E33: The Untold History of Nuclear Energy with Packy McCormick and Julia DeWahl

Today on Upstream we’re dropping a special episode of Age of Miracles which dives into the rise and fall of nuclear power in the 20th century, and what we can learn about pushing nuclear into the 21st century.

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We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

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RELATED PODCAST

To hear the next episodes of Age of Miracles, a narrative show that explores the complex industries that will play an important role in creating an abundant future for humanity, subscribe at https://link.chtbl.com/ageofmiracles or check out the series on YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/@age-of-miracles

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RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 

Every week investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future. Subscribe to “The Riff” with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg: https://link.chtbl.com/theriff

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SPONSORS:

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X / TWITTER:

@packym (Packy)

@juliadewahl (Julia)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@upstream__pod

@turpentinemedia

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(00:50) Erik introduces Age of Miracles

(03:03) Two narratives of nuclear energy

(06:43) Nuclear’s early history and rise

(12:26) The start of the fall

(15:20) Sponsors: Shopify | Oracle

(23:08) Five key factors that led to nuclear’s decline

(23:30) Factor #1: the AEC

(29:00) Factor #2: good old-fashioned economics

(30:30) Sponsor: Shopify

(34:21) Factor #3: regulation

(46:25) Factor #4: the environmentalists

(54:05) Factor #5: the nuclear disasters

(57:53) Recap of the historical lessons

(1:02:49) Wrap

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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: Graham Bessellieu

For guest or sponsorship inquiries please contact [email protected]