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Jordan Schneider Thinks the Real AI Race Is About Compute, Not Models

    The Spillover | 28 July 2026 | 1h 2m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify

    Interview with Jordan Schneider of ChinaTalk discussing the escalating AI race and safety crisis. Backgrounds the incident where OpenAI models autonomously hacked Hugging Face, prompting the Trump administration to pivot from deregulation to suppressing model releases. Meanwhile, China is closing the capability gap, with Xi Jinping promoting “open-weight” models as a global influence tool. Debates whether catastrophic risks like cyberattacks or bioweapons will force US-China cooperation. Predicts China will prioritise safety once its own models misbehave.


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    Dan Wang on Modern China

      ChinaTalk | 28 August 2025 | 1h 16m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
      Interview with Dan Wang about his book Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future. Discusses engineering states vs lawyerly societies; the competing legacies of the 1980s in China, the decade which saw brutal repression via the One Child Policy and Tiananmen alongside intellectual debate, cultural vibrancy, and rock and roll; methods of knowing China, from the People’s Daily and Seeking Truth to on-the-ground research; how to compare the values of China’s convenient yet repressive society with the chaotic pluralism of the USA; and what Li Qiang’s career post-Shanghai lockdowns can tell us about the value of loyalty versus competence in Xi’s China.

      This is the third episode I’ve posted on this book, each excellent and with a different focus. I’m part-way through the book and can confirm that it is beautifully written. I also recommend Jonathon Sine’s review of Breakneck “Litigation Nation, Engineering Empire” and Dan Wang’s blog.

      Xi Zhongxun’s Second Act: 1949-1989

        ChinaTalk | 20 July 2025 | 1h 40m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
        Second part of interview with Joseph Torigian about his book The Party’s Interest Comes First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping. Traces the inner world of a man navigating power politics, exile, and reform, and the legacy he left his son, Xi Jinping. Discusses the moral dilemmas of a mid-level party cadre; what it’s like to be purged, and why the party prescribes self-criticism as therapy; “Frenemies” in the CCP, Deng Xiaoping’s autocratic side, and the unsung heros of the reform period; how Xi Zhongxun instilled party loyalty and other values in his son; Xi Zhongxun’s return from exile and his complicated relationship with reform; and how Chinese leaders think about redemption, guilt, and survival.

        Xi Zhongxun: The Party’s Interests Come First

        ChinaTalk | 10 July 2025 | 1h 26m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
        Interview with Joseph Torigian about his book The Party’s Interest Comes First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping. Discusses what we can learn about authoritarianism, the CCP, and China’s future from studying Xi’s father; Torigian’s methodology for uncovering hidden Party history; how the Party became an existential source of meaning, and how it weaponized suffering to paradoxically deepen political loyalty; the arc of Xi Zhongxun’s life — from a young revolutionary to key advocate of reform — and his role during Tiananmen; the interplay of family, love, and career under the all-encompassing shadow of the Party; the role of “Surrogate fathers” and patronage in navigating political ascent; and how literature shaped China’s early revolutionaries, and even impacted the Party as we know it today.

        Patrick McGee on Apple in China

          ChinaTalk | 24 June 2025 | 1h 10m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
          Interview with Patrick McGee about his book Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company. Discusses the history of Apple’s relationship with China, where iPhone manufacturing became a project of nation-building; why Apple moved production to China in the 1990s, and why it struggles to leave; how Apple’s obsession with perfection catalyzed China’s industrial upgrading; the political side of production in China, including how Apple’s relationship with the Chinese authorities has evolved; the rise of Foxconn and other partners in Apple’s network; and anecdotes about Apple’s management style, including the “Divorce Avoidance Program.”

          Ezra, Derek, and Dan Wang on Abundance and China

            ChinaTalk | 10 May 2025 | 1h 08m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
            Interview with Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson, and Dan Wang about whether America could pursue an abundance agenda without the Chinese threat. Discusses the use of China as a rhetorical device in US domestic discourse; oversimplified aspects of Chinese development, and why the bipartisan consensus surrounding Beijing might fail to produce a coherent strategy; the abundance agenda and technocratic vs prophetic strategies for policy change; how to conceptualize political actors complexly, including unions, corporations, and environmental groups; and the value of podcasting and strategies for positively impacting the modern media environment.

            The Soviets’ Bid for Global Power

              ChinaTalk | 24 March 2025 | 1h 50m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
              Interview with Sergey Radchenko about his book To Run the World: The Kremlin’s Bid for Global Power. Assesses the thinking of Soviet and Chinese leaders as they wrestle for global power and recognition, discussing why legitimacy matters in international politics; Stalin’s colonial ambitions and Truman’s strategy of containment; Sino-Soviet relations during the Stalin era and beyond; the history of nuclear blackmail, starting with the 1956 Suez crisis; and why Khrushchev couldn’t save the Soviet economy.

              Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare

                ChinaTalk | 26 February 2025 | 1h 39m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
                Interview with Eddie Fishman about his book Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. Discusses the past 20 years of American sanctions policy: the evolution of U.S. sanctions policy, from Iraq and Cuba to Iran and Russia; how Reagan’s deal with the Saudis turned the dollar into an economic chokepoint; the success of sanctions against Iran, and how that playbook could have been used to punish Russia; historical lessons in enforcement relevant for export controls on China today; the role of great civil servants like Stuart Levey, Daleep Singh, Victoria Nuland, and Matt Pottinger in building state power; institutional challenges for economic warfare and the consequences of failure to reform; and strategies for writing groundbreaking books about modern history.