The Week: Paris under Curfew, Trump’s Gift to Putin, and a Looming Data Center Bubble
Summary
This episode analyzes the escalating unrest in France, linking street protests to a potential debt crisis and political instability. It also covers the White House's reversal of sanctions on Russia and the controversial suspension of Starlink services in Ukraine. Finally, the show draws parallels between the current AI data center boom and the 1873 railroad crash, featuring insights from financial historian Liakat Ahmed and Wharton professor Ethan Mollick on the risks of overbuilding and the transformative potential of AI.
Topics discussed
Sponsors: USA Facts, Amex, and Apollo
Show intro and episode overview
France: Student protests and political unrest
France: Bond market pressures and debt crisis
France: Intergenerational inequality and US parallels
Ukraine: US sanctions waiver and diplomatic shifts
Ukraine: Starlink outage and US-Russia alliance
Sponsors: USA Facts, Whole Foods, and Carvana
AI: Railroad boom analogy and data center debt
AI: Overbuilding and the prisoner's dilemma
AI: Unused chips and hyperscaler spending
AI: Ethan Mollick on navigating the future
Sponsors: SimpliSafe, Carvana, and Mint Mobile
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