Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg discuss Silicon Valley's cultural influence, Marc Andreessen's predictions, what comes after wokeness, tariffs on China, Reaganomics, the 'polycrisis,' the future of industrial policy, and political dynamics involving Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Paul Krugman.
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📰Be notified early when Turpentine drops new publication: turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess
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SPONSORS:
GiveWell
GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to make sure they know you heard about them from us.
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SEND US YOUR Q's FOR NOAH TO ANSWER ON AIR: Econ102@Turpentine.co
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FOLLOW ON X:
@noahpinion
@eriktorenberg
@turpentinemedia
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LINKS:
Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/
Marc Andreessen on Trump, the vibe shift, and what’s after wokeness: youtu.be/l8X8jecivWw?si=ZKfdrvEetz8sZ6Hi
The Wokeness series: https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-wokeness-series
Ready Player One: goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one
We Have Never Been Woke: amazon.com/Have-Never-Been-Woke-Contradictions/dp/0691232601
Musa al-Garbhi Substack: musaalgharbi.substack.com
Akira: imdb.com/title/tt0094625
The Big Chill: imdb.com/title/tt0085244
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:20) Silicon Valley and tech scene insights
(01:23) Rise and Fall of wokeness
(04:42) Cultural shifts and predictions
(08:13) Historical parallels and social movements
(17:03) Sponsor: Givewell
(18:22) Rightist and anti-abortion attacks
(23:49) Impact of tariffs and economic policies
(29:49) Private sector investment and the CHIPS Act
(30:29) Government vs. Private sector efficiency
(31:43) Role of competition in government contracting
(33:03) Challenges in social services and infrastructure
(36:23) Polycrisis debate
(41:12) Austerity measures and fiscal control
(45:39) Industrial policy and manufacturing
(46:58) Trump vs. Elon: Conflicting visions
(57:28) Paul Krugman's legacy and keynesianism
(59:23) Wrap
This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg discuss Silicon Valley's cultural influence, Marc Andreessen's predictions, what comes after wokeness, tariffs on China, Reaganomics, the 'polycrisis,' the future of industrial policy, and political dynamics involving Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Paul Krugman.
--
📰Be notified early when Turpentine drops new publication: turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess
--
SPONSORS:
GiveWell
GiveWell spends 50,000 hours every year doing deep-dives into different charitable programs to try to find the ways to do the most good for your dollar. GiveWell has now spent over 17 years researching charitable organizations and only directs funding to a few of the HIGHEST-IMPACT opportunities they’ve found. Visit givewell.org to find out more or make a donation. Select PODCAST and enter Econ 102 at checkout to make sure they know you heard about them from us.
--
SEND US YOUR Q's FOR NOAH TO ANSWER ON AIR: Econ102@Turpentine.co
--
FOLLOW ON X:
@noahpinion
@eriktorenberg
@turpentinemedia
--
LINKS:
Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/
Marc Andreessen on Trump, the vibe shift, and what’s after wokeness: youtu.be/l8X8jecivWw?si=ZKfdrvEetz8sZ6Hi
The Wokeness series: https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-wokeness-series
Ready Player One: goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one
We Have Never Been Woke: amazon.com/Have-Never-Been-Woke-Contradictions/dp/0691232601
Musa al-Garbhi Substack: musaalgharbi.substack.com
Akira: imdb.com/title/tt0094625
The Big Chill: imdb.com/title/tt0085244
--
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:20) Silicon Valley and tech scene insights
(01:23) Rise and Fall of wokeness
(04:42) Cultural shifts and predictions
(08:13) Historical parallels and social movements
(17:03) Sponsor: Givewell
(18:22) Rightist and anti-abortion attacks
(23:49) Impact of tariffs and economic policies
(29:49) Private sector investment and the CHIPS Act
(30:29) Government vs. Private sector efficiency
(31:43) Role of competition in government contracting
(33:03) Challenges in social services and infrastructure
(36:23) Polycrisis debate
(41:12) Austerity measures and fiscal control
(45:39) Industrial policy and manufacturing
(46:58) Trump vs. Elon: Conflicting visions
(57:28) Paul Krugman's legacy and keynesianism
(59:23) Wrap
