
New Frontier
Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) interviews some of the world's leading economists, political scientists, and philosophers to discuss their ideas and what they mean for society, technology, and the economy.
Latest episodes

Oct 2, 2024 • 28min
Corporal Dmytro on Serving on the Frontlines of Ukraine
Corporal Dmytro joins New Frontier to discuss his experiences in the Ukrainian military and the ongoing conflict with Russia. Some highlights:Firsthand account of the Russian invasion's early days and the chaos of initial combat operationsEvolution of the conflict from early artillery dominance to drone warfare and trench combatComparison of Ukrainian and Russian military capabilities and adaptations over timeImpact of Western aid on Ukraine's defensive capabilities and moraleRealities of frontline combat, including the constant threat of artillery and drone strikesChallenges of fighting against numerically superior Russian forcesShift in global perception of the conflict's duration and Ukraine's resilienceCritical role of continued Western financial and military support

Aug 27, 2024 • 27min
Brian Streem on Building a Startup in Ukraine
Brian Streem joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss building his startup in Ukraine and his thoughts on the conflict. Some highlights:Brian's company Vermeer and its vision-based navigation system for GPS-denied environmentsBrian's journey from film production and drone cinematography to defense technologyThe impact of Russian electronic warfare on GPS-dependent systemsWhy Brian decided to move to Ukraine to work on the groundThe challenges and opportunities of developing defense technology in an active war zoneDifferences between US and Ukrainian defense tech entrepreneursThe balance between innovation and immediate battlefield needs in UkraineBrian's perspective on the importance of the Ukraine conflict and its global implications

8 snips
Nov 27, 2023 • 49min
Marian Tupy on Superabundance, Innovation, and Doomerism
Marian Tupy, an author and advocate for superabundance, joins Patrick Blumenthal to delve into groundbreaking ideas about innovation and the human condition. They explore whether we are truly in an Age of Superabundance and dissect the grip of doomerism among elites. Tupy critiques Malthusian fears and discusses the potential risks of underpopulation. The conversation also touches on the role of technology in solving global challenges and the importance of Enlightenment values in shaping our future. Expect an enlightening and optimistic outlook!

Oct 17, 2023 • 58min
Bilal Zuberi of Lux Capital on Bridging the Gaps Between Technology, Defense, and Policy
Bilal Zuberi of Lux Capital (@bznotes) joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss Tech, Defense, Policy, and everything in-between. Some highlights:What Bilal looks for in a founder as a Lux GPWhat makes a great DefenseTech founder?How does DoD view Silicon Valley?Is DefenseTech in a bubble?Immigrant Founders in the Tech EcosystemTech’s Responsibility to SocietyShould we be pessimistic or optimistic about the world right now?Is AI headed towards regulatory capture?How Media isn’t actually against TechBilal’s Request for Startups

Jun 19, 2023 • 1h 33min
Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber on the Future of AI and the Existential Risk of Safetyism
Byrne Hobart (@byrnehobart) and Tobias Huber (@TobiasAHuber) join Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss the future of Artificial Intelligence. They cover:Is AI going to kill us? Is AI going to take all of our jobs and cause massive inequality? Is it going to destroy truth?Is it better to be a tech incumbent or a startup right now?Is the future of software one-time-use?What are the consequences of negative mainstream media coverage of AI?Will model interpretability increase or decrease over time?Will AI be subject to regulatory capture? Will it be over regulated?What would the civilizational consequences of an AI ban be?What are the realistic trade offs of AI? What turmoil will it cause?How should DC approach regulating AI?What is the optimistic vision for AI?Is China ahead or behind the US in AI progress?How should people prepare themselves for AI?

Apr 11, 2023 • 43min
Bill Martin of Raging Capital Ventures on SVB's Collapse and What Happens Next
Bill Martin of Raging Capital Ventures (@RagingVentures) joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss his prediction of SVB's collapse and his views on the state of the world. Some highlights:How Did Bill Predict SVB’s Collapse?His Other Bets and What Happens Next?Who Is at Fault for SVB’s Collapse? SVB? The Fed? VCs?The Impact of Passive Investing and Woke Capital on the Investment LandscapeWhat Are the Lessons for Entrepreneurs and Regulators?Should Depositors Lose Their Money?Are We Learning Our Lessons from Crises?Should the Fed Continue Rate Hikes?How Should We Invest in the Current Climate? What’s Safe?Growing Tensions with ChinaWhat Would Bill Do If He Was Starting His Career out Today?"

Nov 28, 2022 • 55min
Michael Gibson on The Thiel Fellowship and The Future of Education and Innovation
Michael Gibson (@William_Blake) of 1517 Fund joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss his new book, “Paper Belt on Fire: How Renegade Investors Sparked a Revolt Against the University.” They discuss:- What is the Paper Belt, and Why Should We Light it on Fire?- The Modern Indulgences of the University System- What are Alternatives to the College Degree?- What Can We Learn from the Success of the Thiel Fellowship?- Which Countries Can America Learn from on Education?- The Lost Culture of Progress, and How We’ve Given up on Solving Problems- The Decline of San Francisco- Is China More Innovative than the US?- What is America’s Next Frontier? - Why Doesn’t America Respect Builders Anymore?You can buy a copy of Michael's new book here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/paper-belt-on-fire-michael-gibson/1141459334

Oct 18, 2022 • 49min
Eli Dourado and Austin Vernon on Energy Superabundance and Creating a Prosperous 21st Century
Eli Dourado (@elidourado) and Austin Vernon (@vernon3austin) join Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss their recent paper, Energy Superabundance: How Cheap, Abundant Energy Will Shape Our Future. Other topics discussed:- How Energy Superabundance can Lead us from a Carbon Surplus to a Carbon Shortage- How did a Scarcity Mindset Take Root in America?- The Policies that we Need for a Prosperous Century- The Future of Nuclear Energy- Building More Rather than Less to Solve Climate Change - Will China Reach Superabundance Before America? - How we can Improve Utilities and the American Power Grid- Is the Government Getting Better or Worse at Funding Innovation?- How Painful will the Next Decade be?- How do we Improve Supply Chain Resilience?- Eli and Austin’s Request for Startups- What does a World with Superabundance Look Like?You can read their paper here: https://www.thecgo.org/research/energy-superabundance/

Sep 15, 2022 • 1h 6min
Vitalik Buterin on the Future of Crypto and Technology
Vitalik Buterin (@VitalikButerin), co-founder of Ethereum, joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss the future of crypto and technology. Topics discussed:- How is crypto starting to influence mainstream culture and corporations?- Is crypto positive or negative for nation states?- How much of crypto is innovation versus regulatory arbitrage?- Should we be reforming existing institutions to adopt crypto, or forming new ones?- How is exit possible in 2022? What role could DAOs play?- Vitalik’s thoughts on the War in Ukraine- Vitalik’s thoughts on San Francisco after COVID- Is the world becoming more centralized or decentralized?- Is civilizational collapse in the next 50 years likely?- Vitalik’s request for startups- Vitalik’s thoughts on the future of cities

Apr 24, 2022 • 3h 19min
Wes Yang on the Culture War
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