Due Diligence

What would it take to make California a place where more people can afford to build a good life? I sit down with Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton to discuss his path from advising British Prime Minister David Cameron to running for office in California, our shared love of the American promise, and why he believes the state is falling short. We explore how good intentions can produce...

What exactly is “macro” and how does it affect ordinary Americans? In this episode I sit down with Eric Wallerstein, Chief Macro Strategist at Clocktower Group, to explore the machinery beneath the economy and financial markets. Eric brings an unusually wide-ranging perspective. He began his career at the New York Fed, reported on markets for The Wall Street Journal , served as Chief Markets Strat...

I speak with Jamie Joyce—a researcher, civic technologist, nonprofit founder of The Society Library, former Internet Archive project lead, and Democratic candidate for California’s 12th Congressional District—about what pushed her to run, including threats and local political “blacklisting.” We discuss how political incentives reward “gangster” tactics, why media literacy matters (informal logic,...

Brad Stulberg is a bestselling author, performance coach to founders & elite athletes, and researcher on sustainable excellence, well-being, and behavior change. His new book, The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World , is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. He's also the author of The Practice of Groundedness and Master of Change , and co...

Today I speak with Dr. Nina Schwalbe , a public health scientist and former senior leader at UNICEF and Gavi who helped lead a Biden-appointed $7B global COVID vaccine effort, about why she's running for Congress in New York's District 12 in a crowded, money-dominated primary (June 23). We unpack how fundraising, media coverage, Democratic club endorsements, and super PACs shaped by Citizens Unite...

I interview Canadian political scientist Daniel A. Bell (University of Hong Kong) about his latest book Why Ancient Chinese Political Thought Matters and how Chinese political theory broadens a West-centric Anglophone canon. Bell explains major pre-unification traditions—Confucianism (graded love, harmony, ritual, soft power, political meritocracy), Legalism (state-strengthening through uniform, r...

Conversation with Washington Post columnist and political scientist Shadi Hamid on American power, democracy, and the case for hegemony in the 21st century Is America a force for good in the world? It's a question that has become increasingly uncomfortable to ask—and even more uncomfortable to answer. In this episode of Due Diligence, I sit down with political scientist, columnist, and author Shad...

This is a solo episode on how AI may reshape the infrastructure of our economy and how it is forcing us to reckon with our values across economics, culture, and policy at a historical inflection point. This crisis is our opportunity to reshape our economic system to work for everyone — and ask ourselves how we might steer towards a post-scarcity future oriented around unlocking greater individual...

In this episode I talk with Dr. Rosemary Kelanic, director of the Middle East program at Defense Priorities, about why oil has shaped U.S. involvement in the Middle East and how it connects to the current U.S.-Iran war. She explains Trump's stated objectives (regime change, stopping a nuclear weapon, limiting missiles, ending proxy support) and traces the longer U.S.-Iran history from the 1953 cou...

In this episode, I sit down with Professor Darrick Hamilton — economist, public intellectual, and founding director of the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School — to understand what baby bonds are, why they matter, and how they could help us expand economic freedoms for all Americans. What we cover: What baby bonds are and how they work Why economic freedom is the preco...

Kishore Mahbubani is a distinguished Singaporean diplomat, academic, and author, renowned for his incisive commentary on global geopolitics and the rise of Asia. He served in the Singapore Foreign Service as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Singapore’s Ambassador to the UN, where he was President of the UN Security Council in 2001 and 2002. He was also the Founding Dean o...

This is a "book club" solo episode where I summarize & comment on a nonfiction book as part of the Due Diligence Book Club (Patreon available here ). This episode is on All The Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer published in 2003 about Operation Ajax, the CIA overthrow of Mohammad Mossadegh, the prime minister of Iran.

In this episode, I invite social & peace activist and former IDF soldier Adar Weinreb onto the show. Adar shares his thoughtful perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, emphasizing the importance of humanization in creating the possibility of reconciliation. He reflects on his experiences as an IDF soldier and his evolution towards understanding the common humanity shared by both sides...

In this episode, I delve into the fascinating history of Silicon Valley with Margaret O'Mara, a professor of American History at the University of Washington and a leading historian of Silicon Valley. We explore the relationship between the public and private sectors that fueled the growth of Silicon Valley, debunking the myth of the lone entrepreneur and highlighting the significant role of Cold...

In this episode, I sit down with Glory Liu, author of Adam Smith's America: How a Scottish Philosopher Became an Icon of American Capitalism. We delve into her book which examines the intellectual history and evolving interpretations of Adam Smith's ideas in America. Liu, Assistant Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University, discusses how Adam Smith's works have been understood and...

This episode is a solo deep dive into our founding document, the Declaration of Independence — its history, its intellectual influences, its legacy and ultimately its evolution into our national "scripture" as historian Pauline Maier calls it. 00:00 Introduction to the Declaration of Independence01:23 The Myth That Binds Us05:01 Historical Context and Influences07:11 Early Colonial Period 18:04 Th...

Mark Blyth is a political economist and the William R. Rhodes Professor of International Economics at Brown University. He is the author of several books including Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea (named one of the best books of the year in 2013 by the Financial Times and Bloomberg), Angrynomics , and a new book coming out in May 2025 called Inflation: A Guide for Users and Losers . His...

Keith Rabois is a cofounder of OpenStore, a platform connecting shoppers and merchants to create the ultimate decentralized "department store" of the internet. Keith is also a General Partner at Founders Fund, one of the top venture firms in the world. He is cofounder and executive chairman of OpenDoor, served on the boards of Yelp and Reddit, was Managing Director at Khosla Ventures, and COO at S...

Sophia Amoruso is a serial entrepreneur who founded fashion retailer Nasty Gal and media startup Girlboss. She is also the NYTimes bestselling author of Girlboss, a business memoir that sparked a movement, inspired a Netflix show, and became solidly part of our entrepreneurial vernacular. She is now the founder of online course Business Class and VC fund Trust Fund. What we discuss: How she has ev...

Michael Maslansky is a communication strategist and language expert who teaches companies how to effectively connect with customers. As the CEO of Maslansky + Partners , his emotionally savvy coaching has helped numerous Fortune 500s like Pfizer, Starbucks, Bank of America and Microsoft find their footing in times of crisis. His firm’s polling methodologies and in-depth focus groups have frequentl...

Samyr Laine is an investor, Olympian, and operator with a background in sports & entertainment. He is currently GP of Freedom Trail Capital, SVP of The Creator Project at Raptive, former SVP of Operations & Strategy at Westbrook, and former Senior Director of Operations at Roc Nation. Prior to working on celebrity ventures for Will & Jada Pinkett Smith and Roc Nation, Samyr worked in t...

Rich Antoniello is the founder and former CEO of Complex Networks, a youth culture brand and media company that was founded in 2002 and sold in 2015 to Hearst and Verizon and later in 2021 to BuzzFeed. Find Rich on Twitter and LinkedIn Mentioned in the episode: Collect'd XSET Popchew ⁠Female Founder World⁠

Ahad Khan is the CEO of Kajabi, the leading knowledge commerce platform for creators to monetize their expertise. Check out Kajabi

Ankur Nagpal is the founder of Teachable which he started in 2013 and sold for a reported $250M to HotMart in 2020. He is also the founder of Vibe Capital, an early-stage venture fund, and most recently Ocho, a fintech startup on a mission to help business owners and creators build wealth.

Brian Sugar is the co-founder and former CEO of PopSugar, a women's media company acquired by Group Nine (which was later acquired by Vox Media). He is now the Managing Partner of Sugar Capital where he invests in DTC brands like Feastables, Kinship, Caraway, Brightland, Omsom, Starface, and Kinship as well as tech companies enabling commerce like Archive, Bounty, EcoCart, Tydo, Fondue, and Cogsy....