Steve Hsu on the Future of Everything

In this episode of Upstream, Erik sits down with theoretical physicist and startup founder Steve Hsu. They discuss political polarization in academia, the fertility crisis, AI, and more. Make informed decision for high impact donations with GiveWell, which is offering Upstream listeners donation matching up to $100. To claim your match, go to www.givewell.org ➡️ pick “Podcast” and enter "Upstream with Erik Torenberg" at checkout.
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LINKS
Superfocus: superfocus.ai/
Othram: othram.com/index.html
Manifold: www.manifold1.com/
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X / TWITTER:
@hsu_steve (Steve)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@upstream__pod
@turpentinemedia
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(02:01) Political polarization in academia
(05:27) The decline of meritocracy in academia
(09:40) Why can't academia change?
(13:07) Truth-seeking in startups
(20:16) Sponsors | Shopify | Givewell
(23:16) The fertility crisis
(31:51) AI and labor
(40:46) What industries are safe from AI automation?
(43:45) AI Safety vs accelerationism
(47:31) Understanding the rise of China
(58:26) The future of the US/China relationship
(01:00:21) How does Steve allocate his time?
(01:04:21) Steve's suggestions for underexplored opportunities
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Upstream is a production from Turpentine
Producer: Sam Kaufman
Editor: Michelle Poreh
For guest or sponsorship inquiries please contact [e-mail]
Music licenses:
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[@nhowell]

Steve is based

[@theimproooooooover]

Episodes like this are why I subbed! Fantastic guest, thanks for introducing me to him and his ideas! Hyped for the Curtis Cast coming up!🎉

[@LukaszPalkaPhoto]

I believe a major reason people aren't having kids is that most people don't feel safe and secure in our societies, both financially and emotionally. Furthermore there is a lack of geographically close community and sense of belonging in society on the physical plane. Instead people find connection and belonging in the intellectual/digital sphere. But this is not a place where it's possible to have and raise children. Society has lost the extended family. Everyone is isolated. This leads to the aforementioned sense of a lack of security.

[@kreek22]

Almost everyone is more secure financially than the average was 100 or 300 or x number of years ago. Those people made plenty of new people. But subjective well-being may be diminished, as you suggest with your mention of emotions. Women make the decision in this matter. Has spreading feminism really made women worse off throughout the developed world? That cuts against common beliefs--beliefs I consider to be dead wrong.

[@linuswang6572]

Nice one! Thanks.

[@poksnee]

In demographics, quality is much more critical than quantity.

[@PaulSchwarzer-ou9sw]

❤❤

[@Chocolate_teapot420]

Steve is a classic out of touch Silicon Valley millionaire. The fact that he could talk about fertility without mentioning the price of housing is incredible. I’m a mechanical engineer. I have a good job. There’s no way I could afford support a family on my salary. Not a fucking chance. Anyone who doesn’t discuss cost of living as an influence on fertility is not a serious person.

[@Scarletpimpanel73]

Critical point.

[@kreek22]

Metrosexual expectations for comforts and luxuries are too high to permit them to have children. Metrosexuals have no historical perspective beyond the last generation or two. Just another group whose extinction doesn't matter.

[@dealmaven123]

💯

[@kreek22]

You are out of touch with history.

[@kreek22]

@@aleks-wy6uf Cost per acre of land has greatly increased, inflation-adjusted in American cities. The construction industry proves its lack of innovation in failing to cut building costs--which haven't gone down since the 1950s.

[@brainmoleculemarketing801]

Physicists not trained in biology/etc......uhmmmm?

[@francisfuhy]

physicists are really the smartest people in the room huh. And he did all these startups in his free time sort of as a hobby

[@alanpentz9300]

Steve, have you read or seen Michael Pettis? I’d say he has a great deal more China knowledge than you have gathered watching blogger videos. So let’s stop with the all China critics are ignorant line. It’s beneath your otherwise first class intellect.

[@kreek22]

He's aware of Pettis. What Hsu says is largely consistent with what Pettis says. Pettis is focused on the macro story, Hsu on the micro story. Just as the U.S. advanced its per worker productivity and its tech innovation rapidly during the Great Depression, it is possible for China to advance its tech productivity even in the event of Pettis' long predicted debt-doomed stagnation.