The REAL Story Of Rushkoff's Dinner Party That Turned Out To Be Epstein's

FULL EPISODE: https://youtu.be/5FvEAeAHmUY

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DOUGLAS' LINKS

- YT: https://www.youtube.com/@douglasrushkoff

- WEBSITE: https://rushkoff.com/

CLIPPERS DISCORD: https://discord.gg/8QmWEKJ3BT

NEWSLETTER: https://juliandoreypodcast.beehiiv.com/get-julians-top-10-books

Douglas Rushkoff digs into philosopher Nick Land's idea of capitalism as a kind of living, self-organizing thing — almost an alien intelligence folding in on itself — and connects it to what he's observed directly: that billionaires, as they accumulate more wealth and power, seem to systematically lose empathy, which he argues is exactly when capitalism "goes bad." He also shares that Steve Bannon once wanted him on War Room, an unexpected crossover given Rushkoff's usual audience and politics.

From there, the conversation turns to Peter Thiel and his well-documented skepticism of democracy — including arguments and associations that have drawn him toward monarchist and neoreactionary thinking — and why Rushkoff believes China's AI policy is outperforming America's. The segment closes on some of Rushkoff's most personal material: his own brush with what's been called "the Epstein class," including a dinner party he attended that turned out to be Epstein's, his connection to the Edge Foundation (one of the organizations entangled in Epstein's web of funding and associations), and a story about seeing Harvey Weinstein at a party and trusting the instinct — the "spidey senses" — that told him something was wrong.

***TIMESTAMPS***

0:00 – Nick Land, Capitalism As A Living Thing & Quantum Folding

10:05 – Billionaires Lose Empathy & Capitalism Goes Bad

18:07 – Steve Bannon Wanted Doug On War Room

28:13 – Peter Thiel: Monarchy Is The Best Form Of Government

37:37 – Why China's AI Policy Beats Ours

47:50 – Brush With The Epstein Class & The Edge Foundation

59:30 – Harvey Weinstein At A Party & Your Spidey Senses

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