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cover of episode The Wild, Murderous Rampage of the Zizians

The Wild, Murderous Rampage of the Zizians

2025/6/3
logo of podcast The Underworld Podcast

The Underworld Podcast

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The podcast delves into the mysterious Zizians, a group initially perceived as harmless rationalists, whose actions escalated to robbery and murder. Their beliefs, a blend of rationalism, AI anxieties, and veganism, are explored, questioning whether they are a cult, a gang, or simply the most extreme online trolls in history. The complex nature of their ideology and the group's internal dynamics are examined.
  • Initial arrest of Zizians at a California campsite in 2019.
  • The group's beliefs: AI anxieties, extreme veganism, and unique interpretations of brain hemispheres.
  • The charismatic leader, Ziz LaSota, and her influence.
  • The group's internal conflicts and interpersonal dramas.
  • The lack of a clear motive for their violent acts.

Shownotes Transcript

When cops arrested a group of masked, black-robed protesters at a California campsite in 2019, most folks thoughts they’d caught some eccentric but harmless members of the Bay Area’s niche rationalist movement. But over the next few years the group would rally around its charismatic leader, Ziz LaSota, tearing across North America on a rampage of robbery and murder.

But even today, with LaSota in prison and several members dead, nobody’s quite sure what the Zizians are: a cult? A gang? Or just the most extreme Silicon Valley shitposters in history? We speak to journalist and author Evan Ratliff, who reported the Zizians for WIRED Magazine, to find out more — plus some bonus chat on Evan’s AI scam-led podcast “Shell Game”.

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