Business Talk

Professor Francesco Sobbrio, Professor of Economics at the University of Rome Tor Vergata and a Research Fellow at CESifo, turns our focus toward one of the defining dilemmas of our digital age, revealing what happens behind the screen in his co-authored research, “Ranking for Engagement: How Social Media Algorithms Fuel Misinformation and Polarization.”

In his research, Prof. Francesco Sobbrio demonstrates how digital platforms systematically distort public discourse. While passive clicks reflect the broad population's consensus, active shares are driven disproportionately by ideological extremists. By weighting shares to maximize user retention, recommendation algorithms end up crowding out moderate, truthful information in favor of divisive content. Because neutral ranking rules inevitably yield polarized outcomes when applied to asymmetric human behavior, Dr. Sobbrio proposes a Pigouvian engagement tax, analogous to a carbon tax, which prices amplified virality to economically incentivize platforms to de-escalate political polarization without resorting to censorship.

Disclaimer:

1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.

2. In a compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Francesco Sobbrio unpacks key ideas from his research, “Ranking for engagement: How social media algorithms fuel misinformation and polarization.” The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so you may not change any graphics, music, or the on-screen appearance of the author or host.

Dr. Ramaswamy Ramesh, Professor of Management Science and Systems at the University at Buffalo School of Management, examines his co-authored paper, "Be Ready for the Future? An Economic Analysis of Over-the-Air Software Upgrades in the Automotive Industry."

Professor Ramaswamy Ramesh’s research demonstrates that over-the-air (OTA) software upgrades fundamentally reshape durable goods economics as vehicles become software-defined platforms. By pre-installing dormant hardware and selling optional software post-sale, automakers can segment buyers by tech-savviness, sidestep pricing pathologies like adverse selection, and unlock recurring revenue. When software development costs are high, this OTA strategy strictly outperforms traditional bundling, creating a win-win that lowers base vehicle prices, boosts manufacturer profits, and marks a broader industrial shift toward building products to last.

This paper is co-authored with Dr. Zhe Wang (City University of Hong Kong), Dr. Runyu Tang (Xi'an Jiaotong University), Dr. Zhiling Guo (University of North Texas), and Dr. Ram Ramesh (SUNY at Buffalo).

Disclaimer:

1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.

2. In a compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Ramaswamy Ramesh unpacks key ideas from his research, "Be Ready for the Future? An Economic Analysis of Over-the-Air Software Upgrades in the Automotive Industry." The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so you may not change any graphics, music, or the on-screen appearance of the author or host.

Dr. Michael Gurven, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Associate Director of the Broom Center for Demography at UC Santa Barbara, joins the conversation to discuss his book, Seven Decades: How We Evolved to Live Longer. Together, we examine what our evolutionary past teaches an aging world about community resilience and the essential purpose of later life.

Drawing on two decades of fieldwork with the indigenous Chimane in the Bolivian Amazon, he reveals that extended lifespans emerged because intergenerational sharing and grand-parental investment made post-reproductive lives evolutionarily valuable. While industrialized lifestyles lead to chronic cardiovascular and metabolic disease mismatches, Gurven argues that the solution is not a Silicon Valley pharmaceutical fix. Instead, society must cultivate functional health and institutionalized interdependence, transforming aging from an isolated phase of withdrawal into an active stage of purpose and community support.

Disclaimer:

1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.

2. In a compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Michael Gurven unpacks key ideas from his book, “Seven Decades: How We Evolved to Live Longer.” The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so you may not change any graphics, music, or the on-screen appearance of the author or host.

Dr. Phillip Lieberman, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Texas, explores the central themes of his book, The Business of Identity: Jews, Muslims, and Economic Life in Medieval Egypt, examining how commercial practices shaped religious and communal identities in medieval Egypt. Re-examining Cairo Geniza legal contracts, he reveals how medieval Jewish merchants deliberately structured commercial partnerships under Jewish law rather than Islamic alternatives, demonstrating how economic practice served as a powerful vehicle for religious and communal identity within an integrated society.

Disclaimer:

1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.

2. In a compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Phillip Lieberman unpacks key ideas from his book “The Business of Identity: Jews, Muslims, and Economic Life in Medieval Egypt”. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.

In this episode, Dr. Jeremy Ghez, Associate Professor of Economics and Decision Sciences at HEC Paris, shares practical insights from his book, Architects of Change: Designing Strategies for a Turbulent Business Environment.

In this conversation, Dr. Jeremy Ghez outlines how leaders can navigate profound global uncertainty by balancing immediate crisis management with long-term strategic foresight. Rather than solely operating as reactive firefighters responding to institutional pressures, executives must act as deliberate architects who redesign organizational strategy for shifting realities. Dr. Ghez highlights geopolitical literacy as an essential capability to spot both risks and emerging market opportunities. To safeguard decision-making against cognitive bias, groupthink, and information warfare, he advocates practical foresight tools, including semi-annual pre-mortems, rigorous scenario planning, and red teaming.

Ultimately, as artificial intelligence automates routine analysis, the defining skill for modern leaders is the capacity to ask nuanced questions. Emphasizing intellectual honesty, Dr. Ghez urges executives to embrace strategic agility: adapting one’s mindset when evidence shifts is not inconsistency, but essential resilience in volatile business environments.

Follow Prof. Ghez’s latest writings and strategic insights on his Substack: https://jeremyghez.substack.com/

Disclaimer:

1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.

2. In a compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Jeremy Ghez unpacks key ideas from his book, “Architects of Change: Designing Strategies for a Turbulent Business Environment.” The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so you may not change any graphics, music, or the on-screen appearance of the author or host.

Dr. Robert Morrison, Professor of Religion and Middle Eastern and North African Studies at Bowdoin College, shares valuable insights from his book, Merchants of Knowledge: Intellectual Exchange in the Ottoman Empire and Renaissance Europe.

Dr. Morrison examines how multilingual Jewish scholars, such as physician Moses Galeano, operated across Venetian and Ottoman networks to drive genuine, reciprocal intellectual exchange rather than passive transmission. Leveraging commercial family routes, medical expertise, and multilingual skills, these intermediaries transferred scientific concepts, most notably late medieval Islamic astronomical models that underpinned the Copernican revolution, while bringing European medical and astronomical texts to Ottoman courts. Drawing on Venetian archival records alongside Hebrew, Arabic, and Latin manuscripts, the conversation highlights how cross-confessional pragmatism, trade, and shared intellectual curiosity blurred rigid divisions between East and West.

Disclaimer:

1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.

2. In a compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Robert Morrison unpacks key ideas from his book, “Merchants of Knowledge: Intellectual Exchange in the Ottoman Empire and Renaissance Europe.” The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so you may not change any graphics, music, or the on-screen appearance of the author or host.

In this episode, Dr. Saori N. Katada, the Louis G. Lancaster Chair of International Relations at UC Santa Barbara, unpacks the central insights of her book, Japan’s New Regional Reality: Geoeconomic Strategy in the Asia-Pacific. She traces Japan’s transition from post-war neomercantilism to a proactive, state-led liberal strategy driven by domestic stagnation, the rise of China, and regional financial crises.

Highlighting Tokyo’s pivotal leadership in rescuing the CPTPP following the U.S. withdrawal, Dr. Katada examines how Japan balances great-power rivalry by embedding partners like India and Australia into multilateral frameworks. She also addresses the persistent hegemony of the U.S. dollar, bureaucratic hurdles within Tokyo, and the delicate balance Japan must strike between national economic security and globalized commerce amidst rising protectionism.

Disclaimer:

1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.

2. In a compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Saori Katada unpacks key ideas from her book, “Japan’s New Regional Reality: Geoeconomic Strategy in the Asia-Pacific.” The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so you may not change any graphics, music, or the on-screen appearance of the author or host.

In this episode of Business Talk, host Deepak Bhatt speaks with Dr. Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, about his book, Confessions of an Alien Hunter. Dr. Shostak separates science fiction from reality, explaining how radio telescopes scan the cosmos for engineered signals rather than biological entities. He challenges cinematic tropes, refutes government cover-up myths, and presents the thought-provoking idea that advanced extraterrestrial intelligence is likely post-biological machine life. Comparing modern SETI efforts to historical voyages of exploration, Dr. Shostak illustrates how confirming life beyond Earth would fundamentally reshape human culture, science, and our cosmic identity.

Disclaimer:

1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.

2. In a compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Seth Shostak unpacks key ideas from his book, “Confessions of an Alien Hunter.” The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so you may not change any graphics, music, or the on-screen appearance of the author or host.

Dr. Tomasz Mickiewicz, 50th Anniversary Professor of Economics at Aston Business School and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London, offers valuable insights drawn from his research, “Growth Expectations of Entrepreneurs During Crisis: The Role of Social, Environmental, and Economic Motivations.”

He examines empirical findings from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor covering the 2008-2009 financial crisis to explain how venture motivations shape growth expectations during severe downturns. The study reveals that socially motivated entrepreneurs are distinctly counter-cyclical, demonstrating higher short-term growth ambitions than commercial counterparts when market distress peaks. As commercial competitors retreat and state welfare mechanisms face fiscal constraints, unmet local needs surge, enabling agile social enterprises to absorb freed-up labor and capital within a less crowded market landscape. Meanwhile, environmentally focused ventures pursue extended horizons, remaining largely detached from cyclical shocks to target durable employment expansion. Consequently, policymakers must look beyond traditional profit-centered models to formally recognize and support mission-driven enterprises through flexible financing and tailored legal structures that leverage their stabilizing role across systemic crises.

Disclaimer:

1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.

2. In a compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Tomasz Mickiewicz unpacks key ideas from his research, “Growth Expectations of Entrepreneurs During Crisis: The Role of Social, Environmental, and Economic Motivations.” The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so you may not change any graphics, music, or the on-screen appearance of the author or host.

Dr. Anna Tavis, Clinical Professor and Chair of the Human Capital Management Department at NYU’s School of Professional Studies, shares key insights from her book, The Digital Coaching Revolution. She explains how artificial intelligence is democratizing workplace coaching by turning an exclusive executive privilege into an accessible, 24/7 development tool for employees at all levels. Anchoring progress in objective data rather than subjective feedback, this approach equips middle managers with real-time support while providing leadership with continuous organizational intelligence. Rather than replacing human professionals, digital platforms enable a hybrid, data-driven model that relies on strict privacy standards, Socratic inquiry, and strategic alignment to drive measurable transformation.

Disclaimer:

1. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music.

2. In a compelling episode of Business Talk, Dr. Anna Tavis unpacks key ideas from her book, “The Digital Coaching Revolution.” The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.