Today's Top Episodes
Iran Deadline, Middle East War Escalation, Artemis II Trip Home
Will Trump's deadline ignite a global crisis, or will humanity's reach for the stars offer a beacon of hope?
How AI Is Bringing Extinct Animals Back (And What Comes Next) | Ben Lamm (Colossal) | EP #245
Imagine woolly mammoths roaming again: Can AI truly bring extinct animals back to life, and what does it mean for our planet?
![[Ep. 26] She drove to the bank with a scammer on the phone… almost lost $15,000](https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode/45512116/45512116-1775580862141-0f655b417de0d.jpg)
[Ep. 26] She drove to the bank with a scammer on the phone… almost lost $15,000
A phone call almost cost her $15,000. Learn the red flags to protect yourself from sophisticated scammers.
FULL INTERVIEW: Thomas Laffont’s Journey From Hollywood Assistant to Legendary Tech Investor
From Hollywood mailroom to tech investing legend: Discover the secrets of spotting the next Apple and navigating the AI-driven investment landscape.
Meta Tokenmaxxing, Intel Joins Terafab, Frontier AI vs. China | Diet TBPN
Behind the scenes: How Meta, Intel, and global powers are battling for AI dominance, and what it means for the future of technology.
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994: AI Sucks At CSS
- AI struggles significantly with generating clean, repeatable CSS and design due to its tendency to make local fixes and lack of understanding of global design systems.
- The effectiveness of AI in coding interviews is being questioned, with a proposed "composer one" interview method suggesting using a "perfectly mediocre" AI model to test a candidate's genuine engineering skills.
- Developing a robust and performant application requires a deep understanding of underlying systems, not just the ability to prompt an AI, as demonstrated by the significant performance gains achieved through human-driven optimization.
Trump-Iran Ceasefire, Iran On Trump's Reversal, Markets React To Reopening Of Hormuz
- A two-week ceasefire has been agreed upon, leading to a significant surge in risk assets and a drop in oil prices.
- Uncertainty remains regarding the full reopening and long-term implications of the Strait of Hormuz traffic and potential toll mechanisms.
- Concerns persist about the sustainability of the ceasefire and potential "scorching" of Middle Eastern infrastructure, impacting longer-term oil price expectations.
This 401(k) Trend is ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING (And Getting Worse)
- A significant portion of 401(k) funds is being prematurely withdrawn, with 40 cents leaving for every dollar contributed.
- Hardship withdrawals from 401(k)s have doubled pre-pandemic levels, reaching 6% of workers last year, a trend that has increased for six consecutive years.
- To avoid desperate financial decisions and premature 401(k) withdrawals, a crucial step is to proactively build and maintain an emergency reserve of 3-6 months of living expenses.
A Cease-Fire in Iran
- The President has agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, conditional upon the immediate and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Over 100 US-based international law experts warn that targeting Iran's civilian energy infrastructure could be considered a war crime.
- The President's rhetoric, including a statement about "a whole civilization will die tonight," is deeply troubling and potentially constitutes incitement to genocide.
Trump Agrees to Temporary Ceasefire with Iran, DOJ Fraud Crackdown, Ye's UK Setback: AM Update 4/8
- A last-minute conditional ceasefire has been reached with Iran, averting immediate military action after weeks of escalating tensions.
- Acting AG Todd Blanch announced a new nationwide fraud fighting unit, forcefully pushing back against claims of politicization within the Department of Justice.
- DHS Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen suggested potentially stripping customs operations from airports in sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Trump Threatened to End Iranian Civilization — What Comes Next?
- President Trump issued a stark warning to Iran, threatening complete demolition of the country by a specific deadline if no deal is reached.
- Trump's social media posts have been described as unhinged, with comparisons to a magic eight-ball and a reality TV show promo.
- Critics highlight the lack of congressional oversight with lawmakers still on vacation, failing to address Trump's escalating rhetoric.
[Ep. 26] She drove to the bank with a scammer on the phone… almost lost $15,000
- Scammers create a sense of urgency and impersonate trusted institutions like the FBI and FDIC to manipulate individuals into withdrawing large sums of cash.
- Bank tellers are trained to identify and interrupt potential scams by asking about large cash withdrawals and offering cashier's checks as a deterrent.
- To protect yourself, never click on links in unsolicited texts or emails and always verify information by contacting the institution directly through official channels.
Jeff Harmon
- Angel Studios uses a unique model where creators raise funds directly from the public to finance their film and television series projects.
- "The Chosen," a series about Jesus, successfully raised over $11 million from 19,000 individuals using a 20-minute short film as a "torch" to demonstrate its potential.
- Successful projects like "Dry Bar Comedy" and "Tuttle Twins" demonstrate a strong appeal to family-friendly content and educational themes, accumulating billions of views and millions of book sales respectively.
Meta Tokenmaxxing, Intel Joins Terafab, Frontier AI vs. China | Diet TBPN
- Meta employees are reportedly competing in an internal "Claudonomics" leaderboard, sparking debate about the company's substantial AI token usage and spending.
- Intel is joining Elon Musk's Terrafab project to collaborate on designing and fabricating specialized chips for SpaceX, XAI, and Tesla, aiming to scale AI compute.
- Major AI firms including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are jointly sharing information to combat "adversarial distillation" by Chinese competitors, highlighting concerns about model copying and national security.
FULL INTERVIEW: Thomas Laffont’s Journey From Hollywood Assistant to Legendary Tech Investor
- The speaker's early career was shaped by a persistent approach to securing an interview at CAA, ultimately leading to a foundational role in their mailroom.
- The podcast highlights the speaker's transition from their Hollywood beginnings to becoming a successful investor, emphasizing the importance of deep analytical modeling and a clear investment thesis, exemplified by early investments in Apple.
- A significant discussion point is the evolving landscape of investing, particularly with the rise of AI and the increasing trend of companies staying private longer, necessitating new analytical tools and strategies.