EPISODE
Henri Stern, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Brian Potter, Pari Singh
01:17:50 Henri Stern, co-founder of Privy, discusses the company's recent acquisition by Stripe, emphasizing the shared vision of integrating crypto and fiat systems to make digital assets more accessible. He highlights the importance of seamless user experiences in crypto products, noting that wallets should be fast and tailored to different user needs, such as neobank clients or gamers. Stern also touches on the growing institutional adoption of crypto, mentioning collaborations with major financial institutions to enable global payments and stablecoin-based payroll systems.
02:03:55 Andrew Ross Sorkin, a financial journalist and author, discusses his new book "1929," which examines the events leading up to the Great Depression and draws parallels to today's financial landscape. He highlights the role of figures like Charlie Mitchell and Carter Glass, and the speculative behaviors that contributed to the 1929 crash. Sorkin also reflects on the challenges of writing the book, including extensive research and the use of technology to access historical documents.
02:33:50 Brian Potter, a senior infrastructure fellow at the Institute for Progress and author of "The Origins of Efficiency," discusses his background in structural engineering and his experience at Katerra, a construction startup that aimed to revolutionize the industry through factory-built methods but ultimately failed. He explores the challenges in improving construction efficiency, highlighting obstacles such as the difficulty in achieving economies of scale, reducing input costs, and overcoming regulatory constraints. Potter emphasizes that while other industries have successfully enhanced efficiency through various strategies, the construction sector faces unique barriers that hinder similar progress.
02:53:40 Pari Singh, founder and CEO of Flow Engineering, discusses his company's mission to revolutionize hardware development by applying agile software practices to complex hardware design. He shares that Flow Engineering, originally a rocket engine design firm, developed an internal platform enabling rapid design iterations, which evolved into their current product. Singh also announces a $23 million Series A funding round led by Sequoia Capital, emphasizing their focus on next-generation aerospace and defense companies over traditional industry giants.