Author:

Working remotely can be convenient and productive, but it can also be frustrating, particularly when it comes to meetings. We have all experienced terrible Zoom meetings. The team member whose connection is spotty. The dog that keeps barking in the background. The moment when everyone tries talking at the same time.

There are other challenges, too. According to Forbes:

40% of employees have experienced mental exhaustion from video calls.
52% of employees said background noise or poor audio quality has disrupted their focus.
38% of employees reported feeling exhausted after a week of virtual meetings and 30% felt stressed.

Zoom fatigue is real. If you can’t get your online meetings into a productive rhythm, you risk wasting time and exhausting your team. With more and more businesses moving toward a remote model, this is something we can’t afford to ignore.

Here are four tactics to ensure you and your team have successful remote meetings:

Find a neutral location. Pay attention to your su

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“It’s freedom from oppression that you have a right to; it’s not freedom from obligation.”

— Sebastian Junger

Sebastian Junger (<a rel="noreferrer noop

You have so many tasks on your list every day. You swing between saying yes to everything and getting overwhelmed and then saying no to everything and becoming legalistic. How do you determine what is essential for your optimal performance? 

Have you ever sat in a meeting and wondered what was happening or where the conversation was going? Maybe the point of everything seemed lost. It’s frustrating when no one in the meeting knows what’s going on.

You’ve probably attended several meetings like this, and maybe now you’re in a position of scheduling meetings yourself. I’ll let you in on a secret: meetings don’t have to feel like an aimless march. Great meetings are possible. They just require preparation.

Here are three ways to set yourself up for a great meeting:

Designate a meeting leader and facilitator. While a meeting leader is a strategic role, the facilitator handles meeting processes. Leaders determine a meeting’s purpose and own the results, as well as drive the meeting and discussion forward. Facilitators, on the other hand, are responsible for preparing the agenda with the leader’s input, distributing the agenda, keeping time, taking and distributing notes, and following up on any action items. Sometimes in smaller meetings, the leader and facilitator are the same person. But it’s often a good idea to keep them separate. Both roles are vital for successful and efficient meetings.</

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“We’re taught that there are bad people and good people, monsters and angels. And yet the truth of the matter is that monsters

You’re building your business but feel lost in the thick of things. You know it’s valuable to pause and think big picture, but you’re not sure how or where to begin. You don’t want to waste time spinning your wheels. What are the most important areas to focus on? And what is proven to have lasting impact?

Your days are full, and it can be hard to get everything on your list done. You were finally making progress on a task when your focus is disrupted yet again with a meeting reminder. You don’t know how you’ll finish what you need to do today, and it’s probably going to be yet another waste of time. Is this just the way things are, or is there a better way?

According to The HR Digest, professionals lose an average of 31 hours a month on meetings–which adds up to approximately four workdays, or a total of two months per year. That’s a lot of disruption, particularly if those meetings aren’t actually yielding much. The problem isn’t just an overabundance of meetings; it’s that so many of them turn out to be bad meetings. But you don’t have to settle for bad meetings that disrupt your work and kill productivity. Great meetings are possible with a little bit of forethought. Let’s look at one of the first steps in that direction: determining the necessity and nature of a meeting.

Here are five filtering questions you can use to coordinate essential meetings:

Is this meeting necessary? There’s a well-known piece of literary advice for writers: “kill your darlings.” That is, don’t get too attached to the storyline, especially if it doesn’t serve the bigger picture. The same is true for meetings. It’s too easy to get caught up in a series of meetings that don’t matter. Keep the high-leverage ones that support important goals. Eliminate the rest, and your team will thank you.
Are you sure you’re necessary? Too often, we blindly accept the never-ending barrage of meeting invites. It’s natural to think our presence in a meeting is always necessary, especially if we were invited. But that’s not always true. Guard your schedule, and only say yes when you truly need to be there.
Who else should be involved? If you’re organizing a meeting, think through who absolutely needs to attend. Remember, smaller groups can align more quickly to drive a decision. Relevant information can be shared with the masses later through an email or project-management update.
What type of meeting do you want? Consider ahead of time the type of meeting that will help you accomplish your goals. Establishing this early on will keep the purpose clear and the conversation from meandering, so your time will be productive.
What’s the right format? Historically, in-person meetings have been the norm across businesses. But nowadays, we’re all meeting virtually in some capacity, and in-person meetings are no longer the default. It takes intentional thought to determine what’s best for your team, and what format will work best for what you’re trying to achieve. If that’s in-person, great. Otherwise, your preferred video-conferencing app works great too.

Take control of your meeting habits. Routinely ask yourself, Is this meeting necessary? If not, be decisive and eliminate the meetings that don’t matter or that inhibit your productivity. Make the best use of your team’s time and resources by focusing on the high-leverage stuff, and you’ll start seeing less frustration and better results.

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“We wanted digital nations but we got digital nationalism.”

— Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik Buterin (@VitalikButerin) is the creator of Ethereum. He first discovered blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies through Bitcoin in 2011 and was immediately excited by the technology and its potential. He co-founded Bitcoin Magazine in September 2011, and after two and a half years of looking at what the existing blockchain technology and applications had to offer, wrote the Ethereum white paper in November of 2013. He now leads Ethereum’s research team, working on future versions of the Ethereum protocol. In 2014, Vitalik was a recipient of the two-year Thiel Fellowship, tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s project that awards $100,000 to 20 promising innovators under 20 so they can pursue their inventions in lieu of a post-secondary institution path. You can find his website at Vitalik.ca.

Naval Ravikant (@naval) is the co-founder and chairman of AngelList. He is an angel investor and has invested in more than 100 companies, including many mega-successes, such as Twitter, Uber, Notion, Opendoor, Postmates, and Wish. You can subscribe to Naval, his podcast on wealth and happiness, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find his blog at nav.al.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, Pique‘s Daily Immune (Vitamin C optimized for absorption), and Theragun percussive muscle therapy devices. More on all three below.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

This episode is brought to you by Pique and their brand-new supplement, Daily Immune—Vitamin C optimized for absorption. Pique’s Daily Immune is maximized for absorption with liposomal encapsulation technology, and Pique’s unique formula supports a healthy immune system. It’s so easy to take—just a quick squeeze—and tastes so good—think black European elderberries—you might choose to enjoy it twice a day, as I do.

Try it for yourself risk-free with their 30-day satisfaction guarantee—you either love it or get your money back. Go to PiqueTea.com/Tim and use code TIM at checkout to get 5% off your first order plus free shipping when you purchase a bundle.

This episode is brought to you by Theragun! Theragun is my go-to solution for recovery and restoration. It’s a famous, handheld percussive therapy device that releases your deepest muscle tension. I own two Theraguns, and my girlfriend and I use them every day after workouts and before bed. The all-new Gen 4 Theragun is easy to use and has a proprietary brushless motor that’s surprisingly quiet—about as quiet as an electric toothbrush.

Go to Theragun.com/Tim right now and get your Gen 4 Theragun today, starting at only $199.

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,’ and they currently oversee $20 billion of assets for their clients. It takes about three minutes to sign up, and then Wealthfront will build you a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs based on your risk appetite and manage it for you at an incredibly low cost. 

Smart investing should not feel like a rollercoaster ride. Let the professionals do the work for you. Go to Wealthfront.com/Tim and open a Wealthfront account today, and you’ll get your first $5,000 managed for free, for life. Wealthfront will automate your investments for the long term. Get started today at Wealthfront.com/Tim.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

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Want to learn more about cryptocurrency? Listen to the conversation Naval and I had with cryptographer Nick Szabo, in which we discuss the problems cryptocurrencies were designed to solve, wet versus dry code, quantum thought, future occupations, and the existential risks of blockchain governance.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Vitalik Buterin:

Website | Twitter

Connect with Naval Ravikant:

Website | Twitter | Naval Podcast

EthereumAngelListNaval Ravikant on Happiness, Reducing Anxiety, Crypto Stablecoins, and Crypto Strategy | The Tim Ferriss Show #473The Quiet Master of Cryptocurrency — Nick Szabo | The Tim Ferriss Show #244Ethereum FoundationWhat Is Bit Gold? The Brainchild of Blockchain Pioneer Nick Szabo | CoinCentralZcashBlockchain: Everything You Need to Know | InvestopediaEthereum vs. Bitcoin | The EconomistENS (Ethereum Name System)Private, Secure Communication | StatusWhat Is DeFi? | CoinDeskSmart Contracts | InvestopediaLEGOVoltron | WikipediaJustin Sun Recounts Steem-Hive Hard Fork at Virtual Blockchain Week | Coin TelegraphHard Fork (Blockchain) | InvestopediaEndnotes on 2020: Crypto and Beyond | Vitalik Buterin“Smart Contracts Are Castles Made of Math, Freely Trading with Each Other.” | Naval Ravikant, TwitterWordPress.orgAutomatticThe Uncanny Mind That Built Ethereum | WiredNamecoinHow Ethereum Works: The History of Ethereum | CertiKDNS on Blockchain: The Next Evolution of Domain Names? | Nameshield BlogWhat’s an NFT? And Why Are People Paying Millions to Buy Them? | NPRDAOs, Blockchain, and the Potential of Ownerless Business | InvestopediaMakerDAOStablecoin RAI Launches, a Pure, Decentralized Alternative for DeFi | Coin TelegraphEthereum 2.0 Is Coming – Here’s What You Need to Know | BoxminingLayer 2 Scaling | Ethereum.orgThe Eth2 Upgrades | Ethereum.orgBitTorrentWhy Proof of Stake (Nov 2020) | Vitalik ButerinAn Incomplete Guide to Rollups | Vitalik ButerinStarkWare Industries, Ltd.Moore’s Law | InvestopediaEthereum Virtual Machine (EVM) | Ethereum.orgzkRollup Exchange and Payment Protocol | LoopringOptimismBitcoin’s “Block Size” Debate: Big Blockers v. Decentralists | LexologyBitcoin CashEthereum ClassicShock: Ethereum Miners Against Proposal to Reduce Block Rewards by 75% | Coin TelegraphConsenSysUniswapThe Diaspora* ProjectPremining | Investopedia‘Fair Launch’ Tokens Outshine the Average Coin’s Performance | Coin TelegraphCryptocurrency Prices, Charts, and Market Capitalizations | CoinMarketCapSushiSwapCoinbaseWhat’s Next for Crypto Regulation | The New York TimesIndia’s Cryptocurrency Ban: Top 5 Things To Know | Bloomberg QuintEthereum’s ‘EIP 1559’ Fee Market Overhaul Greenlit for July | CoinDeskSound vs. Ultrasound Crypto Money | RedditUS Army Fort KnoxA Sudden Loss of Faith in Tether Would Pose Risk to Bitcoin, JPMorgan Says | CoinDeskBitcoin Maximalism | InvestopediaGini Index | InvestopediaTornado CashPublic Good | InvestopediaQuadratic Payments: A Primer | Vitalik ButerinTragedy Of The Commons | InvestopediaGrants | GitcoinZero Knowledge Proof: Explain it Like I’m 5 (Halloween Edition) | Hacker NoonZK-Rollups | EthhubThe Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant | Nick BostromENIAC | CHMBioconservatism, Bioenhancement, and Backfiring | Journal of Moral EducationTracking the Vaccine Race | ReutersWhy America Abandoned Nuclear Power (and What We Can Learn from South Korea) | VoxReal Life Extension: Caloric Restriction or Intermittent Fasting? (Part 1) | Tim FerrissReal Life Extension: Caloric Restriction or Intermittent Fasting? (Part 2) | Tim FerrissMy Life Extension Pilgrimage to Easter Island | The Tim Ferriss Show #193Peter Attia, M.D. — Fasting, Metformin, Athletic Performance, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #39812 Proven Health Benefits of Ashwagandha | HealthlineThe 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy FerrissDifferential Responses of Trans-Resveratrol on Proliferation of Neural Progenitor Cells and Aged Rat Hippocampal Neurogenesis | Scientific ReportsSome Thoughts on For-Profit Psychedelic Startups and Companies | Tim FerrissMeetupOfficial Moon MathAn Approximate Introduction to How zk-SNARKs Are Possible | Vitalik ButerinOn Collusion | Vitalik ButerinEthereum Founder Vitalik Buterin Speaks Chinese during QnA | Top StudiosLearn Languages Online | PimsleurDuolingo

SHOW NOTES

What is Ethereum, and how does it differ from Bitcoin? [10:47]Ethereum applications Vitalik is most excited about. [14:48]What is DeFi? [18:41]How does intellectual property retain its value in such an interconnected system? [20:54]Digital nationalism, castles made of math, and comparing and contrasting how Ethereum and WordPress operate. [25:30]What was the initial vision for Ethereum, and what has Vitalik found most surprising about how it’s been used between concept and the current day? [27:53]Addressing the challenges of making Ethereum scale: enter Ethereum 2. [34:21]What does proof-of-stake mean in the context of the blockchain, and why is its efficiency debated? [41:45]How layer 2 operates more efficiently than layer 1, and to what degree when you factor in rollups and future computational capacity. [45:54]When can people betting their businesses on these improvements realistically expect them to be implemented? Is there a risk that some people won’t want to make the transition, and could this cause problems down the line? [54:37]As someone who prefers to coordinate rather than dictate, what happens when Vitalik disagrees with the way developers utilize Ethereum? [1:01:42]How the Ethereum Foundation, ConsenSys, and Uniswap (to name just a few organizations and applications) coexist and collaborate within the Ethereum community and how this dynamic differs from the Bitcoin ecosystem. [1:03:02]How tokens on the blockchain are like fire: crucial to progress but not without their own dangers. It really depends on the motivations of the person using them. [1:05:24]On the sovereign-resistant resilience of cryptocurrencies in the face of regulation and how some authorities are coming around to the idea that blockchain technologies can be useful. [1:13:14]What is Vitalik’s current point of view about where the ETH supply heads and what the ETH price means for the ecosystem? [1:18:05]As someone who’s concerned about wealth inequality, what does Vitalik think about the distribution of wealth in a crypto-run economy as opposed to an economy based on a fiat currency like the US dollar or the Euro? [1:23:08]These days, what’s Vitalik thinking about that falls outside the cryptosphere? [1:28:12]What is quadratic funding, and can it be done anonymously? [1:30:30]How quadratic funding can be combined with other means to finance scientific research. [1:35:39]Naval’s thoughts on campaign financing following a similar approach. [1:39:23]What areas of scientific research is Vitalik most interested in supporting? [1:40:17]What is Vitalik doing to live to 1,000 (and beyond), and what would he improve in the area of scientific research? [1:42:49]After 2020’s tumultuous changes, does Vitalik have ideas of where the world is headed in the next few years that his peers might disagree with? [1:49:54]What advice does Vitalik have for someone who wants to get involved in the Ethereum ecosystem? What are the points of leverage? [1:52:09]Another contrarian thing Vitalik believes. [1:55:57]As a lover of language learning, how does Vitalik recommend someone begin learning a language most effectively? [2:01:32]Parting thoughts. [2:04:54]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Peter ThielZookoNick SzaboJustin SunMatt MullenwegKatie HaunJustin DrakeAya MiyaguchiMark ZuckerbergJack DorseyBalaji SrinivasanWarren BuffettMethuselahHal FinneyWei DaiHayden Adams

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“We really began to be tired of ourselves teaching this technology of inner awakening to the same people over and over. It’s like, how many times do you have to wake up in the morning? You’re awake. Do something.”

— Elizabeth Lesser

Elizabeth Lesser (@ElizabethLesser) is a bestselling author and the co-founder of Omega Institute, the renowned conference and retreat center located in Rhinebeck, New York. Elizabeth’s first book, The Seeker’s Guide, chronicles her years at Omega and distills lessons learned into a potent guide for growth and healing. Her New York Times bestselling book, Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow, has sold almost 500,000 copies and has been translated into 20 languages. Her third book, Marrow, chronicles the journey Elizabeth and her younger sister went through when Elizabeth was the donor for her sister’s bone marrow transplant. Her newest book, Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes, reveals how humanity has outgrown its origin tales and hero myths. Elizabeth has given two popular TED talks and is one of Oprah Winfrey’s Supersoul 100, a collection of a hundred leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity.

She co-founded Omega Institute in 1977—a time when a variety of fresh ideas were sprouting in American culture. Since then, the Institute has been at the forefront of holistic education, offering workshops and conferences in integrative medicine, meditation and yoga, cross-cultural arts and creativity, ecumenical spirituality, and social change. Each year close to 30,000 people participate in Omega’s programs on its campus, and more than a million people visit its website for online learning.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Tonal smart home gym, Laird Superfood clean, plant-based creamers, and Allform premium, modular furniture. More on all three below.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

This episode is brought to you by Laird Superfood. Founded by big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton and volleyball champion Gabby Reece, Laird Superfood promises to deliver high-impact fuel to help you get through your busiest days. Laird Superfood offers a line of plant-based products designed to optimize your daily rituals from sunrise to sunset.

My two favorite products are their Turmeric Superfood Creamer and Unsweetened Superfood Creamer. I put one of them in practically everything. Both can really optimize your daily coffee or tea ritual, and a $10 bag will last you a long time. For a limited time, Laird Superfood is offering you guys 20% off your order when you use code TIM20 at checkout. Check out LairdSuperfood.com/Tim to see my favorite products and learn more.

This episode is brought to you by Tonal! Tonal is the world’s most intelligent home gym and personal trainer. It is precision engineered and designed to be the world’s most advanced strength studio. Tonal uses breakthrough technology—like adaptive digital weights and A.I. learning—together with the best experts in resistance training so you get stronger, faster. Every program is personalized to your body using A.I., and smart features check your form in real time, just like a personal trainer.

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This episode is brought to you by Allform! If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about Helix Sleep mattresses, which I’ve been using since 2017. They just launched a new company called Allform, and they’re making premium, customizable sofas and chairs shipped right to your door—at a fraction of the cost of traditional stores. You can pick your fabric (and they’re all spill, stain, and scratch resistant), the sofa color, the color of the legs, and the sofa size and shape to make sure it’s perfect for you and your home.

Allform arrives in just 3–7 days, and you can assemble it yourself in a few minutes—no tools needed. To find your perfect sofa, check out Allform.com/Tim. Allform is offering 20% off all orders to you, my dear listeners, at Allform.com/Tim.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

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Want to hear another episode with someone who endeavors to awaken the best in the human spirit? Listen to my conversation with Buddhist monk and meditation teacher Jack Kornfield in which we discuss hang gliding, monk training in Thailand, unpleasant mystical experiences, the difference between compassion and empathy, lovingkindness meditation, and more.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Elizabeth Lesser:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes by Elizabeth LesserThe Seeker’s Guide by Elizabeth LesserBroken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow by Elizabeth LesserMarrow: Love, Loss, and What Matters Most by Elizabeth LesserOmega InstituteSufism | Oxford Islamic Studies OnlineThe New YorkerThe Gift by HafizTales of the Dervishes: Teaching-Stories of the Sufi Masters over the Past Thousand Years by Idries ShahAn Esoteric View of the 1960s and ’70s | HuffPostRudolf Otto and the Concept of the Numinous | Oxford Research Encyclopedia of ReligionNaropa UniversityShambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior Mass Market Paperback by Chogyam TrungpaBuddhism | World History EncyclopediaWordPressShaker Museum | New Lebanon, NYWoodstock Festival10 Facts About the Ancient Library of Alexandria | Book RiotBennington CollegeFood As Medicine: It’s Not Just a Fringe Idea Anymore | The Salt, NPRSummer of Peace, Love, and Yiddish Song: The Legacy of New York’s Camp Boiberik | Smithsonian FolklifeThe Definitive Guide to Yoga for Beginners and Experts | HealthlineMachine Elf | Non-Alien Creatures WikiIs Ecumenism Biblical? Should a Christian Be Involved in the Ecumenical Movement (Ecumenicalism)? | GotQuestions.orgPracticing Innervism | OmegaWhat is Internal Family Systems? | IFS InstituteWomen, Power, Stories: An Interview with Author Elizabeth Lesser | An Injustice!God’s Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins | Poetry FoundationMedical Definition of Hippocratic Oath | MedicineNetDo No Harm, Take No Shit | Mindful NecessitiesElizabeth Lesser: Say Your Truths and Seek Them in Others | TED TalkInterview: Elizabeth Lesser | Lessons of the Soul | Best SelfThe Open Secret | OprahIn Grief, Try Personal Rituals | The AtlanticOn Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David KesslerHow To Die Before You Die: Meaning and Meditation | The Joy WithinA Letter of Consolation by Henri J. M. NouwenAnita Hill Accuses Clarence Thomas | HistoryThe Vagina Monologues by Eve EnslerWomen & Power Past Events | OmegaMe Too MovementAfter Weinstein, Trump Sexual Misconduct Accusers Demand Action | BBC NewsBlack Lives MatterThe Prince by Niccolo MachiavelliThe Art of War by Sun TzuHow Was Larry Nassar Able to Abuse So Many Gymnasts for So Long? | The GuardianCassandra in Greek Mythology | Greek Legends and MythsGloria Steinem Reflects on Women’s Liberation 50 Years Later | TimeAmateur: A Reckoning with Gender, Identity, and Masculinity by Thomas Page McBeeThe Tending Instinct: Women, Men, and the Biology of Relationships by Shelley E. TaylorHow the Fight-or-Flight Response Works | Verywell MindTend and Befriend Theory | UCLAList of Central Park Statues | Central Park in Bronze

SHOW NOTES

Note from the editor: Timestamps will be added shortly.

Why visiting Omega Institute might feel a little like starring in your own Disney film.Who is Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan?Coming from an atheistic background, how did Elizabeth find herself on a spiritual path when she first encountered Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, and what did he help her discover?What did the prototype look like for Omega Institute, and how did Elizabeth and her co-founders decide on what to include versus exclude?What issues made the early Omega Institute pioneers rethink their intention of living communally?How was the curriculum safely and legally aligned with the tagline of “awakening the best in the human spirit” during this time, and how were teachers selected?On the exploration of ecumenical traditions and innervism.What is the movement from me to we?How would Elizabeth define “spiritual” — or does she prefer another term?Elizabeth talks about sharing a “soul marrow transplant” with her sister Maggie, and how she discovered a particularly poignant needlepoint slogan after Maggie’s death that she’s adapted to her own meditation: “Do no harm and take no shit.”What is Authenticity Deficit Disorder?In my own experience, it’s not always an answer that helps us unburden ourselves of what Rumi called an open secret, but the act of asking. Does Elizabeth agree?Recommendations for people going through the grieving process — especially in a culture that doesn’t really afford us time to mourn.The importance of, as Henk Kraaijenhof has said, doing as little as needed, not as much as possible.What is the origin story of Elizabeth’s latest book, Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes?Does Elizabeth believe an impulse toward aggression is inevitable in women who acquire power? If so, can it be mitigated to avoid the abuses exercised by many men in power? Why do people in power tend more toward the fight or flight school of thought over tend and befriend?What impact does Elizabeth hope to have with Cassandra Speaks? How does she believe that full-hearted fatherhood might save the world?What would Elizabeth’s billboard say?Parting thoughts.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Jerzy and Aniela GregorekPir Vilayat Inayat KhanStephan RechtschaffenHafizIdries ShahChogyam RinpocheThe Dalai LamaMatt MullenwegWavy GravyDeepak ChopraElisabeth Kubler-RossDavid KesslerTerence McKennaJack KornfieldGerard Manley HopkinsTara BrachMaggie LakeBuddhaKuan YinRumiPema ChödrönHenri NouwenHenk KraaijenhofMerlene Joyce OtteyAnita HillClarence ThomasEve EnslerDonald TrumpNiccolò MachiavelliSun TzuFriedrich NietzscheCassandraEveLarry NassarRosemarie AqualinaPandoraGloria SteinemWalter CannonShelley TaylorWilliam Tecumseh Sherman

Illustration via 99designs

“If code scripts machines, media scripts human beings.”

— Balaji Srinivasan

Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) is an angel investor and entrepreneur. Formerly the CTO of Coinbase and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, he was also the co-founder of Earn.com (acquired by Coinbase), Counsyl (acquired by Myriad), Teleport (acquired by Topia), and Coin Center.

He was named to the MIT Technology Review’s “Innovators Under 35,” won a Wall Street Journal Innovation Award, and holds a BS/MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering and an MS in Chemical Engineering, all from Stanford University. Balaji also teaches the occasional class at Stanford, including an online MOOC in 2013, which reached 250,000+ students worldwide.

To learn more about Balaji’s most recent project, sign up at 1729.com, a newsletter that pays you. They’re giving out $1,000 in BTC each day for completing tasks and tutorials. Subscribers also receive chapters from Balaji’s new (free) book, The Network State.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Helix Sleep premium mattresses. More on all three below.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,’ and they currently oversee $20 billion of assets for their clients. It takes about three minutes to sign up, and then Wealthfront will build you a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs based on your risk appetite and manage it for you at an incredibly low cost. 

Smart investing should not feel like a rollercoaster ride. Let the professionals do the work for you. Go to Wealthfront.com/Tim and open a Wealthfront account today, and you’ll get your first $5,000 managed for free, for life. Wealthfront will automate your investments for the long term. Get started today at Wealthfront.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the #1 best overall mattress of 2020 by GQ magazine, Wired, Apartment Therapy, and many others. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, to my dear listeners, Helix is offering up to 200 dollars off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

If this nearly four-hour episode isn’t enough for you, perhaps you’d like to hear my three-and-a-half-hour conversation with Basecamp’s David Heinemeier Hansson (aka DHH)? In it, we discussed the power of being outspoken, running a profitable business without venture capital, Stoic philosophy, parallels across disciplines, and much more.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Balaji Srinivasan:

Website | Twitter

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SHOW NOTES

What is the significance of 1729, and what is Balaji’s mission in launching a website named after this “not boring” number? [06:02]What was the subject matter and the intent behind the MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) Balaji taught prior to joining Andreessen Horowitz? [10:21]Balaji’s thoughts on the state of media (particularly podcasts), how product is merit and distribution is connections, and why I trust my dog to tell me if a journalist is trying to set me up for a “gotcha.” [16:57]Just as the Founding Fathers advised against the establishment of a standing army in the United States, Balaji wonders if we should be cautious of relying on a standing media to deliver us the news of the day — or if there are better, decentralized options. [29:57]What can we do to protect ourselves as we wait for the future to be evenly distributed? We dive deep into everything from achieving financial independence to auditing our social ties to securing our privacy with a pseudonymous economy that could diminish the effects of cancellation and discrimination. [40:27]Roam Research co-founder Conor White-Sullivan once said: “‘Balaji was right’ might be the most terrifying phrase in the English language.” Eerily accurate early speculation about the COVID-19 pandemic aside, how would Balaji strategize a sizeable investment made today? (A reminding disclaimer: we’re not registered investment advisors, so do not take this or anything else here as legitimate financial advice.) [1:07:29]What participating in 1729 — “the first newsletter that pays you” — would ideally look like. [1:10:55]How Balaji envisions 1729 as a skyhook to rescue the world’s brightest minds from places that usually get overlooked — like developing countries and war zones — or allow them to operate on home ground pseudonymously. [1:14:01]A digital native solution to education that qualifies students to work as they go instead of waiting years until a full degree is earned. [1:17:37]How do you pseudonymously show proof of skill? Enter the crypto credential. [1:21:33]Don’t underestimate the power of microincentives. [1:25:27]How does Balaji rationalize a “half in Bitcoin, half in Ethereum” investment, and how does it tie into shifting establishment dynamics? [1:27:51]Why does Balaji believe that “not many institutions that predated the internet will survive the internet” — including nation states and fiat currencies? [1:35:44]Addressing downside risk, what circumstances might make Bitcoin or Ethereum bad investments? [1:45:06]How can we expect crypto regulation to play out in the United States? How are cities, states, and countries with an eye on the future currently signaling their friendliness toward innovation? [1:51:57]Why Balaji believes “win and help win” is neither progressive, nor conservative, nor libertarian, but a concept that beats them all. [2:02:22]How Bitcoin regulation thus far hasn’t followed the course that popular opinion predicted, and why you should hold your keys locally. [2:05:07]How do Ethereum risks differ from those faced by Bitcoin? [2:09:44]Want to get an understanding of how unrecognizable the near future will be? Consider how much the world has changed between the year 2000 and now — and how little it changed, comparatively, between then and 1970. [2:12:36]Does Balaji believe the changes we’re about to experience en masse will be mostly positive or mostly negative? [2:22:16]Thinkers, scientists, or resources Balaji would recommend for people who want to further explore life-extension and transhumanism. [2:32:16]Who was Lee Kuan Yew, and why he is interesting? [2:35:04]What countries are on Balaji’s shortlist to watch as examples of what the future holds? [2:39:56]Woke capital vs. communist capital vs. crypto capital, the Maginot Line revisited, and why China is so underestimated while the US is overestimated when it comes to facing the challenges of present and future. [2:45:28]If there were a conflict with China over Taiwan and the US lost, what would be the consequences? [2:56:44]Does Balaji see any obvious fixes the US could implement to mitigate against the risks of a cold war with China turning hot? Is there any way we can select our leaders for legitimacy and competence over popularity and inheritance? [3:01:38]Balaji explains how a 51 percent democracy is like a Fosbury Flop, and the types of votes that really make a difference in such a system. [3:05:18]What a convince-oriented “crypto” government versus a coercion-focused fiat government might look like. [3:12:41]India: the dark horse, what is currently at stake as it considers banning crypto, and what Balaji sees as its way forward — by embracing crypto, learning from China’s ascendancy in the global value chain, and claiming its rightful place in the media hierarchy. [3:17:42]Parting thoughts. [3:40:00]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Srinivasa RamanujanG.H. HardyLee Kuan YewEuclidConor White-Sullivan CassandraPeter ThielMollyJanet MalcolmRyan HolidayMr. Money MustacheTaylor SwiftDeng XiaopingVladimir LeninMartin LutherCorpse HusbandKatie HaunVlad TenevChristopher J. DoddBarney FrankJim BarksdaleNiccolò MachiavelliFrancis SuarezSteven MnuchinHomer SimpsonJordan PetersonTed KaczynskiDavid SinclairAubrey de GreyZoltan IstvanJohn ZerzanDeng XiaopingToomas IlvesAudrey TangAlbert II, Prince of MonacoXi JinpingJack MaJeff BezosYakov SmirnoffZayn MalikWinston ChurchillMike TysonBuster DouglasManmohan SinghMark ZuckerbergDick FosburyJoseph StalinNoam ChomskyRonald ReaganAdolf HitlerLeon TrotskyMiles DysonRobert Goddard

DISCLAIMER FROM TIM FERRISS: I am not an investment adviser. There are risks involved in placing any investment in securities or in Bitcoin or in cryptocurrencies or in anything. None of the information presented herein is intended to form the basis of any offer or recommendation or have any regard to the investment objectives, financial situation, or needs of any specific person, and that includes you, my dear listener or reader. Everything in this episode is for informational entertainment purposes only.