Danielle Crittenden - Dispatches from Grief (Ep. 313)
Infinite Loops
On a February morning, Danielle Crittenden’s world cleaved in two: the life before her daughter Miranda was found dead in her Brooklyn apartment, and the life after. Two years and three months later, Danielle joins Infinite Loops to discuss her luminous memoir, Dispatches from Grief, which unflinchingly traces the strange afterlife of grief with precision, restraint, and unexpected humor. This conversation explores what grief really feels like. With extraordinary honesty and grace, Danielle shares the physical pain, the loneliness of loss, and the slow work of carrying her...
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Saloni Dattani - The Hidden Bottleneck Holding Back the Future of Medicine (Ep. 312)
Infinite Loops
Saloni Dattani, author of the Scientific Discovery Substack and founding editor of magazine, joins Infinite Loops to discuss why medical innovation is often much slower than it needs to be. We explore why so much research still begins in animal models, how poor data distorts our understanding of disease, why clinical trials are one of the biggest bottlenecks in medicine, and how better systems could help promising treatments reach patients faster. Important Links: Read more from Saloni here: And here: And listen to Saloni's podcast "Hard Drugs" here:
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Brian Potter - How to Fix America’s Building Problem
Infinite Loops
Why has America become so bad at building housing, infrastructure, and major projects? Brian Potter, author of The Origins of Efficiency and writer of Construction Physics, explains why prefab housing keeps failing and why there are no easy fixes to America’s building problem. We discuss Katerra, California’s anti-growth turn, and the deeper logic behind local opposition to growth: concentrated harms and diffuse benefits. Important Links: Read Brian's newsletter Construction Physics here: Read Brian's book The Origins of Efficiency here: Learn more about Brian here:
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Alex Petkas - What Ancient Greece Can Teach Us About AI and the Future (Ep. 310)
Infinite Loops
What can Aristotle, Plato, Prometheus, and the Greek city-states teach us about AI, innovation, and the future of human flourishing? Alex Petkas joins the show to explore how old myths still matter in a world shaped by technology. We talk about Prometheus as the foundational myth of tech, Plato’s fear that writing would become a tool for forgetting, the real lesson of Icarus, why decentralization creates cultural power, and what it means to remain fully human in the age of AI. Important Links: Learn More about The Cost of Glory: Check out Alex's Youtube Channel: Alex's Twitter: The...
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Sam Arbesman - Why Future Belongs to Curious People (Ep. 309)
Infinite Loops
Scientist and writer Sam Arbesman joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on AI, optimism, science, education, archives, science fiction, and why the history of computing still has so much to teach us. We talk about why pessimism is often mistaken for sophistication, why AI may reward open-mindedness more than intelligence, why science works even though scientists are imperfect, and why the future may depend on revisiting forgotten ideas from the past. Important Links: Learn more about Sam here: Read Sam's latest book: Sam's Substack: Neal Stephenson's Innovation Starvation: ...
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Johnathan Bi - Why the Best Founders Might Need a Little Delusion (Ep. 308)
Infinite Loops
Johnathan Bi returns to Infinite Loops for a conversation about founders, delusion, America, religion, mysticism, and the strange tension between truth and action. We explore why some of the most effective builders may be the least introspective, why societies often run on useful fictions, how America encourages megalomania, what happens when materialism starts to feel incomplete, and why the “seeker” may matter even more in the age of AI. The episode moves from Plato and Caesar to founders, mystics, near-death experiences, and the future of human creativity. Important Links: Johnathan's...
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Polina Pompliano - What Truly Drives Successful People (Ep. 307)
Infinite Loops
Polina Pompliano studies some of the most successful people in the world—and what she’s found challenges how we think about success, creativity, and human behavior. In this episode of Infinite Loops, we explore the mental models behind high performers, why we misunderstand people (including ourselves), and what it really takes to see the world differently. From creativity and rationality to identity, media bias, and the hidden motivations driving success, this conversation is a deep dive into how great thinkers actually operate. Important Links: Check out Polina's new book: More...
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Adam Mastroianni - Why Creativity Feels Like It's Dying (Ep. 306)
Infinite Loops
In this episode of Infinite Loops, we speak with Adam Mastroianni—experimental psychologist and sharp critic of modern culture and science. We ask, why does creativity feel like it’s fading? From endless remakes to cultural sameness, Adam argues that as society becomes more stable and risk-averse, we may be unintentionally reducing the “deviance” that drives originality and breakthrough thinking. We also discuss why science should get weirder, how to fight credentialism, and the dangers of professionalization. Important Links: To learn more about Adam Mastroianni: Adam's Piece on...
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Arkady Kulik - The Psychology of Self-Deception (Ep. 305)
Infinite Loops
In this episode of Infinite Loops, we sit down with venture capitalist and physicist Arkady Kulikov to explore the psychology behind founders, responsibility, and self-deception. Kulik discusses why the hardest problems in business are almost always human problems, how great founders deal with stress, and why the biggest lie entrepreneurs tell is often to themselves. He also explains how investors evaluate founder psychology, why difficult conversations are essential in business, and why resilience is more about adaptability than stubbornness. Important Links: Listen to our last...
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Angus Fletcher - The Biggest Mistake We Made About Intelligence (Ep. 304)
Infinite Loops
In this episode of Infinite Loops, Jim O’Shaughnessy sits down with Angus Fletcher, Professor of Story Science at Ohio State University's Project Narrative and author of multiple books at the intersection of narrative theory, psychology, and brain science. Angus’ research challenges one of the most widely accepted ideas in modern culture: that the human brain works like a computer. Drawing on his work with U.S. Army Special Operations, he argues that humans think not in equations, but in actions and stories — and that modern education systems are failing to cultivate the...
info_outlineWhat if the biggest barrier between you and your dreams isn't talent, connections, or luck— but simply the belief that you need permission to act? Jay Yang joins Infinite Loops to challenge one of the most limiting assumptions of our time: that opportunities must be handed to us rather than created by us.
At just 16, Jay cold-emailed the CEO of Beehiiv with a concrete plan that led to an internship. At 17, he sent Noah Kagan a 19-page audit of his email funnel with ready-to-ship assets, ultimately becoming head of content and helping put "Million Dollar Weekend" on the New York Times bestseller list. His secret? Understanding that preparation beats bravado, that most doors don't even have locks, and that the fastest way to get what you want is to do the work upfront and make saying "yes" a no-brainer for others.
This conversation dives deep into Jay's philosophy of permissionless action, exploring why most people accept the "standard pace" when there's actually no speed limit, how to reprogram limiting beliefs through small wins, and why high agency people focus on outputs while low agency people get trapped tracking inputs.
I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.
Important Links:
- Jay Yang's website
- Jay Yang's X
- Jay Yang's Instagram
- Jay Yang's Book, You Can Just Do Things
- Jay Yang's LinkedIn
Show Notes:
- The Philosophy of Permissionless Action
- Breaking Free from Era-Defining Ideas
- Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
- Starting Small: Building Confidence Through Micro-Actions
- Inner vs. Outer Orientation
- Inputs vs. Outputs: The Agency Divide
- Failure as Feedback
- The Power of Persistence
- Curiosity and Cognitive Diversity
- AI and the Future of Work
- The Busy-ness Trap
- Signal vs. Noise in the AI Era
- People You Learn From Don't Have Huge Following
- The TAG Method Explained
- The New Way of Hiring
- Learning from the Greats
- Motivation vs. Clarity
- Jay’s North Star and Anti-Goals
- Viktor Frankl and Finding Your Why
- Working in Public
- The Second Book Preview
- The Emperor Question
- Closing & Contact Information
Books Mentioned:
- You Can Just Do Things: The Power of Permissionless Actions (Jay Yang)
- Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan
- The Tao of Kobe (forthcoming 2026, Jimmy Soni)
- Greatness Cannot Be Planned (Ken Stanley)
- Man's Search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl)