Santi Ruiz on America's Techno-Industrial Master Plan
Santi Ruiz is a policy researcher at the Institute for Progress and host of the Statecraft newsletter and podcast. He's one of the editors of the Techno-Industrial Policy Playbook, a comprehensive strategy document produced by three American think tanks to help the US compete with China's manufacturing dominance. The playbook outlines concrete policy proposals across frontier science, energy abundance, and national security—from creating special compute zones to reforming naval shipbuilding and accelerating geothermal development.The Society for Technological Advancement (SoTA) is organising a hackathon on 31st May and 1st June focused on geoengineering and weather control. Click here to find out more.Episode outline* How China's 230x shipbuilding advantage over America represents an existential threat to Western naval power* The X-Labs proposal to fund cutting-edge research institutions outside traditional universities using flexible block grants* Special compute zones that would fast-track energy infrastructure for AI development in exchange for security commitments* Why America's Loans Programs Office has funded every nuclear plant built this century and shouldn't be dismantled by DOGE* How regulatory carve-outs for geothermal energy could unlock abundant clean power using proven oil and gas drilling techniques* The critical minerals challenge where China could crash markets to destroy American mining operations* Why American naval shipbuilding fails because design is outsourced instead of done in-house like it used to be* Whether Britain should be America's lapdog or develop independent techno-industrial capacity focused on European threats* How elite consensus matters more than popular mobilisation for implementing transformative policy changes* The difference between financialisation that enables productive investment versus financialisation that replaces itMentioned in this episode:The Techno-Industrial Policy Playbook: How to Kickstart America's Techno‑Industrial RenaissanceStatecraft on SubstackWhy FORGE Works by Tom Ough for IFP This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anglofuturism.substack.com
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🚨 Keir Starmer, Anglofuturist?
A break from our regular schedule to bring you urgent news on the Chagos Islands and a sudden change for Britain’s immigration policy.We’re back with the regular podcast on May 28th when we’ll be talking to Alexander Fitzgerald, industrialist and Founder/CEO of Isembard. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anglofuturism.substack.com
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45:28
Everything Is About Everything Until Nothing Works, with Joe Hill (Policy Director, Reform Think Tank)
Joe Hill is Director of Policy at Reform and founder of the Greater London Project, a community initiative focused on London's future. A former Treasury civil servant with experience across government departments, Joe has become a leading critic of what he calls "everythingism"—the dysfunctional tendency to make every policy about every other policy, everywhere, all at once. His influential essay on this concept has gained significant traction in policy circles, offering a framework for understanding why British governance has become increasingly ineffective despite ever-expanding regulations and procedures.Calum and Tom talk to Joe about:* How "everythingism" manifests in absurd policy decisions like rejecting a nuclear power plant to protect Welsh language or requiring fish discos for reactor cooling systems* The rise of plus-oneism—how individual policy advocates each adding "just one more requirement" creates an unmanageable bureaucratic morass* Why statutory requirements like the Equalities Act and Climate Change Act have created unintended veto points that prevent sensible decision-making* The failure of technocratic governance through quangos and how these arms-length bodies have become accountability sinks* How social value procurement requirements waste billions by forcing contractors to prioritise secondary goals over core objectives* The paradox of parliamentary sovereignty—how ministers have the power to cut through bureaucracy but lack the knowledge or will to do so* Why successful government initiatives like the vaccine task force only work by exempting themselves from normal rules* The path forward: restoring personal accountability, rejecting everythingist thinking, and accepting that good policy requires difficult trade-offsSee below for transcript and further reading. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Further Reading on Everythingism and British Policy ReformIf you enjoyed this episode with Joe Hill discussing the crisis of everythingism in British governance, here are some recommended resources to explore these topics further:"Everythingism" by Joe Hill - The original essay that defines and analyses the concept of everythingism in British policymaking.Greater London Project - Joe's community initiative and Substack focused on building a liveable future for LondonReform research - Various papers on planning reform, regulatory burden, and state capacityDan Davies on “The Unaccountability Machine” - Dan Davies explores the concept of unaccountability sinksBooks"The Uses of Knowledge in Society" by F.A. Hayek - Foundational text on the limits of centralised decision-making"The Blunders of Our Governments" by Anthony King and Ivor Crewe - Analysis of systematic failures in British government decision-making"The British Regulatory State" by Michael Moran - Academic examination of how Britain became a hyper-regulated society"Seeing Like a State" by James C. Scott - Classic work on why certain schemes to improve the human condition have failed"Simple Rules for a Complex World" by Richard Epstein - Legal scholar's argument for simplicity in law and regulation"The Death of Common Sense" by Philip K. Howard - How bureaucratic rules have replaced human judgment in governance"Why Government Fails So Often" by Peter Schuck - Analysis of the structural reasons for policy failure This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anglofuturism.substack.com
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1:43:09
Marc Warner on AI, State Capacity, and Britain's Technological Future
Marc Warner is CEO and co-founder of Faculty, a British AI company that partners with organisations to deploy artificial intelligence in the real world. After beginning his career in quantum physics research at UCL and Harvard, Marc shifted his focus to AI, believing it would be the most important science of the 21st century. Faculty first gained prominence for its fellowship program that helps PhD graduates transition into commercial data science, and later for its critical work with the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic, using AI to predict hospital demand and resource allocation.Calum and Tom talk to Marc Warner about:* Britain's missed opportunities in cloud computing and foundation models, and what can still be done to ensure technological sovereignty* The challenges of aligning AI with human values and controlling frontier models as systems become increasingly powerful* Faculty's crucial role during COVID-19, developing world-leading predictive models that helped allocate healthcare resources and save lives* The bureaucratic obstacles that hinder innovation in government, including procurement rules that favour foreign tech giants over British companies* How Faculty evolved from an educational fellowship into one of the UK's leading AI companies helping organisations bridge the gap between data and effective decision-making* How AI's economic transformation could create both extraordinary wealth and potential risks, requiring thoughtful governance approaches This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anglofuturism.substack.com
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1:46:13
Josef Chen on Automating the Restaurant Industry
Josef Chen is the founder of KAIKAKU, a London-based company developing automation technology for restaurants. A former Imperial College student, Chen created his first Bitcoin faucet at age 13 and previously worked as the first intern at Bitpanda (Austria's first unicorn startup). After growing up working in his parents' Chinese restaurant from age six, Chen has now returned to the industry with a mission to transform it through robotics and technology.Calum and Tom talk to Josef Chen about:Josef's remarkable journey from peeling potatoes in his parents' Austrian restaurant at age six to founding a cutting-edge robotics companyHow KAIKAKU's "living laboratory" approach enables rapid hardware development and real-world testing of restaurant automationWhy specialised robots designed for specific tasks will outperform humanoid robots in practical applicationsThe widespread misallocation of engineering talent in Britain, with top graduates being lured into finance instead of building tangible solutionsHow restaurant automation can free staff from mundane tasks to focus on genuine hospitality and customer experienceJosef's vision for rebuilding Britain's engineering culture through initiatives like London Micro GrantsListen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Substack. Produced by Aeron Laffere.Further readingSweetgreen’s S-1 Filing - Deep dive into a US tech-forward restaurant chain’s unit economics, vision, and automation strategyOcado’s AI-powered robotic arms: levelling up efficiency in online grocery and logistics - Case study of one of the few globally competitive UK hardware automation effortsNeko Health - Example of vertically integrated tech x real-world experience design, referenced by JosephLondon Micro Grants - A live initiative for empowering grassroots builders in the UK with small-scale funding Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anglofuturism.substack.com
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