8/ Thiel suggests that true technological progress has been stagnant since the 1970s. If technological advancement has narrowed to primarily digital realms while progress in other areas has nearly halted… What are the implications of this?

This is Peter Thiel. Co-Founder of Paypal and one of the most unique thinkers of our time. He recently went on The Joe Rogan Experience and shared some mind-blowing theories and ideas. Here are 9 key takeaways: (No. 7 is fascinating)

1/ AI passing the Turing test. Thiel suggests we may be overlooking the importance of this milestone. Could this signal the end of human intellectual uniqueness? Has AI crossed a threshold we can’t come back from?

2/ Thiel shares his theory on how being compromised is a rite of passage to get ahead in powerful networks. This one was crazy.

3/ Thiel compares California to Saudi Arabia – very interesting take. Also points out that though there are countless issues with California, there are objectively things working there. The numbers don’t lie.

4/ Thiel shares his concerns about the U.S. His thoughts? To change state…or country. He also says one of my favorite lines from the podcast here: “Talk is often the substitute for action.”

5/ Thiel’s theory about Bill Gates’ complicity with Jeffrey Epstein. And the potential truth behind ultra-rich philanthropy. Wild.

6/ The slowing of technological progress might be linked to its perceived dangers. Thiel proposes our "stagnant" path could be what has saved us from complete annihilation.

7/ Declining birth rates could lead to huge shifts in society. Thiel explores how this trend can snowball and might completely reshape societies and economies.

9/ Faster-than-light travel, according to Thiel, would require either perfect altruism or total control in alien civilizations. Free agency wouldn’t be possible. Any alien with faster-than-light travel would have to be one or the other: Angels or demons.

Some wild and unique stuff here! Well worth listening to the entire discussion on The Joe Rogan Experience #2190. What were your biggest takeaways?

P.S. I’m on a mission to design the future of global citizenship. For weekly actionable frameworks and ideas on how to lower taxes and unlock financial freedom for you and your family, join my newsletter here:

Thank you for reading! For more posts and insights on the future of global citizenship, follow @0x_ale And repost this to share with your audience:

Um Peter we now have rockets that we can use over and over and umm over.

This is rubbish. There have been tremendous technological advancements in the fields I work in since the 1970s: chemistry, biology and drug development. I am sure there are other areas as well.

I suspect Thiel has a cognitive bias here. Talk to an industrial chemist, materials scientist, civil engineer… most would argue innovation has only increased. Consumers just can’t see what goes into - for example - building a bridge faster and further with fewer fatalities.

He is wrong. We have continued to improve in all areas. I do believe there is a declining return over time for the benefits realized for increases in tech.

Aeon Magazine in 2014= the years of greatest innovation were 1943-1973

Wrong on that account. He sees bits because he know bits but he knows nothing of power plants being twice as efficient since the 70s. he knows nothing of fuel injection and variable timing that makes an engine half the size and twice the horsepower. graphene and so on..