Welcome To The Chinese Peptide Underground

Journalist Jasmine Sun breaks down the Chinese peptides phenomenon that's turned Silicon Valley into a gray market biotech testing ground, where people are ordering experimental compounds for $50 a pop from Chinese factories and mixing them in their basements. Sun, who just published a major New York Times piece on the trend, explains how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic opened the door for tech workers to start self-experimenting with everything from the "Wolverine stack" for muscle recovery to peptides for longevity, sleep, and cognition—complete with peptide raves in San Francisco and group chats comparing stacks at house parties.

The conversation covers the science behind peptides, the risks of unregulated biohacking, and why this DIY approach to biotech is both a product of American pharmaceutical dysfunction and a window into the broader U.S.-China technology competition. Sun also discusses her work on an upcoming AI book, why AGI timelines have faded from tech discourse, and her thesis that AI progress is "jagged"—capable of folding proteins but unable to count the Rs in strawberry. This is Core Memory's first episode of 2026 with new co-host Kylie Robison joining Ashlee Vance.

Sun's New York Times piece is here - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/bu...

And Robison wrote about Chinese peptides here - https://www.corememory.com/p/sf-rave-...

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Find Ashlee Vance at
www.corememory.com
  / ashlee.vance  
https://x.com/ashleevance

Find Kylie Robison at
https://x.com/kyliebytes
  / kylie.robison  

Chapters
00:00:00 Intro - The Wolverine Stack Explained
00:04:58 The Gray Market Peptide Boom
00:10:50 Cancer Risks and Biohacking Safety
00:13:36 Inside San Francisco’s Peptide Rave
00:19:43 DIY Ozempic and Kitchen Chemistry
00:23:05 RFK Jr. vs The FDA
00:26:43 Is Biohacking a Chinese Psyop?
00:40:44 Leaving Tech for New Media
00:46:29 The Media vs Tech Disconnect
00:53:58 Defense Tech and American Dynamism
01:00:37 Spy Mania and Visa Nightmares
01:08:20 Why AGI Timelines Are Dead