"The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg

May 09 2024 75

Investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future.   Topics covered: Finance, Venture Capital, Tech, AI, Crypto, and Industry Cycles The Riff is a part of the Turpentine podcast network.

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E27: Costco's Business Model, Martingale Strategies, and Usage-Based Lock-in for AI

May 09 2024 47 mins  
On this week's episode of The Riff, Erik and Byrne talk about how to apply Costco's business model in other industries, the risky business of Martingale strategies, usage as a potential barrier to AI model development, and more. Get Harmonic: Head to https://bit.ly/harmonicturpentine and make sure to mention Turpentine during your demo.---This show is produced by Turpentine: a netw

E26: Stripe's Unbundling Strategy, What AI Means for Education, and 24-Hour Markets

May 03 2024 60 mins  
On this week's episode of The Riff, Erik and Byrne discuss AI & education, Stripe's shift towards unbundling, and the possibility of 24 hour markets. Get Harmonic: Head to https://bit.ly/harmonicturpentine and make sure to mention Turpentine during your demo.---This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and cult

E25: Lambda School Drama, Meta's Path to AI, and Why Hardware Constraints Protect Your Privacy

Apr 25 2024 64 mins  
On this week's episode of The Riff, Erik and Byrne discuss income sharing agreements, the privacy/security/usability efficient frontier, and how Meta ended up with all their GPUs. Get Harmonic: Head to https://bit.ly/harmonicturpentine and make sure to mention Turpentine during your demo.---This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering

E24: Why Acquisitions Fail, How to Write a Great Memo, and The Fate of ChatGPT Wrappers

Apr 18 2024 61 mins  
On this week's episode of The Riff, Erik and Byrne discuss the acquisition landscape, how to write great business memos, and why it's hard to monetize a successful ChatGPT wrapper. Get Harmonic: Head to https://bit.ly/harmonicturpentine and make sure to mention Turpentine during your demo.---This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering

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

Apr 11 2024 54 mins  
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.---This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of po

E22: Corporate Espionage, Algorithmic Collusion, and Transitioning through AI

Apr 04 2024 55 mins  
On this week's episode of The Riff, Erik and Byrne delve into corporate espionage, algorithmic collusion, and the lifecycle of companies amidst technological changes.---This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new show

E21: Austin Real Estate, Duolingo’s Bull Case, and Identifying Spurious Correlations

Mar 28 2024 63 mins  
On this week's episode of The Riff, Erik and Byrne discuss Austin real estate, why Duolingo has remained strong post-pandemic, and how to identify spurious correlations during data analysis.---This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We

E20: Content Moderation, AI in Advertising, and the Future of Social Security

Mar 21 2024 55 mins  
In this episode, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg discuss how technological changes influence markets and business adaptability. They explore the dynamics and challenges of e-commerce roll-ups, the unique economic incentives of large platforms like Facebook and Google, the complexities of content moderation on social media platforms, and social securities' future liabilities and tax

E19: Hedging against Life, Outage Economics, and Open Source vs Proprietary AI

Mar 14 2024 62 mins  
On today’s episode, Byrne Hobart delves into the intricacies of technology-induced market shifts, hedge fund dynamics, Byrne’s post on outage economics, and the evolving landscape of open source and proprietary AI models.---This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective o

E18: Tiger Global, Selling Alpha, and Dating Apps

Mar 07 2024 62 mins  
On this week's episode of The Riff, Erik and Byrne discuss lessons about Tiger Global from Carrie Sun’s book Private Equity, the role of alternative data in investing, and why it’s hard to make a good dating app.---The Riff is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.co---Check out Erik's new show Request for Startups featuring a rotating cast of founder