Venkatesh Rao — The Art of Gig (EP.152)

Venkatesh Rao is a writer, consultant, and author. He has been writing about indie consulting for years and has recently published The Art of Gig, Volumes 1 & 2, which together take an in-depth look at the gig economy. Venkatesh joins the show to discuss tragic luck, becoming slightly nonsensical, the advantages of mediocrity, and a whole lot more! Important Links:

• Venkatesh's Website
• Venkatesh's Blog
• Venkatesh's Substack
• Venkatesh's Twitter
• The Art of Gig
• The Art of Gig: our synthesis
• The Gervais Principle

Show Notes:

• Origins of The Art of Gig
• Paycheck People
• Learning how to take risks
• Is there a risk-taking gene?
• The case for fixed-point futurism
• Finding meaning
• Personality types, narrative, and becoming a courageous thinker
• Don’t get tragically lucky
• Generational agency
• Sparring, pressure and meaning-making
• Be slightly nonsensical
• Teaching others to appreciate randomness
• Towards infinite games; be mediocre
• Understanding divergentism
• MUCH more!

Books Mentioned:

• The Art of Gig: Volumes 1 & 2; by Venkatesh Rao
• The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich; by Tim Feriss
• Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself; by Daniel H. Pink
• The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story For Work and Life; by Paul Millerd
• Tempo: timing, tactics and strategy in narrative-driven decision-making; by Venkatesh Rao
• The Redemptive Self: Stories Americans Live By; by Dan P. McAdams
• Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life As Play and Possibility; by James Carse
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity; by David Allen