In this episode, Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg discuss Curtis Yarvin's recent New York Times interview. They explored his ideas, especially the comparison between corporate market dynamics and government functionality, and the need for live players in leadership to prevent bureaucratic decay.
—
📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess
🙏 Help shape our show by taking our quick listener survey at https://bit.ly/TurpentinePulse
—
RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:
🎙️Live Players
Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg provide analysis of the news and case studies of Live Players, as well as key institutions and technologies that make up the global power landscape.
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-players-with-samo-burja-and-erik-torenberg/id1718925188
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fbMTkHBnom1JIBWYNVBK1?si=01ed191c74264f55
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivePlayerswithSamoBurja
🎙️Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov.
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod
—
SPONSORS:
☁️ Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application development, and AI needs. OCI has four to eight times the bandwidth of other clouds and offers one consistent price. Oracle is offering to cut your cloud bill in half. See if your company qualifies at oracle.com/turpentine
📝 Notion offers powerful workflow and automation templates, perfect for streamlining processes and laying the groundwork for AI-driven automation. With Notion AI, you can search across thousands of documents from various platforms, generating highly relevant analysis and content tailored just for you - try it for free at notion.com/upstreampod
🎯 Say goodbye to the headaches of out-of-home advertising. AdQuick combines technology, OOH expertise, and data to enable efficient, seamless ad buying across the globe. Visit adquick.com to start reaching your customers in the real world.
💥 Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.
—
LINKS:
'The Interview': Curtis Yarvin Says Democracy is Done (The New York Times): https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/magazine/curtis-yarvin-interview.html
Curtis Yarvin on the End of American Democracy (Podcast): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcSil8NeQq8
Dwarkesh’s tweet: https://x.com/dwarkesh_sp/status/1881776987322376435
Samo’s Tweet: https://x.com/SamoBurja/status/1882525049003164147
Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/
—
X / TWITTER:
@samoburja
@eriktorenberg
@turpentinemedia
—
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:31) Curtis Yarvin's influence and ideas
(01:45) Debating government and market mechanisms
(03:31) Comparing government and corporate leadership
(05:51) The role of bureaucracy in government
(08:30) Challenges of government efficiency
(09:41) The future of government and innovation
(16:23) Sponsors: Oracle | Notion
(22:04) Curtis Yarvin's radical proposals
(31:27) Sweden's unique approach to governance
(32:58) The high cost of inefficient government
(36:43) Curtis Yarvin's influence on modern thinkers
(39:47) Sponsors: Adquick | Squad
(41:45) The intersection of politics and ideology
(45:22) The future of governance and democracy
(51:26) Curtis Yarvin's legacy and intellectual impact
(55:56) Wrap