Zvi Mowshowitz

Last updated

Zvi Mowshowitz
Zvi Mowshowitz playing poker at Manifest 2023.jpg
Zvi Mowshowitz playing poker at the Manifold conference in 2023
Born (1979-01-08) 8 January 1979 (age 45)
Residence New York, NY, USA
Nationality Flag of the United States.svg American
Pro Tour debut 1998 Pro Tour Los Angeles
Winnings US$ 147,010 [1]
Pro Tour wins (Top 8)1 (4) [2]
Grand Prix wins (Top 8)2 (9) [3]
Lifetime Pro Points261 [4]
Planeswalker Level 47 (Archmage)

Zvi Mowshowitz is an American writer specializing in artificial intelligence. He is a former competitive Magic: The Gathering player, and was CEO of MetaMed, a defunct medical research analysis firm.

Contents

Career

Mowshowitz was the CEO of MetaMed, a medical research analysis firm. [5] After that, he worked at Jane Street Capital. [6] He also attempted to launch an online trading card game, Emergents. [7]

Magic: The Gathering

Mowshowitz held a developer intern position at Wizards of the Coast Magic R&D.[ citation needed ]

Mowshowitz is known for having created innovative and sometimes game-breaking decks TurboZvi and My Fires. His first-place finishes include a Pro Tour and a Grand Prix. He has placed in the top eight of four Pro Tours, and earned over $140,000 playing Magic competitively. [8] In 2007, Mowshowitz was elected into the Magic Hall of Fame. [9]

Mowshowitz was also an avid internet writer on gaming, previously with The Dojo, Mindripper, Brainburst, StarCityGames, and then for the official Magic website MagicTheGathering.com. [8] In April 2006, he stopped writing for MagicTheGathering.com.[ citation needed ]

Top 8 appearances

 Season  Event type  Location   Format    Date   Rank 
1998–99 Grand Prix BostonBlock Constructed5–6 September 19984
1998–99 Pro Tour New YorkBlock Constructed30 April–2 May 19993
1998–99 Grand Prix Washington D.C.Limited19–20 June 19994
1998–99 Nationals Special2–4 July 19994
1998–99 Worlds YokohamaNational team4–8 August 19991
1999–00 Invitational Kuala LumpurSpecial2–5 March 20003
2000–01 Grand Prix ManchesterLimited7–8 October 20008
2000–01 Pro Tour ChicagoStandard1–3 December 20007
2000–01 Pro Tour TokyoBlock Constructed16–18 March 20011
2000–01 Masters BarcelonaBooster Draft1–4 May 20014
2001–02 Masters New OrleansBooster Draft31 October–3 November 20015
2001–02 Masters OsakaTeam Limited14–17 March 20025
2001–02 Grand Prix New JerseyTeam Limited29–30 June 20022
2002–03 Grand Prix New OrleansExtended3–4 January 20031
2002–03 Grand Prix BostonLimited22–23 February 20037
2002–03 Masters YokohamaBooster Draft8–11 May 20035
2002–03 Grand Prix PittsburghTeam Limited31 May–1 June 20031
2003–04 Grand Prix AtlantaStandard29–30 August 20035
2003–04 Invitational Los AngelesSpecial11–13 May 20044
2012–13 Grand Prix PortlandModern11–12 May 20133

Last updated: 12 May 2013
Source: Wizards.com

Other accomplishments

Writing

Since then has focused more on writing on Substack, LessWrong and his blog, all under the name "Don't Worry about the Vase". He focusses on variety of topics, but primarily on Artificial intelligence, Economics and the COVID-19 pandemic, when the pandemic was ongoing. [10] As part of this work he also founded Balsa Research, a nonprofit think tank which focuses on the repeal of the Jones Act, increasing the housing supply and reform of the National Environmental Policy Act. [11]

Personal life

Mowshowitz is the son of American biochemist Deborah Mowshowitz.

Mowshowitz is an alumnus of Columbia University and holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics. [12] [13]

Further reading

Preceded by
Flag of the United States.svg United States
Matt Linde
Mike Long
Bryce Currence
Jon Finkel
Magic: The Gathering Team World Champion
With:
John Hunka
Kyle Rose
Charles Kornblith
1999		Succeeded by
Flag of the United States.svg United States
Jon Finkel
Chris Benafel
Frank Hernandez
Aaron Forsythe

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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. ↑ "Our Scientists, Doctors & Researchers". MetaMed. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  6. ↑ "AI #72: Denying the Future". 11 July 2024.
  7. ↑ 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. 1 2 "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.
  9. ↑ "The Class of 2007". Wizards of the Coast. 7 September 2007. Archived from the original on 9 September 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
  10. ↑ Mowshowitz, Zvi (13 December 2023). "The Best of Don't Worry About the Vase". Don't Worry About the Vase. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  11. ↑ "FAQ". Balsa Research. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  12. ↑ "LinkedIn Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  13. ↑ "Should we halt progress in AI? Reflections on our interview with Zvi Mowshowitz". 16 May 2023.
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