E159: The Bestie Awards! Recapping the best and worst of 2023
Episode Details
In their fourth annual Bestie Awards, the hosts of the All-In Podcast—Jason Calacanis, Chamath Palihapitiya, David Sachs, and David Friedberg—recap the biggest winners and losers of 2023. In politics, winners included Donald Trump for his galvanized support, Saudi Arabia for its geopolitical leverage, and the rise of non-traditional candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. Political losers were identified as the DEI Movement for facing broad criticism and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy. The Hamas attack on Israel was named the biggest political surprise. In the business world, Elon Musk was a clear winner for his successes at Tesla and SpaceX, alongside the Magnificent 7 tech stocks, which include Microsoft and Nvidia. Uber (led by CEO Dara Khosrowshahi) also received accolades, with Facebook being named a top surprise for its turnaround. On the losing side were Disney and the broader Go Woke Community for facing consumer backlash. The biggest business surprise was the ouster and return of Sam Altman at OpenAI. The best science breakthrough award went to the CRISPR FDA approved treatment of Sickle Cell Anemia, while Effective Altruism and its proponent Sam Bankman-Fried were named a 'flash in the pan'. The Best CEO category saw diverse picks: Taylor Swift for her economic empire, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, and Sam Altman of OpenAI. Top investors included Ken Griffin of Citadel and Bill Ackman, who also was noted for his opposition to the DEI Movement. Best turnarounds were awarded to Novo Nordisk for its blockbuster drugs, the cryptocurrency Solana, and Uber. The 'Worst Company' award was given to Pfizer, FTX, Silicon Valley Bank, and Fox News. For best new tech, Open-Source locally run LLMs were highlighted. The best trends of the year were the Return of color blindness as a societal standard and the renewed Profitability focus at young companies. Conversely, the worst trends included rising Anti-Semitism and the {{metastastasizing national debt}}. The final 'self-immolation' award was given to the Ivy League for reputational damage and to its namesake, Rudy Giuliani.
Key Topics & People
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CEO of OpenAI, referred to as an example of a top-tier founder.
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Former US President, cited as an example of a personality-driven political figure with built-in audiences.
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Host of the All-In Podcast and angel investor.
Host of the All-In Podcast and venture capitalist.
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Host of the All-In Podcast, venture capitalist, and early Facebook executive.
A popular technology and business podcast where industry leaders discuss startups, economy, and global events.
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CEO of Microsoft who was part of the frontier model companies discussing AI safety.
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CEO of Nvidia who played a key role in drafting the AI safety accord's internal and external audit mechanisms.
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A philanthropic philosophy heavily tied to AI safety and regulatory capture initiatives.
Billionaire hedge fund manager and founder of Citadel.
Hostility toward Jews, which both senators actively condemn, pointing out its disturbing rise in political discourse.
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An investor mentioned regarding identifying overbeaten companies ripe for acquisition.
The traditional index of the top seven highly valued public tech companies.
Major economic power in the Middle East whose public markets experienced recent downturns affecting capital availability.
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The CEO of Uber, noted as an incredibly successful business leader from the Iranian diaspora.
Pharmaceutical company that developed breakthrough GLP-1 drugs, seeing massive stock growth.
Co-host of the All-In Podcast and venture capitalist at Craft Ventures. He expresses a contrarian belief that AI will increase demand for knowledge workers and argues that the US is at the beginning of an AI-driven economic boom.
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Former mayor of New York City and lawyer for Donald Trump. He is a central figure in the Georgia RICO case and is seen as the next target for prosecutors to 'flip' against Trump.
A shift in the startup mindset from prioritizing rapid growth funded by venture capital to achieving sustainable profitability and positive cash flow early in the company's lifecycle.
A group of elite universities whose brand and reputation were awarded the 'self-immolation award' by Chamath Palihapitiya for irreparable harm done to their image in 2023.
A social trend identified by David Sachs as the 'best trend of 2023,' representing a pushback against DEI and a return to meritocratic ideals.
The rapidly growing US national debt, highlighted by David Sachs as the worst trend of 2023, describing it as a bipartisan problem getting worse under the Biden administration.
A bank that collapsed in 2023, named one of the worst companies by Chamath Palihapitiya for poor risk management that imperiled the tech industry.
Large Language Models that can be run on local machines, disconnected from the internet, highlighted by David Friedberg as the best new tech of 2023 for enabling continued AI development away from government regulation.
An FDA approval for a CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy to treat Sickle Cell Anemia, highlighted by Chamath Palihapitiya as a major science breakthrough in 2023.
A term used to describe companies and movements that adopt progressive social stances, identified as a 'biggest loser in business' for facing consumer backlash and revenue loss.
President of Ukraine, chosen by David Sachs as the biggest political loser of 2023, citing a shift in media perception and a failed gamble to pressure Putin instead of making peace.
A social and corporate movement focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, named the biggest political loser of 2023 due to negative public perception and its linkage to anti-Semitism.
The October 7th attack, cited as the biggest political surprise of 2023 by David Sachs, which shifted the political paradigm in the Middle East and American politics.
The fourth annual awards ceremony held by the All-In Podcast to recap the biggest winners, losers, and surprises of the year in politics, business, science, and culture.
A global music superstar, named the best CEO of 2023 by Jason Calacanis for her massive economic impact through her tour, merchandise, and direct-to-theater movie release.
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Founder of FTX, labeled a 'flash in the pan' and described as an 'Aderall addicted grifter' following the collapse of his crypto exchange.
An independent presidential candidate, named by Chamath Palihapitiya as the biggest political surprise of 2023 for gaining significant favorability in polls.