
Manifold
Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University.
Steve Hsu
Show overview
Manifold has been publishing since 2019, and across the 7 years since has built a catalogue of 162 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode. That works out to roughly 200 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence, with the show now in its 2nd season.
Episodes typically run an hour to ninety minutes — most land between 1h 2m and 1h 23m — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Science show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 1 weeks ago, with 10 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Steve Hsu.
From the publisher
Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Join him for wide-ranging conversations with leading writers, scientists, technologists, academics, entrepreneurs, investors, and more.
Latest Episodes
View all 162 episodesEmbryo Selection and Frontier Genomics with Dr. Alex Young – #111
Iran War is the First Missile War (crossover with Seeking Truth From Facts podcast) – #110
Dreamers and Doomers: Our AI future, with Richard Ngo – #109

China, Acceleration, and Nick Land - with Matt Southey – #108
Matt Southey is an editor for an AI safety organization. He wrote his PhD dissertation on the philosophy of Nick Land. Matt's "A Brief History of Accelerationism" can be found here, and he recommends the second chapter of Crypto-Current as a good introduction to Land's usage of Kant. He and Steve discuss Accelerationism, AI, and Steve's recent meeting with Land in Shanghai.Chapter Markers:(00:00) - Introduction (02:07) - China Trip: Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai (03:16) - Tsinghua University: Talent (09:02) - Robotics and AI research (24:01) - Shanghai and Nick Land (35:46) - Land’s Esotericism (37:19) - Accelerationism and Orthogonality (43:01) - Simulation Metaphysics and Physics (54:36) - Dark Enlightenment and Inevitable Complexity –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Shenzhen is the Technology Capital of the World, with Taylor Ogan – #107
Recorded live in Shenzhen with Taylor Ogan, the founder and CEO ofSnowbull Capital, which invests in Chinese technology companies.Taylor on X:https://x.com/TaylorOganPrevious episodes with Taylor:https://youtu.be/iehHON07UHI?si=h2c3po5AX9Z9ANaK https://youtu.be/fmjR3me5s_Q?si=sPsMFOdKebEOZXQr(00:00) - Shenzhen is the Technology Capital of the World, with Taylor Ogan (00:53) - Meeting in Shenzhen (02:40) - Greater Bay Area Explained (06:36) - Shenzhen Boom Stories (18:26) - China Tech Reality Check (36:49) - China Tech Leapfrogging (37:52) - Agentic AI on Phones (41:27) - Jobs Wealth and Governance (53:03) - Huawei Ownership and US Pushback –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

AI DOOM: Jesse Hoogland of Timaeus
This is the second episode of our series based on interviews for the documentary film, Dreamers and Doomers, about the SF Bay Area in the last days before AGI. Steve interviews Jesse Hoogland, co-founder and executive director of Timaeus, an AI safety research org working on applications of Singular Learning Theory (SLT) for AI safety. SLT establishes a connection between the geometry of the loss landscape and internal structure in models. This connection is used to develop scalable, rigorous tools for evaluating, interpreting, and aligning neural networks. Jesse is one of the leading young minds in the new generation of AI safety researchers.https://www.jessehoogland.com/(00:00) - Jesse interview at FAR Labs, Berkeley (00:54) - Introduction (01:50) - From Physics to AI Safety (08:36) - AI Is Dangerous (26:08) - Funding, P(Doom), and Futures (56:21) - Trauma and Safety Vibes (01:00:39) - Asymptotic Guarantees Debate (01:03:54) - Mapping the Safety Tribes (01:26:09) - Timelines, AI Pause, and Failure Modes –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Dreamers and Doomers: Jeremy Nixon at AGI House – #105
Jeremy Nixon is a prominent AI researcher, entrepreneur, and the co-founder of AGI House, a leading "hacker house" community for artificial intelligence developers in Silicon Valley. He studied Applied Math, Computer Science, and Economics at Harvard and was previously a researcher at Google Brain.This footage was shot for a documentary project, "Dreamers and Doomers," about the SF Bay Area and the dawn of AGI.(00:00) - Dreamers and Doomers: Jeremy Nixon at AGI House – #105 (01:47) - Introduction and Welcome (05:56) - Jeremy Nixon's biography (08:48) - AGI House and collectives (43:59) - AI and Scientific Research (45:52) - Existential Risks and Doom (54:14) - AI and Human Progress (01:26:42) - Job Automation and Society (01:31:35) - Future of AI and Technology –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Industrial Maximalism and Its Discontents: Dan Wang on US-China Competition – # 104
Links:Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Futurehttps://www.amazon.com/Breakneck-Chinas-Quest-Engineer-Future/dp/1324106034Dan's 2025 annual letterhttps://danwang.co/2025-letter/Related episodes:Jian Lian on Industrial Maximalism, Manifold Episode #99https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/jian-lian-on-chinas-industrial-policy-and-global-strategy-99(00:00) - Introduction and Welcome (02:14) - Breakneck - Dan's huge book (05:00) - China's Technological and Political Landscape (21:07) - Industrial Maximalism and its Discontents (47:59) - Chinese Researchers in Silicon Valley and Tsinghua (51:09) - Excerpts from Dan's 2025 annual letter (52:56) - China's Market Competition and Innovation (56:34) - AI, Automation, and Future Risks –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Geopolitics 2026, crossover with Seeking Truth From Facts podcast – #103
Steve and Alf discuss geopolitical events of 2025 and what they expect in 2026.Links:Manifold episode with Han Feizi, Letter From Beijinghttps://www.manifold1.com/episodes/letter-from-beijing-with-han-feizi-72Previous crossover episodes:Weeks Where Decades Happenhttps://www.manifold1.com/episodes/seeking-truth-from-facts-weeks-where-decades-happenAI, China, Tariffs, Geopoliticshttps://www.manifold1.com/episodes/seeking-truth-from-facts-ai-china-tariffs-geopolitics-84(00:00) - Geopolitics 2026, crossover with Seeking Truth From Facts podcast – #103 (02:10) - US-China Economic Tensions (05:45) - Technology and Strategic Shifts (08:48) - Trump's Geopolitical Strategy (17:43) - Middle East Developments (28:41) - US-China Competition and Taiwan (33:44) - Venezuela and International Law –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Polygenics and Machine SuperIntelligence; Billionaires, Philo-semitism, and Chosen Embryos – #102
This is a two-part episode. The first ~30m covers the most important 2025 breakthroughs in polygenic embryo screening, while the second 30m focuses specifically on AI capabilities at the frontier of human knowledge. Both segments make predictions for 2026 and beyond.Links:Chinese billionaires, Philo-semitism, and the Chosen embryos:https://x.com/hsu_steve/status/2000206116823675078My talk from Reproductive Frontiers 2025 in Berkeley:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n64rrRPtCa8Previous episodes on frontier AI capabilities in math and theoretical physicshttps://www.manifold1.com/episodes/theoretical-physics-with-generative-ai-101https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/ais-win-math-olympiad-gold-prof-lin-yang-ucla-97Chapter Markers:(00:00) - Introduction (02:22) - Advancements in Polygenic Prediction of Human Traits (03:20) - Polygenic Risk Scores in Healthcare (08:15) - Embryo Selection and IVF (20:37) - Public Perceptions: billionaires and FOMO (31:40) - AI advances in 2025: High end capabilities and use of AI at the frontier of human knowledge (55:33) - Conclusion and predictions for 2026 –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Theoretical Physics With Generative AI – #101
All but the last 20 minutes of this episode should be comprehensible to non-physicists.Steve explains where frontier AI models are in understanding frontier theoretical physics. The best analogy is to a “brilliant but unreliable genius colleague”!He describes a specific example: the use of AI in recent research in quantum field theory (Tomonaga-Schwinger integrability conditions applied to state-dependent modifications of quantum mechanics), work now accepted for publication in Physics Letters B after peer review. Remarkably, the main idea in the paper originated de novo from GPT-5.Links:X discussion - https://x.com/hsu_steve/status/1996034522308026435Companion paper: Theoretical Physics With Generative AI - https://drive.google.com/file/d/16sxJuwsHoi-fvTFbri9Bu8B9bqA6lr1H/viewPhysics paper - https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.15935 | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269325008111Related discussion of AI and theoretical physics with Prof. Nirmalya Kajuri (IIT) and Prof. Jonathan Oppenheim (UCL) - https://youtu.be/BRuDd3l0e3kRelated video: AIs Win Math Olympiad Gold: Prof. Lin Yang (UCLA) – Manifold #97 - https://youtu.be/8JeRCqNg7RcChapter markers:(00:00) - Intro: AI discussion with specialized physics at the end (03:40) - The current AI landscape for science: frontier models, Co-Scientist, and recent math breakthroughs (11:01) - Why models help and why they fail: errors, deep confabulation, and the research risk (15:54) - The Generator–Verifier workflow: how chaining model inference suppresses mistakes (23:30) - Project origin: testing models on Hsu’s older nonlinear QM/QFT work (30:35) - The “GPT-5 moment”: Tomonaga–Schwinger angle appears and produces the key equation (40:35) - Wild goose chases & a practical heuristic: axiomatic QFT detour; Generator-Verifier convergence (51:44) - Referee-driven test case: Kaplan–Rajendran model, past-lightcone geometry, and verification (55:55) - Tooling & outlook: automation prototype, chaining into “supermodels,” where this is headed (59:39) - Physics slides (advanced): TS integrability, microcausality, and why nonlinearity threatens locality –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Jeffrey Epstein, Israel, and Elite Power, with Murtaza Hussain – #100
Murtaza Hussain is a reporter for Drop Site News, which has brokenimportant stories based on recently obtained Epstein emails. Hussainreports that Epstein had an “extensive relationship with Israeliintelligence, U.S. intelligence and the intelligence agencies of othercountries, as well... He was a dealmaker and a fixer at a very, veryelite level.”Links:Drop Site News series on Epstein and Israelhttps://www.dropsitenews.com/s/epstein-and-israelFormer Israeli spy Ari Ben Menashe on Jeffrey Epsteinhttps://x.com/hsu_steve/status/1994046737040712144(01:08) - Introduction (02:20) - The Mission of Drop Site News (06:00) - Epstein Emails (15:28) - Epstein connections and elite power (35:48) - Epstein and intel agencies (39:54) - Ari Ben Menashe and the Iran Contra Affair (42:21) - Media Censorship and Political Implications (47:33) - The Future of Epstein Investigations –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Jian Lian on China's Industrial Policy and Global Strategy – #99
Jian Lian is an expert on China's political economy, industrial development, and technological development. He graduated from Peking University with a bachelor's and master's degree in economics. Starting out as an industry analyst at a Chinese investment bank, he participated in the "Made in China 2025" initiative as a Chinese venture capitalist, working for a state-owned fund. He is the author of "The Truth About Capital" 资本的真相 (2016), which contains major predictions about technology, economy, and society in China, most of which have since come true.Jian and Steve discuss the origins of the industrial party movement (discussed in an earlier episode with Kyle Chan), which culminated in the "industrial maximalism" view of development adopted by the PRC government. They also discuss the development of supply chains in China, and the role that US sanctions had in accelerating the Chinese semiconductor industry.Kyle Chan episode:https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/kyle-chan-on-the-future-of-us-china-competition-94Chinese industrial maximalism: https://www.high-capacity.com/p/chinese-industrial-maximalism(00:00) - Introduction (00:49) - Jian Gaokao score was 23rd in all of Fujian = Econ at Beida, not Genomics! (05:21) - China's Industrial Policy and Innovation (24:19) - Domestic supply chain strategy; How Huawei became a national champion due to US sanctions (34:13) - Venture Capital in China (36:13) - Hard Tech Investments (37:40) - Regulations of Tech Giants (44:28) - Future of China Technological Development –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU.Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Scott Horton on the Russia Hoax and Ukraine War – #98
Scott Horton is the author of Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine. Horton is a libertarian and anti-war activist. He and Steve discuss the Russia Hoax and its connection to American foreign policy, in light of new evidence that has emerged since the first Trump term.Scott’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Provoked-Washington-Started-Catastrophe-Ukraine/dp/1733647376X handle: @scotthortonshow(00:00) - Scott Horton on the Russia Hoax and Ukraine War – #98 (01:49) - Scott Horton's Political Journey (04:55) - The State of Public Awareness and Media (11:42) - Russiagate and the Indictment of James Comey (43:13) - Perjury and Obstruction Charges: The Virginia Trial Dilemma (43:51) - The Durham Investigation: Unveiling Corruption (46:28) - Post-Durham Report Revelations (59:04) - Ukraine Conflict: Provoked or Unprovoked? –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU.Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

AIs Win Math Olympiad Gold: Prof. Lin Yang (UCLA) – #97
Lin Yang is a professor of computer science at UCLA. Recently, he and his collaborator built an AI pipeline using commercial models such as Gemini, ChatGPT, and Grok that performed at the gold medal level on International Mathematics Olympiad problems. Steve and Lin discuss this research, which relies on "verifier-refiner" LLM instances and large token budgets to reliably solve difficult problems. They discuss how these methods can be used to advance AI for scientific research, legal analysis, and complex document processing.https://github.com/lyang36/IMO25/blob/main/IMO25.pdfhttps://x.com/hsu_steve/status/1948189075707469942Chapter markers:(00:00) - AIs Win Math Olympiad Gold: Prof. Lin Yang (UCLA) – #97 (00:57) - Prof. Lin Yang, UCLA (04:27) - Journey from Physics to Computer Science: 2 PhDs (11:15) - Transition to AI from Theoretical CS (13:16) - AI Pipeline Math Olympiad: Gold Medal! (28:23) - Probability Amplification (29:00) - Applications in Industry and Legal Analysis (29:58) - Challenges in Model Reasoning and Verification (33:23) - Future of AI in Scientific Research and AGI Speculations –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU.Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

The Global AI Race: Z.ai and the View from Beijing — #96
Zixuan Li is Director of Product and genAI Strategy at Z.ai. He was educated at Renmin and Tsinghua University in China, and at MIT and Carnegie Mellon. Z.ai has released frontier open source LLMs but is largely unknown in the West except among AI experts. Steve and Zixuan discuss the AI race from the perspective of a startup in Beijing.https://chat.z.ai/Follow Z.AI on X: @Zai_orgChapter markers:(00:00) - Introduction and Guest Background (05:14) - Z.ai's Evolution and Challenges (10:37) - AI Model Comparison and Industry Insights (34:04) - Pragmatic Views on AGI in China (35:51) - Specialized Models and Scientific Contributions (39:02) - AI Chips and Model Training in PRC (50:54) - Open Source AI and Future Predictions –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU.Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.

Seeking Truth From Facts: Weeks Where Decades Happen — #95
This episode is a co-release with the Seeking Truth From Facts podcast: https://substack.com/@seekingtruthfromfactsThe theme of this episode derives from Lenin:“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen.” ― Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Steve and Alf discuss:(00:00) - Introduction (01:32) - China Victory Day Parade and new military technology (12:27) - The SCO summit and its implications (20:24) - Modi's presence and the prospect of a Sino-Indian rapprochement (25:00) - Trump's South Asian blunder? (32:14) - The Alaska Summit and the chances of peace (40:01) - Israel's loss of popular support on both the left and the right (46:12) - Bipolarity or multipolarity? –Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.
Kyle Chan on the Future of US-China Competition — #94
Kyle Chan is a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer in Sociology at Princeton University. His research focuses on industrial policy, clean technology, and infrastructure with a regional focus on China and India. He is currently working on a book on Chinese industrial policy that aims to explain how China came to dominate certain industries today that had originally been led by the US, Japan, and other industrialized nations. These industries include electric vehicles, solar, high-speed rail, and consumer electronics. The book will describe the wide range of industrial policy tools used in China and their ongoing efforts in other industries, such as semiconductors and biotechnology.Kyle Chan writes a popular newsletter called High Capacity on industrial policy, clean technology, and infrastructure, particularly in China and India.Personal website: https://www.kyleichan.com/NYT op-ed: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/opinion/china-us-trade-tariffs.htmlLu Feng interview: https://www.high-capacity.com/p/chinese-industrial-maximalismChapter Markers:(00:00) - Introduction (00:50) - Kyle's Background and Research Interests (05:51) - China vs. India: A Comparative Study of Railway Development (12:38) - The Broader Implications of Industrial Policy (37:48) - Introduction to Industrial Maximalism (38:54) - China's Manufacturing Strategy (41:33) - US-China Technological Competition (59:45) - Global Collaboration and Future Outlook Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure.–Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.
Joleen Liang: 40M+ kids educated by adaptive AI — #93
Dr. Joleen Liang is Co-founder of Squirrel AI, which pioneered adaptive learning at scale, first in China and now in the US. By 2021 its technology had served over 60,000 public schools in 1,200 cities across Asia. Squirrel AI has implemented large knowledge graphs mapping out the main concepts in the K-12 math, science, and language curriculum. The Squirrel learning tablet actively observes student behavior (including eye-tracking during video lessons) and adapts its presentation and testing to individual learning patterns.Chapter markers:(00:00) - Joleen Liang: Co-Founder of Squirrel AI (02:14) - Squirrel AI: Beginnings and scale (14:44) - AI vs Human Teachers (33:51) - Learning environment: tablet, headphones, human supervisors/analysts (51:11) - Challenges and Opportunities in the US Market Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure.–Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.
Max Dama on HFT: Millisecond Algos and Bid/Ask Dynamics — #92
Max Dama is the co-chairman of Headlands Technologies LLC, a global quantitative proprietary trading firm headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York, Austin, London, Amsterdam and Singapore. He earned a B.A. in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, and Business from the University of California, Berkeley.A generation of quants know Max through his notes on automated trading and on interview brain teasers.https://work-in-progress.notion.site/Max-Dama-s-Brainteasers-Study-Guide-WIP-9eb1f4b692f241d894462ddf1ab34617http://isomorphisms.sdf.org/maxdama.pdfSteve and Max discuss:(00:00) - Introduction (01:18) - Max Dama's Early Life and Education (02:19) - Journey into Trading and Career Development (06:56) - The High-Frequency Trading Industry (26:42) - Academic Foundations for Trading (27:50) - Computer Science in Trading (28:57) - Insights into the Trading Industry (35:49) - AI and the future of HFT Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure.–Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU. Please send any questions or suggestions to [email protected] or Steve on X @hsu_steve.