E37: NYC rejects far-left candidates, new developments in lab leak theory, App Store breakup & more
Chamath Palihapitiya (host), Jason Calacanis (host), David Sacks (host), David Friedberg (host), Chamath Palihapitiya (host), Jason Calacanis (host)
In this episode of All-In Podcast, featuring Chamath Palihapitiya and Jason Calacanis, E37: NYC rejects far-left candidates, new developments in lab leak theory, App Store breakup & more explores all-In crew debates nuance, crime politics, lab leak, and Apple power The hosts open with meta-talk about the show’s format, debating whether their role is to deliver crisp, definitive takes (Sacks) or to emphasize nuanced context so listeners form their own opinions (Friedberg), ultimately agreeing both approaches are valuable. They then pivot to New York City’s mayoral race and argue Eric Adams’ likely victory signals a backlash against far-left, anti-police rhetoric and a renewed appetite for moderate, tough-on-crime policies, especially among minority voters. The conversation shifts to new developments in the COVID lab-leak discussion, focusing on allegedly deleted Chinese sequence data, potential U.S. complicity, and how to better prepare for future pandemics rather than fixating solely on blame. Finally, they dissect antitrust efforts targeting Apple and other tech giants, clashing over whether government intervention (like forcing third‑party app stores) will enhance innovation and help startups or stifle market-driven creative destruction.
All-In crew debates nuance, crime politics, lab leak, and Apple power
The hosts open with meta-talk about the show’s format, debating whether their role is to deliver crisp, definitive takes (Sacks) or to emphasize nuanced context so listeners form their own opinions (Friedberg), ultimately agreeing both approaches are valuable. They then pivot to New York City’s mayoral race and argue Eric Adams’ likely victory signals a backlash against far-left, anti-police rhetoric and a renewed appetite for moderate, tough-on-crime policies, especially among minority voters. The conversation shifts to new developments in the COVID lab-leak discussion, focusing on allegedly deleted Chinese sequence data, potential U.S. complicity, and how to better prepare for future pandemics rather than fixating solely on blame. Finally, they dissect antitrust efforts targeting Apple and other tech giants, clashing over whether government intervention (like forcing third‑party app stores) will enhance innovation and help startups or stifle market-driven creative destruction.
Key Takeaways
Strong opinions and deep context can coexist in effective commentary.
Sacks argues audiences want clear, definitive takes, while Friedberg stresses the need to present full context and competing arguments so people can reason for themselves; the group concludes the show works best when it offers both sharp views and robust explanation.
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Crime and safety are re-centering American urban politics around moderation.
Eric Adams’ tough-on-crime, pro-police stance resonated with New York’s largely Black and Latino voters, suggesting many communities reject defund/decarceration rhetoric and want both justice reform and strong protection from violent crime.
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Twitter and elite progressive media are poor proxies for public opinion.
Adams’ small Twitter following contrasted with Andrew Yang’s large online presence, yet Adams won; the hosts argue that loud social-media narratives and outlets like the New York Times can misrepresent or bully candidates without reflecting ballot-box reality.
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COVID-origin debates increasingly point to opacity and possible lab involvement, but planning for ‘next time’ matters most.
The discovery of deleted early Chinese sequences suggests a cover-up and keeps the lab-leak theory alive, but Friedberg emphasizes that building faster, distributed vaccine capabilities and better lab safeguards is more important than retroactive blame.
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Global biosecurity will require open data standards and robust vaccine infrastructure.
They discuss mandating that all gain-of-function or related virology work feed into transparent global databases and supporting “vaccine printers” or rapid mRNA platforms worldwide so responses to new variants or engineered pathogens can be near-instant.
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U.S.–China relations are heading toward strategic decoupling, regardless of COVID specifics.
The group suggests that revelations about Wuhan only accelerate an already-building bipartisan desire to re-shore critical supply chains (especially pharma), treat China more warily, and accept a bifurcated global economic system.
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Apple’s App Store dominance is seen as a bottleneck for startups, but opinions diverge on remedies.
Sacks and Chamath support legislation enabling side-loading and alternative app stores to reduce Apple’s 30% “tax” and unlock innovation, while Friedberg warns that heavy-handed antitrust may replace a private monopoly with a regulatory one and hinder long-run innovation.
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Notable Quotes
“I don't think that this show should be about getting to the sound bite… This show should be about… elevating a conversation and creating the context for people to make decisions on their own.”
— David Friedberg
“Eric Adams has 14,000 Twitter followers. Yang has two million. Yang came in fourth… Twitter is not real life.”
— David Sacks
“We can't just care about the cops abusing their power. We also have to care about violence against these communities when it's perpetrated by criminals.”
— David Sacks (paraphrasing Eric Adams’ stance)
“I think it's pretty clear that this was something that leaked out of that lab. The thing that we will never, ever know is how and why, and whether it was purely accidental or something more nefarious than that.”
— Chamath Palihapitiya
“The reality is the great genius who founded Apple is long gone. It is run by HR people and woke mobs… There’s no more innovation there. They are just a gatekeeper collecting rents.”
— David Sacks (summarizing and extending Antonio García Martínez’s critique)
Questions Answered in This Episode
How should public commentators balance delivering clear, decisive positions with providing enough nuance for audiences to form their own views?
The hosts open with meta-talk about the show’s format, debating whether their role is to deliver crisp, definitive takes (Sacks) or to emphasize nuanced context so listeners form their own opinions (Friedberg), ultimately agreeing both approaches are valuable. ...
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What does Eric Adams’ success say about the future of progressive criminal-justice platforms in big U.S. cities, especially among minority voters they claim to represent?
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If further evidence confirms a lab-associated origin for COVID-19, what concrete changes should be made in global research governance without triggering a dangerous U.S.–China cold war?
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Would mandating open global databases for all high-risk virology research meaningfully improve safety, or would it introduce new security and misuse risks?
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Will legislative moves against Apple’s App Store and other tech giants actually improve conditions for startups and consumers, or mainly introduce new layers of regulatory complexity and unintended consequences?
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Transcript Preview
As you guys know, I get panic attacks at the dentist, but she was able to navigate me through where I didn't-
(laughs)
... and I only sweat through half my shirt.
You have panic attacks at the dentist?
No, but I sweat profusely and I get very nervous.
Why? What is that about?
We all have weaknesses, Jason. We all-
Wow.
... have weaknesses.
I never knew that.
This is my Achilles heel. My Achilles heel is the dentist.
Really?
Yeah.
I don't, I don't like going to the dentist either.
No, the dentist really freaks... I don't know why it freaks me out, Sacks.
That's weird.
Why does it f- Have you thought about this?
I had a really bad experience when I was a kid, you know?
Tell us more about your (laughs) childhood trauma.
Have you ever seen the movie Marathon Man? It was kinda like that.
(laughs) Is it safe? Is it safe?
I'm going all in. All right, here we go. Let your winners ride.
Rainman, David Sacks.
I'm going all in.
And I said- We open sourced it to the fans and they've just gone crazy with it.
Love you guys.
Queen of Quinoa.
I'm going all in.
Hey, everybody. Hey, everybody. Welcome again to another episode of the All In Podcast, Episode 37. With us today, on his noble crusade conquering Europe, Chamath Palihapitiya, calls us from, uh, a castle somewhere. I don't know. I can tell by the light switches you're in Europe. And joining us again, the two AIs, AI number one-
(laughs)
... David Sacks, and AI number two, David Friedberg, (laughs) are here. Uh, and of course, um, Jay Kal. Do we wanna get right into the show or... I don't know, Chamath, if you wanna talk about the, the dueling AIs in the group chat debating the nature of the pod.
I mean, one guy told the other guy, or one robot told the other robot to fuck off.
(laughs)
(laughs)
(laughs)
This is when we know it's the singularity.
But who- but who said who?
Is when the robots start arguing with each other.
See, you don't even know because you don't have an, any emotions. You told Friedberg to fuck off.
Uh, that's kinda true.
(laughs)
In fairness to Chamath Attia-
Tal talks.
... he was drinking a beverage with 14% alcohol content.
No, no, no, I just think that, um, we... I think the format of the pod is working, and I don't think we need to turn it on its head. That's all.
I think my, uh, b- so just for the list-
Oh, we're gonna do this overdue thing.
Oh boy, here we go.
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