CONNECTED Podcast

Is Trump driving movie talent out of Hollywood and back to Asia?

Taiwan movie mogul Christoper Chen explains why Los Angeles is increasingly unlivable, why Taiwan’s production companies are “thriving at the expense of somebody else’s screw-up,” and why AI hasn’t killed, but strengthened the visual effects industry.

Featuring: Christopher Chen (executive producer, Reno Studios)

Hosts: Divya Gopalan and Billie Sweetman

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US Indo-Pacific Commander Samuel John Paparo Jr. has called on Taiwan to deter and defend against aggression from China using a “hellscape” strategy. That is, filling the airspace and waters around Taiwan with drones. Can this keep the islands safe while also driving defense innovation?

Taiwan-based defense expert Bryce Barros unpacks whether the “hellscape” strategy is workable, why Taiwan could be a defense tech hub and why Taiwan should learn from military middle powers like Canada and Sweden.

Featuring: Bryce Barros, visiting fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research and associate fellow at GLOBSEC.

Host: Tomasz Koper

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Is the AI tech stock bubble set to burst? And how can you make money whatever the outcome? Investor and finance professor Orina Chang shares her outlook for the rest of 2026, breaking down the AI boom, US markets, Taiwan stocks, TSMC’s future and why she believes long-term investors still have reasons to be optimistic.

Featuring: Orina Chang, Chair Professor & Associate Dean, School of Banking and Finance, NSYSU

Hosts: Fred Shieh and Divya Gopalan

00:00 Why long-term investing wins00:28 Meet investor Orina Chang01:21 Training Taiwan’s finance talent03:26 Market outlook for 202604:22 Why Taiwan follows US markets04:55 Key US economic indicators06:37 AI’s impact on jobs and hiring08:03 Is Taiwan ready for the AI era?09:35 AI boom and stock market gains11:34 Are tech stocks overvalued?12:17 Gold, uncertainty and safe havens12:46 Why investors should stay invested14:07 Can Taiwan stocks keep rising?16:51 Why China’s economy is struggling19:06 Global impact of China’s slowdown20:23 Taiwan’s AI and chip advantage21:29 Best sectors for long-term growth23:40 ETF investing and compound returns25:39 Don’t trade, invest for the long run

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Good sci-fi says as much about the present as the future. When “The Membranes”, one of Taiwan’s best-known Queer sci-fi novels, was published in 1996, it explored gender, the climate crisis and data privacy. 30 years and 10 translations later, these themes are as relevant as ever. And they have resonated with a new wave of international readers.

Author Chi Ta-wei reveals his storytelling inspirations, his plans for a sequel and how time has changed his relationship with the book’s characters and themes.

Presenters: Tomasz Koper and Billie Sweetman

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Taiwan’s brain drain problem is very real. High-tech engineers, software developers and nurses are among those who continue to leave Taiwan for better pay, more attractive workplace cultures and safer futures abroad.

Recruitment consultant Zeno Fu explains why so many young people in Taiwan do not see a future at home.

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Humans themselves struggle to describe music, emotion and meaning. So how can artificial intelligence ever truly understand it?

We speak with Li Su, a research fellow at Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, about whether AI can actually create meaningful music, why music is more difficult to crack for AI than language and whether the future of AI music is genuine creativity, or endless waves of slop.

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Ever heard of microdramas? The 2–3 minute vertical video series have already surpassed traditional film box office revenues in countries like China.

How does the industry behind these addictive reels operate? Tune in for our conversation with a microdrama producer Cameron Wen.

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Working as cabin crew is tough – especially on one of Taiwan’s main carriers, EVA Air. We hear a behind-the-scenes account from crew member Helen Lee. She describes a system that actively penalizes staff for taking sick leave and shifts responsibility for wellbeing from the company onto individuals. She and other crew members even allege that the airline, its policies and practices were key factors leading to a colleague’s death.

Helen also tells us why she stayed with EVA in spite of its ‘toxic’ work culture. She explains how the airline’s union (of which she is a member) has made real change in working conditions but still has a long way to go.

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Gen Z has it tough: AI is set to decimate the entry-level white-collar job market by 2030. For many graduates, leveraging AI to survive and thrive is a must. We spoke to two grad job hopefuls about navigating today’s recruitment process and on-the-job AI nightmares.

🎙️ Sarita Long, recent graduate from the London School of Economics

🎙️ Josh Lee, student at National Taiwan University

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Half of global fund managers say there is an AI bubble. The sector’s sky-high valuations and speculative fervor echo the dot com bubble. So is AI on course for a similar fate? Is a burst inevitable?

Asianometry’s Jon breaks it down. How big? How soon? And who will be left holding the bag?

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