Due Diligence

Dulma

Deep dives to understand our world & create a more beautiful one

  1. 06/09/2025

    The Real History of Silicon Valley

    In this episode, I delve into the fascinating history of Silicon Valley with Margaret O'Mara, a professor of American History at the University of Washington and a leading historian of Silicon Valley. We explore the relationship between the public and private sectors that fueled the growth of Silicon Valley, debunking the myth of the lone entrepreneur and highlighting the significant role of Cold War defense spending. Margaret shares insights from her celebrated book "The Code" which tells the behind-the-scenes story of the people who built Silicon Valley and shaped Big Tech. We also discuss the impact of elections on tech policy, the evolving influence of tech in Washington, and the rise of AI. We also discuss the parallels between today's tech landscape and the Gilded Age, the importance of historical perspective, and the future of tech innovation amid increasing US-China tensions and energy concerns. (00:00) Introduction (04:18) From Politics to Tech History (06:02) The Cold War Origins of Silicon Valley (08:30) The Human Storytelling Behind Tech (11:18) Is Silicon Valley A Meritocracy? (17:38) Tech's Political Influence (22:13) The Emergence of the Tech Right (23:01) A New Gilded Age (26:47) Antitrust & Regulation (31:06) What Democrats Need (36:10) Future of AI and Crypto (36:38) The 2024 Elections (39:37) China and the New Cold War (40:23) US Government Spending and Innovation (42:01) Defense Tech (45:45) The Role of Universities and Big Tech (52:27) The Rise of AI (56:56) Energy Concerns in AI (01:03:20) The Value of History

    1h 9m
  2. 12/11/2024

    Inflation — History, Causes & Case Studies with Mark Blyth

    Mark Blyth is a political economist and the William R. Rhodes Professor of International Economics at Brown University. He is the author of several books including Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea (named one of the best books of the year in 2013 by the Financial Times and Bloomberg), Angrynomics, and a new book coming out in May 2025 called Inflation: A Guide for Users and Losers. His research is in international & comparative political economy and focuses on the political power of economic ideas, how institutions change, and the political economy of rich democracies. Mark is a native of Scotland and received his PhD in political science from Columbia University in 1999 and taught at the Johns Hopkins University from 1997 to 2009 before joining the Brown faculty in 2009. (04:34) What is political economy? (06:10) Mark's academic journey (08:28) How economic consensus is formed (11:01) What is inflation? (13:23) Good vs. bad inflation (17:55) The four main inflation "stories" (18:51) Which story prevails currently (20:57) How will tariffs affect inflation? (26:23) The tariff narrative (28:58) Capitalism 2.0 vs. 3.0 (29:43) The "hardware" & "software" of capitalism (34:23) The "bug" in our current system (37:13) The legacy of inflation in the 1970s (44:41) The Federal Reserve's toolkit (47:41) The Fed before the 1970s (49:27) Hyperinflation in Germany and Argentina (54:16) The structural causes of hyperinflation (56:19) Economic indicators of political unrest (59:01) The role of technological progress (01:02:40) What should capitalism 4.0 be? Pre-order Mark's book on inflation here Listen to Mark's podcast on Apple and Spotify

    1h 4m
4.5
out of 5
44 Ratings

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Deep dives to understand our world & create a more beautiful one