Andrew Yang is a former founder of Venture for America and former candidate for president of the United States. Yang is now focused on introducing a third party to our two-party political system. He sits down with Erik to talk about why politics is broken and how to fix it, the current political landscape gearing into the 2024 elections, an inside look as to what's actually involved in running for president, and reflections on what he would've done differently. We also talk about universal basic income, fixing California, and fixing media polarization. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/upstream--We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Every week investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future. Subscribe to “The Riff” with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg: https://link.chtbl.com/theriffTIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview of the episode(03:46) When Andrew Yang realized the two-party system is broken(08:37) How third parties can cure the system(11:09) What’s the relationship between money and laws changing?(16:10) How the “the last election” plays out(16:58) Sponsors: Secureframe(18:54) Andrew Yang’s prediction for 2024(20:58) Introducing competition to one party state California(25:26) Institutionalization of the DNC(27:58) Manufacturing the “presidential quality”(29:12) Andrew Yang on Vivek Ramaswamy(33:05) Self-interest in politics(34:52) How to get more talented people to be in politics(37:39) Andrew Yang’s reflections on his candidacy(40:07) What it’s like to run for president(46:10) Trumpism is not over(47:10) Future of disunity?(49:39) Media environment(52:32) UBI and AISOCIAL LINKS:Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenbergAndrew’s Twitter: @andrewyangForward Party Twitter: @fwd_PartyPodcast Twitter: @Upstream__PodErik’s Substack: eriktorenberg.substack.comPlease support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three months-Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial periodShopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all ecommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one ecommerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg.-Secureframe: https://secureframe.com/Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention UPSTREAM during your demo to get 20% off your first year.--This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.

Vivek Ramaswamy is a 2024 Republican presidential candidate who founded biotech company Roivant Sciences, now public. He has written books about what he sees as the excesses of woke capitalism and started an asset management firm called Strive, meant to be a right-wing competitor with BlackRock. With his presidential campaign, Vivek challenges conventional orthodoxy on several core issues, including affirmative action and climate change. Regardless of what you may think about his policies or him, it's worth understanding how he stands to influence our upcoming election and inject his views into the mainstream. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/upstream--RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Every week investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future. Subscribe to “The Riff” with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg: https://link.chtbl.com/theriffTIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Preview of the episode(04:10) When Vivek changed from founder to presidential candidate(11:47) Vivek’s presidential platform: Affirmative action, Climate, Fed, Drug crisis(16:34) Sponsors: Secureframe(17:58) Where Vivek overlaps/differs with Silicon Valley: DEI, Free speech, SVB(25:51) Meritocracy above all else?(32:32) How to remove politics from corporations(40:26) Silicon Valley should empathize more with the rest of the country?(56:56) Defining “woke”(58:14) What’s it like to run a presidential campaignSOCIAL LINKS:Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenbergVivek’s Twitter: @VivekGRamaswamyPodcast Twitter: @Upstream__PodErik’s Substack: eriktorenberg.substack.comPlease support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three months-Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial periodShopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all ecommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one ecommerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg.- Secureframe: https://secureframe.com/Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention UPSTREAM during your demo to get 20% off your first year.--This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.

Joe Lonsdale is the founder of Palantir, 8VC, a number of other unicorns he’s incubated, and Cicero Policy Institute. In this episode we focus mostly on his policy, breaking down what are the real problems in healthcare, education, crime/police, homelessness and what are the solutions he recommends to fix them. We talk about how the right is focused on the culture war when fixing accountability will actually be a more effective way to change the culture. We talk about the future for the right, why wealth inequality is the wrong metric to measure, and what it means to believe in America in 2023. This episode was recorded in February 2023. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/UPSTREAM--TIMESTAMPS:(3:10) How Joe Lonsdale maximizes his impact (5:10) The focus of Joe’s public policy org, Cicero(7:58) Why institutional reform is more effective than fighting the culture war (10:11) Misunderstandings about education (12:56) government unions shouldn’t exist(15:02) Misunderstandings about prison reform and crime(18:31) Misunderstandings about homelessness(21:13) Sponsors(26:52) Explaining our healthcare problems(32:53) When to reform vs start new institutions(38:00) What’s the power of a presidency / State reform vs federal reform(40:54) The frontier vs the core(43:40) Draining the swamp(43:50) Wealth inequality (47:20) Equality of opportunity is a myth(49:00) Appreciating billionaires(52:00) Peter Thiel isn’t really focused on politics(54:00) The future of the right(58:42) Why be an American optimistSOCIAL LINKS:Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenbergJoe’s Twitter: @JTLonsdalePodcast Twitter: @Upstream__PodErik’s Substack: eriktorenberg.substack.comJoe’s Substack: blog.joelonsdale.comPlease support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Secureframe Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three monthsShopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial periodShopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all ecommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one ecommerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg.- Secureframe: https://secureframe.com/Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention UPSTREAM during your demo to get 20% off your first year.--This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.

David Sacks is known as a CEO/investor in multiple unicorns, and most recently a media mogul with All-In. In this episode, we trace David’s intellectual and political history from his days fighting student activism at Stanford to now. We cover the political and cultural changes in the last 30 years of silicon valley, how the real distinction today is between the college-educated and the not, and how even though 2⁄3 of the country didn’t go to college, their views are not represented in our institutions today. This episode was recorded in December 2022 but is just as relevant today. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/UPSTREAM--TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Episode Preview(03:18) How did tech become less free speech oriented?(04:30) Why is PayPal so woke?(09:25) Corporations and governments collaborating to censor(10:30) Tracing political history in Silicon Valley (18:45) College educated vs. not is the biggest difference in US(24:50) Sponsors: Secureframe(27:22) David’s experience with student activism in the 1990s(29:00) David’s evolution on foreign policy (32:15) U.S. Russiaphobia(35:45) Why David supports big-tech regulations(49:00) Is classical liberalism a dead end?(54:00) Elon’s character arc and political journey(01:06:33) Employee entitlement was a bull-market phenomenon(01:11:15) Accountability for elites is the solutionPlease support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Secureframe | Mercury Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three monthsShopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial periodShopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all ecommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one ecommerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg.- Secureframe: https://secureframe.com/Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention UPSTREAM during your demo to get 20% off your first year.- Mercury: https://mercury.com/Now more than ever, startup founders need a safe place to put their cash. Mercury protects your money and also provides the streamlined user experience that great founders expect through partner banks and their sweep networks.Mercury offers up to $5 million in FDIC insurance, which is 20 times the per-bank limit. They also make it easy to invest any cash above the FDIC-insured amount in a money market fund, a hundred thousand startups trust Mercury with their finances. I've been a happy Mercury customer and have found their team incredibly helpful and responsive. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and involve bank and trust members FDIC.--This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.

Ezra Klein, journalist, political analyst, and podcaster, sits with Erik Torenberg to go deeper into the intellectual movement of supply-side progressivism and what Silicon Valley misses about politics. This conversation was recorded in early February 2023, but is even more relevant today. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/UPSTREAM--TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview of Ezra discussing Elon Musk(02:16) Unpacking supply side liberalism and the abundance agenda(07:55) Contrasting Ezra’s Buildism with Marc Andreessen and Tyler Cowen(12:20) Why we can't build(16:36) Sponsors: Secureframe | Mercury | MarketerHire(18:47) Unions(21:06) Ezra on what Silicon Valley misunderstands about politics(24:15) Abundance agenda is bipartisan, but will polarize(27:05) Ezra on immigration and free trade(31:08) Reinterpreting Ezra’s book Why We’re Polarized in 2023(34:30) Institutional distrust(39:10) Davos elite v. Tech Elite v. Crypto Elite(47:10) What makes Elon right wing?(51:50) Chris Caldwell’s theory of polarization(01:00:15) What the president can actually do(01:07:00) Where he differs from Patrick Collison(01:10:15) Equality of opportunity vs a sufficient floor(01:16:55) Elon and the era of the trickster god(01:20:30) Ezra’s book recommendationPlease support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Secureframe | Mercury Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three monthsShopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial periodShopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all ecommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one ecommerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg.- Secureframe: https://secureframe.com/Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention UPSTREAM during your demo to get 20% off your first year.- Mercury: https://mercury.com/Now more than ever, startup founders need a safe place to put their cash. Mercury protects your money and also provides the streamlined user experience that great founders expect through partner banks and their sweep networks.Mercury offers up to $5 million in FDIC insurance, which is 20 times the per-bank limit. They also make it easy to invest any cash above the FDIC-insured amount in a money market fund, a hundred thousand startups trust Mercury with their finances. I've been a happy Mercury customer and have found their team incredibly helpful and responsive. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and involve bank and trust members FDIC.--This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.

Balaji Srinivasan, author of The Network State and co-founder of Counsyl, talks to Erik Torenberg about his past and future predictions, the future of the left and right, and why tech will never be able to escape politics. Upstream with Erik Torenberg is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: Turpentine.co. Check out Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period--We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview of episode(02:30) Why are the scariest words in the English language “Balaji was right”(07:06) When to reform vs start a new institution(09:50) Are ideas weapons?(13:31) Sponsors(15:30) You don’t start with a tech company anymore, you start with a tech community(18:58) Internet nationalism(22:06) What "political" means(26:20 ) Activist movements are like “pump and dumps”(29:40) What the sovereign individual misses(41:03) Bitcoin is still the flag of technology(45:38) Democrats will move to the right on immigration(57:20) Tech America vs Woke America(58:00) Why are tech people so woke?(1:03:39) The left will flip on diversity(1:05:00) The left is shifting from wokeism to statism(1:15:17) Bitcoiners will take over the right wing party(1:21:28) ElonPlease support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | NetSuite | Secureframe | Mercury Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three months- Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial periodShopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all ecommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one ecommerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg.- Mercury: https://mercury.com/Now more than ever, startup founders need a safe place to put their cash. Mercury protects your money and also provides the streamlined user experience that great founders expect through partner banks and their sweep networks.Mercury offers up to $5 million in FDIC insurance, which is 20 times the per-bank limit. They also make it easy to invest any cash above the FDIC-insured amount in a money market fund, a hundred thousand startups trust Mercury with their finances. I've been a happy Mercury customer and have found their team incredibly helpful and responsive. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and involve bank and trust members FDIC.--This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.

Marc Andreessen of a16z sits with Erik Torenberg to go deeper into his intellectual and political journey, and his quest to find out how the world works. Upstream with Erik Torenberg is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: turpentine.co. Check out Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period--TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(04:25) How much has Marc changed vs the world changed?(07:55) How much do ideas matter? Who drives society — the elite or the masses?(10:56) People respond to interests more than ideas(13:08) Mental models for the left and the right(15:45) Sponsors (Secureframe | Mercury | MarketerHire)(17:53) The road to hell is paved with good intentions(19:40) Master morality and slave morality(24:20) Unpacking Elon’s quote “Wokeness is the mind-virus”(27:00) Is classical liberalism sustainable and how it leads to wokeness(36:00) James Burnham’s worldview(43:50) How the left captured the institutions(46:20) Elon as the return to entrepreneurial capitalism(49:03) The experiments Elon is running(55:50) The billionaire mindset toward politics(58:30) We live in an oligarchy, not a democracy(01:07:00) Larry Page is the contrarian billionaire(01:08:30) Effective Altruism’s blind spots(01:11:36) Effective altruists think they can play god(01:12:16) SBF’s roll-the-dice philosophy(01:14:23) Aristocratic vs Meritocratic elite(01:22:48) Elites are insulated from the consequences of their policies(01:24:53) Why global governance is a nerd trap(01:28:16) Global governance is anti-diversity(01:31:42) Tech people are politically homeless(01:32:37) Elites can’t be removed, they can only be replaced(01:36:02) Advice for counter-elites(01:49:21) Reasons to be optimisticSOCIAL LINKS:Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenbergMarc’s Twitter: @pmarcaPodcast Twitter: @Upstream__PodErik’s Substack: Erik TorenbergMarc’s Substack: Marc AndreessenPlease support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Secureframe | Mercury Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three months-Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial periodShopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all ecommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one ecommerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg.- Secureframe: https://secureframe.com/Secureframe is the leading all-in-one platform for security and privacy compliance. Get SOC-2 audit ready in weeks, not months. I believe in Secureframe so much that I invested in it, and I recommend it to all my portfolio companies. Sign up for a free demo and mention UPSTREAM during your demo to get 20% off your first year.- Mercury: https://mercury.com/Now more than ever, startup founders need a safe place to put their cash. Mercury protects your money and also provides the streamlined user experience that great founders expect through partner banks and their sweep networks.Mercury offers up to $5 million in FDIC insurance, which is 20 times the per-bank limit. They also make it easy to invest any cash above the FDIC-insured amount in a money market fund, a hundred thousand startups trust Mercury with their finances. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Choice Financial Group and involve bank and trust members FDIC.

Upstream is where Erik Torenberg interviews the world's most foundational thinkers to map the constellation of ideas that matter across tech, culture, and politics. You'll hear topics here first, and in the mainstream months later.Ask yourself, what’s upstream of what you believe?Interviewed for this season of Upstream: Marc Andreessen, David Sacks, Ezra Klein, Balaji Srinivasan, Katherine Boyle, Joe Lonsdale, and more luminary thinkers who are changing the world. Follow the podcast wherever you listen so you never miss an episode. Email feedback to the show to info@turpentine.co---We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.