Infinite Loops

Dr. Pippa Malmgren is an economist, founder, keynote speaker & award-winning author. She served President George W. Bush as Special Assistant to the President and on the National Economic Council. She was responsible for financial market issues during the Enron crisis, and was responsible for assessing terrorism risks to the economy after 9/11. She has also advised the US Cabinet. Dr. Pippa's most recent book, the Infinite Leader, won the International Press Award for the Best Book on Leadership for 2021. Dr. Pippa joins the show to discuss why leadership has gone wrong, what she thinks of the recent UFO news, why we're already in World War III, and a whole lot more! Important Links: Dr. Pippa's website Dr. Pippa's Substack Dr. Pippa's Twitter Show Notes: Why leadership has gone wrong Worldbuilding & the difference between management and leadership Why leaders always stay too long Balancing trust vs truth Confidence vs competence Balance, surfing & Taoism Numbers, stories & UFOs Reality belief systems: "It's not only stranger than we think, it's stranger than we can think." How psychedelics impact how we understand reality What Pippa would include in her leadership academy Bailouts, inflation & CBDCs We are already in World War III Creating a hug movement MUCH more! Books Mentioned: The Infinite Leader: Balancing the Demands of Modern Business Leadership; by Chris Lewis & Dr. Pippa Malmgren The Leadership Lab: Understanding Leadership in the 21st Century; by Chris Lewis & Dr. Pippa Malmgren Signals: How Everyday Signs Can Help Us Navigate the World's Turbulent Economy; by Dr. Pippa Malmgren Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life; by Rory Sutherland Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders; by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic Tao Te Ching; by Lao Tzu The Rig Veda Prometheus Rising; by Robert Anton Wilson Wholeness and the Implicate Order; by David Bohm Orthodoxy; by G. K. Chesterton mgren is an economist, founder, keynote speaker & award-winning author. She served President George W. Bush as Special Assistant to the President and on the National Economic Council. She was responsible for financial market issues during the Enron crisis, and was responsible for assessing terrorism risks to the economy after 9/11. She has also advised the US Cabinet. Dr. Pippa's most recent book, the Infinite Leader, won the International Press Award for the Best Book on Leadership for 2021. Dr. Pippa joins the show to discuss why leadership has gone wrong, what she thinks of the recent UFO news, why we're already in World War III, and a whole lot more! Important Links: Dr. Pippa's website Dr. Pippa's Substack Dr. Pippa's Twitter Show Notes: Why leadership has gone wrong Worldbuilding & the difference between management and leadership Why leaders always stay too long Balancing trust vs truth Confidence vs competence Balance, surfing & Taoism Numbers, stories & UFOs Reality belief systems: "It's not only stranger than we think, it's stranger than we can think." How psychedelics impact how we understand reality What Pippa would include in her leadership academy Bailouts, inflation & CBDCs We are already in World War III Creating a hug movement MUCH more! Books Mentioned: The Infinite Leader: Balancing the Demands of Modern Business Leadership; by Chris Lewis & Dr. Pippa Malmgren The Leadership Lab: Understanding Leadership in the 21st Century; by Chris Lewis & Dr. Pippa Malmgren Signals: How Everyday Signs Can Help Us Navigate the World's Turbulent Economy; by Dr. Pippa Malmgren Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life; by Rory Sutherland Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders; by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic Tao Te Ching; by Lao Tzu The Rig Veda Prometheus Rising; by Robert Anton Wilson Wholeness and the Implicate Order; by David Bohm Orthodoxy; by G. K. Chesterton

Ethan Mollick is an Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies and teaches innovation and entrepreneurship. He also leads Wharton Interactive, an effort to democratize education using games, simulations, and AI. When Ethan started his Substack One Useful Thing in November last year, he was planning on writing about a different management paper every post. Then, in Ethan's words, the arrival of ChatGPT turned him from "an AI-skeptic to an AI-believer." Over the last few months, Ethan has been explaining the rapid developments in the AI industry, documenting how he has incorporated AI into his teaching, and providing practical guides to how we can use AI in our daily lives. Important Links: Ethan's Substack Ethan's Twitter 40 AI Use Cases: How Many Did You Know About? Show Notes: From AI skeptic to AI believer AI is already disruptive Unexpected AI use cases AI is not a search engine Prompt crafting is not the future Is the centaur model the future? How will AI impact education? Will AI accelerate entrepreneurship? The politics & geopolitics of AI How to get unique results using AI Using AI to explore liminal spaces Speed-running the adoption curve Can you teach curiosity? The complex relationship between corporations and AI use We have agency over our future MORE! Books Mentioned: The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology; by Raymond Kurzweil The Iliad; by Homer

Chen Qiufan (AKA Stanley Chan) is an award-winning science fiction writer, screenwriter, creative producer, and columnist. He is the president of the World Chinese Science Fiction Association and the founder of the content development studio Thema Mundi. Chen joins the show to discuss his latest novel, AI 2041: Ten Visions for the Future, which he co-wrote with former Google China president Kai-Fu Lee. Part science fiction, part science forecasting, over ten short stories AI 2041 imagines the different ways, good and bad, that AI will impact our society. The central thesis? AI will transform our lives, but we remain masters of our fate. Important Links: Qiufan's Website Qiufan's Twitter Show Notes: Qiufan's sci-fi influences When did the third wave of AI begin? Why is modern sci-fi so dystopian? How AI is going to impact education Hidden biases & the objective function Deep fakes & narrative collapse Accelerationism, balance & Daoism Do we need real jobs? Happiness is a byproduct Living in a post-scarcity society What's next? MORE! Books Mentioned: AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future; by Kai-Fu Lee & Chen Qiufan Bullshit Jobs: A Theory; by David Graeber Tao Te Ching; by Lao Tzu Trekonomics: The Economics of Star Trek; by Manu Saadia Waste Tide; by Chen Qiufan

Todd Goodwin is the founder of Goodwin Hypnosis, a hypnosis center based in North Carolina. He is a Board Certified Fellow of the National Guild of Hypnotists, a designation earned by only one in every 500 hypnotists. As well as working with thousands of clients since opening Goodwin Hypnosis in 2007, Todd has co-facilitated hypnosis certification courses, created a book and accompanying 30-day hypnosis system designed to stop people from smoking, and given numerous presentations on hypnosis to physicians, students, and medical staff. Todd joins the show to discuss some of the common myths & misconceptions around hypnosis. Important Links: Goodwin Hypnosis Goodwin Hypnosis' YouTube The Thinker and the Prover Our episode on Dr John Sarno The Six Stage Model of Behaviour Change Show Notes: Hypnosis in our everyday lives Why isn't hypnosis more widely used? "I don't want someone in my head" "I can't be hypnotized" Targeting the root causes of behavior Tension between the conscious & the unconscious How secondary gains can obstruct progress How to clear root fear Using language to elicit change Be curious about yourself; remember that you are worthy of love MORE! Books Mentioned: Healing Back Pain; by John E. Sarno Influence: Science and Practice; by Robert Cialdini Frogs into Princes: Neuro Linguistic Programming; by Richard Bandler and John Grinder

Nat & Martha Sharpe have been a creative team for over a decade. Nat was a film school graduate and Martha a storytelling enthusiast. They fell in love while filming a musical parody of "Beowulf" with their friends. After another comedy and two documentaries, they started having children. Focus shifted from art to survival. Together, they learned to code, got off food stamps, and traveled around America in an RV. Today, Nat and Martha homeschool their 5 kids and are eager to explore alternative education, expand their comfort zones, and—as always—make movies. Nat & Martha were the first recipients of an O'Shaughnessy Fellowship, which is a one-year program for ambitious people who want to build something great. Fellows receive a $100,000 grant and access to OSV's network of founders, investors and experts to support them in bringing their projects to life. Nat & Martha are using their fellowship grant to study and make documentary films of alternative childhood education schools. Important Links: The O'Shaughnessy Fellowships Nat & Martha's Website Nat & Martha's Twitter Nat & Martha's O'Shaughnessy Fellowship Application Video Nat & Martha's YouTube Channel OSV's investment in Synthesis School Show Notes: Nat & Martha's origin story How education is connected to community "Kids want to survive, they want to thrive, they want to learn" Education vs indoctrination Screen time isn't the problem & why unschooled children become entrepreneurs The magic blue bus Finding the others What caused the rise in helicopter parenting? The conflict between agency & community It can be hard to give people money Learning by doing; in-demand learning How can we monetize the best teachers in the world? How AI is going to transform education What's next? MUCH more! Books Mentioned: One Summer: America, 1927; by Bill Bryson

Jason Crawford is the founder & president of The Roots of Progress, a nonprofit dedicated to establishing a new philosophy of progress for the 21st century. Jason has written well over 100 essays on the history of technology and the philosophy of progress, and given numerous talks and interviews on the same. He joins the show to discuss whether humans deserve progress, how to make progress cool, the two types of optimism, and more! Important Links: The Roots of Progress Jason's Website Jason's Twitter Discourse on the Arts and Sciences; by Jean-Jacques Rousseau Triumph of the Nerds Why I'm a proud solutionist Show Notes: Why do we need progress studies? Are humans conditioned to resist progress? Increasing the burden of safety What the Roots of Progress is seeking to achieve How can we make progress cool? Pessimism of the intellect; optimism of the will Do we deserve progress? Progress & politics Steelmanning the case against progress How can we defend against bad actors? Calibrating our approach to risk MUCH more! Books Mentioned: Frankenstein; by Mary Shelley Erewhon; by Samuel Butler Darwin Among The Machines; by Samuel Butler The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World; by David Deutsch The Ultimate Resource; by Julian L. Simon The Collapse of the Common Good: How America's Lawsuit Culture Undermines Our Freedom; by Philip K. Howard The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; by Douglas Adams The Jungle; by Upton Sinclair One Summer: America, 1927; by Bill Bryson

David Pinsof is an evolutionary social scientist and a co-creator of the game Cards Against Humanity. He holds a PhD in Psychology from UCLA, where he studied the evolutionary origins of political bullshit, and has written a handful of academic papers, one of which has been cited 152 times and another of which was quoted in the New York Times. David is the author of the 'Everything Is Bullshit' Substack, which aims to poke holes in the stories we tell ourselves. He joins the show to discuss why happiness & morality are bullshit, the difference between bullshit & lying, why we conceal the status monkey, and more! Important Links: David's Twitter David's Substack; Everything is Bullshit Cards Against Humanity The Execution Hypothesis; by Richard Wrangham Discordianism Our podcast with George Mack Our podcast with Will Storr Show Notes: What is bullshit? The difference between bullshitting and lying Why moralizing is bullshit Concealing the status monkey The origins of Cards Against Humanity How are status games changing? Why happiness is bullshit Happiness as a status symbol How can we escape bullshit? Why we're driven by negative emotions How to become more positive The role of humor in calling out bullshit MUCH more! Books Mentioned: On Bullshit; by Harry G. Frankfurt Propaganda; by Edward Bernays Influence: Science and Practice; by Robert Cialdini The Moral Animal: Why We Are The Way We Are; by Robert Wright The Status Game: On Social Position and How We Use It; by Will Storr The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition Into the Forces of History; by Howard Bloom Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment Happy; by Derren Brown Tao Te Ching; by Lao Tzu Gödel, Escher, Bach; by Douglas Hofstadter

Dylan O'Sullivan is a writer and media specialist based in Cork, Ireland. Dylan's work has been published in magazines such as The Spectator and Areo. He is also the creator of Essayful, a Substack dedicated to becoming "a new home for writing." Following his participation in David Perell's Write of Passage course last year, Dylan joined us as an intern at O'Shaughnessy Ventures. He joins the show to discuss the problem with traditional education, the blurry border between fiction & nonfiction, how AI is going to impact writing, why Ireland has such cultural influence, and more! Important Links: Dylan's Twitter Essayful Write of Passage Show Notes: Losing the O's The collapse of the old institutions An introduction to Essayful "There's nothing new under the sun." The blurry border between fiction & nonfiction Rebuilding the Tower of Babel A book as a living thing How is AI going to impact writing? Why Dylan took Write of Passage Why are academic papers so hard to read? Why does Ireland have such cultural influence? What's next? More! Books Mentioned: Old God's Time; by Sebastian Barry Unflattening; by Nick Sousanis The Island of Saints and Scholars; Sean McMahon Ulysses; by James Joyce

After starting his career on a market stall in Essex, John Sills has spent the last twenty-five years working to make the world a better place for customers. John is the Managing Partner at the customer-led growth company The Foundation, and his writing has also been featured in publications such as The Guardian and Management Today. He joins the show to discuss his thought-provoking and timely new book The Human Experience: How to make life better for your customers and create a more successful organization. Important Links: John's Website John's Twitter John's Substack Show Notes: John's time working on an Essex market stall Human vs functional customer experience What's blocking the human experience? Why do leaders stay away from the frontline? Escaping Vogonization Does the human experience scale? The benefits of starting from first principles Why companies should empower their staff The link between curiosity, creativity & customer experience Why aren't companies changing & why aren't more startups disrupting? Are frictionless customer experiences desirable? The myth of customer loyalty Tech upgrades & immersion MUCH more! Books Mentioned: The Human Experience: How to make life better for your customers and create a more successful organization; by John Sills The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism; by Howard Bloom The Customer Copernicus: How to be Customer-Led; by Charlie Dawson The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; by Douglas Adams

Billy Oppenheimer is a researcher for Ryan Holiday. He is also known for his viral long-form tweets and Six at 6 on Sunday newsletter. Billy is insatiably curious. He is a master at drawing lessons from anecdotes from the worlds of sports, music, comedy, business, and more. He joins the show to discuss how to cultivate good taste, whether everything is a remix, why he learns through introjection, and a whole lot more. Important Links: Six at 6 on Sunday Billy's Twitter Billy's website Our episodes with David Senra (1, 2) 'A Bicycle of the Mind' - Steve Jobs on the Computer Our episode with Edward Rooster To His Coy Mistress; by Andrew Marvell Kubla Khan; by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Show Notes: Focus on doing the thing SIX at 6's origin story Learning through introjection Developing taste & cultivating curiosity "People don't have ideas, ideas have people" How Billy practices his scales Fiction vs non-fiction Repetition, repetition, repetition Should we study more failures? Process compounds "Care, but don't care too much" Has anyone succeeded without persistence? Conceptual ancestors Everything's a remix Taste, tools, markets & feedback Finding your pain points MUCH more! Books Mentioned: Trust Me, I'm Lying; by Ryan Holiday Psychology of Money; by Morgan Housel Atomic Habits; by James Clear The Immortality Key : The Secret History of the Religion with No Name; by Brian C. Muraresku Reality Hunger; by David Shields The Power of Myth; by Joseph Campbell & Bill Moyers Cloud Atlas; by David Mitchell The Great Gatsby; by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Da Vinci Code; by Dan Brown