EP 137: Keith Rabois and Zach Weinberg Debate: Are Tariffs a Smart Economic Weapon?

Debate between Keith Rabois and Zach Weinberg on what tariffs are actually trying to accomplish. One core theme: Tariffs aren’t fully about “bringing back factories,” but rather a negotiation tool to eliminate foreign trade barriers - ultimately aiming to increase free trade, not restrict it.

We also got into:

- What each of them would do if they were in charge

- Whether the trade deficit is a meaningful metric or just a misunderstood talking point

- If tariffs could be part of an initiative to replace income tax — shifting toward a more consumption-based tax system

- If tariffs could successfully be used as a non-military tool to reduce drug supply to the US

- If there’s a major disconnect between the new administration’s rhetoric and the actual economic goals behind the policy

One of the deepest economic conversations from the show’s recent history — and a rare debate where both sides had real logic behind their views.

(00:00) Introduction and Host's Biases

(00:46) Keith's Perspective on Tariffs

(03:05) Zach's Perspective and Clarifying Questions

(05:14) Debating Tariff Strategies

(07:45) Economic Implications and Free Trade

(13:31) Trump's Tariff Policies and Goals

(16:57) Global Trade and Protectionism

(25:52) Final Thoughts on Tariffs and Trade

(29:16) Discussion on Trade Tariffs and Partners

(30:17) Impact of Tariffs on GDP and Debt

(31:20) Political Coalitions and Trade Policies

(32:00) Tariffs as Consumer Taxes

(33:30) Debate on Trade Deficit and Tariff Rates

(36:53) Regulatory Reforms and Economic Policies

(47:25) Fentanyl Crisis and Trade Negotiations

(51:06) Closing Remarks and Future Topics

Executive Producer: Rashad Assir

Producer: Leah Clapper

Mixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky

Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA

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About the Show

Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.