E64: US vs China’s Strategies, Uber’s Growth Model, AI Supply Chains

"The Riff" with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg

This week, Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg discuss technological inflection points and examine how legal frameworks mask continued globalization despite apparent retrenchment, explores US-China dynamics, analyzes AI industry structure and emerging models, and considers Uber's strategic positioning against autonomous vehicles.

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Highlights from the Episode:

• Globalization isn't truly reversing, but adapting through legal structures that help bypass trade barriers (like routing Chinese goods through Vietnam)
• China's economic model succeeded in early growth stages but faces challenges with an over-leveraged real estate sector and declining population
• Taiwan remains in a surprisingly stable but tense relationship with China despite rhetoric suggesting imminent conflict
• The AI industry is evolving beyond simple model providers/applications into specialized layers with different data access advantages
• Financial engineering works well for known variables but struggles with pure research funding due to fundamental uncertainty
• Uber faces an existential challenge from autonomous vehicles that initially complement their marketplace but could eventually replace it

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LINKS:

Byrne’s writing: https://thediff.co

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