Vic and Marcus analyze the political and economic implications of the recent inauguration, discussing the rapid executive orders issued and their potential impact on healthcare, markets, and policy. They explore the intersection of politics and investment strategies, debate the role of DEI in the current administration’s economic outlook, and break down Trump’s increasing involvement in cryptocurrency and financial markets. The conversation extends to inflation concerns, Federal Reserve decisions, AI’s role in government, and how major healthcare players like Cigna and Walgreens are responding to industry shifts. The episode concludes with a discussion on the future of venture capital, the evolving role of General Catalyst, and broader implications of tariffs on the U.S. economy.
Links:
22:58 - US GDP Grew 2.5% in 2024, but Slowed Slightly in Final Quarter
24:07 - Fed Stands Pat on Rates, Entering New Wait-and-See Phase
26:10 - Trump Media Announces New Push Into Finance to Support the ‘Patriot Economy’
41:01 - General Catalyst selling stakes as it expands beyond VC roots Axios
44:48 - RFK Jr. Backs Vaccines and Trump’s Agenda in Senate Testimony
49:29 - Overview of President Trump’s Executive Actions on Global Health KFF
50:08 - OpenAI launches ChatGPT Gov for U.S. government agencies
1:05:21 - Cigna set to close $3.7B MA sale to HCSC in Q1
1:05:31 - Walgreens shares drop 10% after company suspends quarterly dividend amid turnaround efforts
1:07:22 - Hims & Hers to Advertise Weight-Loss Shots at the Super Bowl
1:07:34 - Hims: 60 sec Superbowl a]Ad Youtube
1:11:56 - Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic Gets FDA Approval as Kidney-Disease Treatment
1:14:57 - Roche Expects Sales, Earnings Growth After Better-Than-Expected Results
1:15:04 - Sanofi Expects Strong Earnings Growth This Year, Plans $5.2 Billion Buyback
1:15:24 - OpenAI’s ‘Operator’ Agent Can Buy Groceries, File Expense Reports
1:17:10 - OpenAI in Talks for Huge Investment Round Valuing It Up to $300 Billion
1:18:43 - Deep Seek explained on Bankless
1:19:35 - What to Know About China’s DeepSeek AI
1:24:46 - DeepSeek Scrambles U.S.-China Tech War
1:24:48 - NVIDA sales to Sinapore (maybe migrating to China?) X post
1:26:14 - Meta Gave Away Its A.I. Crown Jewels. DeepSeek Vindicated Its Strategy
1:26:17 - Meta Platforms Sa