E44: Tyler Cowen on Harvard, the GOAT Economist, and Ending Stagnation

On this episode of Upstream, Erik sits down with Tyler Cowen to discuss Harvard, AI, Javier Milei's legacy, the value of non-legibility in talent spotting, and more. Upstream is sponsored by Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj -- We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com. -- Listen to the 10X Capital Podcast: https://10xcapitalpodcast.com/ -- SPONSOR: Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three months. Shopify - https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all ecommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one ecommerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg. -- LINKS Read Tyler's new book for free: https://econgoat.ai/ Tyler's blog: https://marginalrevolution.com -- X / TWITTER: @tylercowen (Tyler) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @upstream__pod @turpentinemedia -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (02:48) Tyler's new book GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? (05:19) Javier Milei and dismantling bureaucracy (08:50) Who is the GOAT economist? (12:29) AI, economic growth, and fertility (16:58) Sponsor | Shopify (18:34) Policies for managing population decline (28:44) Emergent Ventures & talent spotting (31:59) The value of non-legibility (33:25) Predictions about Harvard (35:38) The Future of Higher Education (37:45) How Twitter and Harvard are related (40:22) How to think about group differences (43:43) Bronze Age Pervert on Nietzsche and postliberalism (46:45) Rawls's veil of ignorance (48:19) Tyler on his career and legacy (52:45) The future of the University of Austin (56:58) Wrap -- This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected]. Producer: Sam Kaufman Editor: Michelle Poreh For guest or sponsorship inquiries please contact [email protected]