Tech Stagnation and What's Holding Us Back

In this episode, Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg discuss tech stagnation, drawing from Peter Thiel and Tyler Cowen's theories on technological progress rates with energy consumption as a metric. They also delve into Y Combinator and Andreessen Horowitz's influence and potential futures amidst differing views on tech slowdown, and they touch on regulatory, cultural, and economic bottlenecks. Head to https://brave.com/brave-ads/ and mention “MoZ” when signing up for a 25% discount on your first campaign. Live Players is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: https://www.turpentine.co/ We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: https://eriktorenberg.com/  — SPONSOR: HARMONIC | BRAVE 🧲 Learn why Craft, Bedrock, NEA and 100s more trust Harmonic’s data to source deals. Harmonic is the most complete startup database, finding new companies as soon as they incorporate and tracking them through IPO. Head to https://bit.ly/harmonicturpentine and make sure to mention Turpentine VC during your demo. Get first-party targeting with Brave's private ad platform: cookieless and future proof ad formats for all your business needs. Performance meets privacy. Head to  https://brave.com/brave-ads/ and mention “MoZ” when signing up for a 25% discount on your first campaign. — LINKS: Samo’s Bismarck Brief: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/ — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:35) What is Tech Stagnation? (03:20) Exiting the Great Stagnation (06:23) The Future is Already Here (But Not Evenly Distributed) (08:19) Sponsor - Brave (09:20) How Tech Culture Has Stagnated (17:38) On Industrial Jargon (22:50) The Importance of Clear Language in Tech (24:08) Energy Consumption in Tech Progress (27:23) The Critique of Energy Consumption as a Measure of Progress (29:04) The Great Stagnation Debate (31:01) Bottlenecks of Stagnation (37:10) Y Combinator and the Software Slowdown (47:26) The Future of Tech: Applying Software to Manufacturing (48:54) Wrap This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].