July 4, 2025· 24 min

Nassim Taleb on Living a Good Life in an Age of Volatility

Nassim Taleb

Orality

Model

81%

Oral-dominant (speeches, podcasts, storytelling)

Speaker Breakdown

HostJoe Weisenthal(447 words)

M:29%

HostTracy Alloway(3,124 words)

M:30%

GuestNassim Taleb(282 words)

M:29%

Oral Indicators

Agonistic28%

very, basically, literally

Engagement88%

you, our, your

Memory Aids100%

listen, like, look

Repetition100%

your (45x), know (37x), people (34x)

Parallelism66%

Or I mean, you don't have to b..., And if you look at their desk,..., So think of all the wars and h...

Sound Patterns100%

69 question(s), alliteration: "markets move", alliteration: "barclays brief"

Formulaic Phrases16%

let me tell you, you know what, i mean

Literate Indicators

Hedging11%

may, could, perhaps

Passive Voice3%

was recorded, being bombarded, be fooled

Abstract Nouns22%

investment, community, business

Subordination10%

because, whereas, although

Sentence Length16%

Avg: 9.1 words/sentence

Word Complexity47%

investment, analyze, anticipate

Academic Markers0%

Impersonal Style12%

433 personal pronouns found

Descriptive Style62%

apply, internationally, typically

Description

Every day we're inundated with headlines that are seemingly unbelievable. Multiple major wars are ongoing. Politics is erratic. Markets are scrambling everyone's brains. So how should we live and feel good? How should we think about the world around us, and the various perceived risks out there. In yet another episode from our live Odd Lots special in New York City last month, we speak with famed author Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the scientific advisor at Universa Investments, who shares his perspective on all things. Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox — now delivered every weekday — plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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