Zvi Mowshowitz

Zvi Mowshowitz
Zvi Mowshowitz playing poker at the Manifold conference in 2023
ResidenceNew York, NY, USA
NationalityAmerican
Pro Tour debut1998 Pro Tour Los Angeles
WinningsUS$ 147,010[1]
Pro Tour wins (Top 8)1 (4)[2]
Grand Prix wins (Top 8)2 (9)[3]
Lifetime Pro Points261[4]
Planeswalker Level47 (Archmage)

Zvi Mowshowitz is an American writer and member of the rationalist community who primarily discusses new developments in artificial intelligence. He is a former competitive Magic: The Gathering player and was CEO of MetaMed.

Career

Mowshowitz is an alumnus of Columbia University and holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics.[5][6] He co-founded and was the CEO of MetaMed, a medical research analysis firm.[7] He has worked at Jane Street Capital, and has worked for the gambling industry in Las Vegas.[7][8] He attempted to launch an online trading card game, Emergents, in 2020.[7]

Magic: The Gathering

Mowshowitz held a developer intern position at Wizards of the Coast R&D in 2005.[9] He created the deck TurboZvi.[7] His first-place finishes at major competitions were the 1999 World Championships as part of the four-person United States national team, the 2001 Pro Tour Tokyo, and two 2003 Grand Prix. He has placed in the top eight of four Pro Tours, and earned over $140,000 playing Magic competitively.[10] In 2007, Mowshowitz was elected into the Magic Hall of Fame.[11]

 Season   Event type   Location   Format   Date   Rank 
1998–99 Grand Prix Boston Block Constructed 5–6 September 1998 4
1998–99 Pro Tour New York Block Constructed 30 April–2 May 1999 3
1998–99 Grand Prix Washington D.C. Limited 19–20 June 1999 4
1998–99 Nationals Special 2–4 July 1999 4
1998–99 Worlds Yokohama National team 4–8 August 1999 1
1999–00 Invitational Kuala Lumpur Special 2–5 March 2000 3
2000–01 Grand Prix Manchester Limited 7–8 October 2000 8
2000–01 Pro Tour Chicago Standard 1–3 December 2000 7
2000–01 Pro Tour Tokyo Block Constructed 16–18 March 2001 1
2000–01 Masters Barcelona Booster Draft 1–4 May 2001 4
2001–02 Masters New Orleans Booster Draft 31 October–3 November 2001 5
2001–02 Masters Osaka Team Limited 14–17 March 2002 5
2001–02 Grand Prix New Jersey Team Limited 29–30 June 2002 2
2002–03 Grand Prix New Orleans Extended 3–4 January 2003 1
2002–03 Grand Prix Boston Limited 22–23 February 2003 7
2002–03 Masters Yokohama Booster Draft 8–11 May 2003 5
2002–03 Grand Prix Pittsburgh Team Limited 31 May–1 June 2003 1
2003–04 Grand Prix Atlanta Standard 29–30 August 2003 5
2003–04 Invitational Los Angeles Special 11–13 May 2004 4
2012–13 Grand Prix Portland Modern 11–12 May 2013 3

Last updated: 12 May 2013
Source: Wizards.com

Mowshowitz has written about Magic for several outlets, including the official Magic website.[10]

Later career

Mowshowitz is on the board of directors for the Center for Applied Rationality, and is a member of the rationalist community.[12] He also founded Balsa Research, a nonprofit think tank which advocated for the repeal of the Jones Act, increasing the housing supply, and reform of the National Environmental Policy Act.[13] In 2023, Mowshowitz wrote an article for Vox on the topic of artificial intelligence safety.[14]

Mowshowitz has a blog on Substack under the name "Don't Worry about the Vase". He has written on topics such as artificial intelligence, economics, and the COVID-19 pandemic.[15][16]

Personal life

Mowshowitz is the son of American biochemist Deborah Mowshowitz. His parents have both worked as Columbia University professors.[7]

Further reading

  • Kushner, David (2005). Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids : how a gang of geeks beat the odds and stormed Las Vegas. Random House. ISBN 1-4000-6407-4.

References

  1. ^ "Top 200 All-Time Money Leaders". Wizards of the Coast. 2 October 2014. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". Archived from the original on 14 March 2006. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
  3. ^ "Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s". Archived from the original on 17 January 2006. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
  4. ^ "Lifetime Pro Points". Archived from the original on 18 December 2005. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
  5. ^ "LinkedIn Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Should we halt progress in AI? Reflections on our interview with Zvi Mowshowitz". 16 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e Hackett, Robert; Roberts, Jeff John (13 June 2020). "Emergents: Zvi Mowshowitz's quest to shake up the video game business". Fortune. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  8. ^ "AI #72: Denying the Future". 11 July 2024.
  9. ^ "The Origins of Zvi". Star City Games. 2005. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame Profiles – Zvi Mowshowitz". Wizards of the Coast. 2007. Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  11. ^ "The Class of 2007". Wizards of the Coast. 7 September 2007. Archived from the original on 9 September 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
  12. ^ Elinson, Zusha (22 February 2025). "A Silicon Valley Intellectual Society Kicked Them Out. Now They're Tied to a Killing Spree". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2 March 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  13. ^ "FAQ". Balsa Research. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  14. ^ Mowshowitz, Zvi (13 December 2023). "We're still in a fight for survival when it comes to AI safety". Vox. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  15. ^ Mowshowitz, Zvi (13 December 2023). "The Best of Don't Worry About the Vase". Don't Worry About the Vase. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Zvi Mowshowitz Profile and Activity". Vox. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
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