E23: Hard Tech Pivots, Potato Investing, and When to Enforce the Law

"The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg

On this week's episode of The Riff, Erik and Byrne discuss pivots in hard tech, cybersecurity and privacy, and the considerations in how often to enforce the law.

For listeners watching the video, please note that Erik’s video recording dropped out towards the end of the episode. We hope you enjoy the conversation nonetheless.

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Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YQZkKHN7EP2yWedAvSxBC?si=18377c69a2804333

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(00:29) Hard tech pivots

(04:55) Software changes the shape of innovation

(08:19) Open source and closed source security models

(16:14) AI regulation predictions

(18:34) Google's AI monetization

(24:24) Why did tech hedge funds invest in a potato company?

(28:07) Good customer service is a negative signal for a country’s economic status

(34:48) The data business at three resolutions

(41:31) Crime prevention and surveillance

(44:57) Should we fully enforce the law?

(53:49) Wrap

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LINKS:

Byrne’s writing: thediff.co

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X / TWITTER:

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@byrnehobart (Byrne)

@turpentinemedia (Turpentine)

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