Long-form interviews and conversations with tech, AI, and finance leaders (30min+)
New York Times reporting reveals how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu successfully pressured President Trump into joining a joint war against Iran—a military action Trump initially rejected and which no previous American president had agreed to—raising fundamental questions about whether the U.S. has outsourced its most consequential foreign policy decisions to Israel.
The $2 trillion private credit market has evolved into an opaque shadow banking system that mirrors pre-2008 risks, with structural illiquidity, hidden defaults, and recent regulatory changes now exposing American 401(k)s to potential contagion and lockups.
Goodfire CTO Dan Balsam and Chief Scientist Tom McGrath discuss their $150M Series B and new 'intentional design' research agenda, which aims to shape model training dynamics and loss landscapes rather than merely reverse-engineering trained models, alongside advances in geometric interpretability that map continuous conceptual manifolds rather than discrete features.
Garrett Langley explains how Flock Safety grew from a neighborhood project solving car break-ins to a $500M ARR company serving 6,000+ cities by building solar-powered license plate cameras, AI search tools, and drones that help law enforcement clear over one million crimes annually through real-time data coordination.
Dr. Charles Zuker explains how the brain transforms chemical detection into taste perception through dedicated neural pathways, revealing that while sweet and bitter are hardwired as attractive and aversive, the system remains highly plastic and modulated by internal states and gut-brain signaling.
Crypto analyst CryptoKitten warns against FOMOing into Bitcoin at current levels around $71,800, arguing the asset remains in a bear flag pattern requiring two daily closes above $72,000 to invalidate, while drawing parallels to the 2022 cycle structure and advocating for patient dollar-cost averaging rather than chasing price.
Box CEO Aaron Levie argues that enterprises face a fundamental infrastructure shift as AI agents proliferate 10-100x beyond human employees, requiring secure 'boxes'—governed data containers with distinct identities and permissions—to prevent data leaks and manage liability in autonomous workflows.
With the Strait of Hormuz blocking 20% of global oil transit, Asian markets are plunging while US markets rebound, exposing a dangerous divergence: US allies like Korea and Japan face severe economic vulnerability while energy-self-sufficient America risks recession if oil spikes to $90-100, potentially forcing the Fed to cut rates despite inflationary pressures.
Portfolio manager Bob Thompson argues that despite recent gains in mining stocks, the sector remains early in its cycle as institutional 'generalist' investors have yet to rotate capital from overvalued tech stocks into resources, while a weakening US dollar and depressed Canadian valuations present significant reversion-to-mean opportunities.
Steve-O discusses his career volatility from record-breaking 2022 success to internet backlash, explains how he learned to filter constructive criticism from online noise while adjusting his approach to audiences, and shares stories about extreme stunts, UFC history, and the shift from communal 90s media to today's fragmented landscape.
Writer Lindy West recounts her evolution from terrified resistance to enthusiastic acceptance of polyamory, describing how her husband's relationship with another woman forced her to confront her own lost identity and discover unexpected freedom through solo exploration and letting go of control.
Wirecutter cleaning expert Caroline Mullen joins hosts Christine Cyr Clisset and Kyra Blackwell to solve listener-submitted odor problems, consistently recommending source removal and ventilation over masking scents with air fresheners.