Michael Muthukrishna - Cooperative Innovation & Programmable Politics

the talktank

The Bits & Bytes Series - Michael Muthukrishna

Hosted by Danilo Dukanovic

Today, we get up close with someone who not only teaches us here at LSE but also shapes the way we think about culture, innovation, and the power of shared knowledge. We talk to Professor Michael Muthukrishna, a thought leader who's got his finger on the pulse of cultural evolution. 🫀

Michael is no ordinary academic; he's the founder of Culturalytic, a toolkit for companies that's sparking a new era of cultural and behavioral change. He's also the author of ‘A Theory of Everyone’, a book that's as bold as it is enlightening. 🤔

In our chat with Professor Muthukrishna, we dug into how behavioral and psychological science, along with cultural factors and evolutionary theory, play pivotal roles in the level of innovation a society can achieve. It’s fascinating stuff that really gets you thinking about the bigger picture. 💭🖼️

For all you budding entrepreneurs and start-up dynamos out there, we went a step further. We discussed practical ways you could apply these insights to make a real impact. Think of it as blending deep knowledge with action, aiming to not just start a business but to also spark a positive wave in society. It’s about smart innovation, where your company isn't just a business—it’s a force for good, driving us all forward. 🚀

Check out Michael Muthukrishna:

https://www.michael.muthukrishna.com/ (Website)

https://x.com/mmuthukrishna?lang=en (X, formerly Twitter)

Give ‘A Theory of Everyone’ a read:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Theory-Everyone-Here-Where-Going/dp/1399810634

Timestamps:

0:38 - Intro to Michael Muthukrishna

2:40 - Key concepts from his book ‘A Theory of Everyone’

4:10 - The Four Laws of Life

8:22 - Cooperation necessity in building startups

10:10 - The Paradox of ‘Geniuses’

12:28 - Cheap ideas: how easily copiable are they?

16:10 - Cultural differences and entrepreneurship

19:24 - Silicon valley: a graveyard of failure, but landmark of success

21:04 - How the ‘resource curse’ affects cooperation and growth

23:40 - Psychological traps: zero-sum competition games

24:42 - Cooperating at LSE to benefit everyone

26:15 - How governments can shift zero-sum psychology to positive-sum

27:16 - The transformative power of new, startup cities

27:53 - Hong Kong: from fishing village to development hub

29:05 - Fail locally, learn globally

29:55 - Programmable politics, network states, and blockchain

32:33 - Mechanisms of cooperation

33:00 - Reputation: do we trust the Uber driver or Uber? Airbnb host or Airbnb?

34:38 - Where are we? What stage are we at?

35:47 ChatGPT: an overnight, game-changer

37:50 - Climate change’s lead into the Syrian migration crisis

40:07 - Listening to the silent middle over the far left/right

40:50 - Diminishing returns of fossil fuels and the far right

Credits to Jessica Ge for producing this episode. 🎧