E23: Radical DAs, breaking down FB/Google vs. Australia, sustained fear post-vaccine & fan questions

Follow the besties: https://twitter.com/chamath https://linktr.ee/calacanis https://twitter.com/DavidSacks https://twitter.com/friedberg Follow the pod: https://twitter.com/theallinpod https://linktr.ee/allinpodcast Intro Music Credit: https://rb.gy/tppkzl https://twitter.com/yung_spielburg Intro Video Credit: https://twitter.com/MikeSylvan Referenced in the show: WSJ - Lake Tahoe Property Sells for $1.6 Million in Bitcoins https://www.wsj.com/articles/lake-tahoe-property-sells-for-1-6-million-in-bitcoins-1407534997 The Changing World Order by Ray Dalio Chapter 2: The Big Cycle of Money, Credit, Debt, and Economic Activity https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/money-credit-debt-ray-dalio/ Show Notes: 0:00 Reflecting on the controversial Robinhood interview, iterating on the show format, getting back to basics 10:52 Chesa Boudin cancelled on us, radical DAs & local prosecution in SF & LA, why criminal justice reform resonates 34:44 Breaking down the Facebook/Google situation in Australia, understanding fair use, potential saving grace for traditional media? 47:26 Vaccine update, conditioned fear sustaining post-vaccine 58:58 Fan Q&A: what the besties are investing in over the next decade, bestie anti-portfolio, biggest current portfolio risks, what would you teach every 12-year old #allin #tech #news

Chamath PalihapitiyahostJason CalacanishostDavid Friedberghost

Feb 19, 20211h 24mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Radical DAs, Big Tech vs. Media, Vaccines, Fear, and Finance

The hosts open by dissecting backlash to their prior Vlad Tenev/Robinhood episode, clarifying that they see themselves as operators and commentators, not journalists, and debating new ground rules for guests and veto power. They then pivot into a long, heated discussion of San Francisco’s progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin, arguing his decarceration policies are fueling a crime wave while acknowledging real systemic injustices in U.S. criminal justice. The conversation shifts to Facebook and Google’s fight with Australia over paying for news links, exploring fair use, platform power, and the economic collapse of legacy media. They close with COVID vaccination rollout inefficiencies, persistent post-vaccine fear, plus rapid‑fire audience Q&A on long-term investing themes, inflation risk, Bitcoin regrets, and what every 12‑year‑old should learn.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

The hosts reject a journalistic role and want veto power over PR‑style episodes.

Friedberg argues the show works best as four operators analyzing events, not as a four‑on‑one ‘gotcha’ interview platform for portfolio companies; he wants any host to be able to spike episodes they feel violate that ethos.

Progressive ‘decarceration first’ DAs can create real public‑safety backlash.

Sacks claims DA Chesa Boudin’s refusal to fully prosecute repeat offenders is tied to high‑profile killings and a sense of ‘Gotham‑level’ lawlessness, prompting recall efforts and illustrating limits of local radical reform.

Criminal justice reform must balance structural racism with real consequences for violent offenders.

The group concedes the system is racist, punitive, and often unreformative—especially via private prisons—yet stresses that dangerous, repeat violent offenders still need to be locked up and that treatment requires legal leverage.

Taxing links risks breaking the open web, but platforms are also cannibalizing publishers.

Sacks warns Australia’s move to force Facebook/Google to pay for hyperlinks threatens the basic architecture of the internet, while Calacanis counters that rich snippets and ‘OneBox’ answers cross into unfair use and justify revenue‑sharing.

Legacy media’s business model is collapsing due to redundancy and commoditized facts.

They argue thousands of outlets now publish nearly identical news, while core ‘facts’ (scores, prices, headlines) are free and ubiquitous, pushing publications into opinion and narrative and making consolidation inevitable.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

We’re not journalists. We’re in the arena. This should be four friends talking about things that are important.

— Chamath Palihapitiya

It’s like a fire chief who doesn’t believe in using water.

— David Sacks, on DA Chesa Boudin’s decarceration agenda

People are really afraid. Even after getting vaccinated, they’re still not living a normal life.

— David Friedberg

You’re not going to make things better by dismantling the whole district attorney’s office.

— David Sacks

The only way you can afford debt is if you have growth, and that forces you to find growth.

— David Friedberg

Podcast format debate: guests, PR optics, and veto rightsProgressive prosecutors and rising crime in San Francisco and LACriminal justice reform vs. public safety and mass incarcerationFacebook/Google vs. Australia: paying for news and hyperlink ‘taxes’Censorship, fair use, and the economic collapse of legacy mediaCOVID vaccine rollout, policy failures, and lingering public fearLong‑term investing themes, inflation/deficit risks, and Bitcoin misses

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