Talks to Watch

Peter Thiel on Stagnation, Innovation, and What Not To Name Your Company | Conversations with Tyler

140K views · Apr 2, 2015 · 1:20:41 · 1 HN recommender · 3 mentions · discussed 2017–2021

Tyler Cowen interviews Peter Thiel about technological stagnation, innovation, and lessons from Zero to One. The conversation ranges over business, startups and how Thiel thinks about progress.

Why Hacker News points people here: HN people point to it as a strong interview and as the source of Thiel's stagnation thesis.

“it's an interview with Tyler Cowen who does a terrific job at interviewing Peter.”HN comment, 2020

What Hacker News said 3

RecommendsemsyJul 2020

“it's an interview with Tyler Cowen who does a terrific job at interviewing Peter.”

Terrific Tyler Cowen interview with Peter Thiel.

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This is the video I was referring to: this video As a sibling reply already mentioned, it's an interview with Tyler Cowen who does a terrific job at interviewing Peter. I don't have specific search phrases because I stumbled upon this interview by lucky accident.

in “List of Peter Thiel's Online Writings” · view on HN
Cites itsimonsarrisJan 2017

“the term Peter Thiel/Tyler Cowen like is "Great Stagnation.”

Thiel and Cowen on the Great Stagnation.

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Pessimistically, that name is "Stagnation Hypothesis" (edit, oops the term Peter Thiel/Tyler Cowen like is "Great Stagnation." See: this video )

in “'Tooth repair drug' may replace fillings” · view on HN
Cites itwaterfowlMay 2021

“I enjoyed reading this pasted together google doc[1] of things he's said”

Source of Thiel's ideas quoted in a compiled document.

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PT says interesting and thoughtful stuff. A thing I dislike about much of his coverage, including in this piece, is how much is surface level ad hom of various people who have talked to him, or supported him, or he has supported, e.g. in this article moldbug "far right blogger" or rubin "mainstay of intellectual dark web" etc, which don't really engage with what these people are saying, or with the fact that a 2 party electoral system tends to put everyone left/right of center on the same side. Even getting outed by a tabloid, which is viewed in the LGBT community as a deeply uncool thing, especially 20 years ago, is framed as unsympathetic for PT - he is a meanie for being motivated to stick up for a revenge porn victim based on this tabloid's later behavior. I liked zero to one and I enjoyed reading this pasted together google doc[1] of things he's said, which I think are largely from his Tyler Cowen mercatus center interview[2]. Given the current GOP, becoming a "thielist" progress oriented thoughtful party would certainly be an upgrade, right? Build the future, be less stagnant, etc? [1] link [2] this video