E62: Trump’s Tariffs, Open Source AI Models, and The Future of VR

"The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg

This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg explore the impact of technological advancements on markets and businesses, covering topics like global trade tariffs, political populism, AI's evolving role, open-source vs. proprietary models, stock market trends, and Meta’s investments in the metaverse and AR.

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Highlights from the Episode:

• Trump's tariff approach (particularly the proposed 25% on Canadian goods) makes sense as a negotiating bluff but is problematic as long-term strategy.
• Unlike the US dollar system, China's currency has limited international circulation, affecting their global economic influence.
• The market reaction to DeepSeek's developments affected both direct AI companies and adjacent sectors.
• Meta's transition to being more capital-intensive (through AI investments) may actually strengthen their competitive position.
• Companies like Meta have incentives to commoditize some AI capabilities while maintaining proprietary advantages in others.

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LINKS:

Byrne’s writing: https://thediff.co

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https://twitter.com/ByrneHobart (Byrne)

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