome” Show Topics 2:18- Arianna discusses her childhood in Italy and her frustrations with bureaucracy. 3:00 Arianna discusses her philosophy of optimism and reveals why she’s excited about the future. 4:11 Arianna compares Italian culture with American culture. She discusses how growing up in Italy shaped her worldview. 7:50 David explains the concept of “tall poppy syndrome” and discusses his trip to Australia. 9:00 Arianna shares lessons and learnings from her time in Zimbabwe, and tells a story about running elephants. 10:30 The wild and vastly different realities of life in Zimbabwe compared to the US. 12:00 Arianna describes how cryptocurrencies became relevant in Zimbabwe despite its lack of infrastructure. 12:30 David and Arianna dive into the relationship between culture and money. 14:30 Money touches everything; beyond capitalism it touches our culture, how we eat, our security, and just about everything 16:30 The appeals of crypto in regards to transparency and cutting out the middle man.  18:45 Arianna gives some examples of financial catastrophes, such as the collapse of Long-Term Capital Management. 20:19 What makes crypto different? 21:30 Human psychology and how it drives peoples long term financial decisions  23:05 Arianna explains a “multi-year horizon” as a good starting point for long term financial planning 24:30 Investing is not that hard in terms of intellectual complicity, it’s the emotional side and risk management aspect that present the real challenge.   24:50 How Venezuela may be one of the best real world examples of the security and necessity for crypto.  27:30 What should governments think about when they think about cryptocurrencies. 30:10 The history of money and why understanding it may be more helpful than we realize.  31:38 if crypto is not backed by anything, what makes it any better than monopoly or make believe money? 33:02 David ask Arianna to breakdown and explain what the learning processing looks like when learning about crypto online.  35:20 How Arianna spends and managers her time studying both and history and projections of crypto  39:29 David and Arianna dive into books and learning from reading and how it fits in as a way of life.  47:20 How cross-pollination of ideas can lead to surprising creative discovers  48:45 What makes San Francisco special? 50:49 Arianna explains a concept she calls “the suspension of disbelief” and shows why it applies to San Francisco. 54:00 Arianna shares some of the special factors that make Burning Man such a great experience for her.   57:31 Arianna shares how she likes to rebel against her own fears by challenge them and facing them. Subscribe to my “Monday Musings” newsletter to keep up with the podcast.

Listen Here: iTunes | Overcast Keep Up with the North Star Podcast by Subscribing to My Monday Musings Newsletter My guest today is Derek Thompson, a Senior Editor at The Atlantic who writes about media, culture and economics in America today.  I first discovered Derek’s writing while researching the state of Hollywood for an essay I was working on last year. Derek cultural observation has stuck with me ever since. Derek wrote that Hollywood audiences are ignoring movies that aren’t a sequel, adaptation, or reboot. This statistic stuck with me: In 1996, none of the top 10 movies were sequels. Twenty years later, in 2016, more than half of the top 10 movies were sequels, adaptations or reboots. In this episode, Derek talks about his background in acting and his love for Hamlet. Together, we nerd out on the magic of theater and the surprisingly large differences between what happens in the theater and what happens at the movies. Then, we explore taste and culture. We talk about Stewart Brand’s “Pace Layers” theory of architecture, Japanese Emperors, what fashion can teach us about the world, and the history of impressionism. We investigate how blockbuster success isn’t a matter of chance, but a fascinating intersection of power, network science, art, and sheer brilliance.  Here's my conversation with Derek Thompson. Links Derek’s Twitter Account Derek’s Articles Derek’s Podcast Derek’s Book — Hit Makers Show Notes 3:45 Derek expresses his appreciation of theater  5:51 Derek explains why Hamlet is one of the greatest plays in history 7:08 What made Shakespeare so great? 9:30 Derek discuss the features of Shakespeare’s writing that make it so timeless  9:53 What makes a perfect movie?  11:00 Derek discusses some of the best movies and plays written over the last several decades  12:15 The key differences and difficulties of getting theater to a screenplay 15:00 The cannon of art has a different meaning now. The real question is “what is the best?” 17:23: “We often conflate familiarity with fact.” Derek speaks about familiarity and its influence on our perceptions of facts and quality. 17:50 How our modern perception of cannon has changed as we have begun to question and challenge its history and validity 19:30 Our sense of “good taste” and how it’s defined in the contemporary age 20:19 “Cultural Capital” and “Cultural Omniscience” 22:47 The shift of culture from valuing scarcity to valuing familiarity 23:45 Modern celebrity and the rise of “manufactured intimacy” 25:50 Formality, and how its quickly losing its reverence and relevance in modern culture. Why is the world becoming more formal? 28:00 Derek takes a closer look at how informality has affected modern culture, specifically in the case of presidential speeches 31:45 The blurring line between work and home 32:20 How taste is trained or influenced 37:59 “M.A.Y.A- Most advanced, yet acceptable”  38:56 The sweet spot of familiar and surprising 42:02 Derek picks a point in history he would go back to if he had the chance 50:00 The over-looked and under-rated importance of art history 55:39 Derek delves into the concept of nature vs nurture and the influential and guiding elements of personal development 57:47 Derek talks about his favorite authors. 59:35- How should writers explain complicated ideas? 1:12.04 - Non fiction and journalism compared to the ironic honesty and realism of fictitious writing. 1:07.57 Derek’s take away thoughts on the craft of writing and shares his strategies for learning and information consumption. Mentions 5:53 Hit Makers: How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction 21:30 Jon Bellion, The Making of Luxury 25:18: A Matter of Taste: How Names, Fashions, and Culture Change 37:03: Raymond Lowey 44:06 Louis XIV 47:28: Beowulf 57:50 Philip Roth 58:39 Jonathan Franzen 58:45 Donna Tartt  Click Here to Keep Up with the North Star Podcast