#377: Geoff Lewis on The New World We Live In

— Narrative violations and how Silicon Valley's reputation shifted from "saving the world" to "destroying the world," with neither extreme being accurate.

— The Federal Reserve's explicit policy shift toward higher inflation and the implications for technology investing across early-stage and public markets.

— Five predictions revisited: Dr. Li's death as a Franz Ferdinand moment, resurgence of religiosity, inflation/hyperinflation, remote work as a narrative mirage, and serological test agreements.

— Epic Games vs. Apple's App Store dispute as a case study in platform power dynamics and how demand-generation can shift negotiating leverage.

— Solopreneur platforms (Shopify, Stripe, Plaid) creating new dependencies for small business owners, with lessons from Fortnite about not over-relying on single platforms.

— Portfolio resilience: venture-backed companies' structural ability to withstand revenue shocks due to capital reserves, though sectoral impact varies widely.

— Avoid over-dependence on any single platform if you operate as a solopreneur or small business; diversify your infrastructure dependencies (e.g., use Shopify alongside Stripe and Plaid rather than relying entirely on one suite).

— In a hyperinflationary macro environment, technology equities have structural advantages because cash loses value; however, enterprise SaaS multiples may compress if micro-level churn and unit economics deteriorate.

— Question permanent structural changes announced during temporary crises; reverting to pre-pandemic norms may be faster and cheaper than building costly new infrastructure for what could prove transient conditions.