The Information presents Modest Conversations hosted by Sam Lessin, who writes the site's regular 'Modest Conversations' column. Modest Conversations are short conversations with interesting people about technology, culture, politics, and whatever else strikes our fancy.
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
On Income Sharing Agreements with Erik Torenberg
31:07
31:07
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
31:07
Sam and Erik discuss ISAs / and the future of equity investing in people / personal income vs. debt financing.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
30 - Runaway Objective Functions & Human Agency - Tim O’Reilly
1:03:33
1:03:33
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
1:03:33
Tim and I discuss some of the thinking around his new book WTF - What’s The Future and Why It’s Up To Us. We talk in particular about our world of runaway objective functions, and the role human agency must play to manage to a future we want vs. one we do not.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
29 - Attention and Addiction & What To Actually Do About It - Tristan Harris Fmr. Google
56:24
56:24
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
56:24
Tristan and I talk about his viewpoint and mission around the attention economy and addition. We also debate ideas on what to practically do about it.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
28 - Lines - Waiting For Work To Be Done & Work To Do - Andrew Kortina co-founder Fin & Venmo
21:20
21:20
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
21:20
Kortina and I discuss how much of modern life is about lines. As consumers we wait on line for restaurants, takeoff windows, and countless other experiences. As producers many of us - not just ER doctors - spend a good percentage of our 'working' time waiting for work to do and under-utilized.We discuss how technology and technology design is impac…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
27 - The Human Side of Tech & Growth Mindset - Blake Barnes Director of Product at Instagram
49:30
49:30
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
49:30
Blake joins to discuss the human side of technology - growth mindset, failure, and success. How do the people who build technology, and the ways they collaborate on teams, and the culture of tech companies define the products that come out?Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
26 - Homo Deus in Short - Erik Torenberg, ProductHunt & co-founder Village Global VC
32:50
32:50
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
32:50
Erik and I discuss the ins-and-outs of Homo Deus, which has become extremely popular in Silicon Valley. What is the thesis? What is the appeal? What makes sense and what is a stretch?Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
25 - Making of the Tree of Ténéré at Burning Man - Zach Smith, Founder of The Project
40:47
40:47
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
40:47
Zach Smith joins for a Modest Conversation on the making of the Tree of Ténéré at Burning Man. Where the project came from, trials and travails of getting it done, and thoughts on doing large scale art projects at Burning ManDoor Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
24 - The Golden Age of Oncology - Racquel Bracken of Venrock
31:29
31:29
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
31:29
Racquel joins to talk about all that is changing in the world of oncology, and why she things we are entering the golden age of oncology.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
23 - The Environment - Alyssa Ravasio of Hipcamp
32:39
32:39
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
32:39
Alyssa joins for a modest conversation about technology is changing how we relate to nature, the environment, climate change, extinction, and more.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
22 - On Bitcoin Cash & New Ways Crypto-Projects Move Forward - Alexia Bonatsos - Fmr Techcrunch
32:50
32:50
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
32:50
Alexia and I discuss the last week in Crypto and Bitcoin Cash. What does it look like when there is a pattern for faster innovation without 'consensus' in the cyrpto world? How does it change the power and importance of exchanges?Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
21 - On Product Management - Rousseau Kazi of FB and TBA
32:45
32:45
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
32:45
Rousseau joins to discuss lessons from product management.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
20 - Building Platform Products - Raylene Yung of Stripe & FB
38:23
38:23
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
38:23
Raylene currently leads the applications team at Stripe, and formerly was an engineering manager at Facebook. She joins me to discuss building platforms from a product and engineering perspective.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
19 - Viewpoint From The Silicon Valley Entering Class of ‘17 - Samantha Wiener
23:31
23:31
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
23:31
Samantha joins as a representative of the Silicon Valley entering class of 2017 having just graduated from Columbia CS and moving on to Facebook engineering. talks about her projects and what interests her at the intersection of tech and the broader world.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
18 - Congestion & Inequality, The Problems of The Modern City - Eran Shir of Nexar
27:33
27:33
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
27:33
Eran joins me to discuss autonomy & the problem of the modern city - in particular congestion, inequality and autonomy.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
17 - What You Know vs. Who You Know - Auren Hoffman of SafeGraph and LiveRamp
25:07
25:07
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
25:07
Auren Hoffman joins me to discuss whether it is better to know things or know people.. And how technology is changing the dynamic.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
16 - Building Things Competitors Can't Measure - Sriram Krishnan, Fmr Snap & FB
33:54
33:54
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
33:54
Sriram Krishnan who worked on monetization products at Snap talks about building things your competitors can't measure.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
15 - Jobs, UBI, and Inequality - Joe Lonsdale, 8VC
23:54
23:54
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
23:54
Joe Lonsdale, Founder of 8VC discuss jobs, universal base income, and inequality and many other dangerous topics.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
14 - On Bitcoin, Ethereum, ICOs vs. Venture Capital - Alexia Tsotsis, Fmr TechCrunch
26:33
26:33
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
26:33
Alexia and I discuss crypto-currencies and the evolving conversation about the future of fundraising - initial coin offerings and venture capital.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
13 - How You Build Meaningful Relationships with Kids and Others - Tod Francis, Shasta Ventures
21:15
21:15
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
21:15
For this holiday weekend Tod Francis shares some of the research he has done on how you build meaningful relationships with children and other important people in your life.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
12 - The YC AI vertical and big-company AI advantages - Daniel Gross of YC, Apple, Greplin
30:25
30:25
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
30:25
Daniel and I discuss the new YC AI vertical and how he is trying to empower startups with the AI advantages that big companies usually have unto themselvesDoor Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
11 - AI, Real or False Please Explain - Lukas Biewald of Crowdflower & OpenAI
26:09
26:09
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
26:09
Lukas and I discuss AI, vision problems, and what is real vs. overstated about the near future of machine intelligence.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
10 - The Morning Routine of 2027 and 2047 - Amanda Peyton, co-founder Grand St. & Google Alum
42:02
42:02
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
42:02
Amanda and I pace out what a morning routine might look like in +10 and +30 years in the future. What will be the same about morning routines and what will technology change?Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
09 - Have We Reached The Limits of VC? - Bryce Roberts of OATV & Indie.vc
15:45
15:45
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
15:45
Bryce, a co-founder of O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures and Indie.vc joins to talk about the limits of traditional venture capital. What can / can’t traditional venture capital support in terms of company building in 2017? What are some financing alternatives?Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
08 - Entrepreneurial Resilience - Leila Janah, Founder Samasource and LXMI
28:40
28:40
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
28:40
Leila, the founder of Samasource and LXMI joins to talk about entrepreneurial resilience and how to avoid ‘punk-ing out’. We talk about emotional stability, balance, and the lack thereof. When to stay the course vs. swerve.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
07 - The Future of Real Estate with Brad Hargreaves, Founder of Common & General Assembly
27:17
27:17
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
27:17
Brad Hargreaves, the founder of Common and co-founder of General Assembly joins to discuss Real Estate. We focus on topics like Millennial ‘Poverty’, how the death of retail is changing real-estate financing, and - of course - self-driving technology.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
06 - Meditation, the Next Yoga-Toothbrush with Eric Antonow of Metabolic, Public Med, FB, GOOG
14:30
14:30
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
14:30
Eric Antonow - Founder of Public Meditation (https://www.facebook.com/pubmeditation) joins to discuss why meditation is either the next Yoga or Toothbrush or both.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
05 - New York Tech & Social Media Fame - Greg Galant, Found Muck Rack and The Shorty Awards
25:23
25:23
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
25:23
Greg Galant, the founder of Muck Rack and The Shorty Awards joins for a conversation on New York Tech and Social Media Fame.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
04 - Online & Offline Communities in a Data Deluged World - Justin Shaffer, Founder Public Studio
25:53
25:53
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
25:53
Justin Shaffer of Hot-potato, Facebook, and Now Public Studio joins to discuss online and offline communities... and how our world of ever-present communication and access changes how people traverse and move in and out of their personal 'bubbles'Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
03 - Unions, Regulatory Capture, and Tech - Joe Green, Founder FWD.us
26:08
26:08
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
26:08
Joe Green, of Causes, Nation-Builder, and FWD.US joins to discuss some ideas around unions, organizing, and regulatory capture in an era of technology companies.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
02 - Who Drives Corporate Responsibility and Benefits? - Andrew Kortina Founder Fin, Venmo
15:09
15:09
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
15:09
Andrew Kortina, my Fin co-founder and former founder of Venmo joins me to discuss some ideas around corporate responsibility, benefits, and the role technology companies play across political-social-and economic worlds in a world of declining civic and religious affiliations.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
01 - Digital Drugs, VR and more - Dave Morin, Partner Slow Ventures
19:15
19:15
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
19:15
Sam and Dave discuss Dave's concept of 'digital drugs' and an alternative way to think about experiences like VR. Brain health and the FDA.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
00 - Transparency - Good or Bad with Will Quist, Managing Partner Slow Ventures
11:43
11:43
Later Afspelen
Later Afspelen
Lijsten
Vind ik leuk
Leuk
11:43
Sam and Will discuss whether or not added transparency is a good or bad thing for getting things done in the world.Door Sam Lessin
…
continue reading