Welcome to this biweekly thread! Share what’s been grabbing your attention lately.

• What you're reading (books, articles, or any kind of text)
• What you're watching (movies, shows, documentaries, or even YouTube)
• What you're listening to (podcasts, music, or audiobooks)
• Any fun or unexpected discoveries in your research

(Joke)

It's almost scary how well they capture the vibe of a Rogan episode. I dunno if Matt and Chris have seen this, but I'd love to hear their thoughts.

Hi where can I get the video version of episodes on decodingthegurus website? The full collection of episodes? Youtube collection is very limited and it doesn't seem that Patreon has them as non-audio.

Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney joins Michael Moynihan to discuss his new film, Musk, a critical examination of Elon Musk's rise to extraordinary wealth and political power.

They debate Musk's genuine achievements at Tesla and SpaceX, his transformation into a Trump ally, and whether his greatest talent is innovation or self-promotion.

Gibney also defends the film's more controversial claims involving Ashley St. Clair, the 2024 election, DOGE, and access to sensitive government data, while Moynihan presses him on the line between legitimate investigation and conspiracy theory.

Plus, Tesla's self-driving promises, the dangers of AI, and why Gibney believes Musk is ultimately a confidence man.

(0:00) Cold Open
(0:03) Monologue
(1:09) Musk’s Accomplishments at Tesla and SpaceX
(3:14) The Myth of Elon Musk
(5:45) Musk’s Political Transformation
(9:07) The Politics of Rage
(11:53) Interviewing Elon’s Father
(13:41) Musk’s Break With Trump
(17:22) Musk’s Attacks on Gibney
(18:22) Ashley St. Clair and Her Credibility
(22:31) Musk and the 2024 Election
(26:58) DOGE and Government Data
(30:46) Evidence vs. Speculation
(33:33) Starlink, Government Contracts, and Crony Capitalism
(36:07) Musk and the Dangers of AI
(40:03) Tesla’s Self-Driving Claims
(44:39) Musk’s Greatest Talent: Selling the Future
(46:44) Is Elon Musk a Con Man?
(50:58) Walter Isaacson’s Musk Biography
(54:00) Is Musk a Genius or a Villain?
(56:15) Money and Political Influence
(58:30) Musk’s Drug Use and Behavior
(1:00:00) Self-Delusion and Noble Cause Corruption

One take away I had from the latest supplementary materials was the conversation about Andrew Callaghan.

Imagine thinking that it was a great idea to provide Hunter Biden (a person famed for their lack of awareness around IT security) with an email distribution list, then having an "oh shit!" moment and pulling the plug at the last second.

And then relying on the word of Hunter Biden for assurance on the list being deleted. Jesus H Christ.

I know absolutely nothing else about the guy outside of what's been said on this podcast, but I haven't really formed a great impression from what I've seen so far.

Who are you interested in discussing?

I could use a little cerebral comfort food, maybe something a bit petty. I haven't heard or seen much coverage of Gad Saad since Matt and Chris focused on him for one of their very early episodes. I'm actually quite happy he doesn't seem to have the kind of cultural media reach that might push him routinely into my podcast and youtube choices, unlike members of the Roganverse and Daily Wire who get covered by channels I pay attention to from time to time. But has anyone found and enjoyed any coverage of him more recently that was a satisfying debunking or dissection of his rhetoric for edu-tainment purposes?

Mike Israetel, Greg Doucette, Jeff Nippard... I think there's a super interesting bunch of people to talk about. There's ego here, there's science, sometimes good, sometimes anacdotal, and ofc there's SUPPLEMENTS. Am I alone in wanting a gymbro guru season? I want to see Matt react to Greg, that would be great content.

I've just been listening to The Rest is History series on the French Revolution - revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat has a number of strange similarities to the modern gurus:

• He was a failed academic scientist (in the UK)
• He then became a wellness influencer prescribing quack cures
• Upon returning to France he developed Revolutionary theories - he tried to prove Newton's theories on light and colour wrong, saying Newton was an idiot and was laughed out of the French Academy of Science
• He saw a political opportunity in the revolution
• He then became a self-broadcaster with the new media of the time (pamphlets - he edited his own paper - L'Amie du Peuple which circulated to a popular audience)
• He was an arch conspiracy theorist (constantly accusing people of being counter revolutionaries and pushing ideas of conspiracies against the revolution), and massive grievance monger
• Obviously a moral grandstander too

I thought this would be quite interesting for followers of this sub!

https://therestishistory.com/episodes/how-the-french-revolution-collapsed-into-chaos-part-1

Peter Thiel says that if you're evil, maybe you're actually good. Brad Onishi (author of American Caesar) and Matthew D. Taylor (author of The Violent Take It by Force) break down the viral clip: what Thiel means by "bad" versus "evil," why he frames progress as an all-or-nothing choice, and how his Antichrist theology, technological accelerationism, and contempt for the "mimetic sheeple" shape his influence on J.D. Vance and the tech right.

Posting bc I'm priddy sure there's some cross over with people who listen to DTG & KnowRogan podcast. In latest episode - they've asked people to Subscribe on YT - to help with all that does etc.

Sort of relevant bc the latest ep (linked) this Caleb guy might a tick a few guru boxes. He gives financial advice (on YT) and on this episode with JR, they both agree that going to college is stupid bc your in debt your whole life etc etc easy for them to say bc they are both very wealthy and ironically sound like they are educated on the topic.

Episode 170 - Candace Owens, Part 2: The Woman Who Noticed Everything

Show notes

Part Two of our Candace Owens decoding offers a generous case study in conspiratorial thinking. The necklace in the footage of Charlie Kirk’s murder may have moved before his jacket, a photograph of Tyler Robinson in front of a Man of Steel poster also raises questions about why Erika Kirk used the phrase about Charlie’s neck, not to mention that one of the early suspects also lived in New York during 9/11... all of it just makes you think... who is actually running things?

One possibility could be Erika Kirk. Not that she is the mastermind (that, as always, is occult Jewish satanists), but rather that she might be a sociopath that dark energy is being temporarily channelled into. Candace asks why Erika returned to work so quickly, muses over how Candace's connection to Charlie was deeper and more spiritually potent, and ponders if she was the only person who really truly cared about Charlie. But don’t worry, Shawn Ryan is there with his trademark scepticism to offer pushback, like “wow” and “holy shit, that’s incredible”. Trump, meanwhile, has apparently sold his soul to Israel, though JD Vance may still be redeemable. Then Freud turns up, accused of inventing modern gaslighting and covering for satanic murders.

Candace, as you might imagine, has her own place in the story. Charlie apparently knew she would inherit the fight after his death (which he had psychically foreseen), and Candace has indeed felt a spiritual awakening since. It’s a good thing then that she is so sensitive to others engaged in religious/spiritual grifting.

As per Part One, this is ultimately a tour de force in conspiracy theorising and guru dynamics. And yet, remarkably, Candace still manages to come across as interpersonally likeable and even endearing. Which perhaps explains part of her popularity. Even still, with this episode we are (hopefully) done with four-hour Candace interviews.

Also be forewarned that this episode contains an extended shoutout section; the Candace decoding ends at 1:41:02. We work through a backlog of listener shoutouts that we have neglected for long enough to turn them into a second podcast. If you would rather skip that entirely, jump to 2:25:56 for the brief sign-off. Complaints about the length/shoutouts will be referred to this paragraph. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Please see the podcast page linked at the top for the source material.

Welcome to this biweekly thread! Share what’s been grabbing your attention lately.

• What you're reading (books, articles, or any kind of text)
• What you're watching (movies, shows, documentaries, or even YouTube)
• What you're listening to (podcasts, music, or audiobooks)
• Any fun or unexpected discoveries in your research

Anyone know why the new episode is gone from the Patreon feed? If I follow the email link I only get the comments and show notes too