Episode notes
Getting a valuation from the US government via the equity tax allows OpenAI to tell investors “we are worth a trillion [dollars]”
Mike and Nick examine the dangerous intersection of good intentions, astroturfing, and the kayfabe of the AI bubble. They compare Senator Sanders' proposal for an AI wealth tax to the industry's. Mike also details how industry operatives might be using the left's talking points against them to shape the policy agenda.
- The valuation magic trick: Valuations are invocations: numbers that become real once believed. If a politician proposes taxing a company based on a specific valuation, they aren't just taking money, they are validating a price tag.
- Bailouts in broad daylight: If the government holds equity in AI companies, the state becomes a stakeholder. A “tax” becomes a vested interest in an industry losing billions.
- 'Weaponized memetic schismogenesis:' Through influence campaigns AI industry affiliates are nudging critics to frame the debate.
Timestamps
0:00 Last Enclosure purpose
2:58 Sanders and Altman, aligned?
5:22 Importance of a valuation
7:54 Perverse incentives + bad tools
15:10 Schismogenesis and Bernie
29:29 Bernie and Yudkowsky
36:22 The legitimacy of Effective Altruism
37:37 Bernie vs Claude
39:34 Hank Green, Bernie, and AI Safety
46:50 Anthropic and EA
53:49 Is this a bailout?
1:00:55 Don't fall for kayfabe
1:03:35 AI economics redux (open source race)
1:12:55 Local models kill AGI
1:16:22 Conclusion
Deeper learning
Sanders' proposal: forbes.com/sites/jamesbroughel/2026/06/22/bernie-sanders-wants-a-us-sovereign-wealth-fund-for-ai
Altman's proposal: techcrunch.com/2026/07/02/openai-proposed-donating-5-of-its-equity-to-a-us-sovereign-wealth-fund
Anthropic's proposal: apnews.com/article/anthropic-dario-amodei-ai-afeb5279eef406980dffa46ff91495e0
Amodei's policy vision: darioamodei.com/post/policy-on-the-ai-exponential
Mike's rant on “left is missing out” bsky.app/profile/misaligned.markets/post/3mf76r4ewd22x
Yudkowsky: “Shut it all down” (2023 Time article): time.com/6266923/ai-eliezer-yudkowsky-open-letter-not-enough
AI influence in Sci YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=0Plo-zT8W9w
Sci-educator on Hank Green: youtube.com/watch?v=9dXqf5CRH5U
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