Latest Interviews

E121: Macro update, Fed hike, CRE debt bubble, Balaji's Bitcoin bet, TikTok's endgame & more

Balaji, Calacanis, Chamath Palihapitiya, David Friedberg, David Sacks, Nick Carter

A panel of financial experts and entrepreneurs critically analyzes the Federal Reserve's 25-basis point rate hike, arguing that the "middle path" fails to address the severity of the commercial real estate crisis and looming banking liquidity concerns. Key figures like Chamath Palihapitiya and Jason Sacks forecast a potential $2–3 trillion government bailout to stabilize the dollar and prevent a systemic collapse, while debating whether Bitcoin will serve as a hedge or face regulatory suppression. The discussion also covers the geopolitical fallout of a likely TikTok shutdown, the engineering breakthroughs of Relativity Space's Terran 1 launch, and warnings regarding an impending US debt ceiling default.

The Marketplace 100: A Glimpse Into the Future of Commerce

Connie Chan, Olivia Moore, Zach Cohen

The 2023 a16z Marketplace 100 Report analyzed over 12,000 private companies using Consumer Edge transaction data to rank the top platforms by 2022 Gross Merchandise Value, highlighting that 34 new entrants joined the top tier including bootstrapped RockAuto in the top ten. The analysis identifies critical trends such as the shift from static search to video-driven discovery and gamification, noting specific successes by Whatnot and Temu while emphasizing curation as a strategy for trust and safety. Looking forward, the report predicts AI will lower barriers to entry for specialized marketplaces in sectors like home services and automotive, alongside a16z's upcoming podcast and newsletter series dedicated to these emerging metrics.

Fix Your Gut Health! The 4 Foods Fueling Inflammation & Disease! - Dr Will Cole

Dr Will Cole

Functional medicine practitioner Dr. Cole contrasts optimal health ranges with conventional diagnostic averages, addressing the widespread epidemic of metabolic and autoimmune disorders driven by chronic inflammation, intergenerational trauma, and nervous system dysregulation. He outlines a root-cause approach that integrates specific dietary modifications like the "Inflammatory Core Four" protocol, microbiome optimization, and strict technology boundaries to restore gut-brain axis function and lower pro-inflammatory cytokines. As the paradigm shifts toward this holistic model, Cole emphasizes that sustainable healing requires balancing advanced nutritional science with personal practices like grounding and stress reduction to overcome the physiological impacts of modern lifestyle stressors.

How much higher can bond yields go?

Rick Rieder, Praveen Korapaty, Alison Nathan, Praveen Kaurapati

BlackRock's Rick Reeder and Goldman Sachs analysts project the Federal Reserve has peaked with rates likely to stay elevated to protect millions of jobs while inflation remains sticky. Global central banks are diverging as the Bank of Japan adjusts its yield curve control and the ECB hikes toward 4%, prompting investors to favor European assets and high-yielding short-duration cash over U.S. credit. This strategic shift aims to capture over 5% annualized returns on the front end of the yield curve while navigating a structurally higher neutral rate environment.

Zach Lawryk: The Ultimate Guide to Sales Engineering | E980

Zach Lawryk, Harry Stebbings

The evolving sales landscape necessitates a strategic pivot from controlling the process to buyer enablement, requiring Sales Engineers to act as technical experts who tie solutions to business value while Account Executives manage the final close. Organizations typically hire their first Sales Engineer when sales teams reach five to seven representatives or when deal complexity exceeds the sales rep's technical capacity, establishing a 5:1 ratio with a 70/30 compensation split to align incentives. Success in this model depends on hiring candidates who blend technical depth with sales empathy and adopting short-form, multi-channel content strategies to capture attention in a saturated digital environment.

The 1000x Developer with Amjad Masad

Amjad Masad, Matt Staufferer

Replit CEO Amjad Massad outlines a vision for an integrated development environment that leverages proprietary AI models and a "society of models" architecture to drastically reduce the learning curve and enable a shift toward mobile-first, chat-based coding workflows. This technological evolution introduces a Bounties Marketplace for AI-human collaboration and forecasts a future where the global developer population expands from 30 million to 300 million as average productivity multiplies by orders of magnitude. Massad concludes that while this democratization of software creation will likely exacerbate workforce inequality, the resulting gains in efficiency and accessibility necessitate a regulatory approach that prioritizes decentralization over heavy-handed intervention.

E113: DOJ tries to break up Google, vaccine questions, Ukraine escalation & more

David Sacks

The U.S. Department of Justice and eight states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google alleging monopolistic control over digital ad brokering, a move panelists argued would stifle innovation by unwinding the 2008 DoubleClick acquisition. Simultaneously, European regulators probe Microsoft for anti-competitive bundling of Teams with Office, while the panel critiqued the rapid, EUA-bypassed rollout of mRNA vaccines and warned of geopolitical escalation risks in Ukraine that could trigger nuclear confrontation. In a shift toward scientific innovation, researchers demonstrated the reversal of aging in mice by correcting epigenetic degradation, a breakthrough that is prompting investors to target companies developing targeted transcription factor therapies.

As China reopens, what’s ahead for commodities in 2023?

Jeff Currie, Alison Nathan

Goldman Sachs economists project a 43% rally in commodities during 2023, driven by a convergence of China's economic rebound, persistent supply constraints, and a structural underinvestment cycle that mirrors the bullish conditions of 2007. Key demand drivers include a surge in Chinese oil and copper consumption alongside Europe's urgent need for energy capacity, while OPEC's pricing power remains elevated due to limited spare production outside the Gulf region. Consequently, the report positions the complex as a superior hedge against inflation and market volatility, with copper offering a steadier risk-adjusted return compared to the higher volatility expected in oil markets.

Garett Jones — Immigration, national IQ, & less democracy

Garett Jones

Garrett Jones challenges the efficacy of open borders by arguing that mass low-skilled immigration degrades a host nation's average skill level, thereby reducing national productivity and diminishing global innovation. While he advocates for limited, data-driven integration tests in stable, low-population regions like Iceland, he warns against applying such policies in major economic hubs where elite IQ drives critical technological advancement. Furthermore, Jones contends that preserving existing institutional quality requires maintaining strict standards, as lower-skilled migration creates negative externalities that outweigh potential economic gains or democratic diversity.

E112: Is Davos a grift? Plus: globalist mishaps, debt ceilings, TikTok's endgame & more

Calacanis, Friedberg, David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya

Moderated by Jake Calacanis, David Sacks, and their fellow panelists debate the podcast's origins while analyzing the 2024 presidential landscape, specifically evaluating the strengths of Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Glenn Youngkin against a backdrop of voter concerns over fiscal responsibility. The hosts further dissect global economic tensions by critiquing the World Economic Forum, arguing for deglobalization strategies to counter China's energy and industrial dominance, and advocating for a points-based immigration system to attract high-value talent. Finally, the group addresses specific security risks posed by TikTok, the transformative potential of AI in biotech, and the legal liability surrounding the *Rust* shooting tragedy before concluding with insights into emerging aging research.

Jesse Lingard Reveals The Problem With Man United Today & Why He Moved To Nottingham Forest | E214

Jesse Lingard, Ollie

Former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard attributes his departure from the club to severe mental health struggles, online abuse, and a perceived lack of support from management, while also detailing his family's history of depression. In a candid podcast appearance that reached a significant milestone of one million subscribers, Lingard recounted the intense pressure from his grandfather, the impact of his mother's illness, and his belief that the club's culture deteriorated after Sir Alex Ferguson's departure. Looking ahead, the 31-year-old plans to launch a media company called "One Touch" and transition into acting, signaling a shift toward personal fulfillment and future creative projects beyond professional football.

The global economy in 2075: Growth slows as Asia rises

Kevin Daly, Alison Nathan

Goldman Sachs Research has released its 2024 iteration of the long-term global economic forecast, extending the projection horizon to 2075 across 104 economies to analyze structural drivers like demographics and productivity. The study predicts a global population peak of 10 billion by 2050, which will decelerate growth but enable low-income emerging markets to continue converging with developed nations, ultimately driving China to overtake the US economy by 2035 and India to catch up by 2075. While these structural trends support a shift of investment and corporate expansion toward emerging markets, the outlook remains vulnerable to specific risks including rising protectionism and climate change impacts on vulnerable economies.

E111: Microsoft to invest $10B in OpenAI, generative AI hype, America's over-classification problem

Hosts Jason Calacanis and David Sacks critique the erosion of journalistic neutrality, San Francisco's homelessness policy failures, and the manipulation of ESG financial instruments as tools to mask debt. The discussion shifts to the artificial intelligence sector, detailing Microsoft's strategic investment in OpenAI and urging entrepreneurs to secure proprietary data moats against potential copyright litigation. Finally, the conversation examines the political implications of classified document scandals surrounding current and former presidents, questioning how such investigations reinforce a permanent government while deterring qualified business leaders from public service.

What’s ahead for economies and markets in 2023?

Jan Hatzius, Dominic Wilson, Alison Nathan

Goldman Sachs projects a 35% probability of a U.S. recession in 2023 despite a baseline forecast for positive growth driven by cooling inflation and a labor market correction via reduced job openings. The firm anticipates Federal Reserve funds rates peaking between 5% and 5.25% by May, followed by a pause and potential cuts in late 2024 as inflation targets 3%. While U.S. equity valuations remain constrained by tight labor and rich pricing, emerging markets and Europe offer deeper discounts supported by anticipated global growth recovery and a structurally weakening dollar.

Feeling Lost? Neuroscience Explains Why! The Science Behind Happiness! - Dr Tali Sharot

Dr Tali Sharot, Tom

This analysis synthesizes Tali Sherrat's research on the U-shaped trajectory of happiness across the lifespan and its profound correlation with economic outcomes, noting that optimism drives significant salary increases and entrepreneurial success through self-fulfilling psychological mechanisms. The findings detail how brain adaptation and confirmation bias influence decision-making, often trapping individuals in certain misery, while strategies like granting agency and introducing novelty offer effective pathways to improve well-being and relationship satisfaction. Ultimately, these insights advocate for managing risk perception and leveraging emotional contagion to navigate life transitions, suggesting that controlled optimism serves as a vital tool for both personal resilience and professional advancement.