E60: The 2021 Bestie Awards PLUS Jack Dorsey starts the Web3 Wars

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode is the All-In podcast’s 2021 Bestie Awards, a rapid-fire year-end roundup of politics, business, science, media, and culture. The hosts debate winners, losers, surprises, and trends, repeatedly circling themes of centrism, anti-woke backlash, retail power, crypto/Web3, creator monetization, and the rise of direct-to-audience voices.

Main Topics: Political winners, losers, and surprises (Priority: 5/5): The hosts choose figures like Eric Adams, Glenn Youngkin, Joe Manchin, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Tony Fauci, using them to argue that centrism and backlash against progressive excess defined 2021 politics. Business winners and losers (Priority: 5/5): Discussion centers on Elon Musk, Tiger Global, Amazon/Alphabet/Apple, Chinese billionaires, Meta/Facebook, retail investors, and the collapse of short-sellers during GameStop-era market disruptions. Science and technology breakthroughs (Priority: 4/5): The panel highlights CRISPR in vivo editing, fusion progress, oral antivirals, Starship, synthetic biology, and starch synthesis as signals of major technical acceleration. Crypto, Web3, DAOs, and NFTs (Priority: 5/5): The hosts repeatedly frame blockchain-based organizing, DAOs, NFTs, and the ConstitutionDAO as important but messy experiments in new forms of coordination and capital formation. Media, creator economy, and direct-to-audience platforms (Priority: 4/5): Substack, podcasts, call-in, newsletters, and creators bypassing traditional gatekeepers are portrayed as a major 2021 trend, along with criticism of legacy media’s incentives. Woke backlash, centrism, and governance (Priority: 5/5): A recurring argument is that 2021 showed a rejection of ideological extremes on both left and right, with calls for more reasonable, pragmatic governance in cities, schools, and workplaces. Personal reflections and pod dynamics (Priority: 3/5): Near the end, the hosts reflect on their friendship, past tensions, the value of the show, and how the podcast has evolved into a direct, candid forum.

Key Arguments: Centrist politics outperformed ideological extremism, as shown by Eric Adams, Glenn Youngkin, and Joe Manchin. The progressive left and the alt-right both lost credibility because they failed to govern effectively or connect with mainstream voters. Retail investors gained real market power in 2021 and could meaningfully pressure institutions. Elon Musk was the standout business winner because of execution across Tesla and SpaceX. Legacy tech and media are losing trust, while direct-to-audience platforms and creator monetization are growing. Crypto-related primitives like DAOs, NFTs, and blockchain are early but potentially transformative forms of coordination and capital formation. 2021 featured meaningful scientific progress in gene editing, fusion, and antivirals, even if the pandemic remained unresolved. Legacy institutions such as newspapers and some large tech firms are increasingly viewed as agenda-driven or culturally out of step. The hosts believe the future belongs to people and companies that go direct, stay mission-focused, and avoid ideological posturing.

Data Points: Episode milestone: Nine episodes away from episode 69 - Opening banter about future guests and episode numbering New York City mayoral result: Eric Adams won by not being woke - Sacks’ pick for biggest winner in politics West Virginia voting context: Trump won West Virginia by about 20 points - Used to explain Joe Manchin’s unusual leverage Kamala Harris approval rating: 28% - Cited as evidence she was a political loser Biden vs. Harris polling gap: About 10 points - Harris lagging Biden in public approval Elon Musk tax payment: $11 billion - Referenced in the Elizabeth Warren discussion Amazon wage level: 20s per hour - Used to argue Amazon outperformed progressive demands Tiger Global deployment: $15 billion - Cited as their annual late-stage capital deployment Retail investor impact: GameStop and AMC market moves - Examples of retail investor coordination and market power Chinese billionaires under pressure: Alibaba, Didi, Tencent, Baidu, JD.com - Used to support the claim that Chinese billionaires were big losers ConstitutionDAO raise: $40 million in a couple of days - Highlighted as a surprise in business/crypto organization OpenSea volume: $8 million monthly volume in January; $3.46 billion in August - Shown as evidence of NFT growth Ford stock performance: Up 130%+ - Cited by Chamath as best turnaround Coinbase participation rate: Only 5% took the severance - Used in praising Brian Armstrong’s no-politics workplace policy Coinbase market cap: $65 billion public company - Evidence of Armstrong’s successful leadership Starlink speed comparison: Faster than fixed broadband average in Belgium, Canada, Australia, Germany, the UK, New Zealand, and France - Sacks’ case for Starlink as a best new technology Crypto/DAOs mentioned as future capital formation: 40 million, 400 million, and 4 billion scaling example - Jason’s projection for DAO-based fundraising Big Tech lawsuit/PR pressure: Not quantified - Chamath argues pressure is building through lawsuits, fines, and bad PR

Pivotal Quotes: "the biggest winner in politics is the blockchain" — David Friedberg: His unconventional pick for political winner of the year "The creator economy blossoming" — David Sacks: Best trend discussion about new monetization models for independent creators "I think that that is what we will realize because the scale of death caused by animal agriculture" — David Friedberg: His controversial argument for Tyson Foods as the most loathsome company

Implications: Listeners are left with a clear thesis: 2021 rewarded pragmatism, direct communication, and technological experimentation. The hosts see future winners in creators, crypto, space, and mission-driven companies, while institutions that rely on gatekeeping, ideology, or weak governance are under pressure.