What it’s like on the frontlines of Trump’s tariff’s war

In this episode, Azeem Azhar speaks with Ryan Petersen, CEO and founder of logistics platform Flexport, about the current state of global trade amidst escalating tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and technological disruption. Ryan offers unique insights from the frontlines of the US-China trade war and explores how businesses are adapting to a rapidly changing landscape.
(00:00) Episode trailer
(01:12) Ryan's overall thoughts and predictions
(03:40) Why shipping is crucial to your everyday life
(08:07) Why tariffs may actually increase global shipping
(11:34) Who’s pausing their China shipments?
(14:29) The mindset of Flexport customers right now
(16:02) Is this the end of globalization?
(21:48) The fragility and resiliency of global trade
(25:27) The most underrated story in the world
(30:25) How tech has changed global trade
(36:31) Who will win in the new trade settings?
(41:20) What could a U.S-China trade deal look like?
Ryan's links:
Flexport flexport.com
Twitter/X x.com/typesfast
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/rpetersen
Azeem's links:
Substack: exponentialview.co
Website: azeemazhar.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/azhar
Twitter/X: x.com/azeem
Our new show
This was originally recorded for "Friday with Azeem Azhar", a new show that takes place every Friday at 9am PT and 12pm ET. You can tune in through my Substack linked below. The format is experimental and we'd love your feedback, so feel free to comment or email your thoughts to our team at live@exponentialview.co.
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About Exponential View:
Welcome to Exponential View, where Azeem Azhar examines how exponential technologies such as AI are reshaping the future. Each week, Azeem shares his analysis or speaks with an expert guest to shed light on frontier shifts across technology, business and society.

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Production and research: Baba Films, Marija Gavrilov.

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