The Escape Goats Show: Recent Episodes
The Escape Goats Show
Markets monologues, ambiguous politics, cultural commentary. For the goats, by the goats. https://twitter.com/EscapeGoatsShow
The goats unpack the Congressional mash up of Ukraine, Israel, and TikTok. Come for the student protest discourse, stay for the Fed independence editorials.
Your irreverent guide through the political, economic, and social circus of our times. Topics discussed:
- Trump's Truth Social implications for markets and elections
- Political landscape and social media's role
- Gen Z's political engagement and economic challenges
- Cryptocurrency market dynamics and Sam Bankman-Fried's sentencing
- Federal Reserve policies and inflation
- U.S.-China relations and Xi’s speech to U.S. business leaders
- The Francis Scott Key Bridge, U.S. infrastructure, and transportation policy
- Terror attack in Russia and ISIS involvement
As ChatGPT puts it... The episode covers a wide range of topics, including:
1. Electoral Politics and Third Parties: The discussion opens with a look into the history of third-party successes in U.S. elections, referencing Ross Perot and older political parties like the Whig and Democratic-Republican parties.
2. Current Political Climate: The hosts delve into the dynamics of the presidential race, discussing the impact of Trump's campaign, Biden's age and performance, and the overall uncertainty surrounding the race.
3. Media and Public Perception: There's a focus on how media figures and outlets, like Ezra Klein and The New York Times, are framing the discussion around Biden's capability to govern and campaign due to his age.
4. Democratic Party Dynamics: The conversation shifts to the internal politics of the Democratic Party, discussing the lack of primary challenges to Biden and the potential for an open convention.
5. Potential Candidates and Future Elections: Speculation about various Democratic figures potentially rising as candidates in an open convention scenario, including Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Cory Booker, and even non-traditional figures like Michelle Obama or Jon Stewart.
6. Republican Party Dynamics: The episode also touches on Nikki Haley's campaign and the implications of Trump's legal troubles and financial situation on his campaign.
7. Technology and Markets: A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing NVIDIA's role in the tech and financial markets, artificial intelligence, and the geopolitical risks involving China and Taiwan.
8. Societal Impacts of Technology: The discussion briefly veers into the societal and ethical implications of advancements in AI and technology, including the potential for deepfakes and the evolution of digital content creation.
These topics are intertwined with humorous commentary, making for an episode that navigates through serious discussions with a light-hearted and satirical approach.
Zach Head is a writer, filmmaker, and longtime friend of the pod. Check out his most recent work at blue-the-trilogy.com and his Instagram page @headofzach. BLUE is an “internet installation” exploring human relationships with technology through a choose-your-own-adventure style experience that includes short films and essays.
Zach joined us for a discussion that delves into how we relate to technology and engage with the media landscape in the age of social media and AI. We also discuss our favorite books of 2023, big predictions for 2024, and nascent business ideas on the first ever Goat Tank.
(00:00) Intro(00:30) Would you rather? Gerontocracy or Lauren Boebert(10:28) New iPhone(15:38) Autoworkers Strike(33:45) Doom, Optimism, History(44:42) Markets talk(57:17) Hot or Not
Back from summer vacation!
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Republicans debate
(19:20) Trump gets hit with that RICO
(27:20) Prigozhin flies too close to the sun
(35:54) Jackson Hole
(44:20) Nvidia earnings and AI thoughts
(51:30) Hot or Not
Thoughts on Threads, affirmative action, student loans, immigration, and the decelerating AI hype cycle.
A bizarre docket for bizarre times.
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) OceanGate
(06:25) Russian Insurrection
(26:28) Elon vs Zuck
(34:27) RFK Jr Backlash
(46:34) Markets Update
The goats pontificate on the 2024 field, whether we’re in an AI bubble, and the impacts of the debt ceiling debacle.
The goats take a rigorous look at solving the debt ceiling crisis with a trillion dollar platinum coin and, more importantly, ask who should be on the coin.
One of the best episodes to date, an anthropological odyssey covering everything from AI and nutrition to UFOs and inflation.
The goats discuss layoffs, earnings, and Davos while searching frantically for misplaced classified documents.
Starting the year off right talking about twitter fights, short heights, and market insights.
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Twitter files
(11:00) SBF Arrest
(26:30) New SEC rules on order flow
(32:30) CPI, Fed Meeting, Markets Views
Professor H.W. Brands is the Jack S. Blanton Senior Chair in History at the University of Texas at Austin. He has written thirty books and is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, and has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, among many other publications. His latest book, The Last Campaign: Sherman, Geronimo and the War for America, is out now and available wherever you get your written content.Professor Brands joined us for a fascinating discussion on teaching, the impacts of social media, the likelihood of civil war, and the state of liberal democracy. He can be found online on Twitter @hwbrands and at hwbrands.substack.com.
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Elections post-mortem
(14:35) FTX implosion and ineffective altruism
(30:05) CPI eases, markets outlook
(44:43) Hot OR Not
THE definitive elections gambling guide (begins after 51 mins of highfalutin chatter).
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Fed meeting
(17:45) Election integrity, Biden speech
(29:12) Twitter layoffs, outrage
(40:53) Post-pandemic syndrome, schools, affirmative action
(51:38) Midterms Gambling Special
Content curators discuss content moderation among other things.
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Paul Pelosi hammered
(10:58) Fetterman vs Oz debate
(29:40) Elon closes Twitter acquisition
(44:24) Markets, earnings recap
(56:12) The Squad diplomacy letter and retraction
Relaxing discussion about a chaotic world.
(00:00) Intro
(07:45) Market moves, tech earnings preview, VR
(37:06) CCP power moves
(46:15) Politics and midterms update
(01:01:30) Hot OR Not - Liz Truss, CDC guidance, Twitter cuts
Wide-ranging convo that gets better as it goes. (00:00) Intro (00:30) CPI print, bank earnings, UK risks, and real estate (24:01) Kroger-Albertson’s deal, Instacart, and gig workers (35:15) CCP Congress, chiplomacy (40:11) Ukraine endgames, AOC the warmonger? (50:54) Tulsi leaves the dems (56:45) LA city council gets racy (01:06:15) Midterms report
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Nord Stream and Ukraine thoughts
(17:30) BOE becomes lender of last resort, systemic risks
(29:45) Hurricane Ian response
(34:30) Abbot vs Beto
(00:00) Intro (00:30) CPI, markets, Fed meeting preview (19:03) God Save the Queen (23:22) Ukraine Update (36:05) The NFL returns (41:45) Underdog Moneyline Parlay (46:00) Hot OR Not
Ahmed Zifzaf is a co-founder of Sawa Impact Labs, a global web3 venture focused on showcasing inspiring work from underrepresented artists and brands. Follow @SawaGallery and @ahmedzifzaf. Ahmed joined us as the inaugural guest goat for a wide ranging conversation covering everything from web3 creators to World Cup predictions.
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Interview
(23:25) Markets, jobs, quiet quitting, LinkedIn cringe
(29:44) Oil and heat wave
(32:41) BBBY CFO tragedy
(34:15) Snapchat layoffs
(38:40) European energy crisis
(41:04) Liz Truss becomes UK Prime Minister
(43:08) World Cup predictions
(46:15) Biden MAGA speech, Trump, and fascism
(01:00:25) Hot OR Not
(00:00) Intro
(01:40) Markets in turmoil
(16:48) Student loan forgiveness
(28:00) Biden approval, midterms, and political outlook
(39:40) Elon and Twitter update
(43:10) Fixed income and real estate markets
(47:02) Hot OR Not
(00:00) Intro
(03:40) Retail earnings and Jackson Hole
(11:25) BBBY saga and meme stock vol
(17:23) Third Point Disney trade
(23:14) Neumann comeback
(33:55) German PPI and politics
(37:39) Ukraine update
(43:01) Pop culture digression
(46:00) Liz Cheney, Dr. Oz and US politics
(55:21) Hot OR Not
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) CPI and the “Inflation Reduction” Act
(07:45) Market Narratives
(22:57) Mar-a-lago
(28:09) IRS hiring, taxation is theft?
(32:42) The party of freedom
(34:30) Experts, data, and empiricism
(39:10) Housing
(00:00) Intro (00:30) Elon vs Google (07:52) AOC Arrested (10:45) Pelosi-nsider trading (14:30) China relations, bank protests, mortgage boycotts (21:07) Covid vs Biden (25:30) Snap earnings, TikTok, and tech regulation (31:18) Amazon earnings preview (35:35) Fed meeting preview (38:00) War Update, Nord Stream (50:55) Gas prices and markets chatter (54:58) Private markets (01:01:00) Monkeypox resurgence
(00:00) Intro (00:30) CPI is high, what’s next for the economy? (13:05) Private equity shell games (20:10) Bank earnings and the consumer (25:42) Airlines and summer travel woes (28:40) Omicron subsubvariants (33:33) Biden bumps fists with MBS (39:22) AOC and violence (45:54) Hot or Not (51:20) Beto vs Abbott (56:32) Trump signals for 2024 (01:03:26) Dark horses
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Twitter vs Elon
(19:54) Global political turmoil
(30:24) Shinzo Abe assassination
(34:24) Sri Lanka, Dutch freedom convoy
(36:05) Putin’s end game or beginning of WWIII?
(40:18) Free Brittney Griner
(45:05) Jan 6 hearings, Cassidy Hutchinson
(51:11) Hot or Not
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Nicotine bans
(07:00) Supreme Court goes ham
(24:44) IVF and other bioethics
(30:40) 2024 speculation
(35:10) Powell hearings, Fed blame, inflation
(42:38) G7 Meeting, Belt and Road, EM
(52:20) Ukraine, war games, and geopolitics
(57:15) TikTok spies and social media policy
(1:10:20) 2024 speculation part 2
(01:17:40) Brief markets chatter
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) BTS hiatus, North Korea
(04:35) Fed Meeting
(12:40) Oil price actions, nat gas
(18:48) Biden fights expectations, gravity
(21:20) Crypto turmoil and future
(26:40) MicroStrategy
(28:35) Elon update #DraftMatt
(37:10) Deep fakes and philosophical zombies
(41:36) Hot or Not
(49:32) Listener Line
(50:25) Central banking scapegoats
(59:57) Investment outlook
(1:03:17) Housing market dynamics
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Listener Line
(14:15) Hot or Not
(26:15) CPI, Inflation, Fed, Economy
(35:16) Retail bullwhip unwind
(38:25) Price gouging bill
(45:34) Biden 2024 is no more
(47:00) Jan 6 hearings
(54:35) Elon vs Twitter update
(58:10) Washington Post infighting
(01:02:50) Saudi apologies
(01:03:36) AI sentience?
(01:08:20) Tesla stock split
(01:10:40) Goldman ESG investigation
(01:14:22) Late stage VC
(01:17:41) Biebs face half-paralyzed
Follow @EscapeGoatsShow for updates and commentary!
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Promotion
(01:30) Economic hurricanes, Janet’s yellin, oil higher
(10:22) Hot or Not???
(17:32) Listener Line -- 505-666-GOAT
(18:51) Platinum Jubilee deep dive
(21:28) Jeffrey Epstein conspiracies
(25:34) LA Mayoral Primary: Slick Rick vs a Karen
(30:10) Ross Perot and 3rd parties
(36:58) School segregation and The Complacent Class
(40:35) Real estate trends
(46:12) Adam Neumann crypto funding
(51:20) Elon workforce hardball
(52:46) Bored Ape hack
(55:57) Mental health and neurodiversity
(01:01:26) In vitro fertilization and genetic engineering
(00:30) Uvalde and Gun Control
(11:40) NRA Convention
(16:58) Snap Crash
(19:33) Stocks only go up, again?
(23:20) EU Oil Embargo
(28:05) Wild Turkey!
(28:10) Nancy and Paul “DWI” Pelosi
(31:59) Uighur Leak
(34:45) Biden on Taiwan
(36:50) China problems
(40:40) Student loans and higher ed trends
(48:59) Home sales down
(52:42) Depp vs Heard vs Elon
(53:44) Monkeypox Redux
(55:24) NBA Playoffs, Jimmy Butler Conspiracy Theory
(00:00) Intro
(00:35) Retail wreck, bullwhip effect
(04:45) Costco, Best Buy, Dollar Tree earnings preview
(06:53) BULLard, markets outlook
(13:35) Monkeypox?!
(19:06) Disinformation Governance Board falls
(21:14) Elongate
(28:05) Shkreli free
(29:35) Primary elections, Madison Cawthorne, Pennsylvania
(35:37) PGA Championship, Trump, and Saudis
(36:57) Bush condemns Iraq war
(39:45) George P vs Ken Paxton
(41:48) Slick Rick 2 and local politics
(45:18) Amazon gives back space, CRE
(54:30) WFH remains optimal
(00:00) Intro (00:35) Elon trolls Twitter (08:50) Markets vol, crypto, inflation, recession (30:15) Democrats and return to the 1970s (41:10) Replacement theory and Tucker Carlson (47:50) Gun control (1:00:20) Gato, AGI, and the singularity
The goats call for sweeping societal changes in the fifth installment. Follow on twitter @EscapeGoatsShow for our most pressing thoughts and updates!
(00:00) Intro
(00:35) Happy Mother’s Day
(01:40) Roe v Wade takes
(28:40) JD Vance and social structure in the US
(38:40) Critique of neoliberalism and private equity
(42:10) Labor politics
(46:30) Creator economy and artificial intelligence
(50:55) Educate the youth!
(57:35) Ukraine Update
(01:00:49) Commodities scarcity
(01:02:39) Markets in TURMOIL
(01:11:50) Housing bubble?
(01:15:40) Chappelle attacked, LA crime
(01:20:05) Met Gala, Milken Conference, different but same
(00:00) Intro
(01:30) Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting
(08:50) Biden’s Ministry of Truth
(12:55) Jan 6th & Info Wars
(17:55) Polarization, Ingroups vs Outgroups
(27:40) Diversity and the Managerial State
(32:05) Student loans
(35:20) Energy geopolitics
(42:55) GDP contraction and markets outlook
(56:40) The Metaverse
(01:02:20) Archegos collapse
(01:07:45) Elon Musk vs Twitter
(01:16:50) Self-praise, other earnings
(01:21:10) Pelosi visits Kyiv
Third time's a charm. The goats go deep on choppy markets, politics, and culture.
(00:00) Intro
(00:40) Netflix takes an L in the streaming wars
(03:55) Big Tech earnings preview
(09:30) Hawkish Fed takes flight in perilous economy
(15:55) China…yikes
(24:50) Cross-asset plays and FX shilling
(27:10) French elections, le loser Le Pen
(29:35) Trump endorses JD Vance and the New Right
(32:00) Florida vs Mickey Mouse
(38:25) Masks off on planes, trains, and automobiles
(43:15) Obama enters the info war
(50:05) CNN+ gets canceled
(53:15) Tesla earnings review
(00:00) Intro
(00:45) Elon Musk vs Twitter
(23:00) Brooklyn Shooting and Rising Crime
(32:10) Ukraine Escalation
(39:25) Food scarcity, migration, and European politics
(43:35) Midterms
(44:45) Sports lull Interlude
(45:55) Real estate, mortgage rates hit 5%, NIMBYs suck
(50:50) Slick Rick Caruso for Mayor of LA
(53:05) Walmart teen truckers get $110k
(55:55) Economic data looks not great
(57:15) Earnings review, banks beat, Tesla on deck
(01:02:05) Real estate part 2, flight to quality
We recommend listening to more recent episodes first! This conversation picks up around the (20:00) min mark. Every pod has to start somewhere...