E49: The Legacy of Effective Altruism with Igor Kurganov

This week on Upstream, Erik is joined by Igor Kurganov, poker player and founder of Raising for Effective Giving. They discuss similarities between poker and Effective Altruism, the successes and failures of EA, and where EA should go next. To get Brave: Head to https://brave.com/brave-ads/ and mention “MoZ” when signing up for a 25% discount on your first campaign. -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Investing City The Investing City Podcast helps you improve at investing, business, and life: learn from some of the brightest minds in business such as the CEO of Walmart, Morgan Housel, or billion-dollar fund managers. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7tV2EIrKXXUPxO0jpUaLlX Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-investing-city-podcast/id1448079153 -- SPONSOR: BEEHIIV | BRAVE | SQUAD Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three months. Get first-party targeting with Brave’s private ad platform: cookieless and future proof ad formats for all your business needs. Performance meets privacy. Head to https://brave.com/brave-ads/ and mention “MoZ” when signing up for a 25% discount on your first campaign. 💥 Access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to choosesquad.com and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. -- LINKS Raising for Effective Giving: https://reg-charity.org/ -- X / TWITTER: @IgorKurganov (Igor) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @upstream__pod @turpentinemedia -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (01:01) Math, Poker and Igor’s Journey into Effective Altruism (03:40) The Evolution of Effective Altruism (05:15) Critiques and Challenges of Effective Altruism (08:00) Limitations and Misapplications of Effective Altruism (10:42) Effective Altruism’s Approach to AI Safety and Pandemic Risks (12:54) Igor on Criticisms and Misunderstandings of EA (17:17) Sponsor - Brave (18:19) The Balance between Centralization and Decentralization in Effective Altruism (24:41) Utilizing Philanthropy to Address Market Failure (26:41) Critique of Utilitarianism (29:29) The Influence of Politics in EA (40:13) Appreciating Effective Altruism (42:31) Will EA be Here to Stay? (47:24) Wrap -- This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected]. Producer: Sam Kaufman Editor: Eul Jose Lacierda