Manifold has its own Discord channel! https://discord.gg/dvcHS6NX

The purpose of the channel is to create a community of listeners with shared interests. It developed from a series of in-person meetups with Steve in cities like SF, NYC, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai.

Chapter markers:

• (00:00) - Manifold Discord Channel, Live Q&A
• (02:36) - Genomics and Predictive Genetics
• (09:28) - Trump Administration, Epstein, and Political Commentary
• (29:42) - Missile Defense Systems: Historical Challenges and Modern Realities
• (36:48) - Failures and Cover-Ups in Missile Defense
• (45:23) - Developing Intellectual Taste and Productivity Tips

• Best genomic predictor for cognitive ability: https://x.com/hsu_steve/status/1936401098345980207
• Ted Postol on missile defense: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/theodore-a-postol-nuclear-weapons-missile-technology-and-u-s-diplomacy-12
• Sputnik moment: https://x.com/hsu_steve/status/1873541234125316367

China-US comparisons:

• https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/letter-from-beijing-with-han-feizi-72
• https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/letter-from-shanghai-reflections-on-china-in-2024-73
• https://x.com/hsu_steve/status/1934216476560388250

Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure.

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Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Shams was trained in theoretical physics before becoming an AI engineer at DeepMind and founding the company Mutable, which was acquired by Google. He is now lead engineer for Google's software agent group.

Steve and Omar discuss:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (01:18) - Journey from Physics to AI
• (10:51) - Elon Tried to Buy DeepMind
• (16:52) - Building Mutable and Auto Wiki as Context for LLMs
• (33:39) - The Value of AI Talent and Meta's AI Hiring Spree
• (42:58) - AI and The Workforce
• (58:02) - The Intersection of Physics and AI

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Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Patrick McGee is a longtime FT business reporter with extensive experience reporting on China. He is the author of the highly acclaimed Apple in China: the capture of the world's greatest company. Steve and Patrick discuss the history of Apple and its impact on technology development in China.

“The best book about Apple ever written, one of the best books about China ever written, and one of the best books about tech, period.” —Ben Thompson, Stratechery.

Apple in China on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-China-Capture-Greatest-Company/dp/1668053373

• (00:00) - Introduction to Patrick McGee and his Book
• (03:05) - The Apple-Foxconn Partnership
• (07:07) - China's Industrial Transformation and Apple's Role
• (32:48) - Automation Challenges in Apple's Production
• (34:50) - Chinese Innovation and Huawei's Rise
• (36:15) - The Impact of US-China Trade Tensions
• (38:08) - Apple's Internal Struggles and Future Outlook
• (48:56) - Hidden gems in the book

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Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to manifold1podcast@gmail.com or Steve on X @hsu_steve.