E82: Balaji Srinivasan on the Fiat Crisis, China, Russia, and Conspiracy Practices

"Moment of Zen"

In this episode that originally aired on Upstream, Erik sits down with Balaji Srinivasan to discuss the Fiat Crisis, geopolitics, conspiracies, and the signs of decline for a hyperpower. It was recorded in June of 2023. Balaji is an angel investor, tech founder, philosopher, and author of The Network State. He was formerly the CTO of Coinbase.

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(00:51) Intro

(01:23) Understanding the flat crisis

(08:34) Balaji’s equivalent premises

(14:54) Sponsor: NetSuite and Beehiiv

(17:55) Aftermath of Iraq and Afghanistan wars

(20:35) Multipolar world

(25:17) Blue America is at war with the world

(28:35) Sponsor: Babbel | Squad

(31:02) Cancellation is a weak form of warfare

(33:05) Interplay of realism and idealism in the U.S

(37:00) Red vs Blue vs Grey America

(44:11) Concept of American partition

(46:00) Rise of India's national Identity

(47:00) Evolution of China and Russia

(53:00) Microsoft, Facebook, and Google

(54:00) Japan-USSR rivalry and its impact

(01:01:10) Conspiracy theories and historical narratives

(01:09:00) Balaji’s predictions for 2024 & the Fed

(01:18:31) Wrap