Arjun Khemani Podcast

Sean Bowe and Jack Grigg aka str4d are both cryptographic engineers working on the Zcash protocol. Sean’s latest project is Tachyon, intended to bring encrypted money into the hands of 8 billion people. Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Timestamps0:00 - Project Tachyon10:20 - Privacy can’t be an afterthought for a protocol15:24 - Encrypted Bitcoin22:11 - Soundness bug in original sprout pool30:15 - Sapling33:00 - A decade of progress39:04 - Zcash’s anonymity set51:29 - Using private money as a passthrough doesn’t work56:04 - The importance of ledger indistinguishability58:30 - The ultimate privacy stack1:05:58 - Tachyon removes all cryptographic bottlenecks of encrypted money1:08:16 - What’s next after Tachyon?1:15:25 - Weightless blockchains?1:18:24 - Ragu1:19:44 - What the next 12 months look like for Jack and Sean1:31:22 - “Everything worth doing is worth doing on ambitious timelines.” — Sean1:32:16 - Sean’s advice for young engineers1:34:18 - What got Sean and Jack into Zcash? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

My conversation with Samo Burja, founder of Bismarck Analysis. He chairs the editorial board of Palladium Magazine.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:00 - Intro1:18 - Live players5:41 - Great Founder Theory11:20 - Our material technology rests on our social interactions14:23 - Optimism, pessimism, and human agency23:21 - Operationalized knowledge25:22 - Lost and dead traditions of knowledge27:34 - Tradition of criticism29:36 - The most important piece of knowledge to preserve32:27 - Common features of declining societies39:18 - Are the Spartan warriors overrated and just had very good PR?42:07 - DOGE and bureaucracy in America45:28 - The machinery of freedom47:43 - Tech Samo is most excited about over the next 5 years50:10 - Curtis Yarvin and the orbital authority55:01 - Samo’s advice for young peopleFollow me on X.Follow Samo on X. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

My conversation with Zooko Wilcox and Josh Swihart on unstoppable private money.Zooko Wilcox is a legendary cypherpunk and one of the founders of Zcash—private, digital money.Josh Swihart is the CEO of Electric Coin Company, the team behind the Zcash protocol and the Zashi wallet app.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Timestamps0:00 - Maya Protocol integrates with Zcash3:52 - Coinbase social engineering attack7:43 - Private money negates capital controls14:13 - Privacy comes from money at rest18:24 - The Zashi effect and future roadmap25:11 - Project Tachyon39:10 - Zcash’s anonymity set doesn’t depend on the number of its users45:37 - Turnstiles in Zcash and the 2018 inflation bug57:28 - “ZK” has become a marketing stunt among crypto projects59:48 - On Binance delisting ZEC1:01:35 - A transition toward using crypto as it was originally intended1:04:52 - Should exchanges use transparent addresses?1:17:38 - Coin holder voting in Zcash1:23:38 - Sci-fi influence1:28:37 - Gary Gensler1:29:40 - Why I like ZcashFollow Zooko on X.Follow Josh on X. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

My conversation with Ethan Thornton, founder of Mach Industries.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:00 - Intro1:07 - Why Mach needs to exist3:16 - Early experiments5:07 - Dropping out of MIT8:36 - Raising $85 million at 19 years old11:20 - Decentralized vertical supply chains13:54 - The most important domain of the next century15:55 - Betting on hydrogen18:11 - Overview of Viper and Glide21:06 - Building feedback loops across teams25:29 - Facing regulatory hurdles28:19 - Knowing when to be risk tolerant29:54 - Time until China invades Taiwan31:45 - The future of warfare42:29 - Takeaways from the (unmanned) war in Ukraine48:23 - Biggest influences on Ethan’s life49:37 - Mach’s long-term planFollow me on X.Follow Ethan on X. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

My conversation with philosopher and author Peter Boghossian.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:00 - The enlightenment5:51 - The dangers of moral relativism21:28 - Modern education is failing us31:14 - What’s worth preserving in the West37:00 - Is wokeism filling the void left by atheism?38:04 - The spread of Islamism45:49 - Speech is not violence49:11 - Derangements of science52:48 - The myth of the framework56:34 - Why you should learn epistemology58:05 - The instinct to belong trumps what’s true1:02:44 - Chasing likes versus pursuing truth1:05:08 - What is Peter most optimistic and most pessimistic aboutFollow me on X.Follow Peter on X. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

My conversation with Zooko, Nate Wilcox, and Sean Bowe about the Zcash protocol.Zooko is a cypherpunk who co-founded Zcash along with his brother, Nate Wilcox, and others. Sean Bowe is a cryptographer and engineer who has played a crucial role in the development of Zcash and has made significant contributions to advancements in zero-knowledge proofs, particularly zk-SNARKs, which underpin Zcash’s privacy features.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:00 - Zooko Wilcox-O’Hearn0:04 - Writing the first blog post on Bitcoin ever6:21 - Bitcoin’s fundamental privacy flaw9:40 - Unstoppable private money12:19 - Will Zcash compete with Bitcoin as a store of value?14:24 - How many people are using Zcash?16:18 - Good security is good usability20:10 - Social credit systems and ubiquitous surveillance23:43 - Why Monero’s privacy tech can’t work35:21 - Integrating ZKPs into other blockchains39:51 - Privacy comes from money at rest, not from money in flight47:42 - Why did the price of ZEC fall so drastically in the beginning?51:49 - Zcash stablecoins? 55:50 - Quantum threats to Zcash1:02:50 - Encrypted love notes in the blockchain'1:07:07 - Privacy enabled cultural trends1:12:43 - Nate Wilcox1:14:38 - Why do you need privacy if you have nothing to hide? 1:16:16 - A brief history of Zcash1:22:42 - Why does Zcash have opt-in privacy?1:26:55 - Does Zcash still rely on a trusted setup?1:30:49 - Upgrading the Zcash protocol to Hybrid PoW/PoS1:40:50 - A bug that almost killed Zcash1:52:40 - Zcash’s funding model2:09:09 - Why can’t privacy be added as an L2?2:14:35 - Scaling Zcash and making it more interoperable2:23:16 - Shielded Labs2:24:39 - Nate’s vision for Zcash2:27:53 - Sean Bowe2:32:53 - Censorship resistance is a spectrum2:35:26 - Will privacy coins be banned?2:37:49 - Privacy and scalability2:41:47 - Programmable money2:43:31 - Summary of Sean’s contributions to the field of cryptography2:55:17 - Zcash might get privacy against quantum adversaries for free3:00:14 - Halo3:05:34 - What Sean’s working on right now3:11:54 - What has influenced Sean’s thinking in cryptography the most?3:13:36 - Being a high school dropout working in crypto3:15:08 - Zcash is just getting startedFollow me on X.Follow Zooko on X.Follow Nate on X.Follow Sean on X. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

My conversation with Naval Ravikant. Enjoy!Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:00 - The Theory of Everything4:48 - How do you know what’s true?7:51 - Groups search for consensus, individuals search for truth13:07 - We have never run out of a single resource15:25 - Are we destroying the Earth?17:48 - Marxism denies wealth creation21:28 - Regulation kills innovation27:05 - Degrowth and the fall of Western universities33:31 - Why the West is best35:47 - Federalism38:10 - Everyone wants to live forever41:44 - Humans are universal explainers43:25 - Collectivism vs. individualism50:44 - You cannot explain the universe without explaining humans55:02 - How David Deutsch’s ideas have changed Naval’s life1:02:31 - The scientific method isn’t possible1:05:07 - The low-hanging fruit theory is a bad explanation1:08:19 - The biggest threats to Western civilizationFollow me on X.Follow Naval on X. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

I had the pleasure of sitting down with David Deutsch in his lovely garden in Oxford a few months ago. Here’s our conversation.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps1:01 - A tragic view of human history7:04 - Why did it take so long for civilization to arise?13:31 - Fallibilism21:32 - Cultural relativism denies improvement24:03 - Richard Dawkins and indigenous ways of knowing26:49 - Chemical scum that dream of distant quasars31:38 - The era of man37:55 - People are unlike any other force of nature42:51 - The dangers of regulating AI48:09 - Are we running out of resources?54:21 - Everything in existing educational theory is wrong1:11:30 - When David met Richard Feynman1:17:33 - Everyone is a Popperian1:20:16 - Only progress is sustainable1:26:00 - The biggest threat to Western civilizationFollow me on X.Follow David on X. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

Julian Barbour is a renowned physicist known for his groundbreaking work on the nature of time. In his influential books, The End of Time and The Janus Point he explores the concept of a timeless universe, challenging traditional views. Samuel Kuypers is a theoretical physicist, currently located in Montréal, who is interested in the foundations of quantum theory and time.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work. You can also send me bitcoin to this address.Timestamps1:10 - The instant is not in time, time is in the instant6:27 - Time capsules and evidence of time passing9:22 - Newton’s view of absolute time and space18:46 - Shape dynamics24:33 - Mathematics of variety37:51 - Newton’s theory as a theory of creation56:23 - How shape dynamics relates to general relativity1:06:50 - Entropy and heat death of the universe1:28:13 - Free will and determinism1:33:22 - Carpe diem1:34:13 - Julian’s interest in Shakespeare1:40:54 - Question from David Deutsch about quantum theory1:48:56 - Question from Brett Hall about general relativity and QT1:51:51 - Final remarks This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

Click here to support my work. You can also send me bitcoin to this address.Nat Eliason is a writer and crypto insider with a wildly popular newsletter and podcast. He is the author of the book Crypto Confidential: Winning and Losing Millions in the New Frontier of Finance.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Timestamps0:49 - Ayn Rand6:40 - The transition from writing online to writing a book12:26 - Marketing Crypto Confidential16:43 - Writing for the modern world21:20 - Come for the money, stay for the tech26:49 - Decentralized social media30:19 - Don’t be someone’s exit liquidity!34:39 - The value of authenticity36:39 - The advantages of being pseudonymous39:19 - Constraints can help us be creative42:53 - Is note-taking valuable?46:02 - The future of work50:11 - Strava for writing53:49 - What idea sounds crazy today but will be mainstream in 5-10 years?1:01:00 - Why Nat doesn’t use shampoo and other conventional health productsFollow Nat on X: http://x.com/nateliasonGet Nat’s book Crypto Confidential: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593714040 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

Johan Norberg is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a writer who focuses on globalization, human progress and intellectual history. He is the author of In Defense of Global Capitalism, Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future, and The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it!Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work. You can also send me bitcoin to this address.Timestamps0:50 - How Johan changed his mind about human progress3:50 - Pro-human flourishing cannot be anti-environment5:33 - Alternative words to describe capitalism8:30 - Why is there so much economic illiteracy?12:36 - Despise poverty, not wealth or inequality16:41 - We are taxing what we want more of18:46 - Degrowth and the fall of western education25:21 - The concept of “needs” is often abused29:27 - How to have infinite growth on a finite planet33:08 - Elon Musk34:43 - Javier Milei and Argentina39:34 - Privatizing law and justice systems43:52 - Child labor49:52 - Advice for young peopleFollow Johan on X: http://x.com/johanknorberg This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

Riva Tez is a philosopher, writer, and venture capitalist. She’s the author of the blog Hard to Write.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it!Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:52 - Does crypto make anarcho-capitalism pragmatic?11:56 - Crypto is both technologically and morally superior20:08 - Ayn Rand’s ideal world26:00 - Children are humans in their purest form30:03 - Having integrity in your beliefs33:17 - Creating a TV show of Atlas Shrugged36:33 - COVID radicalized a lot of people41:48 - Riva’s toy store and philosophy class for kids44:37 - Epistemological anarchism46:49 - Objective beauty50:57 - AI, AGI, and AI safety57:25 - Distractions in the longevity movement1:04:30 - Why care about longevity (and hate the state)1:08:07 - Riva’s childhood1:12:42 - There is more opportunity out there than anyone wants you to believeFollow Riva on X: http://x.com/rivatez This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

Nicole Behnam is a founder and journalist. She is the creator of Beyond The Interview where she’s interviewed people like Chris Voss, Konstantin Kisin, and Robert Greene.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:00 - Nicole’s relationship with her parents and books4:45 - On being a red carpet host9:57 - Clubhouse14:34 - How Naval spoke at one of Nicole’s events18:03 - Leverage social media19:45 - NFTs26:32 - Cults, communities, and influencing people30:51 - Ray Peat34:36 - What would your Oscar’s speech be?Follow Nicole on X: http://x.com/NicoleBehnam This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

Niklas Anzinger is the founder of Infinita VC and Vitalia. He is also the host of the Stranded Technologies Podcast.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:32 - Building Vitalia and Infinita VC6:05 - The parallels between longevity and crypto17:35 - How to convince people that living longer is a worthy goal22:54 - Network societies30:35 - Curating your early community35:22 - The benefits of making organ trade legal39:23 - Master of Business Creation43:46 - The madness of air travel regulation48:51 - Privatizing the base layer of society + closing remarksFollow Niklas on X: http://x.com/NiklasAnzinger This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

Ashley St. Clair is the Operations Manager at Babylon Bee and author of the children’s book Elephants Are Not Birds. This interview was recorded on Airchat.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:19 - The immigration crisis in the US11:08 - DEI and Mark Cuban14:29 - Anti-humanism and Gen Z18:17 - The rise of Christian nationalism22:32 - Elon freeing the bird27:47 - What the birth control pill represents33:07 - Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom35:16 - Should you go to college?38:37 - Elephants Are Not BirdsFollow Ashley on X: http://x.com/stclairashley This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

Matthew Lysiak is an investigative journalist and author of Fiat Food: Why Inflation Destroyed Our Health and How Bitcoin Fixes It.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:49 - Why Matthew wrote Fiat Food5:29 - Restructuring the American diet after the gold standard11:25 - The Seventh-day Adventist Church16:09 - The word “science” has become a shield against criticism18:19 - On eating everything in moderation21:04 - The CPI significantly downplays the effect of inflation25:53 - The benefits of eating sound good 28:54 - How could a transition to the Bitcoin standard look like?32:50 - Freedom and raising free children36:21 - Advice for starting the carnivore diet and closing remarksFollow Matthew on X: http://x.com/MatthewlysiakGet Fiat Food from The Saif House: http://thesaifhouse.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

Farbood Nivi is the founder of Grockit (acquired by Kaplan in 2013). He has been biohacking for 25 years. Recently, he became one of the first 200 people in the world to receive Follistatin gene therapy.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:39 - Biohacking for 25 years7:23 - Follistatin gene therapy11:15 - Farbood’s protocol and results after taking follistatin15:38 - The FDA’s job is not to keep you alive and healthy20:58 - Próspera and other startup cities24:13 - Effective accelerationism29:27 - On living forever33:40 - The nine most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m an effective altruist and I’m here to help”44:40 - Action is always selfish50:53 - Tips for the average person to get started with biohacking57:00 - The importance of mobility and flexibility1:02:14 - Steve Jobs and following your heartFollow Farbood on X: http://x.com/farbood This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

Jeremy Shearmur is a fellow emeritus in philosophy at the Australian National University. He is the author of Hayek and After and The Political Thought of Karl Popper. He also worked as assistant to Karl Popper for eight years.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Read the full transcript on Substack. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:00 - The commonalities (and differences) between Austrian economics and Popperian epistemology14:34 - Young Popper’s socialism25:35 - The sociology of philosophy29:20 - Two different aspects to Popper’s approach to teaching36:11 - The situation at the Institute for Humane Studies at GMU45:45 - Popper’s personality, work ethic, and other interests52:11 - Against the self-expressionist theory of art56:24 - Why the ideas of Popper and Hayek aren’t mainstream1:10:03 - Anarcho-capitalism1:23:02 - Closing remarksIf you are interested in Jeremy's Zoom based conferences on Karl Popper's work, you can contact him at: jeremy.shearmur@fallowfield.info This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

David Deutsch is the author of The Fabric of Reality and The Beginning of Infinity. He works on fundamental issues in physics, particularly the quantum theory of computation and information, and constructor theory. He is known as the father of quantum computing for his contributions to the field. He is an advocate of Taking Children Seriously, a new, non-paternalistic view of children.Topics we discuss are well captured by the timestamps below.Watch on YouTube or X. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. Read the full transcript below. Follow me on X for updates on future episodes.Click here to support my work.Timestamps0:22 - Happiness is a state of continually solving one’s problems4:54 - Both free-will and the self exist12:06 - The principle of optimism17:28 - Any ultimate explanation is a bad explanation20:22 - The origins of Taking Children Seriously25:33 - Why children are the most coerced members in society31:33 - Anarcho-capitalism This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com

If you would like to support this podcast, click here.Max More is a philosopher, futurist, and former CEO of Alcor Life Extension Foundation. He is currently Director of Communications at Biostasis Technologies. Max wrote the first definition of “Transhumanism” in its modern sense.TIMESTAMPS0:45 - Why Max changed his last name to “More”2:45 - Max’s early life and interest in cryonics and life extension8:00 - Extropian philosophy and Transhumanism9:15 - Cryonics explained26:06 - Hardest challenges in achieving indefinite lifespan33:16 - Humans don’t like uncertainty 35:55 - We need more progress in AI39:05 - Climate change is massively exaggerated46:24 - Pancritical Rationalism and Karl Popper52:21 - Proactionary principle56:58 - Max’s book on cryonics and final remarksEPISODE LINKSMax’s website: https://www.maxmore.comMax’s Substack: https://maxmore.substack.comArjun’s X: https://x.com/arjunkhemaniArjun’s Substack: https://arjunkhemani.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.arjunkhemani.com