The Disruptors

Chip Meakem (@cmeakem) is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Tribeca Venture Partners. Prior to co-founding Tribeca, Chip worked at both Kodiak Venture Partners and DFJ Gotham. Previous notable acquired investments include Appnexus, Ingenio and Q-Link. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * How quantum computing will change the world forever * What areas Chip sees as the biggest opportunities to invest in * Why companies like Uber and DoorDash are such powerful democratizing forces * What is the future of the ad economy * Are you in a VC bubble, and what happens next * Thoughts on triple bottom businesses and social entrepreneurship * Why education inequality is the scariest thing about the US * Which tech companies Chip would bet big on * Thoughts on the trade war and its impact on startups and tech * The unintended consequences of government regulation * How technology can transform education for the better * Why Chip isn't a fan of encryption and believes platforms should police themselves * How business can be used as a force for good * Why Amazon may end up owning healthcare * Why cybersecurity is such a big deal Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate  

Derek Sivers (@sivers) is a serial entrepreneur, blogger, author and musician who revolutionized the music industry pre-Spotify with CDbaby, the largest online distributor of independent music which he founded accidentally sold in 2008 for $22 million. Before that, he donated the company to a charity to fund public music education. Derek also created a viral TED talk called “How to Start a Movement,” blogs on entrepreneurship, life and stoicism at Sivers.org and is the author of Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * Why human beings are a competitive advantage over robotics, software and AI * F*&k yes, or No!... and how to apply it to your life * Why less is more when it comes to life * How bootstrapping a business helped Derek Sivers' CD Baby succeed * Derek's best advice for all aspects of life * Why reading the news and social media is a bad idea * How to achieve mastery at anything, and why you should * Why Derek doesn't get excited about new technology * Why Derek gave it all away to charity * How success can fuel depression and loss of self * Tons of strategies to live a healthier, more fulfilled life * Why Derek doesn't ascribe to any -isms Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate  

Andrew Hessel (@andrewhessel) is the CEO of Humane Genomics Inc., a seed-stage company developing virus-based therapies for cancer, starting with dogs and also co-founded the Genome Project-write, an international scientific effort working to engineer large genomes, including the human genome. Andy has been Singularity University faculty since 2009 and from 2012-2017 was the Distinguished Researcher at Autodesk Life Sciences. Andy's goal is to help people better understand and use living systems to meet the needs of society and he has written articles on genetic technology for The Atlantic, Wired UK, and Huffington Post and given over 100 invited talks on next-generation biotechnology. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In our wide-ranging conversation, we cover many things, including: * How we can use viruses to kill cancer * The reason synthetic biology is THE technology of this century * Why CRISPR babies we an inevitability and why we didn't discuss them beforehand * How we can prevent biotech from becoming problematic * Why Andrew isn't all that worried about bioterrorism * The reason students should study biological systems * How healthcare and pharma transform as we edit the code of life * The important differences between our ability to read and write genomes * What gene drives mean for the future of our species * Why viruses are the low hanging fruit of fighting disease * What biotech can mean for the sustainability of our planet * Why Andrew is fundamentally optimist about our future -- Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support FringeFM FringeFM is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate

David Heinemeier Hansson (@dhh) is the creator of Ruby on Rails, co-founder and CTO at Basecamp (formerly 37Signals), and the best-selling co-author of Rework and Remote: Office Not Required. He's blogged the past two decades at Signal v Noise, been featured on the Tim Ferriss Show, and if that wasn't enough, DHH is a Le Mans & WEC class-winning racing driver.   Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * Why capitalism can't solve society's biggest problems * What gives David hope (and fear) about the future of privacy and big tech * The epic issues with education in America * How being a well-rounded person makes entrepreneurs and employees better * Why the US healthcare system is so eff'ed up * What's the future of media and advertising * Ways to redesign education for the 21st century * Where the US went wrong from a socialist perspective * David's thoughts on Trump and transforming government * Lessons learned from other cultures * Why the US may have peaked and be headed for collapse * What parents do wrong when raising and educating kids * Why the prison system horrifies David * The reason David became a Le Mans racecar driver Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate  

Moriba Jah (@moribajah) is a space scientist, aerospace engineer and Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He previously worked as a spacecraft navigator at the NASA JPL, where he was a navigator for the Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Exploration Rover, and his last mission was the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Moriba is a Fellow of multiple organizations: TED, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), American Astronautical Society, International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS), Royal Astronomical Society, and the Air Force Research Lab. He has served on the US delegation to the UN Committee On Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS), is an elected Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), and has testified to congress on his work as related to Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management. Here's a fun list of satellites we're tracking. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * The problem of space junk and how to police it * What EVERYONE needs to know about the risks of geoengineering * How space mining could ruin Earth's industries * Why a Kessler event isn't likely or inevitable in Moriba's opinion * What to do about flat earthers and the anti-science movement * New models for a more interconnected education system * The value of being a generalist and an outsider * What's the future of space travel and why it's so important * Why astronauts shouldn't be idolized * How space affects climate change and vice versa * The biggest problem nobody knows about * Why history is biased and detrimental to teach * What does interspace commerce look like going forward * How aboriginal communities should inform our collective future * What does the future hold for space piracy * Why the space goldrush will be a collective commons nightmare Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate

Gerald Kutney (@geraldkutney) is a climate scientist, professor, journalist/speaker, author and founder/consultant of 6esm, a C-level consulting firm focused on the bio-economy, renewable energy and the politics of the Kyoto Protocol and others like it. Gerald's a frequent contributor to the HuffingtonPost, Canada's National Observer and is the author of the peer-reviewed: Carbon Politics and the Failure of the Kyoto Protocol - in search for an answer to the failure of the international community to act on climate change.   Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * The main reasons the Kyoto Protocol failed * What caused the climate denier movement and how to stop it * How a carbon tax credit system is working well in Canada * What propaganda is doing to political discourse * How everyone can do their part to fighting climate change * Did social media break democracy * Unique ideas to change public perception of climate science * How bad is the state of fake news and propaganda * Why we still haven't solved the collective action problem * The importance of arguing against false beliefs * Gerald's thoughts on authoritarianism and inaction * How tax breaks could incentivize innovation and investment in green tech * The scary truth about geoengineering * Why corporate campaign contributions are one of the biggest issues in America Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate  

Polina Chebotareva is a co-founder of Cambridge Companies SPG, a social mission-oriented VC firm on fixing nutrition, farming, and health worldwide. Prior to Cambridge, Polina was an Executive VP and Partner at a real estate investment firm with $350M Equity AUM. She is a Board Member for The Laguna Art Museum, helps raise awareness and funding for environmental issues and has devoted her time and resources to The Village of Hope Rescue Mission which helps struggling parents restore stability in their lives and the lives of their children. Filipp Chebotarev is COO and Managing Partner of Cambridge Companies SPG. After working with California Congressman Ed Royce to manage the relationship between business, government, community, and other constituencies, Filipp went on to corporate, later finding impact investing. Filipp is a major donor to Harvesters – Food Bank in Orange County, the JNF, and Actively Involved with Shoes That Fit, a 501C3 empowering children in low-income areas. The pair emigrated to the US after the USSR's collapse, and their fund is now investors in the likes of organic and health food/product companies: Once Upon a Farm, Wild Friends Foods, Matchabar, and dozens of others. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * How health-focused food and beverage companies are creating a better world * Why GMOs (specifically the pesticides they enable) are ruining our health * The future of foodtech and clean meat * Ways to increase access to organic and quality food * Why we're all excited about lab-grown meat * How impact investing changes the world and drives returns * The challenges and realities of immigrating to the US, without speaking English * What tech trends Filipp and Polina are most excited about * Why IPOs and acquisitions aren't necessarily the endgame for consumer companies * The importance of founder-investor alignment * Why Filipp's not worried about 23andme or genetic privacy * The reason there's not enough money invested in foodtech * Why millennial consumers are driving better company practices * What's the future of e-commerce and it's relation to retail Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe.

Howard Bloom (@howardXbloom) is a bestselling polymath, author, ex-music publicist for Styx, Prince and Billy Joel and the Founder of the Space Development Steering Committee, a group focused on space new deal of colonizing the Moon and space-based solar power, among many other things. Howard is the author of seven books, incl: The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition Into the Forces of History, Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century, The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism, The God Problem: How A Godless Cosmos Creates, The Muhammad Code: How a Desert Prophet Gave You ISIS, al Qaeda, and Boko Haram--or How Muhammad Invented Jihad and others... He has been called "next in a lineage of seminal thinkers that includes Newton, Darwin, Einstein,[and] Freud," by Britain's Channel4 TV and "the next Stephen Hawking" by Gear Magazine, appeared on over 510 radio stations, and was formerly on faculty of NYU.   Howard is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, the National Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Psychological Society, the Academy of Political Science, and the Human Behavior and Evolution Society. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * Howard's unified theory of everything to understand mass movements and the cosmos * What Howard learned working with Michael Jackson, Prince, Styx, Billy Joel and dozens of more elite musicians * What spending 15 bed-ridden years taught Howard about life * Why space holds the key to humanity's future * What we can do to fix music, news, and entertainment * Is democracy broken beyond repair * The value of being a generalist and an outsider * How LSD, psychedelics and the 60's (which Howard helped kick-off) influenced his views of everything * Why loneliness and isolation is the biggest threat to humanity * The biggest problem threatening America today * How loneliness leads to insanity and depression * Thoughts on consciousness, the cosmos and why the Simulation Theory is wrong * Is it possible to overcome evolved instincts * What's the future of education and where did it go wrong * Will the future be one of cyberspace and VR * Why Howard is so anti-Trump and why impeachment is critical, pre-election Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe.

John Danaher (@johndanaher) is an author, podcaster and academic and lecturer at the National University of Ireland (NUI) focused on ethical, social and legal implications of emerging technologies, and other philosophical topics. His book, Automation and Utopia: Human Flourishing in a World Without Work cuts through some of the hype and pessimism about automation and work, making a rigorous case for techno-utopianism about the future. On his podcast, he interviews world leaders on the confluence of Society, Ethics and Tech.   Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * How to think about purpose in a post-work future * Why AI automation will lead to a utopia of human flourishing * The value of philosophy in today's modern tech world * Why John says we'll never have fully autonomous vehicles * What John thinks about a robot tax * How robotics and AI will impact jobs and economy * The evolution of ethics and technology changes * Why utopia is rarely a top-down system * How to change tech and social media for the better * What technology is John most worried about and why * Why we'll need a more socialist society to survive automation * How to deal with AI failures and tech safety * Why we're headed for a virtual future * The importance of space travel and pushing the boundaries   Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate Uplevel Your Meditation and Mind Do you meditate? Muse is a neurofeedback (ie EEG based brain-sensing) device that helps meditators/anyone learn to control their mind and quiet the thoughts. The science is great, neurofeedback helps meditators achieve zen-level results in less time. I'm a big fan of meditation (as you know) and

Scott Young (@ScottHYoung) is a blogger, traveler, author, self-experimenter and ultra-learner that took MIT's entire 4-year programming curriculum in a year. He's the author of Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career and runs a podcast looking at career advice, learning, growth, productivity, philosophy and more. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * How Scott completed a 4-year MIT programming degree in 12 months * Secrets to learning smarter, and faster * The reasons MOOCs failed and didn't * Ways to redesign education for the 21st century * How to deal with filter bubbles and bias * Scott's thoughts on productivity, purpose and results * Lessons learned from travel * Why Scott's not convinced about biohacking and brain augmentation * Was Harvard right in their racial discrimination * How to increase your comfort zone and creativity * What Scott's learned about happiness and internal reflection * Where should someone today focus their efforts * Why software is eating the world Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate  

Sean Gourley (@sgourley) is a physicist, founder and CEO of AI company, Primer, an expert on the mathematics of war, TED Fellow, speaker and political advisor. Before that, he was CTO and co-founder of Quid, an augmented-intelligence company and also worked on self-repairing nano-circuits at NASA. Sean was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford focused on complex systems and the mathematical patterns underlying modern war which was published on the cover of Nature. He has served as a political advisor, briefed USCENTCOM at the Pentagon and addressed the United Nations in Vienna, serves on the Board of Directors at Anadarko (NYSE:APC). Sean is also a two-time New Zealand track and field champion and sits on the Knight Commission focused on reforming collegiate athletics. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * The future of the US-China relationship, and possible war * What differentiates AI creativity from humans * The automation law that ALWAYS leads to occasional epic consequences * Should we develop autonomous weapons? Will we * What are the biggest predictors of war and civil strife * Why San Francisco is anything but a model city * Are cyborgs and genetic superhumans inevitable * How long until we have human-level AI * Why economic war creates the conditions for actual fighting * What works well with mutually assured destruction * How to engineer equality into our economy * Why Sean is worried about deep fakes breaking democracy * How to think about dynamic geopolitical decisions * The importance of education and what its future holds Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate  

Geoff Colvin (@geoffcolvin) is FortuneMagazine’s Senior Editor-at-Large, an award-winning thinker, author, broadcaster, and speaker on the most significant trends and issues impacting business, politics and the economy. Geoff's work has earned him millions of loyal fans and 7M weekly listeners on CBS Radio Network He's the author of four books including groundbreaking bestsellers Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else and Humans are Underrated on the future of work and how humans fit into a workplace filled with robots and smart technology. Geoff has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, Squawk Box, CBS This Morning, ABC's World News Tonight, CNN, PBS's Nightly Business Report, and dozens of other programs. He also served as anchor of Wall $treet Week with Fortune on PBS and has moderated panels with or interviewed Jack Welch, Henry Kissinger, Richard Branson, the Prince of Wales, Bill Gates, Alan Greenspan, Steve Case, Tony Blair, Michael Dell, Ted Turner, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Henry Paulson, Ben Bernanke, and many others.   Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * The US relationship with China and why we're already in the Cold War * Geoff's thoughts on the decentralization and breakup of big tech * What we both think about the separatist movements spreading worldwide * Why Geoff's skeptical of long term centralized economies * What the business roundtable CEO stakeholders memo means * Thoughts on economics and when the trickle-down effect died * What does Brexit mean for the economy * Why loneliness and isolation is the biggest threat to humanity * How to re-engineer the economy to fight inequality * Will AI be net positive or negative * What's the future of education and where did it go wrong * Where should students look for the careers of the future * A public markets debate about incentives and timeframes   Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe.

August Bradley (@augustbradley) is a futurist business consultant, founder/host of the Mind & Machine podcast and former COO of the pioneering virtual reality company Kite & Lightning. August's worked with brands including Coke, Xbox, Kia, Gap, J.Crew, Banana Republic, Fisker Automotive, and many more. He is also a Board Member & Director of the AI & Machine Learning Society, Chairman of the Technarte International Conference, technology series moderator for The Los Angeles World Affairs Council (LAWAC) and head of the Los Angeles Self Driving Car Meetup. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * Why August and I won't let voice assistants in our homes * What happens next with VR and where it is headed * Which technologies worry August most and why * What does privacy look like in a more connected world * How Amazon helps transform healthcare * The reason AI and automation will be net-negative on jobs * What we have to look forward to when it comes to future technologies * The reason space exploration is so important and exciting * What do we do about big tech and regulation * Why August isn't worried about AI consciousness or superintelligence * The reason food science and clean meat is such a promising field to pursue * Why immigration is a stupid topic to focus on when it comes to jobs * Science fiction as a safety net Listen to our partner episode on Mind & Machine now or check out the Youtube video below.   Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate  

Jarrett Walker (@humantransit) is an international public transit network design and policy consultant and the author of popular public transit blog HumanTransit.org, and the book Human Transit: How Clearer Thinking about Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives. This book is a friendly, non-technical introduction to transit’s underlying geometry and the real value judgments that must be explored to make both transit and development policy. His background integrates an arts and humanities Ph.D. with long technical experience in all aspects of transit and its role in city-building. He is a frequent keynote speaker, teacher, and facilitator of decision-making processes.   Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * How to engineer cities so ALMOST everyone wins * What does the future of urban transit look like * Why autonomous vehicles actually lead to more traffic * The reason Uber and Lyft are part of the problem * The geometric test to any transportation claim * Why the Boring Company is bogus * The law of induced demand and its implications * How tech marketing twists issues and creates bigger problems * What Jarrett thinks about electric scooters and micro-mobility * Where we're at in the IoT hype cycle * Thoughts on regulating and market distortions * Why cars are a dead-end future Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate  

Cindy Cohn is the Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (@eff) and was the Outside Lead Attorney in Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice, the successful First Amendment challenge to the US export restrictions on cryptography. The National Law Journal named Cohn one of 100 most influential lawyers in America in 2013, noting: “If Big Brother is watching, he better look out for Cindy Cohn.” She was also named in 2006 for “rushing to the barricades wherever freedom and civil liberties are at stake online.” In 2007 the National Law Journal named her one of the 50 most influential women lawyers in America. In 2018 Forbes included her as one of America’s Top 50 Women in Tech. Subscribe on Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Android | Overcast | Spotify | Youtube You can listen right here on iTunes In today's episode we discuss: * How censorship leads to authoritarianism * Why freedom of speech is such a tricky tight rope * What Apple's doing to help China crackdown on Hong Kong protesters * How algorithms and content curation are ruining our lives, and society * Why tech monopolies and failing markets make privacy so pathetic * The realistic issues with breaking up big tech and better solutions to tech monopolies * Why encryption is critical to the future of democracy * The impossible problem of backdoors and security * How the US government seeks to Chinese surveillance * What to do about the Trump Twitter problem * Why privacy is the big issue going forward * Which tech giants worry Cindy most * What to do about the collective action problem * Why the implications of brain-machine interfaces terrify Cindy Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to Support The Disruptors The Disruptors is supported by the generosity of its readers and listeners. If you find our work valuable, please consider supporting us on Patreon, via Paypal or with DonorBox powered by Stripe. Donate