{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/3dd76634-7b1c-45c2-a9cf-2f6f96d4e0b4/694592b7e2b7985fa23025c4?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Google’s Former CEO Is Dancing in Ukraine","description":"<p>Earlier this year journalist Ben Makuch caught a glimpse of Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, dancing at a club in Kyiv. It was a surreal moment, a snapshot of a tragic war that the West thinks is defining the future of conflict. Tech executives have flocked to Ukraine, courting the country in an attempt to get at a resource more precious than gold: data. Makuch was just there and has written about what he saw for <em>The New Republic</em> and he’s on the show today to talk about it.</p><p><br></p><ul><li>Some light smoking banter</li><li>Ben’s timeline</li><li>Google’s CEO dancing in a bar in Kyiv</li><li>Ukraine as laboratory for war tech</li><li>The JSOC era is over</li><li>In defense of the majestic American turkey</li><li>The great America vs China speculation</li><li>War, cheaper</li><li>On the actual frontline</li><li>Wheat fields of fiber optic line</li><li>The buzz of the drone</li><li>Life in the bloodlands</li><li>The human suffering of living in Ukraine</li><li>FPV-made propaganda</li><li>“Never underestimate human innovation when it comes to killing other humans.”</li><li>What’s Erik Prince doing in Ukraine?</li></ul><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/08/opinion/us-china-taiwan-military.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>New York Times on Military Reform</strong></a></p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-medieval-and-highly-effective-tactics-of-the-ukrainian-protests-a292fc7a40c2\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>The Medieval—and Highly Effective—Tactics of the Ukrainian Protests</strong></a></p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.vice.com/en/article/who-is-st-javelin-and-why-is-she-a-symbol-of-the-war-in-ukraine/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Who Is St. Javelin and Why Is She a Symbol of the War in Ukraine?</strong></a></p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.vice.com/en/article/cope-cages-on-busted-tanks-are-a-symbol-of-russias-military-failures/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>‘Cope Cages’ on Busted Tanks Are a Symbol of Russia’s Military Failures</strong></a></p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.404media.co/unauthorized-edit-to-ukraines-frontline-maps-point-to-polymarkets-war-betting/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>‘Unauthorized’ Edit to Ukraine’s Frontline Maps Point to Polymarket’s War Betting</strong></a></p>","author_name":"Matthew Gault and Jason Fields"}