<description>&lt;p&gt;Danny Crichton is a man of many talents. He’s got a background in computer science, has worked in the worlds of foreign policy, was a managing editor at Techcrunch, and now serves as Head of Editorial at Lux Capital.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;As Lux’s de-facto &lt;em&gt;games master,&lt;/em&gt; Danny also devises their &lt;em&gt;Riskgames&lt;/em&gt;: strategic simulations that immerse players in complex scenarios reflecting real-world challenges and dynamics. These games – whose players include senators, major generals, congressmen and, think-tank CEOs – include scenarios like ‘Hamptons at the Cross-Roads’ (that deals with climate change and maritime security) and ‘Powering Up’ (that deals with China’s global EV dominance).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Danny and I discuss the origins of Riskgaming and the lessons he’s learned in high-stakes games with tech founders and government officials. Plus, we riff on our shared Minnesotan roots, and discuss ways to combat the uncertain fog of war in our careers.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;I hope you enjoy this insightful conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “&lt;em&gt;Hmm, that’s interesting!”,&lt;/em&gt; check out our &lt;a href= "https://newsletter.osv.llc/"&gt;Substack&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Important Links:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/DannyCrichton"&gt;Danny's Twitter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannycrichton/"&gt;Danny's LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dannycrichton.com/"&gt;Danny's Personal Website&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.luxcapital.com/archive/newsletter"&gt;Lux Securities Newsletter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.luxcapital.com/riskgaming"&gt;The Riskgaming Initiative&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Show Notes:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Origins of Riskgaming&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;The Different Play Styles between Technologists and Policymakers&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;One-off games vs. Iterative games&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;The Game Theoretic Foundations of Riskgaming&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;It’s All About Tough Decisions&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Parable of the First Mover Disadvantage&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;The Importance of Incentives&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Why Insurance Companies are Obsessed with Truth in the Market&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;How AIs Can Cut Through Bureaucratic Slog&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;How Danny Builds Scenarios&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Why Riskgaming Teaches Better Decision Making&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Danny’s Thoughts on Intellectual Humility&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Danny and Jim’s Minnesotan Heritage&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Danny’s experience launching TechCrunch+&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Facing the Fog of War&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;The Importance of Agility&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Danny as Emperor of the World&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Books Mentioned:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid; by Douglas Hofstadter&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Left Behind: A New Economics for Neglected Places; by Paul Collier&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;!-- notionvc: d68d5963-b63e-4f45-af8f-15f34ca0bfdf --&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Infinite Loops

Jim O'Shaughnessy

Danny Crichton — Player of Games (EP.239)

OCT 24, 202483 MIN
Infinite Loops

Danny Crichton — Player of Games (EP.239)

OCT 24, 202483 MIN

Description

Danny Crichton is a man of many talents. He’s got a background in computer science, has worked in the worlds of foreign policy, was a managing editor at Techcrunch, and now serves as Head of Editorial at Lux Capital.

As Lux’s de-facto games master, Danny also devises their Riskgames: strategic simulations that immerse players in complex scenarios reflecting real-world challenges and dynamics. These games – whose players include senators, major generals, congressmen and, think-tank CEOs – include scenarios like ‘Hamptons at the Cross-Roads’ (that deals with climate change and maritime security) and ‘Powering Up’ (that deals with China’s global EV dominance).

Danny and I discuss the origins of Riskgaming and the lessons he’s learned in high-stakes games with tech founders and government officials. Plus, we riff on our shared Minnesotan roots, and discuss ways to combat the uncertain fog of war in our careers.

I hope you enjoy this insightful conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, “Hmm, that’s interesting!”, check out our Substack.

Important Links:

Show Notes:

  • Origins of Riskgaming
  • The Different Play Styles between Technologists and Policymakers
  • One-off games vs. Iterative games
  • The Game Theoretic Foundations of Riskgaming
  • It’s All About Tough Decisions
  • Parable of the First Mover Disadvantage
  • The Importance of Incentives
  • Why Insurance Companies are Obsessed with Truth in the Market
  • How AIs Can Cut Through Bureaucratic Slog
  • How Danny Builds Scenarios
  • Why Riskgaming Teaches Better Decision Making
  • Danny’s Thoughts on Intellectual Humility
  • Danny and Jim’s Minnesotan Heritage
  • Danny’s experience launching TechCrunch+
  • Facing the Fog of War
  • The Importance of Agility
  • Danny as Emperor of the World

Books Mentioned:

  • Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid; by Douglas Hofstadter
  • Left Behind: A New Economics for Neglected Places; by Paul Collier