E73: Crypto, Memes, and Politics with Li Jin

Li Jin joins Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Antonio Garcia Martinez. Li is the co-founder of Variant Fund and a prolific writer. This episode dives deep into crypto, web3, memecoins, and the attention economy thesis. They cover the direction of techno-capitalism and its impact on politics, decentralization, and the cultural differences between American and European value systems. If you're looking for an ERP platform, check out NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/zen - now through April 15th NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program. – SPONSORS: BEEHIIV | NETSUITE | SQUAD Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months. NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform head to NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen and download your own customized KPI checklist. 💥 Access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to choosesquad.com and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. – Recommended Podcast: Company Breakdowns Each episode of Company Breakdowns dives into S-1s and series B-and-beyond companies, interviewing founders and investors to break down the companies. First episode is on Rubrik - which just IPO'd. Coming up this season: Databricks, Reddit + more, Spotify Apple – FOLLOW ON X: @ljin18 (Li) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @dwr (Dan) @agm.eth (Antonio) @moz_podcast (Moment of Zen) @TurpentineMedia – LINKS: Li Jin: https://li-jin.co/about/ Variant Fund: https://variant.fund/ – TIMESTAMPSL (00:00) Adding Ukraine to NATO (01:30) Peace in Ukraine? (05:16) On the Attention Economy (10:16) Meme Coins and Attention Valuation (14:23) Sponsor: NetSuite | Squad (17:38) Meme Coins Continued (23:51) Marxism (33:05) Exploring the Power Structure and Social Tensions (34:10) The Managerial Elite and Bourgeoisie Capitalism (36:12) Perspectives on Europe and Innovation (44:16) Crypto's Role in Society: Egalitarian or Hierarchical? (57:35) Attention Economy and Memetics (59:28) Wrap