All-In E177: In conversation with Sheryl Sandberg, plus open-source AI gene editing explained

Part 1: Conversation with Sheryl Sandberg

Opening Revelation: Fake Chamath

• In a touching moment, Sheryl reveals that Dave Goldberg (her late husband) was behind the famous "Fake Chamath" Twitter account, sharing how he would write tweets in bed and laugh at them
• Multiple friends, including members of the Warriors organization, helped contribute to the account

Discussion of Documentary "Screams Before Silence"

• The documentary focuses on sexual violence committed by Hamas during and after October 7th attacks
• Sandberg discusses the widespread denial of these events, expressing frustration at how institutions and groups have responded
• She details interviewing first responders and witnesses, including one released hostage who provided video testimony

Campus Protests and Institutional Response

• Discussion of current college campus protests and administrations' handling of them
• Sandberg argues universities need to enforce existing rules while maintaining space for thoughtful dialogue
• Emphasized the importance of being able to hold multiple viewpoints simultaneously while condemning sexual violence unequivocally

Part 2: Open-Source AI Gene Editing

Profluent Bio's Breakthrough

• David Friedberg explains how Berkeley-based Profluent Bio used AI to create a new CRISPR protein
• The company developed "OpenCRISPR1" using a protein language model trained on 26 trillion base pairs of genomic data
• The new protein is reported to work better than existing Cas9 systems and is being released open-source

Technical Details and Implications

• The AI model identified a protein that is 400 mutations away from anything found in nature
• Discussion of how this could democratize gene editing technology and work around existing patent restrictions
• Potential applications in human health, agriculture, and industrial biotechnology

The episode ends with a tribute to Dave Goldberg, acknowledging the emotional weight of both the documentary discussion and his memory.