E9: What Byrne Hobart Thinks About Nearly Everything

"The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg

Today's episode is a throwback to when Erik interviewed Byrne Hobart for the first time on the Venture Stories by Village Global podcast. Byrne and Erik go deep on technological change, debate centralization versus decentralization, discuss mental models for financial bubbles, and examine human nature from the lens of different thinkers.

The Riff is sponsored by Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period.

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The Riff is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: https://turpentine.co

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Check out Erik's new show Request for Startups featuring a rotating cast of founders and investors sharing their requests for startups they want to exist in the world, and also their stories of navigating the idea maze in different sectors so founders don’t have to reinvent the wheel anymore. The first episode is out now - we cover better dating apps, references as a service, and WeWork for productivity

• Watch and Subscribe on Substack: https://requestforstartups.substack.com/p/receipt-based-dating-reference-checks
• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/request-for-startups-with-erik-torenberg/id1728659822
• Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/739L1LR32QI2XyoZlRh5nv

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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.

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Thanks to our sponsor: SHOPIFY

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce 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 e-commerce 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/momentofzen

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LINKS:

Byrne's writing: https://thediff.co

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X / TWITTER:

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@byrnehobart (Byrne)

@turpentinemedia (Turpentine)

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:11) Byrne's Approach to Understanding

(02:56) Productivity Growth

(06:38) Debate on Globalization

(16:30) Sponsor: Shopify

(18:12) Understanding the Impact of Geography, Demographics, and Energy

(27:25) State Capacity Libertarianism

(33:21) Predicting the Future of US-China Relationship

(34:37) Lessons from the East Asian Economic Miracles

(35:42) The Role of Corruption in Economic Growth

(36:32) Strategies for Subsidizing Exports

(38:05) The Impact of Anti-Globalization Movements

(38:30) The Trade Deficit Debate

(46:21) Charter Cities

(52:38) The Techlash

(01:07:38) The Future of Wall Street and Its Impact on Society

(01:17:53) The Power of the Dollar System

(01:18:55) Understanding Negative Interest Rates

(01:20:43) The Impact of Low Interest Rates on Infrastructure Development

(01:25:05) The Impact of Demographics on Long Term Bonds

(01:27:48) The Problem of Underfunded Pensions

(01:28:52) Understanding Financial Bubbles

(01:33:37) The Dynamics of Centralization and Decentralization

(01:50:43) The Future of Silicon Valley and California

(01:56:31) Disagreements with Notable Thinkers