Sangeet Choudary - How AI Will Reshape the Knowledge Economy (Ep. 323)
Infinite Loops
Sangeet Choudary joins Infinite Loops to explain why AI’s greatest impact will not be automating today’s work, but rebuilding the structures beneath it. They discuss AI-native companies, the future of knowledge work, the American and Chinese AI models, creative “exhaust,” changing career paths, and how to compete when the rules of the game are constantly being rewritten. Important Links: Learn more about Sangeet and Reshuffle here: Read more about the Platform Revolution here:
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Jameson Olsen - Becoming the Main Character (Ep. 322)
Infinite Loops
What if the great stories were more than just stories? Jameson Olsen, host of Becoming the Main Character, joins guest host Liberty to explore fiction as a kind of operating system for life — a way to study agency, ambition, empathy, failure, courage, and change without having to live every consequence yourself. Through Hamlet, Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, Lord of the Rings, training montages, NPCs, and the Hero’s Journey, they discuss what it means to stop drifting through life and start holding the pen of your own story. Important Links: Listen to Jameson's podcast here:
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David Gelles - The Stories that Shape Business (Ep. 321)
Infinite Loops
David Gelles joins guest host Jimmy Soni to discuss his career covering business for The New York Times. They talk about his books - Mindful Work, The Man Who Broke Capitalism, and Dirtbag Billionaire - and the reporting behind major stories on Bernie Madoff, Jack Welch, Boeing's 737 Max crashes, and Patagonia's Yvon Chouinard. David explains how he broke a front-page story five weeks into journalism school, how he convinced Bernie Madoff to grant him a prison interview, and his process for writing books while working full-time. They also discuss raising kids who read for hours every day and...
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Gretchen Rubin - How Curiosity Becomes a Calling (Ep. 320)
Infinite Loops
Gretchen Rubin joins guest host and Infinite Books CEO Jimmy Soni to discuss her journey from Supreme Court clerk to bestselling author, the creative obsessions that shaped her career, and the daily habits that fuel her work. They cover her transition from law to writing Power Money Fame Sex, why she often ends up writing the book before the proposal, the art of editing until the final hour (even during pass pages), her 5:30 AM writing routine, and why "know thyself" remains the foundation of all her books - from 40 Ways to Look at Winston Churchill to Life in Five Senses. Important Links:...
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Ben Cohen - The Hidden Art of Making Things Better (Ep. 319)
Infinite Loops
Wall Street Journal columnist Ben Cohen joins guest host Jimmy Soni, CEO of Infinite Books, to explore the hidden art of making things better. They explore the hot hand phenomenon in basketball, why Moneyball shaped a generation of journalists, the peanut butter and jelly crisis in the Warriors locker room, why ASML is the most important company you’ve never heard of, the strange story of Driscoll's tastiest berries, and the troubled development of The Princess Bride. Important Links: Learn more about Ben here: Read The Science of Success: Read The Hot Hand:
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Revan Lazarus - How AI is Rebuilding the Creator Economy (Ep. 318)
Infinite Loops
AI is no longer just a tool creators use to make content faster. It is beginning to reshape the entire creator economy. Revan Lazarus is the founder of Jamie, an AI platform for podcast networks and digital sales teams. He joins Infinite Loops, guest-hosted by Nick Tawil, to discuss how AI is changing podcasting, media sales, audience analytics, creator monetization, brand deals, and the future of content itself. Important Links: Learn more about Jamie AI:
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Brian London, Marisa Adler & Eric Stubin - The Hidden Economy of Recycled Clothes (Ep. 317)
Infinite Loops
What actually happens after you donate a bag of clothes? Most people assume it gets sold locally to someone in need, but the reality is much bigger, stranger, and more global. In this episode of Infinite Loops, hosted by OSV’s , we sit down for a roundtable on the hidden global economy of secondhand textiles with , , and , all experts in the field. We discuss how the industry works, why fast fashion has made the problem harder, why 70% of the world uses secondhand clothing, what AI can and can’t solve, and why turning an old shirt into a new shirt is still much harder than it sounds....
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Jason Buck - Faith, Failure, and Finance (Ep. 316)
Infinite Loops
Jason Buck, founder and CIO of Mutiny Funds, joins Infinite Loops to tell the painful and darkly funny story of how the 2007–2008 crash destroyed his real estate business, wiped out his paper wealth, and taught him one of the hardest lessons in markets: being right is not the same thing as making money. Jason explains how he went from real estate developer to volatility trader and eventually built his philosophy around survival, resilience, and the “Cockroach Portfolio.” He and Jim explore why true diversification always feels uncomfortable, why human behavior is the most persistent...
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Chelsea Follett - Why Progress Is the Exception, Not the Rule (Ep. 315)
Infinite Loops
Chelsea Follett joins Infinite Loops to explain why the “good old days” were far darker than most people imagine — and why progress should never be taken for granted. Chelsea is the managing editor of Human Progress and author of Centers of Progress and the forthcoming The Grim Old Days. We discuss why humans are so drawn to nostalgia, what life was really like in the preindustrial past, why doomsday predictions keep failing, and how freedom, innovation, and open inquiry helped create the modern world. Important Links: Learn More about Chelsea’s upcoming book here: Read more of...
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Mykhailo Marynenko - AI Tools That Give Creators More Control (Ep. 314)
Infinite Loops
Mykhailo Marynenko joins Infinite Loops for for a fascinating conversation about the future of AI, creative tools, privacy, and data ownership. From growing up in his father’s phone repair shop in Ukraine to building experimental AI systems today, Mykhailo has spent his life taking things apart, figuring out how they work, and rebuilding them in unexpected ways. We explore how AI can help creators without replacing them, why privacy and data ownership matter, and what it means to design tools that give people more control over complex information. Important Links More about...
info_outline“Most people don’t want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.”
My latest guest, Nir Eyal, writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford.
In our conversation, Nir gives it to us straight. Distraction is killing us, and stopping us from reaching our full potential. In a world that is constantly conspiring to keep us distracted, Nir provides an alternative: we can take back control. We can regain our agency.
All of these ideas are presented in his book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life (co-authored with Julie Li). This book is a clear guide to understanding the psychology behind our impulses and is chock-full of great anecdotes and peer-reviewed studies to help you better manage your time, and your life.
Nir’s framework is not only interesting, it is practical, so I suggest you check out our Substack, where you’ll find the episode transcript and some actionable takeaways. I also encourage you to buy Nir’s excellent book and start applying his strategies to your own life.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!
Important Links:
- Nir’s personal blog
- Nir’s LinkedIn
- Nir’s Twitter
- Nir’s YouTube channel
- Nir’s Habit Tracking Tool
- Nir’s Schedule Maker Tool
Show Notes:
- What Being Indistractable Is All About
- Etymology of the Word Distraction
- The Strong Pull of Internal Triggers
- The Tyranny of the To-Do List
- The Difference Between High Performers and Low Performers
- The Dangers of Labelling Ourselves
- Using the Psychology of Identity
- Using Self-Determination Theory to Diagnose Distraction
- The Perils of Snowplow Parenting
- Believe the Good Science
- Nir as Emperor of the World
Books / Articles Mentioned:
- Indistractable; by Nir Eyal (+ bonus content)
- Nir’s articles on Timeboxing, Values, FOMO and Wage slavery
- Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life; by Peter Gray