Presidential Debate Reaction, Biden Hot Swap?, Tech unemployment, OpenAI considers for-profit & more

Episode 185 was taped a day late so that it could follow the first presidential debate. After banter about Friedberg's genetics start-up, Jason Calacanis opens the political discussion with a blunt verdict, citing confusion, slips and gaffes.

It was an unmitigated disaster for the Democrats and President Biden.

The clip the hosts single out is Biden's answer on Medicare and COVID eligibility, which breaks off mid-thought before the moderator turns to Trump.

Calacanis plays commentators describing panic among Democratic strategists, officials and fundraisers, including talk of asking Biden to step aside. One speaker argues that Biden sought an early debate because he was losing and needed to change the narrative.

A speaker predicts a change of nominee within 30 to 60 days, possibly "Gavin", reasoning that Democrats were waiting on the Trump trials and the debate before deciding. Calacanis then cites prediction markets: Biden down from 47% to 33%, a 44% Polymarket chance of dropping out, Newsom at 14%, Trump at 58%. The transcript is garbled on which figure belongs to which market.

Palihapitiya calls Biden a dedicated public servant but says he is no longer really in charge, which he thinks explains the previous six months. He reads the White House's silence on podcast requests as part of a strategy that, in his account, also boxed RFK Jr. out of the Democratic primary, and asks what Ron Klain believed during debate preparation.

there is a person who should be allowed to transition into the sunset and be celebrated for what he's done.

Sacks defends Biden ironically: the campaign blamed a cold, and Joe Scarborough and Reid Hoffman had vouched for Biden's private sharpness, so he takes them at their word. Calacanis labels the routine Satire Sacks. When the tone shifts, Sacks says Democrats rigged the primaries and boxed out Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dean Phillips.