The Network State Podcast

Rudyard Lynch, creator of the YouTube channel WhatIfAltHist, dives into counterfactual history and how it can illuminate our understanding of the present. He explores alchemy's historical significance and its parallels with modern technology like cryptocurrency. The conversation touches on the implications of genetics in politics, the moral responsibilities of technology, and the shifting dynamics between states and decentralized networks. Lynch also discusses how the internet is reshaping societal structures and the decline of traditional power in favor of new ideologies.

The architects of the DAO law and the founder of MIDAO discuss the new bill passed in the Marshall Islands that allows setting up DAOs in 30 days. They also explore the legal protections and benefits of the DAO law for web3 projects, the advantages of the Marshall Islands for crypto entrepreneurs, and the challenges of setting up bank accounts for DAO clients.

Joe Lonsdale, prominent investor in technology, discusses various interesting topics with the host, including the rising costs in Silicon Valley, reforming governments with the internet, entrepreneurship in education, thoughts on space, robotics, and longevity.

Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, discusses the creation of the Solana Phone. Topics include the Solana Proof-of-History algorithm, hardware scalability, a self-custody phone, instant bank accounts, challenging Google and Apple, the potential impact of a 1% market share, and building a parallel society.

Bryan Johnson, founder of Braintree and advocate for extending lifespans through better technology, discusses topics such as his algorithm for health, anti-aging diet, multiple diagnostics for interventions, and his solution for nutrition in this podcast. Other interesting topics include the concept of a mirror for the brain, personalized solutions for health and nutrition, and the shifting nature of society.

Chris Dixon, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and founder of the largest crypto fund, discusses his new book 'Read Write Own' which serves as a crypto tutorial for newcomers and a reference for experts. They delve into topics such as the transformation of distribution, AI and crypto collaboration, the importance of ownership in virtual goods, and the various forms of ownership in blockchain technology.

The $16B acquisition of Flipkart was the largest in Indian tech history. Balaji speaks with Flipkart founder/CEO Binny Bansal on how he built the company from scratch when Indian startups weren't even a thing — and how Flipkart's rise parallels the rise of India itself.

Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss talk with Balaji about how Washington, DC is losing crypto, while other countries like the UAE and Japan are winning web3. OUTLINE 0:00 - I'm 6'5", 220, and there's two of me! 0:58 - Crypto flippening from America to Asia 7:15 - Crypto-friendly jurisdictions in the US: Wyoming, Tennessee 8:10 - The SEC is a failed regulator 18:45 - Crypto-friendly jurisdictions worldwide: Japan, Hong Kong, Dubai, El Salvador 27:31 - Winklevosses expanding in India 33:25 - What comes out of crypto? 35:45 - Flashback to 2013 TechCrunch Disrupt 37:01 - Crypto and AI, without the buzzword bingo 44:14 - The Winklevoss city LINKS 1) Gemini: https://www.gemini.com/careers 2) Wyoming DAO law: https://legalnodes.com/article/wyoming-dao-llc 3) Tennessee DAO law: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/beyond-reasonable-daoubt-tennessee-s-limited-liability-statute-decentralized 4) UAE Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA): https://www.vara.ae/en 5) Japan Web3 support: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/04/06/japan-releases-web3-white-paper-to-promote-industry-growth-in-the-country 6) 2013 TechCrunch with Balaji, Naval, Winklevosses: https://techcrunch.com/2013/09/10/disrupt-sf-13-bitcoin-panel VIDEO YouTube: https://youtu.be/STbYujxjk1E SOCIAL https://twitter.com/cameron https://twitter.com/tyler https://twitter.com/balajis https://thenetworkstate.com

The President of Palau and Balaji discuss how the tiny island country is becoming a digital leader, experimenting with everything from on-chain identity to drone delivery.   Despite having less than 20,000 citizens, Palau is a full UN member state. Its path to diplomatic recognition holds many lessons for aspiring founders of new communities. Joining Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. in this chat is William Wang, founder of rns.id, the Palaun government’s crypto identity partner. OUTLINE  0:00 - Intro  2:03 - The Republic of Palau  6:18 - Palau's path to sovereignty  8:35 - How Palau is using crypto  10:40 - The President's background  16:51 - Returning to Palau  18:42 - What is RNS.ID? 25:08 - Palau's government structure  27:23 - Partnerships in Palau  34:15 - Diplomatic relations  36:29 - The advantages of small countries  42:00 - Palau's developing technologies  45:04 - Gaining diplomatic recognition  48:59 - Outro   VIDEO  YouTube: https://youtu.be/3FuQvG2dmM4 CREDITS  Editing: twitter.com/DholakiaJaydeep Images: twitter.com/elijah10t  SOCIAL  twitter.com/Surangeljr  rns.id  twitter.com/balajis  thenetworkstate.com/podcast

Tobi Lütke (Shopify Founder & CEO), Kaz Nejatian (Shopify COO), and Balaji review how Shopify rose from tiny startup to $180B+ global economy, with an annual GMV on par with the GDP of New Zealand. In the process they touch on Hayek, the Hanseatic League, merchant cavemen, the history of the corporation, and the optimal level of platform decentralization. OUTLINE 00:00 - Introduction 02:39 - Shopify has the scale of a small country 08:49 - Lifestyle businesses take up your whole life 20:52 - SMBs can be harder than startups 27:13 - Shopify could invest in its merchants 32:23 - Shopify's economy is on par with Greece or New Zealand 38:40 - Money, time, risk, attention 39:55 - Is all retail a form of arbitrage? 47:14 - The history of the corporation informs the development of smart contracts 56:57 - Founders start as lead engineer, end up as chief psychiatrist 1:00:27 - Shopify is not just technology but community 1:06:26 - The concept of computational context 1:14:34 - Shopify as a dashboard for the global economy 1:22:48 - Atoms are so much more complex than bits 1:28:41 - Balancing centralized vs decentralized at Shopify 1:43:26 - If they could start a new country, what would Tobi and Kaz build? 2:03:28 - Kaz on working at Shopify 2:04:31 - Tobi's parting thoughts LINKS 1) 100 true fans: kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/ 2) Gobekli Tepe: smithsonianmag.com/history/gobekli-tepe-the-worlds-first-temple-83613665 3) Shopify active merchant: github.com/activemerchant/active_merchant 4) Fall of Civilizations: youtube.com/@FallofCivilizations 5) Founding vs Inheriting: thenetworkstate.com/founding-vs-inheriting 6) Shopify careers: shopify.com/careers VIDEO YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=DfrhCGpRCPI CREDITS Editing: twitter.com/DholakiaJaydeep Images: twitter.com/elijah10T SOCIAL twitter.com/tobi twitter.com/CanadaKaz twitter.com/balajis thenetworkstate.com