Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/high-variance-with-danny-buerkli High Variance is an interview podcast about a world that has become harder to read — more uncertain, more volatile, stranger. Host Danny Buerkli speaks with public intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and technologists to ask what is going on and how we should respond. © 2025 Radiant Spheres GmbH 04f99ea5-8f36-5a4d-8737-6e7d5e524a44 no Introducing High Variance with Danny Buerkli en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:31:29 +0200 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:32:18 +0200 https://img.transistorcdn.com/npkj6Oxy2gVPg989P8t3IvtaMTgheZrtGQ1cPjOBDkU/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS85MmY1/YjYzMDAyNTExMzA5/ODdjNGNmNDBiNTNk/YWQ4MC5wbmc.jpg episodic Danny Buerkli High Variance is an interview podcast about a world that has become harder to read — more uncertain, more volatile, stranger. Host Danny Buerkli speaks with public intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and technologists to ask what is going on and how we should respond. High Variance is an interview podcast about a world that has become harder to read — more uncertain, more volatile, stranger. Danny Buerkli hv_rss@radiantspheres.com No No 11 11 AI Strategy for Middle Powers – with Anton Leicht full f533e1de-76ce-46a7-aee5-79e57826c4f1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/f8f30683 If you don't have a frontier AI lab within your borders, as a country, what exactly is your plan? Anton Leicht — visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of the "Threading the Needle" Substack — joins Danny Buerkli to talk through the strategic options available to middle powers. They discuss why the UK seems more situationally aware than others, what leverage the Netherlands truly has (or not) thanks to ASML, and why the window to act may be measured in low single-digit years rather than decades.

]]> If you don't have a frontier AI lab within your borders, as a country, what exactly is your plan? Anton Leicht — visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of the "Threading the Needle" Substack — joins Danny Buerkli to talk through the strategic options available to middle powers. They discuss why the UK seems more situationally aware than others, what leverage the Netherlands truly has (or not) thanks to ASML, and why the window to act may be measured in low single-digit years rather than decades.

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:31:29 +0200 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 4091 If you don't have a frontier AI lab within your borders, as a country, what exactly is your plan? Anton Leicht — visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of the "Threading the Needle" Substack — joins Danny Buerkli to talk through the strategic options available to middle powers. They discuss why the UK seems more situationally aware than others, what leverage the Netherlands truly has (or not) thanks to ASML, and why the window to act may be measured in low single-digit years rather than decades.

]]> No 10 10 The Quest for the Perfect Weapon – with Jeff Stern full 36d7eb84-55b1-40a0-b336-4c9489ad8b3d https://share.transistor.fm/s/f4ac8a1f Jeff Stern — reporter and author of The Warhead — joins Danny Buerkli to talk about the long quest to build the “perfect weapon.” They discuss how a company mostly known for calculators revolutionized warfare, the paradox of precision-guided munitions, what disappears behind the language of “surgical” force, and how covering conflict changed Jeff’s understanding of his own role as a reporter.

]]> Jeff Stern — reporter and author of The Warhead — joins Danny Buerkli to talk about the long quest to build the “perfect weapon.” They discuss how a company mostly known for calculators revolutionized warfare, the paradox of precision-guided munitions, what disappears behind the language of “surgical” force, and how covering conflict changed Jeff’s understanding of his own role as a reporter.

]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0100 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 3021 Jeff Stern — reporter and author of The Warhead — joins Danny Buerkli to talk about the long quest to build the “perfect weapon.” They discuss how a company mostly known for calculators revolutionized warfare, the paradox of precision-guided munitions, what disappears behind the language of “surgical” force, and how covering conflict changed Jeff’s understanding of his own role as a reporter.

]]> No 9 9 Intelligence Saturation and the Economics of AI – with Ioana Marinescu full 99da3725-e933-4789-8d2e-fc803d0dbc59 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e3996f21 Ioana Marinescu — associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, research associate at the NBER, and member of Anthropic's Economic Advisory Council — joins Danny Buerkli to discuss her "intelligence saturation" paper, which divides the economy into an intelligence sector and a physical sector to model what happens as AI automates cognitive work. They discuss why a recent scenario piece that moved markets gets the economics wrong, what parameters to watch to understand where we're headed, why being first to AGI may matter less than people think, her policy proposals for AI Adjustment Insurance and a Digital Dividend, what UBI experiments do and don't tell us about a world without work, Ioana's favorite theory of divorce, and what it feels like to be an intelligence worker watching AI get better at your job.

]]> Ioana Marinescu — associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, research associate at the NBER, and member of Anthropic's Economic Advisory Council — joins Danny Buerkli to discuss her "intelligence saturation" paper, which divides the economy into an intelligence sector and a physical sector to model what happens as AI automates cognitive work. They discuss why a recent scenario piece that moved markets gets the economics wrong, what parameters to watch to understand where we're headed, why being first to AGI may matter less than people think, her policy proposals for AI Adjustment Insurance and a Digital Dividend, what UBI experiments do and don't tell us about a world without work, Ioana's favorite theory of divorce, and what it feels like to be an intelligence worker watching AI get better at your job.

]]> Wed, 04 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0100 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 3762 Ioana Marinescu — associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, research associate at the NBER, and member of Anthropic's Economic Advisory Council — joins Danny Buerkli to discuss her "intelligence saturation" paper, which divides the economy into an intelligence sector and a physical sector to model what happens as AI automates cognitive work. They discuss why a recent scenario piece that moved markets gets the economics wrong, what parameters to watch to understand where we're headed, why being first to AGI may matter less than people think, her policy proposals for AI Adjustment Insurance and a Digital Dividend, what UBI experiments do and don't tell us about a world without work, Ioana's favorite theory of divorce, and what it feels like to be an intelligence worker watching AI get better at your job.

]]> No 8 8 France, Germany, and the State of Europe – with Joseph de Weck full ffa9cdd7-8b4c-4606-bc88-4138ac731cfc https://share.transistor.fm/s/3a3fbe3b Germany and France have historically formed the core of Europe and the European Union. Joseph de Weck - political analyst, historian, author, columnist, and Europe Director at Greenmantle - knows both exceptionally well and joins Danny Buerkli to unpack the state of Europe. They discuss the influence of Paul Ricœur on Emmanuel Macron, why French baguette bread is so standardized, what may happen at the German elections in 2029, and the big shifts under way in Europe’s geopolitical posture.

]]> Germany and France have historically formed the core of Europe and the European Union. Joseph de Weck - political analyst, historian, author, columnist, and Europe Director at Greenmantle - knows both exceptionally well and joins Danny Buerkli to unpack the state of Europe. They discuss the influence of Paul Ricœur on Emmanuel Macron, why French baguette bread is so standardized, what may happen at the German elections in 2029, and the big shifts under way in Europe’s geopolitical posture.

]]> Sun, 15 Feb 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 3449 Germany and France have historically formed the core of Europe and the European Union. Joseph de Weck - political analyst, historian, author, columnist, and Europe Director at Greenmantle - knows both exceptionally well and joins Danny Buerkli to unpack the state of Europe. They discuss the influence of Paul Ricœur on Emmanuel Macron, why French baguette bread is so standardized, what may happen at the German elections in 2029, and the big shifts under way in Europe’s geopolitical posture.

]]> No 7 7 Vienna: How the City of Ideas Created the Modern World – with Richard Cockett full d39cefdb-2b4c-4f70-a296-cb3aff477b34 https://share.transistor.fm/s/7b64a8ff Every aspect of modernity was shaped by individuals with intellectual roots in Vienna, argues Richard Cockett, author of "Vienna: How the City of Ideas Created the Modern World". Richard, historian and senior editor at The Economist, joins Danny Buerkli to discuss his latest book. They cover the story of the stunningly productive and creative Viennese emigrés, discuss implications for progress today and trace how the intellectual feud between Vienna and Frankfurt still reverberates today.

]]> Every aspect of modernity was shaped by individuals with intellectual roots in Vienna, argues Richard Cockett, author of "Vienna: How the City of Ideas Created the Modern World". Richard, historian and senior editor at The Economist, joins Danny Buerkli to discuss his latest book. They cover the story of the stunningly productive and creative Viennese emigrés, discuss implications for progress today and trace how the intellectual feud between Vienna and Frankfurt still reverberates today.

]]> Wed, 21 Jan 2026 07:00:00 +0100 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 3269 Every aspect of modernity was shaped by individuals with intellectual roots in Vienna, argues Richard Cockett, author of "Vienna: How the City of Ideas Created the Modern World". Richard, historian and senior editor at The Economist, joins Danny Buerkli to discuss his latest book. They cover the story of the stunningly productive and creative Viennese emigrés, discuss implications for progress today and trace how the intellectual feud between Vienna and Frankfurt still reverberates today.

]]> No 6 6 Labor Market Impacts of AI – with Bharat Chandar full 2461da8c-0f1c-4d4a-9771-fe09d9a12c18 https://share.transistor.fm/s/77bac4d1 Which effects of AI are we already seeing in the labor market? And what might be coming down the line? Bharat Chandar, postdoc at Stanford and co-author of the "Canaries in the Coal Mine" paper, joins Danny Buerkli to discuss what we know about the impacts of AI on the labor market and where the jury is still out.

]]> Which effects of AI are we already seeing in the labor market? And what might be coming down the line? Bharat Chandar, postdoc at Stanford and co-author of the "Canaries in the Coal Mine" paper, joins Danny Buerkli to discuss what we know about the impacts of AI on the labor market and where the jury is still out.

]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2025 07:00:00 +0100 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 2640 Which effects of AI are we already seeing in the labor market? And what might be coming down the line? Bharat Chandar, postdoc at Stanford and co-author of the "Canaries in the Coal Mine" paper, joins Danny Buerkli to discuss what we know about the impacts of AI on the labor market and where the jury is still out.

]]> No 5 5 Improv Wisdom – with Patricia Ryan Madson full 2ee8581f-de22-4c0b-88e7-33a464c7e9d1 https://share.transistor.fm/s/f3d47baa Patricia Ryan Madson, professor emerita at Stanford and author of "Improv Wisdom", joins Danny Buerkli to talk about how she got into improv, how she starts a class, how status works, Keith Johnstone's dark side, and the four A's of improv: attention, acceptance, appreciation, and action. 

]]> Patricia Ryan Madson, professor emerita at Stanford and author of "Improv Wisdom", joins Danny Buerkli to talk about how she got into improv, how she starts a class, how status works, Keith Johnstone's dark side, and the four A's of improv: attention, acceptance, appreciation, and action. 

]]> Wed, 10 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0100 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 2932 Patricia Ryan Madson, professor emerita at Stanford and author of "Improv Wisdom", joins Danny Buerkli to talk about how she got into improv, how she starts a class, how status works, Keith Johnstone's dark side, and the four A's of improv: attention, acceptance, appreciation, and action. 

]]> improv, Keith Johnstone, Viola Spolin, Improv Wisdom No 4 4 Scenario Planning – with Jamais Cascio full 4875a290-cedd-456a-9df1-e23581ccd5c2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/f5e390b4 Jamais Cascio, futurist, scenario expert, and author of Navigating the Age of Chaos, joins Danny Buerkli for a deep dive into scenario planning. They discuss how the discipline has evolved since the days of Herman Kahn at RAND and Pierre Wack at Shell, whether the military or the private sector do it better, why geoengineering might lead to predictable trouble (and why we might do it anyway), and whether today’s AI is more or less weird than Jamais once imagined. Jamais also reflects on his time working with Ken Waltz and shares the story behind his BANI framework, which captures how many now perceive the world: brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible.

]]> Jamais Cascio, futurist, scenario expert, and author of Navigating the Age of Chaos, joins Danny Buerkli for a deep dive into scenario planning. They discuss how the discipline has evolved since the days of Herman Kahn at RAND and Pierre Wack at Shell, whether the military or the private sector do it better, why geoengineering might lead to predictable trouble (and why we might do it anyway), and whether today’s AI is more or less weird than Jamais once imagined. Jamais also reflects on his time working with Ken Waltz and shares the story behind his BANI framework, which captures how many now perceive the world: brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible.

]]> Wed, 26 Nov 2025 06:00:00 +0100 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 4834 Jamais Cascio, futurist, scenario expert, and author of Navigating the Age of Chaos, joins Danny Buerkli for a deep dive into scenario planning. They discuss how the discipline has evolved since the days of Herman Kahn at RAND and Pierre Wack at Shell, whether the military or the private sector do it better, why geoengineering might lead to predictable trouble (and why we might do it anyway), and whether today’s AI is more or less weird than Jamais once imagined. Jamais also reflects on his time working with Ken Waltz and shares the story behind his BANI framework, which captures how many now perceive the world: brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible.

]]> scenario planning, AI, Herman Kahn, Pierre Wack, geoengineering, BANI No 3 3 Building an Open LLM – with Antoine Bosselut full 6e1c2526-e028-477c-bf08-a706110e15d0 https://share.transistor.fm/s/43f54698 Antoine Bosselut, Assistant Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, joins Danny Buerkli to explain how he and his team built Apertus, the 'open' LLM. Antoine and Danny discuss why taxpayers should fund this work, which constraints bite hardest when creating an LLM outside one of the large labs, and which public investments may be needed now.

]]> Antoine Bosselut, Assistant Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, joins Danny Buerkli to explain how he and his team built Apertus, the 'open' LLM. Antoine and Danny discuss why taxpayers should fund this work, which constraints bite hardest when creating an LLM outside one of the large labs, and which public investments may be needed now.

]]> Wed, 05 Nov 2025 07:00:00 +0100 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 3406 Antoine Bosselut, Assistant Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, joins Danny Buerkli to explain how he and his team built Apertus, the 'open' LLM. Antoine and Danny discuss why taxpayers should fund this work, which constraints bite hardest when creating an LLM outside one of the large labs, and which public investments may be needed now.

]]> No 2 2 The Art of Facilitation – with Vishal Jodhani full 4bcd9df3-bdd9-49f8-bb3e-f39f1cc4a6b3 https://share.transistor.fm/s/ab942878 Vishal Jodhani, a master facilitator, joins Danny Buerkli to talk about what makes facilitation work. They discuss what makes for a good question, how to know the difference between productive chaos and unproductive confusion, and what is underappreciated about the Berlin club scene.

]]> Vishal Jodhani, a master facilitator, joins Danny Buerkli to talk about what makes facilitation work. They discuss what makes for a good question, how to know the difference between productive chaos and unproductive confusion, and what is underappreciated about the Berlin club scene.

]]> Wed, 22 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0200 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 2546 Vishal Jodhani, a master facilitator, joins Danny Buerkli to talk about what makes facilitation work. They discuss what makes for a good question, how to know the difference between productive chaos and unproductive confusion, and what is underappreciated about the Berlin club scene.

]]> No 1 1 State Capacity and Government Reform – with Don Kettl full 58220f63-de17-452d-834f-e966ff22f003 https://share.transistor.fm/s/1255d88b Don Kettl — prolific scholar of public administration — joins Danny Buerkli talk about state capacity and government reform. They discuss what DOGE got right (and what it didn't), whether gradual government is possible at all, why Operation Warp Speed was so unreasonably effective, and what lessons we should learn from Paul Volcker. 

]]> Don Kettl — prolific scholar of public administration — joins Danny Buerkli talk about state capacity and government reform. They discuss what DOGE got right (and what it didn't), whether gradual government is possible at all, why Operation Warp Speed was so unreasonably effective, and what lessons we should learn from Paul Volcker. 

]]> Wed, 08 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0200 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 3865 Don Kettl — prolific scholar of public administration — joins Danny Buerkli talk about state capacity and government reform. They discuss what DOGE got right (and what it didn't), whether gradual government is possible at all, why Operation Warp Speed was so unreasonably effective, and what lessons we should learn from Paul Volcker. 

]]> No Introducing High Variance with Danny Buerkli trailer b47bfa86-5e26-450c-862a-9bf613b3afc3 https://share.transistor.fm/s/5987506b We live in weird times. The world has become harder to read — more uncertain, more volatile, stranger. High Variance is an interview podcast about how to navigate this reality. We talk to people who are making sense of what’s happening around us to ask: What’s going on? And how should we respond?

]]> We live in weird times. The world has become harder to read — more uncertain, more volatile, stranger. High Variance is an interview podcast about how to navigate this reality. We talk to people who are making sense of what’s happening around us to ask: What’s going on? And how should we respond?

]]> Thu, 11 Sep 2025 15:09:09 +0200 Danny Buerkli Danny Buerkli 56 We live in weird times. The world has become harder to read — more uncertain, more volatile, stranger. High Variance is an interview podcast about how to navigate this reality. We talk to people who are making sense of what’s happening around us to ask: What’s going on? And how should we respond?

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