E129: Sam Altman plays chess with regulators, AI's "nuclear" potential, big pharma bundling & more

**Jason Calacanis** (0:00)
I have a little surprise for my besties. Everybody's been getting incredible adulation. People have been getting incredible feedback on the podcast. It is a phenomenon as we know.
And I thought it was time for us to do performance reviews of each bestie.
Now, I, as executive producer, I'm not in a position to do your performance reviews. I too need to have a performance review. So I thought I would let the audience do their performance reviews. So we went and we're debuting a new feature today. At this very moment, it's called Reddit Performance Reviews.

**David Friedberg** (0:33)
Oh, God.

**Jason Calacanis** (0:34)
Cue some music here, some graphics, Reddit Performance Reviews. And so we'll start off with you, David Friedberg.

**Chamath Palihapitiya** (0:41)
This proves why you haven't been successful in life so far. When you are trying to build a successful enterprise, instead of keeping the judgment to yourself, which is what all elite performers do, you turned it over to a bunch of mids on Reddit.

**David Friedberg** (0:57)
Yes.

**Chamath Palihapitiya** (0:57)
No, they were already doing it. They were already doing it.

**Jason Calacanis** (0:59)
We just collected it.

**Chamath Palihapitiya** (1:00)
What elucidation were you going to get from Reddit?

**David Sacks** (1:02)
Yeah, really.

**Jason Calacanis** (1:03)
Let's not ruin the bit.

**David Sacks** (1:04)
Do you think Elon does 360 performance reviews?

**David Friedberg** (1:07)
On Reddit?

**Chamath Palihapitiya** (1:08)
On Reddit, of all things? You know how many 360 performance reviews I've done in my life?
Zero.

**Jason Calacanis** (1:14)
Of course. And that's why this will be so entertaining.

**David Friedberg** (1:16)
OK, go, go. Start off with me.

**Jason Calacanis** (1:18)
But here's how it's going to work. You are going to be presented with the candid feedback that you've gotten in the last 30 days on Reddit.
But for the first time, and you have to read it out loud to the class. Friedberg, you'll go first. Here's your first piece of candid feedback in your 360 from the Reddit in cells. Good, Friedberg, read it out loud.

**David Friedberg** (1:38)
David Friedberg deserves more hate. He and the others have made it their mission to convince us that reforming Social Security is the only way forward to survive.
He hides behind this nerdy, apolitical persona and then goes hard right out of nowhere.
Is Sacks fear mongered about the deficit as an excuse to restructure entitlement programs? We would see that as the partisan right-wing take it is. When Friedberg does it, we're supposed to act like he has no skin in this game. He's just the science guy. No, he's a rich guy who would rather work your grandparents to death than pay an extra 5% tax.

**Jason Calacanis** (2:15)
All right, there's your review. Very good. I think you took it well and you don't have to respond now. Don't be defensive.

**David Friedberg** (2:21)
Just take it in. Just to counter briefly, I have highlighted multiple times.
I think we're going to 70% tax rates, but hey, you know, teach their own. Everyone's got an opinion.

**David Sacks** (2:30)
That won't generate more revenue.

**David Friedberg** (2:31)
Yeah.

**David Sacks** (2:32)
History's any guide.

**David Friedberg** (2:33)
Yeah.

**Jason Calacanis** (2:33)
Well, the audience has been waiting for this. David Sacks has never taken a piece of feedback and the feedback he has gotten, he hasn't taken well. So here we go, David. Here's your performance review.
Go ahead.

**David Sacks** (2:43)
I'm supposed to read this?

**Jason Calacanis** (2:44)
Go with the bit. Come on. It's a little feedback for you. Come on.
And I'm going to do this too and I haven't seen mine.

**David Friedberg** (2:50)
Oh, Nick pulled these?

**Jason Calacanis** (2:52)
Nick pulled these. These are awesome.

**David Friedberg** (2:53)
These are not my creation. These are your idea? These are actual pieces of real feedback.
Nick, you're fired. That's it. Get out of here.

**Jason Calacanis** (3:01)
Go ahead, Sacks.

**David Sacks** (3:03)
The thing about David Sacks is that if he wasn't rich, everyone would dismiss him as being both stupid and boring and the secret to his wealth is just follow Peter Thiel around since college. It's like if Turtle from Entralle pretended to be a public intellectual.

**Jason Calacanis** (3:19)
Okay, so the dictator has never had a 360 review. He informs us and I think his staff, you know, for all the people at Social Capital, you can get in on this by just posting to Reddit since he won't do 360 reviews at Social Capital. Go ahead, let's pull up Chamath's feedback for the quarter. Go ahead, Chamath.

**Chamath Palihapitiya** (3:34)
Chamath is the biggest self-serving leech. As long as he can make a dollar trade on it, he will burn anything down to the ground, fuck the consequences to society or anyone else.