PodcastsAll-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & FriedbergE147: TED goes woke, Canada's Nazi blunder, AI adds vision, plus: who owns OpenAI?
E147: TED goes woke, Canada's Nazi blunder, AI adds vision, plus: who owns OpenAI?
All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & FriedbergFri Sep 29 2023
TED's ideological shift and Coleman's talk:
- Coleman gave a TED talk titled "A Case for Color Blindness" arguing for treating people without regard to race and using class as a variable instead.
- The talk upset some staff members at TED, leading to internal blowback and attempts to prevent its release.
- Tim Urban noticed that the view count of Coleman's talk was intentionally suppressed compared to other talks released around the same time.
Suppression of views on TED:
- Tim Urban discovered that Coleman's talk had an unusually low view count on the TED website compared to other talks released at the same time.
- This suggests intentional suppression by TED despite agreeing to release the talk.
Institutional capture and leadership failure at TED:
- Chris Anderson, head of TED, failed as a leader by allowing staff objections to override the mission of being a platform for spreading interesting ideas regardless of disagreement.
- Institutions like TED can be captured when employees don't share values of open discourse and free speech.
The Canadian Parliament's Nazi blunder:
- The Canadian parliament gave a standing ovation to Jaroslav Hanka, who fought for the Waffen-SS Galicia Division under Nazi command during World War II.
- This incident highlights a lack of historical examination and whitewashing when present concerns override past actions. Capturing of institutions in politics:
- The Democratic Party has been influenced by the Twitter commentariat and journalistic elite, leading to a discrepancy between the values of the wider population and the party's elite.
- Media companies like TED have also been captured by certain ideologies, which can lead to biased decision-making and suppression of opposing views.
Leadership failure at TED and potential remedies:
- Chris Anderson failed as a leader by not holding firm on the institution's mission and allowing staff objections to dictate decisions.
- One potential remedy could be for leaders to establish clear boundaries from the start and prioritize their organization's mission over individual objections.
- Starting new institutions with the right ethos from day one, as suggested by Barry Weiss, may also be an effective solution.
The need for competent leadership:
- The Canadian Parliament blunders highlight the lack of professionalism and competence in leadership roles.
- Competent individuals who prioritize free speech, open discourse, and evidence-based decision-making are needed in positions of power.
Concerns about Ukrainian army involvement with neo-Nazi groups:
- There is evidence that far-right paramilitary organizations with ties to Nazi ideology have been incorporated into the formal command structure of the Ukrainian military.
- This raises concerns about the presence of Nazis or Nazi sympathizers within the Ukrainian army.
The importance of examining historical context:
- Present concerns often override an examination of historical actions when it comes to issues such as supporting Ukraine against Russia.
- A whitewashing of past events can occur when present goals take precedence over understanding history accurately.
Ukraine's Nazi Element:
- Concerns about the presence of a Nazi element in Ukraine between 2015 and 2020.
- Outsized influence of Ukrainian Nazis due to their willingness to use violence and extremism.
- Comparison made between Nazi percentage in Ukraine and white supremacists in the US or Germany.
- Differences highlighted, such as absence of neo-Nazi groups in the US military and lack of Nazi insignia on uniforms.
- Mentioned New York Times article discussing Ukrainian soldiers with Nazi insignia on uniforms.
US Involvement with Right-Wing Groups in Ukraine:
- Claim that US policy turned a blind eye to disturbing ideology and past associations for political interest.
- Common cause made by US State Department and CIA with far-right groups during Maidan coup in 2014.
- Lack of support for peaceful resolution under Minsk Accords, instead supporting Kiev regime's suppression through right-wing groups.
Trudeau's Cheer for a Nazi:
- Speculation on whether Trudeau knowingly cheered for a Nazi or supported Ukrainian nationalism without acknowledging its history.
- Mentioned Canadian history of taking in former Nazis who terrorized anti-Nazi Ukrainians.
OpenAI's Plans:
- OpenAI raising over $1 billion from Johnny Ive and Masayoshi Son to build AI consumer device.
- Collaboration with Johnny Ive's design firm Love From discussed for designing OpenAI's first consumer product.
- Informed speculation on Sam Altman effectively owning 100% of OpenAI through foundation structure and capped return model.
- Discussion on potential secondary share sale valuing OpenAI at $80 billion to $90 billion, benefiting Microsoft as it owns 49% of OpenAI.
- Revolution in computing interfaces with LLMs becoming new operating system, replacing app-based interfaces.
Reflect Note Taking App:
- Introduction of Reflect note-taking app allowing daily log of meetings and topics discussed.
- Features include backlinks and integration with Google Calendar for context retrieval.