Nate Silver (born January 13, 1978) is an American statistician, writer, and poker player who analyzes baseball, basketball, and elections. He is the founder of FiveThirtyEight and held the position of editor-in-chief there, along with being a special correspondent for ABC News until May 2023. Since departing FiveThirtyEight, Silver has been publishing on his Substack blog, Silver Bulletin. Silver was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time in 2009 after an election forecasting system he developed successfully predicted the outcomes in forty-nine of the fifty states in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. His subsequent election forecasting systems predicted the outcome of the 2012 and 2020 presidential elections with a high degree of accuracy. His polls-only model gave Donald Trump, the ultimate winner, only a 28.6% chance of victory in the 2016 presidential election, but this was higher than many other forecasting competitors. Much of Silver’s approach can be characterized by using probabilistic and statistical modeling to try to understand complex social systems, such as professional sports, the popularity of political platforms, and elections.
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Nate Silver
America 2024 & the Battle of the Elites | Nate Silver
Nate Silver (born January 13, 1978) is an American statistician, writer, and poker player who analyzes baseball, basketball, and elections. He is the founder of FiveThirtyEight and held the position of editor-in-chief there, along with being a special correspondent for ABC News until May 2023. Since departing FiveThirtyEight, Silver has been publishing on his Substack blog, Silver Bulletin. Silver was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time in 2009 after an election forecasting system he developed successfully predicted the outcomes in forty-nine of the fifty states in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. His subsequent election forecasting systems predicted the outcome of the 2012 and 2020 presidential elections with a high degree of accuracy. His polls-only model gave Donald Trump, the ultimate winner, only a 28.6% chance of victory in the 2016 presidential election, but this was higher than many other forecasting competitors. Much of Silver’s approach can be characterized by using probabilistic and statistical modeling to try to understand complex social systems, such as professional sports, the popularity of political platforms, and elections.
In Episode 375 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Nate Silver, political forecaster, poker player, and founder of FiveThirtyEight, about the 2024 U.S. elections and the battle between Silicon Valley elites and the D.C. establishment for control over the country.
In the first hour, Demetri asks Nate Silver for his views about the political battle taking place between Silicon Valley elites (VCs and tech founders) and the coastal establishment of D.C. insiders and legacy media journalists. They discuss the internecine political movements of effective altruism and accelerationism within Silicon Valley, the loss of faith in political institutions, Americans’ polarizing risk preferences, and what all of this reveals about the nature and soundness of our political economy heading into the 2024 U.S. elections.
In the second hour, Demetri drills Nate Silver on the upcoming 2024 U.S. elections, the tightness of the presidential race, and who he thinks is best positioned to win the presidency in November. They debate Kamala’s choice for vice president, the pros and cons of J. D. Vance as Trump’s VP pick, Kamala and Trump’s respective approaches to doing media, favorability scores, swing state strategies, and much more.
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Nate Silver (born January 13, 1978) is an American statistician, writer, and poker player who analyzes baseball, basketball, and elections. He is the founder of FiveThirtyEight and held the position of editor-in-chief there, along with being a special correspondent for ABC News until May 2023. Since departing FiveThirtyEight, Silver has been publishing on his Substack blog, Silver Bulletin. Silver was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time in 2009 after an election forecasting system he developed successfully predicted the outcomes in forty-nine of the fifty states in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. His subsequent election forecasting systems predicted the outcome of the 2012 and 2020 presidential elections with a high degree of accuracy. His polls-only model gave Donald Trump, the ultimate winner, only a 28.6% chance of victory in the 2016 presidential election, but this was higher than many other forecasting competitors. Much of Silver’s approach can be characterized by using probabilistic and statistical modeling to try to understand complex social systems, such as professional sports, the popularity of political platforms, and elections.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.