Packy McCormick - How Writing Shapes Companies (Ep. 301)
Infinite Loops
Packy McCormick is one of the most thoughtful writers in tech and investing. In this episode of Infinite Loops, we talk about why writing is still the most powerful way to think clearly, how optimism becomes rational when you spend time with people actually building things, and what happens when the internet punishes you for being early and wrong. Important Links: Packy McCormick on Optimism: The Internet Contrarian: Elliot Herschberg on GitLab Founder and Cancer: Ben Thompson's Aggregation Theory:
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Jean-Marc Daecius - The Last Human Chief of Staff (Ep. 300)
Infinite Loops
What happens when you design a company assuming AI should do everything it possibly can? Jean-Marc Daecius, OSV's Chief of Staff, joins Infinite Loops to explain what it means to be “AI first” — and why he believes he may be the company's last human chief of staff. The conversation explores how AI can remove meaningless cognitive load, protect deep work, and unlock creative leverage — from reshuffling priorities and filtering email, to reinventing publishing, agriculture, education, and even how we discover books, movies, and ideas. Important links: Substack: Jean...
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John Wang - The Man Who Built The Queens Night Market (Ep. 299)
Infinite Loops
The Queens Night Market is one of New York City’s most beloved institutions — but it was never supposed to last more than a year. John Wang, founder of the Queens Night Market, joins Infinite Loops to explain how a side project with a “terrible business model” unexpectedly became one of the most celebrated food markets in the world. From leaving a traditional legal career to imposing a strict price cap in one of the most expensive cities on earth, John shares how the market evolved into a cultural institution representing more than 100 countries through food. Important links:...
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Cliff Asness - Surviving the Meme Stock Bubble (Ep. 298)
Infinite Loops
Cliff Asness — co-founder, managing principal, and chief investment officer at AQR Capital Management — is one of the most influential quantitative investors of the last 30 years. He's also one of the most candid. In this conversation, Cliff joins Infinite Loops to talk about why losses hurt more than wins, how bubbles form, why modern investing increasingly resembles gambling, and what the dot-com era can teach us about today’s markets. Important links: Substack: Cliff's Perspectives: Cliff's X:
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Tomás Pueyo — Explaining the World Through Geography, History and Data (EP. 297)
Infinite Loops
Tomás Pueyo, the French-Spanish engineer and writer behind the successful "Uncharted Territories" Substack, joins us to dismantle the invisible forces that shape our history and future. We cover why humans are horrible at understanding exponential change, the geographical advantages of the U.S, why the Luddites might have been right, the "social media politician" of the future, why education is mostly signaling, and how air conditioning and mosquito eradication could change the destiny of nations. Important Links:
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Annie Duke — Why We Make the Wrong Decisions (Ep. 296)
Infinite Loops
Annie Duke — former professional poker player, decision strategist, and bestselling author — joins us for a deep conversation about why smart people so often make bad decisions. Annie explains why misinterpretation is more dangerous than misinformation, why data is often true but misleading, and how our brains are wired for certainty in a probabilistic world. From real-world media examples to investing, health decisions, and AI-generated insights, this episode explores how explanations feel satisfying — even when they’re wrong. Important links: Substack: Annie's website: ...
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Jimmy Soni — The Publishing System is Broken (EP. 295)
Infinite Loops
Jimmy Soni, CEO and editor in chief of Infinite Books, is back on Infinite Loops. We discuss what’s broken in traditional publishing and how we’re fixing it. We also dig into Jimmy’s forthcoming book on Kobe Bryant, why the world needs more “problem authors,” and why our goal is to make our authors millionaires. We explore why most industries optimize for prestige instead of outcomes, how digital distribution has reshaped attention, and why authors — and creators more broadly — have more leverage than they realize. Important Links: Infinite Books: https://www.infinitebooks.com/...
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Guy Spier — Wealth, Wisdom & Enlightenment (Infinite Loops CLASSICS)
Infinite Loops
Happy Holidays! We’re taking a short break from new episodes this week so you can focus on finishing that Christmas dinner. We’ll be back next Thursday with something new. In the meantime, why not tuck into this conversation with Guy Spier from January 2024, which remains one of my favorites. Enjoy! _________________ Guy Spier runs the Aquamarine Fund, an “investment partnership closely modeled on the original Buffet Partnerships.” He is also a podcast host, YouTube creator, author of The Education of a Value Investor and the host of the annual investment gathering VALUEx. He describes...
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Vik Muniz — The Art of Perception (EP.294)
Infinite Loops
What if the invention that truly made us human wasn’t the wheel, language, or even agriculture — but art? In this episode of Infinite Loops, we sit down with internationally renowned artist Vik Muniz to explore a radical and deeply human idea: that art — the ability to represent the world — may be humanity’s most important invention after fire. Born in São Paulo and now collected by major museums around the world, Muniz reflects on his own life journey — from growing up in a Brazilian favela to redefining what art can be — and explains why the artwork is only ever half complete....
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Marc Dennis — Painting the Punchline (EP.293)
Infinite Loops
Artist Marc Dennis joins Jim O'Shaughnessy to explore the intersection of hyper-realism, humor, and the "meta-narrative." Marc shares his incredible non-linear journey—from accidentally starting a forest fire at age seven to becoming a tenured professor and eventually betting it all to become a full-time artist with no plan B. They discuss why the "key to failure" is trying to please everyone, how humor acts as a survival mechanism, and the crucial difference between perception and reality. Marc also offers a masterclass on intention, explaining why he plants hidden stories within his...
info_outlineVitaliy Katsenelson is the CEO of a value investment firm IMA, author of two books on investing, and a recently published non-investing book named “Soul In The Game”. Known for his uncommon common sense, Forbes magazine called him "The New Benjamin Graham."
Vitaliy loves to read, listen to classical music, play chess, and write about life, investing, and music.
Important Links:
- Blog: https://contrarianedge.com/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/vitaliyk
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vitaliyk
- IMA: https://imausa.com/
- Favorite classical music website: https://myfavoriteclassical.com/
- “The Gateway Drug to Classical Music” Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1tfsohjLty6IK2b2B8AGE0
Show Notes:
- Coming to America from Soviet Russia
- How movies shape perception
- Two frameworks to understand the mind
- Programming yourself with the words you use
- The Thinker and the Prover
- Abracadabra—I create as I speak
- Four modes of communication
- Not letting an idea become your identity
- Writing about both sides of the argument
- Reality is nuanced
- Depersonalize your arguments
- A mathematical formula to determine outcomes
- Table cloth model of investing
- Event, Judgement, Reaction framework
- Reframing your worries away
- Is the USA still the best place to be for talented people?
- Elon Musk’s distinctiveness
- Favorite classical composers
- Opera as a plunger for the writer's block
- Introducing kids to classical music
- The best financial advice Vitaliy ever got
- Can money buy happiness?
- Experiencing self vs. remembering self
- Traveling is an antidote for monotony
- Going outside your myopic circles
- “The Gateway Drug to Classical Music” playlist
- And MUCH more!
Books Mentioned:
- Soul In The Game; by Vitaliy Katsenelson
- Think Again; by Adam Grant
- Influence; by Dr Robert B. Cialdini
- The Wealthy Barber; by David Chilton
- Gödel, Escher, Bach; by Douglas Hofstadter
- How to Win Friends & Influence People; by Dale Carnegie