Is the U.S. Losing Its Edge ?— Here’s How We Win It Back | Joe Lonsdale PT 1

Tom Bilyeu's Impact Theory

Impact Theory

Education, News, News Commentary, Philosophy, Technology, Society & Culture, Business, Self-improvement

4.7 • 5.1K Ratings

🗓️ 27 May 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On today’s episode of Impact Theory, Tom Bilyeu sits down with Joe Lonsdale—the prolific tech founder and investor known for co-founding Palantir and for building solutions at the intersection of technology and national defense. As concerns mount about America’s readiness in the face of a rising China, Joe shares firsthand insights from decades at the forefront of defense innovation, higher education reform, and the struggle to revive meritocracy in our institutions. You’ll hear how Joe went from a “naive pro-China camp” to sounding the alarm about CCP crackdowns, corporate espionage, and why our bloated, slow-moving government and defense sectors are failing to keep pace with adversaries abroad. From empowering the next generation of courageous leaders to building autonomous ships and anti-drone tech, Joe reveals what it will take for the U.S. to reclaim its competitive edge. SHOWNOTES 00:00 China: Government vs. Tech Aspirations 03:02 Founding Palantir Amidst Early Challenges 09:33 Merit-Based Immigration Dynamics 11:32 Cultural Bias vs Merit Concerns 13:17 "Merit-Based Hiring Advocacy" 16:59 US-China Conflict in Biotech Innovation 22:34 Merit Ignored: SpaceX and Paler's Rise 24:49 Palantir's Unexpected Success 27:20 "China's Rising Manufacturing Dominance" 31:05 Efficient Engineering under Scarcity CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS Vital Proteins: Get 20% off by going to https://www.vitalproteins.com and entering promo code IMPACT at check out Monarch Money: Use code THEORY at https://monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year! Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://shopify.com/impact iTrust Capital: Use code IMPACTGO when you sign up and fund your account to get a $100 bonus at https://www.itrustcapital.com/tombilyeu Mint Mobile: If you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at https://mintmobile.com/impact. DISCLAIMER: Upfront payment of $45 for 3-month 5 gigabyte plan required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customer offer for first 3 months only, then full-price plan options available. Taxes & fees extra. See MINT MOBILE for details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Tara Schmidt, a registered dietitian and host of On Nutrition, a podcast for Mayo Clinic, where we dig into the latest nutrition trends and research to help you understand what's health and what's hype.
0:16.1	There's a lot of wild stuff out there, so we'll be keeping it science-based, research-informed, and practical.
0:22.4	Mayo Clinic's On Nutrition, new episodes every other week, wherever you get your podcast.
0:34.9	Hi, I'm Tara Schmidt, a registered dietitian and host of On Nutrition, a podcast for Mayo Clinic, where we dig into the latest nutrition trends and research to help you understand what's health and what's hype.
0:47.9	There's a lot of wild stuff out there, so we'll be keeping it science-based, research-informed, and practical.
0:54.2	Mayo Clinic's on Nutrition.
0:56.0	New episodes every other week, wherever you get your podcast.
1:03.4	America is in danger because for decades, merit was exchanged for fairness.
1:08.5	It's a beautiful impulse, but a terrible strategy. Our institutions
1:12.5	got bloated, dumb, and soft. And culturally, we lost the will to build right as China became a
1:19.1	global powerhouse. While the West tore itself apart, China played the long game, assembling
1:24.2	the factories, the energy, the refineries, and the weapons needed to win
1:28.6	any kind of war. While most slept, today's guests saw it coming and reacted. Joe Lonsdale is one of
1:35.0	the most prolific billionaire tech founders, and he's attempting to safeguard America's future.
1:39.6	He's building defense technology to take down drone swarms, autonomous ships to control the seas,
1:44.0	and a new elite university to control the seas,
1:49.0	and a new elite university to train the next generation of courageous leaders. This isn't politics, it's preparation. To discuss the threats and the solutions, I bring you, Joe Lonsdale.
1:56.9	You've really been heads down on defense tech, founding a university, preparing for a world,
2:03.0	quite frankly, where China may no longer just be a rival but an open threat.
2:07.1	What did you see that made you realize we're not ready?
2:10.6	I was in the naive pro-China camp 15, 20 years ago.
2:15.7	I love working with the talent in China. There's so many great people
	...

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