James Pogue

And as myself, a tech skeptic, I'm sometimes like, I've tried to push him on this a little bit. I think you're right as well to look at the somewhat confusing question about Peter Thiel, who, you know, did not, He didn't just not back Trump this time. He has really taken a step back from politics in a really extreme way. And that is because Thiel is skeptical, actually, that

And as myself, a tech skeptic, I'm sometimes like, I've tried to push him on this a little bit. I think you're right as well to look at the somewhat confusing question about Peter Thiel, who, you know, did not, He didn't just not back Trump this time. He has really taken a step back from politics in a really extreme way. And that is because Thiel is skeptical, actually, that

The political movement such that we're seeing now can actually do the kind of stuff that they're talking about. He's very skeptical about whether or not we can actually handle the debt. He's very skeptical about the idea that America's not going to face a gigantic fiscal crisis in a very short period of time. Thiel is a bit of a doomer, actually. And so he's an outlier, and I don't want to...

The political movement such that we're seeing now can actually do the kind of stuff that they're talking about. He's very skeptical about whether or not we can actually handle the debt. He's very skeptical about the idea that America's not going to face a gigantic fiscal crisis in a very short period of time. Thiel is a bit of a doomer, actually. And so he's an outlier, and I don't want to...

I don't want to repeat stuff from off-the-record conversations, but you can get a very distinct impression from him that he doesn't necessarily share a lot of the views that you're getting from some of these public figures who are coming to bend the knee. And he doesn't need to bend the knee. I mean, he's Peter Thiel, right?

I don't want to repeat stuff from off-the-record conversations, but you can get a very distinct impression from him that he doesn't necessarily share a lot of the views that you're getting from some of these public figures who are coming to bend the knee. And he doesn't need to bend the knee. I mean, he's Peter Thiel, right?

Um, the person who I would say actually has a thought out philosophy that he articulates in very serious ways that is fundamentally in certain ways, like completely opposed to a lot of what the MAGA movement wants is Marc Andreessen, who is very popular in these worlds. But, you know, Marc Andreessen is the author of something titled a techno-optimist manifesto, you know?

Um, the person who I would say actually has a thought out philosophy that he articulates in very serious ways that is fundamentally in certain ways, like completely opposed to a lot of what the MAGA movement wants is Marc Andreessen, who is very popular in these worlds. But, you know, Marc Andreessen is the author of something titled a techno-optimist manifesto, you know?

So he's the one who's really articulating this stuff. And We should probably keep in mind, yes, Musk was the big one who made it look like suddenly there was a massive shift in tech to run towards Trump. But Andreessen was already there. David Sachs was already there. Famous host of this All In podcast and, you know, a big skeptic of American involvement in backing of Ukraine.

So he's the one who's really articulating this stuff. And We should probably keep in mind, yes, Musk was the big one who made it look like suddenly there was a massive shift in tech to run towards Trump. But Andreessen was already there. David Sachs was already there. Famous host of this All In podcast and, you know, a big skeptic of American involvement in backing of Ukraine.

So there were a lot more of these people who were kind of in Trump headspace before. before Musk officially made his grand sort of jump onto the train and gave the money and put on the dark MAGA hat. This was already happening.

So there were a lot more of these people who were kind of in Trump headspace before. before Musk officially made his grand sort of jump onto the train and gave the money and put on the dark MAGA hat. This was already happening.

Yeah. So I would say that as regards the counterestablishment versus establishment question, just to sort of set up like how a Donald Trump would view this. Yeah. We saw a real process of, frankly, like people who are truly in the American establishment, people who have offices on Billionaire's Row, who are looking out over Central Park, who know all the right people there and that kind of thing.

Yeah. So I would say that as regards the counterestablishment versus establishment question, just to sort of set up like how a Donald Trump would view this. Yeah. We saw a real process of, frankly, like people who are truly in the American establishment, people who have offices on Billionaire's Row, who are looking out over Central Park, who know all the right people there and that kind of thing.

I mean, Bill Ackman is a good example, the hedge fund manager. We saw Bill Ackman contort himself into just very strange places, trying to say, like, I don't really like the direction of the country. I don't like where this is all going. So we're going to try to get an alternative to Biden.

I mean, Bill Ackman is a good example, the hedge fund manager. We saw Bill Ackman contort himself into just very strange places, trying to say, like, I don't really like the direction of the country. I don't like where this is all going. So we're going to try to get an alternative to Biden.

And, you know, I'm not like a Trump person, but like I agree, like this is all really crazy and this sort of thing. Right. Whereas a Musk, in so much as we're talking about this counterestablishment, his worldview, the worldview of these people coming from tech actually just is different. He doesn't need to be explained. He doesn't need to contort himself in anything. He gets it.

And, you know, I'm not like a Trump person, but like I agree, like this is all really crazy and this sort of thing. Right. Whereas a Musk, in so much as we're talking about this counterestablishment, his worldview, the worldview of these people coming from tech actually just is different. He doesn't need to be explained. He doesn't need to contort himself in anything. He gets it.

intuitively just because he's exposed to the cloud of ideas on Twitter at all times.

intuitively just because he's exposed to the cloud of ideas on Twitter at all times.