The Econoclasts is a new podcast from UnHerd hosted by economist Yanis Varoufakis and journalist Wolfgang Munchau. While they don’t always agree politically, they are united in one conviction: the consensus is rotten. Mainstream economics has consistently failed to predict the events that shape our world, yet this broken orthodoxy still dominates policy and media. Each week, they choose two pillars of the established orthodoxy — the “settled facts” — and shatter them, cutting through the spin to connect the dots between money, geopolitics, and the real forces shaping our future.
Curated by: UnHerd (58 videos)
📰 Subscribe to UnHerd today at: https://bit.ly/3Qdkd5y If you have a question for Yanis and Wolfgang then now is your chance. Send us your Econoclastic questions and they’ll answer them on a future episode of the show. Email your questions to us at econoclasts@unherd.com This week, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Munchau take aim at two prevailing orthodoxies. Is the explosive AI boom really a bubble, or is the technology itself forcing a non-reversible shift away from capitalism and toward a new age of Techno-Feudalism? And are Trump's orders to sink Venezuelan boats and kill sailors really about a "War on Drugs," or is that just a cynical cover story when what the administration really want from Venezuela is oil? And if the term "war crime" is wrong, should these acts be called something far more chilling: extrajudicial murder? Watch it on the UnHerd website: https://unherd.com/watch-listen/the-ai-bubble-myth/ Listen to the podcast: plinkhq.com/i/1685475850 Advertise on UnHerd @ zoe.white@unherd.com Follow UnHerd on social media: Twitter: https://x.com/Econoclasts Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unherd/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unherd/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unherdtv //TIMECODES// 00:00 - 00:54 – Intro 00:54 - 07:55 – Debunking the “AI bubble” and Europe’s lag in AI 07:55 - 10:40 – Structural shifts: AI, capitalism, and techno-feudalism 10:40 - 14:00 - Cloud Capital and AI’s Influence on Human Behaviour 14:00 - 16:15 – AI’s economic, educational, and productivity effects 16:15 - 20:30 – Automation and response to Big Tech 20:30 - 21:32 - AI vs Universities 21:32 - 24:42 – AI bots, stablecoins, and the future of fiat currency 24:42 - 25:11 – Preview: Trump, Venezuela, and the “war on drugs” 25:11 - 29:26 – Debating Trump’s actions in Venezuela and US hypocrisy 29:26 - 31:42 - A “war on drugs” or a bid for oil? 31:42 - 36:03 – Trump’s political strategy, MAGA factions and oil 36:03 - 40:31 – Critique of European Union’s global politics and response 40:31 - 41:36 – Closing remarks and invitation for audience questions #UnHerd #AI #Venezuela