"All of a sudden you can program the world" -- it's the continuation of the software eating the world thesis we put out over five years ago, and of the trajectory of past and current technology shifts. So what are those shifts? What tech trends and platforms do we find most interesting on the heels of raising our fifth fund? Are we just building on and extending existing platforms though, or will there be new platforms; and if so, what will they be? Well, distributed systems for one...

This episode of the a16z Podcast covers all things distributed systems -- encompassing cloud and SaaS; A.I., machine learning, deep learning; and quantum computing -- to the role of hardware; future interfaces; and data, big and small. Podcast guests Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz (in conversation with Scott Kupor and Sonal Chokshi) also share the one piece of advice from a management and go-to-market perspective that all founders should know. And finally, why simulations matter... and what do we make of our current reality if we are all really living in a simulation as Elon Musk believes?

a16z Podcast: Software Programs the World

Instinctive Wealth Building - Natural Prosperity

https://mindpersuasion.com/money-magnet/

I build wealth instinctively

I build wealth intuitively

I build wealth subconsciously

I build wealth unconsciously

I build wealth telepathically

I build wealth supernaturally

I build wealth irresistibly

I build wealth automatically

I build wealth naturally 

I build wealth easily

I build wealth effortlessly

I build wealth paranormally

I build wealth spiritually

I build wealth unbelievably

I build wealth haphazardly

I build wealth consistently

I build wealth smoothly

I build wealth cleanly

I build wealth graciously

I build wealth powerfully

I build wealth unavoidably

You build wealth instinctively

You build wealth intuitively

You build wealth subconsciously

You build wealth unconsciously

You build wealth telepathically

You build wealth supernaturally

You build wealth irresistibly

You build wealth automatically

You build wealth naturally 

You build wealth easily

You build wealth effortlessly

You build wealth paranormally

You build wealth spiritually

You build wealth unbelievably

You build wealth haphazardly

You build wealth consistently

You build wealth smoothly

You build wealth cleanly

You build wealth graciously

You build wealth powerfully

You build wealth unavoidably

Instinctive Wealth Building

We've all asked "what if" questions about our life: What if I had majored in art instead of business? What if I had let my best friend know I liked her as more than a friend? What if I had taken the job offer in Colorado? Sometimes contemplating the imagined possibilities of these alternative histories fills us with sharp pangs of regret.

My guest today says that's not necessarily a bad thing. His name is Neal Roese and he's a professor of psychology and marketing and the author of If Only: How to Turn Regret Into Opportunity. Neal and I begin our conversation by unpacking how asking "what if" is to engage in something called "counterfactual thinking," and how you can create a downward counterfactual, in which you imagine how a decision could have turned out worse, or an upward counterfactual, where you imagine how a decision could have turned out better. Neal then explains why living without regret isn't actually that healthy, and why even though regret is an unpleasant feeling, it can be an important spur towards greater improvement, action, and agency. We then do get into the circumstances in which regret can become a negative force, before turning to what Neal's research says are the most common regrets people have in life. At the end of our conversation, we pivot to talking about how imagining how your life could have turned out worse, can make you feel happier. 

Get the show notes at aom.is/regret.

#620: How to Deal With Life's Regrets

To be a great success in business, you need to have a compelling vision, create a well-thought-out strategy to achieve that vision, and then fully commit to that strategy with action and resources.

That’s also the recipe for being a great failure in business.

That’s what my guest argues in his book The Strategy Paradox: Why Committing to Success Leads to Failure. His name is Michael Raynor and we begin our discussion by describing the strategy paradox: the fact that the same sound strategy can lead to both success and failure. We discuss how the outcome then depends less on the strategy itself, than on the idea you decide to bet on, using the example of the way Sony employed the right strategy in backing Betamax in the VCR wars, but still lost out to VHS. Raynor then explains the limitations of forecasting and adaption, the approaches companies typically use to navigate the tension between needing to commit to something, and being uncertain they’ve committed to the right thing. He then unpacks two more effective ways of developing strategic flexibility: separating the management of commitment from the management of uncertainty, and acquiring a portfolio of assets that will increase your optionality. We end our conversation with whether the strategy paradox can be applied not only to making decisions in business, but to making decisions in our personal lives as well.

Get the show notes at aom.is/strategyparadox.

#630: The Strategy Paradox

We all know the basics of losing weight: don't consume more calories than your body needs. And yet many of us still overeat anyway, sometimes continually, sometimes to the point where it leads to obesity, diabetes, and a significantly lower quality of life. Why does our behavior betray our intentions to be lean and healthy? 

My guest today argues that the answer lies in the ancient instincts of our brains that no longer fit the environment of the modern world. His name is Stephan Guyenet, and he's a neuroscientist, obesity researcher, and the author of The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat. We begin our conversation with what's changed in our country to turn obesity into an epidemic, and why Americans started gaining more weight in the 1970s. We then dive into exactly how the reward system in our brains leads us to eat more than we need to, how modern manufactured foods like Doritos hijack this reward system, and the factors that ramp up our cravings, including the buffet effect. We then explain how to push back on the desire to overeat, including reevaluating the assumption that all the food you consume needs to be delicious. From there we turn to the role that the hormone leptin plays in appetite regulation, how it can make it hard to keep the weight you lose from coming back, and the best techniques to manage this countervailing force. We end our conversation with the role stress and sleep play in weight gain.

Get the show notes at aom.is/hungrybrain.

#636: Why You Overeat and What to Do About It

Civil wars, proxy wars, cold wars, hot wars. Economic collapse, the collapse of civil societies and governments. Hunger, torture, disease. Many parts of the world seem to be falling apart in 2020, but even then, the Middle East is its own special case. To talk about the state of one of the world’s most turbulent regions, Steven Cook joins us. Cook is the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He recently wrote an overview for Foreign Policy magazine that captures much of what’s going on—“The End of Hope in the Middle East” <ul><li>Recorded 9/10</li><li>How bad are things really?</li><li>How Western powers created a sectarian system in Lebanon</li><li>Who is fighting on the ground in Libya?</li><li>Russian mercenaries and air assets</li><li>Iraq as America’s original sin of the current troubles, and why that’s wrong</li><li>How Saddam held Iraq together</li><li>Fragmentation of the Middle East</li><li>Is Saudi Arabia as stable as it seems?</li><li>The importance of having a vision for the future</li></ul> &#10;&nbsp; <hr>See <a style='color: grey; ' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.

War, Death, and Financial Collapse in the Middle East

Indigenous peoples burned their land for thousands of years to prevent much larger fires. Why it might be an important part of future wildfire prevention.

Science Friday

How Indigenous Burning Practices Could Prevent Massive Wildfires

Catherine introduces the benefits of doing body scans and leads you in a short practice. Leave feeling relaxed and ever more able to be present for your emotions. (<11 min)

Body Scan 10-1-20

We typically think of fear as a negative emotion. Something that feels terrible, and not only keeps us away from true danger, but also inhibits us from going after our life's goals and passions. 

Fear can indeed be an unwelcome hindrance, but, my guest today argues, it can also be a powerful propellant and a signpost towards success. His name is Patrick Sweeney, he's a tech entrepreneur, a university lecturer, a coach and consultant to CEOs, professional athletes, and Navy SEALs, and the author of Fear Is Fuel: The Surprising Power to Help You Find Purpose, Passion, and Performance. We begin our conversation with how a diagnosis of leukemia forced Patrick to confront the fact that he had led a life dominated and shrunken by fear, and inspired him to face those fears and to spend six years talking to leading neuroscientists about how to live more courageously. He explains how fear should be thought of not only as an early warning system for danger, but as an early warning system for opportunity. We then unpack the three kinds of fears which exist, and how you can be fearful in one area but courageous in another. Patrick then explains how it's possible to train the brain's courage center to control and reprogram its fear center, so you can get the best from fear, rather than letting it get the best of you. We discuss how uncertainty creates something called "free energy," how free energy creates fear, and how to reduce both forces by exposing yourself to a wide range of experiences. We end our conversation with how to find the motivation to take the first step into a fear, and three things you can do to gain the confidence to take action in the face of uncertainty.

Get the show notes at aom.is/fearisfuel.

#651: How to Turn Fear Into Fuel

Anyone who's ever tried to lose weight, curb their temper, quit smoking, or alter any other habit in their lives knows that personal change is hard. Really hard.

Most self-help books out there treat people like machines, blitzing past this difficulty and offering mechanical 5-step formulas for changing your life.

My guest today says such simplified solutions hugely miss the mark. He argues that if you ever want to change, it's more fruitful to understand why you don't, than figure why you do, and to understand that, you've got to go deeper, existential even.

His name is Dr. Ross Ellenhorn, and he's spent his career facilitating the recovery of individuals diagnosed with psychiatric and substance abuse issues. In his latest book, How We Change (And Ten Reasons Why We Don't), he's taken what he's learned in his work and applied it to anyone trying to change their lives.

Ross and I begin our conversation with some of those reasons we don't change, including the existential pressure of feeling like you're solely in charge of making change happen, a dizzying amount of freedom and number of options for what to do with your life, and day-to-day factors which influence our level of motivation. From there we turn to the role of hope and faith in psychology, and how these forces can both boost and restrain your ability to change. We discuss the way a fear of hope can constrain your life, why you sometimes need to embrace staying the same in order to ever change, and the difference between good faith and bad faith. We then discuss the idea that you don't develop hope, but can develop faith, and how you build your faith in yourself through embracing humility and taking small steps. Ross then explains why he doesn't really give advice on how to change, beyond finding the good in a bad habit, but how patience and your social environment can also help.

This show's got some counterintuitive advice that will help you see your struggles differently. Get the show notes at aom.is/change.

#657: Why You Don't Change (But How You Still Can)

Jeffrey is a paradox in the business world with this unconventional philosophy on business and his years of experience he is at the forefront cutting edge wisdom for entrepreneurs.

He is at home facilitating executive retreats in the amazonian jungle as he is in the boardroom of fortune 500 companies.

His unique life experience and  his years in business make him a visionary thought leader for entrepreneurs of our time.

Companies and entrepreneurs seek to work with Jeff to gain clarity and accelerate results.

Jeffrey supports modern day visionaries who are here to make the world a better place from CEO’s, to entrepreneurs, to executives and billion dollar organisations to execute their vision. His genius is he is able to support high level leaders with his unconventional methodology that accelerates and amplifies their companies growth and their own rapidly. 

Jeffrey has shared the stage with other incredible thought leaders like Sir Richard Branson (founder of Virgin), Dr. John Demartini (star from the movie The Secret), Frank Kern (the highest paid direct response internet marketer in the world), Tim Ferriss (Author of Four Hour Work Week), Tony Robbins and many others.

He questions the validity of the beliefs that are holding leaders back.

Jeff has worked with over a million people from twelve different countries for the last 15 years as a transformational leadership coach.

#657: Why You Don't Change (But How You Still Can)

The Art of Manliness

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