Summary of Tilak Doshi: Canceled by Forbes | Tom Nelson Pod #246

00:00:00 - 00:40:00

Tilak Doshi, a former contributor to Forbes magazine, discusses his removal from the publication following the deletion of an article critical of the Biden Administration's climate emergency plans. Doshi had previously faced requests from editors to change the tone of his articles to meet editorial guidelines, but maintained his stance on climate change and politics. One article, titled "The Dirty Secrets of Clean Electric Vehicles ," attracted criticism and accusations of climate denialism, leading to his eventual removal. Despite being an opinion contributor, Doshi claims he was given guidelines discouraging advocacy and opinion pieces, leading to confusion and no clear resolution. Doshi expresses skepticism towards electric vehicles and renewable energy, citing material inputs and the unpredictable nature of technology as major constraints. He also criticizes the use of the term "climate denier" and the impact it has on language and thinking. Doshi now publishes his work on Substack and emphasizes the importance of continuing debates on climate and energy without censorship.

• 00:00:00 In this section of the podcast, Tilak Doshi discusses his removal as a contributor from Forbes magazine after an article he wrote on electric vehicles was taken down. Doshi had been writing for Forbes since 2019, but had previously received requests from the editor to change certain aspects of his articles to meet their editorial guidelines. One article, titled "The Dirty Secrets of Clean Electric Vehicles," attracted a lot of attention and criticism, with readers labeling him a climate denier and a shill for oil companies. Despite Doshi's assertion that he was an opinion contributor and not a journalist, the editor accused him of advocacy and opinion polemic, leading to his eventual removal from the publication.
• 00:05:00 In this section, Tilak Doshi discusses his experiences with Forbes editors regarding his articles on climate change and politics. In August 2020, he was labeled a "climate denier" for questioning the predictive abilities of climate models. Despite editorial changes and requests, he maintained his stance and continued publishing articles. In April 2024, an article critical of the Biden Administration's climate emergency plans led to the article's deletion and the end of his contributor relationship with Forbes. The editors cited "avoiding advocacy and opinion" as the reason for the decision, but Doshi noted that other writers with similar viewpoints were still published. Following the article's removal, Doshi republished it on his own platform, discussing the implications of Forbes' decision. The article focused on JD Vance, who was named as Trump's running mate, and the media campaign against him being labeled a "climate denier."
• 00:10:00 In this section, Tilak Doshi discusses his experience being deplatformed from Forbes after writing an article defending JD Vance's views on energy, economics, and the environment. Doshi found himself in agreement with Forbes Editor-in-Chief Steve Forbes on certain energy policies but was still dropped from the magazine. Doshi speculates that new, younger hires at Forbes may have been pushing for the removal of writers with opposing views on climate change. Despite being an opinion writer, Doshi claims he was given editorial guidelines that discouraged advocacy and opinion pieces, leading to confusion and no clear resolution.
• 00:15:00 In this section of the podcast, Tilak Doshi discusses his experience being canceled by Forbes and the article left up on their website criticizing him for holding climate change opinions that are contrary to their stance. Doshi explains that an article predicting a "bad dream" of extreme weather if Trump wins was allowed to remain published, while his own articles were unpublished and his contribution discontinued. Scott Adams had mentioned Doshi's case in his podcast, questioning if the reason for the cancellation was due to the opinions held rather than the number of views. Doshi notes that his articles had good readership and were more popular than the median, but most popular media outlets do not allow for contrarian views, with Forbes being one of the few that have gone "woke." He mentions Newsweek as an exception, but notes that such instances are rare.
• 00:20:00 In this section of the podcast, Tilak Doshi discusses the limited number of magazines that publish contrarian views on climate change and mentions the rise of Substack as a platform for writers to publish their work without an editor. Doshi, an economist with a background in energy, explains that his interest lies in energy issues, including fossil fuels and renewables, and how climate and policy are interconnected. He does not claim to be a climate scientist but is aware of the link between energy and climate. Doshi does not provide specific conclusions about the future of oil and gas but mentions that these predictions are widely known outside of the climate alarmist community.
• 00:25:00 In this section of the podcast, Tilak Doshi discusses the ongoing reliance on fossil fuels and the challenges facing renewable energy and electric vehicles. He mentions that Exxon and other industry experts do not anticipate a significant decrease in the use of fossil fuels in the coming decades. Doshi also criticizes the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) for its biased predictions due to its European clients' emphasis on climate and renewable energy. He notes that the renewable energy industry, particularly electric vehicles, is underperforming and facing constraints on government subsidies. Doshi expresses skepticism about the near-term viability of electric vehicles becoming the primary mode of transportation for typical households.
• 00:30:00 In this section of the podcast, Tilak Doshi expresses his skepticism and pessimism towards electric vehicles and renewable energy, citing the overwhelming mining requirements for producing batteries and renewable energy components as major constraints. He argues that once we consider the material inputs, such as copper, steel, and rare Earths, it becomes challenging to label these technologies as renewable. Doshi also criticizes the use of the term "climate denier" and the impact it has on language and thinking. Regarding the improvement of battery energy density, Doshi acknowledges the impressive trajectory but warns that learning curves cannot continue to progress at an uninterrupted rate and that physical limits will eventually be reached.
• 00:35:00 In this section of the podcast, Tilak Doshi discusses his views on the role of batteries in the future of energy, expressing uncertainty about their major contribution due to the unpredictable nature of technology. He also highlights the promising potential of modular nuclear reactors and the importance of allowing research to progress without government interference. Doshi does not believe that the world is running out of hydrocarbons and instead, the main issue is government investment in ensuring a reliable energy supply. He also mentions that wind and solar facilities have a presumed life expectancy of around 20-25 years and are already seeing some degradation and burial of materials.
• 00:40:00 In this section of the podcast, Tilak Doshi discusses the environmental concerns surrounding the disposal of windmill components and solar modules, which are often dumped in landfills and can potentially contaminate groundwater. He also mentions the opposition from local communities against windmills and solar farms, particularly in the UK, due to their impact on land values and physical beauty. Doshi also touches upon the splitting of the environmental movement between traditional and new environmentalists, with differing views on what constitutes a good environment. He emphasizes the importance of continuing debates on language and its implications for discussions on climate and energy. Doshi expresses his satisfaction with being a potential guinea pig for being cancelled from a mainstream outlet for speaking out on these issues.