Oppenheimer and the Catastrophe of Communism
10/23/23 • 112 min
In this episode of “The Ben & Marc Show”, a16z’s co-founders Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen take on the biggest and most important film of the year – Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster “Oppenheimer”.
The film – based on the 2005 biography “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer'' by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin – chronicles the life of the American theoretical physicist, whose direction of the top secret Manhattan Project forever changed the course of world history.
In this one-on-one conversation based on YOUR questions from Twitter, Marc and Ben examine the historical accuracies (and inaccuracies) of Nolan’s epic work, explore in-depth the life of the enigmatic physicist himself, and tackle – from all angles – the social and philosophical aspects of communism, a theme that weighs heavily in the film, as Oppenheimer’s association with party members led to his political downfall. Enjoy!
Watch the full Video:" https://youtu.be/AwOFcxENsVk?si=vUF9ZO5Fcj9W0O49
Resources:
Marc on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca
Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/
Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz
NY Times: "The Problem With Everything-Bagel Liberalism" by Ezra Klein: ’https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/op...
Books mentioned on this podcast (and others you’ll want to check out):
– “Red Decade” by Eugene Lyons https://amzn.to/3OEQMbZ
– “When Reason Goes on Holiday: Philosophers in Politics” by Neven Sesardic https://amzn.to/455zYRv
– "Witness" by Whittaker Chambers https://amzn.to/3OEu0RC
– ”The Great Leap Forward" by Alexander J. Field https://amzn.to/3QlCYV2
– "The Economic Consequences of U.S. Mobilization for the Second World War" by Alexander J. Field https://amzn.to/3Yemsbz
– “The Man From the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann” by Ananyo Bhattacharya https://amzn.to/446SbNf
– “Stalin's War: A New History of World War II” by Sean McMeekin https://amzn.to/47c29zw
– “McCarthy” by Arthur Herman https://amzn.to/3OFKYzc
Stay Updated:
Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z
Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z
The views expressed here are those of the individual personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any a16z funds. PLEASE SEE MORE HERE: https://a16z.com/disclosures/
In this episode of “The Ben & Marc Show”, a16z’s co-founders Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen take on the biggest and most important film of the year – Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster “Oppenheimer”.
The film – based on the 2005 biography “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer'' by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin – chronicles the life of the American theoretical physicist, whose direction of the top secret Manhattan Project forever changed the course of world history.
In this one-on-one conversation based on YOUR questions from Twitter, Marc and Ben examine the historical accuracies (and inaccuracies) of Nolan’s epic work, explore in-depth the life of the enigmatic physicist himself, and tackle – from all angles – the social and philosophical aspects of communism, a theme that weighs heavily in the film, as Oppenheimer’s association with party members led to his political downfall. Enjoy!
Watch the full Video:" https://youtu.be/AwOFcxENsVk?si=vUF9ZO5Fcj9W0O49
Resources:
Marc on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca
Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/
Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz
NY Times: "The Problem With Everything-Bagel Liberalism" by Ezra Klein: ’https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/op...
Books mentioned on this podcast (and others you’ll want to check out):
– “Red Decade” by Eugene Lyons https://amzn.to/3OEQMbZ
– “When Reason Goes on Holiday: Philosophers in Politics” by Neven Sesardic https://amzn.to/455zYRv
– "Witness" by Whittaker Chambers https://amzn.to/3OEu0RC
– ”The Great Leap Forward" by Alexander J. Field https://amzn.to/3QlCYV2
– "The Economic Consequences of U.S. Mobilization for the Second World War" by Alexander J. Field https://amzn.to/3Yemsbz
– “The Man From the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann” by Ananyo Bhattacharya https://amzn.to/446SbNf
– “Stalin's War: A New History of World War II” by Sean McMeekin https://amzn.to/47c29zw
– “McCarthy” by Arthur Herman https://amzn.to/3OFKYzc
Stay Updated:
Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z
Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z
The views expressed here are those of the individual personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any a16z funds. PLEASE SEE MORE HERE: https://a16z.com/disclosures/
Next Episode
What is the Future of Hollywood?
In this episode of “The Ben & Marc Show”, a16z’s co-founders Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen take on the most hot-button issue in Hollywood: artificial intelligence. Over the past few months, the topic of AI technology has pushed the entire industry into unknown territory. Screenwriters fear they’ll no longer be needed, while actors believe they’ll be replaced altogether. But is it possible AI can actually level the playing field and create new opportunities for all artists?
In this two-part conversation based on YOUR questions from X (formerly Twitter), Marc and Ben examine the evolving business models of the film and television industries, as well as explore how writers, directors and actors can soon use AI technology to unleash their creative potential in ways they never thought possible. In fact, AI’s future in Hollywood may not be as dystopian as some of our favorite films have led us to believe.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
Episode Note: This conversation was recorded in two parts. Part one took place before the WGA and AMPTP reached an agreement. Topics Covered:
Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/KFboZkwHjsU?si=QrIbhRVfqXVDtFq5
Resources:
Marc on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca
Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/
Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz
“Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need” by Blake Snyde:
Films mentioned on this episode:
“Monsters of Man” (Amazon Prime): https://amzn.to/3tf7CWV
“Tenet” (Amazon Prime): https://amzn.to/46aI8bE
"Reservoir Dogs” (Netflix): https://bit.ly/48zbQbM
“Buy Bust” (Netflix): https://bit.ly/3LHcmuw [**Marc’s recommendation**
TV Series mentioned on this episode:
“Fauda” (Netflix): https://bit.ly/3roB9wN
“Squid Game” (Netflix): https://bit.ly/3LGOreK
“Mad Men” (Amazon Prime): http://bit.ly/3LM2srB
Stay Updated:
Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z
Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z
The views expressed here are those of the individual personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any a16z funds. PLEASE SEE MORE HERE: https://a16z.com/disclosures/
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