Everyone loves a good “life hack”: Whether it’s through an organizational app, a new productivity strategy, or a novel way to use technology, we’re all looking for ways to be more efficient. What life hacks would a startup and entrepreneurship expert recommend?

Shane’s latest guest is Jason Feifer. Jason is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, a podcast host, keynote speaker, startup advisor, and the author of an upcoming book titled Build for Tomorrow: An Action Plan for Embracing Change, Adapting Fast, and Future-Proofing Your Career (releasing September 6). He joins the show to share his strategies for career and life success, along with a preview of his book.

As the demand for remote work, schooling, medical services, and retail continues to rise, augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) are proving worthwhile to both the providers and consumers of these services. How can we integrate these technologies into our daily lives as smoothly as possible?

On this episode, Shane is joined by David Scurlock, founder and CEO of In Your FACE Learning and Training Academy, which aims to bring XR and other cutting-edge innovations to those with limited access to emerging technology. David’s programs seek to leverage young people’s interest in technology and gaming applications through interactive and immersive educational activities, but are also highly portable for all ages. He joins the podcast to discuss these and other endeavors he’s been pursuing around AR and XR.

See here for more of David’s work.

When one thinks about today’s tech leaders in Silicon Valley, PayPal is probably not the first name that comes to mind. But PayPal’s founders and earliest employees have gone on to create, found, and advise companies like Tesla, SpaceX, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Yelp, and Palantir. What happened in PayPal’s early days to set these individuals and future companies up for success?

On this episode, Shane is joined by Jimmy Soni, author of The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley. As her AEI colleague James Pethokoukis described it, The Founders is a “quintessential tale of Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurship in the early internet age” that was largely untold before Jimmy chronicled it. Jimmy joins the podcast to discuss his intentions behind the book and what it can teach us about Silicon Valley, tech industry competition, and the innovation landscape today.

While the $52 billion of federal funding in the CHIPS for America Act has strong bipartisan support, it’s caught in a larger fight between the two legislative chambers over an attempt to reconcile the bill with other Democrat spending priorities. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has built a coalition against the larger bill that will stop it from passing unless the process is focused exclusively on semiconductors. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has also agreed that the CHIPS Act should be passed on its own immediately.

To make sense of this situation and predict what comes next, Shane and AEI’s Claude Barfield sit down with Peter Cleveland of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation and Jon Hoganson of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. The four of them discuss the ins and outs of Congress’ battle over chip funding, along with key opportunities that could be missed if action isn’t taken soon.

Following the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), a Department of Commerce branch known as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has been tasked with allocating $42.5 billion of federal broadband infrastructure funding to state and local governments through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. This $42.5 billion is part of a larger $65 billion sum that the IIJA puts toward broadband infrastructure. How can NTIA and the states ensure the money is spent effectively and that people are held accountable? How can remaining barriers to broadband adoption be overcome without just throwing money at the issue?

On this episode, Shane welcomes AEI Nonresident Senior Fellow Mark Jamison back to the podcast. Dr. Jamison has previously appeared on the show to talk about tech antitrust issues, but is an internet and telecommunications expert by training. In addition to his fellowship at AEI, Dr. Jamison directs the Public Utility Research Center at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business—where he also teaches. Dr. Jamison previously served on the Federal Communications Commission transition team for President-elect Trump, and as a special adviser to the governor of Florida’s internet task force. He is currently working with the Florida state government to help write the state’s strategic broadband plan.

See here and here for more information on NTIA’s state-level broadband initiatives.

One year ago, the Biden administration announced its support for a proposal at the World Trade Organization (WTO) that would waive Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) protections for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Last week, WTO member states agreed to a limited waiver that only covers vaccines and patents—not therapeutics or trade secrets. Both sides of the debate are relatively unhappy with this outcome. Does this mean it was a good compromise, or did the WTO somehow fall short in its duties? How is the Biden administration doing on other intellectual property (IP) issues?

On this episode, Shane welcomes AEI Adjunct Fellow Michael Rosen back to the podcast for a check-in on the TRIPS waiver issue, along with a more general update on the global IP policy landscape. Michael is the AEI tech policy team’s specialist on IP issues; he writes often on IP-related incentives for innovation, and on patent reform in Congress and at the US Patent and Trademark Office. He is also a book review columnist for The Federalist and National Review.

The radio airwaves that power wireless technologies—known as spectrum—are a finite but critical resource. Tailoring spectrum toward its best use often entails industry and government sharing airwaves with one another, a process that has proven complicated as historical use does not always equate to the best current use of spectrum assets. And, with the advent of 5G wireless, the stakes are higher than ever.

Shane sits down with Peter Rysavy on this episode of “Explain to Shane” to analyze potential spectrum sharing solutions and discuss how 5G policy has played out across different industries and government agencies. Peter is president of Rysavy Research, LLC, a consulting firm that has specialized in computer networking and wireless technology since 1993. Peter recently published a series of articles and slide decks on the basics of spectrum sharing, along with advanced concepts that draw on past examples to demonstrate the complexity—and importance—of the spectrum sharing process.

Cyberattacks are one of the largest threats facing society today. Learning how cyber disruptions take place is the best way to protect services provided by network operations and data systems, but who has the training resources and expert teams required to detect unseen risks for enterprise, government, and civil society alike?

On this episode of “Explain to Shane,” Shane is joined by Keith Peer, head of the federal practice at Offensive Security. Offensive Security is a leading cybersecurity organization that offers courses, training exercises, and certifications on systems penetration testing for the federal government and a number of Fortune 500 companies. Keith joins the show to explain how Offensive Security’s experts are tackling the unique challenges of today’s cyber landscape.

Cyber threats are multidimensional; they can manifest as large-scale attacks carried out by nation states or private actors, targeted at critical infrastructure or individual devices. In the information age, they can also target vulnerable individuals via malware or on social media platforms in the form of false or misleading information. Across the board, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has made plugging vulnerabilities in all cyber domains a lead priority for government, industry, and civil society alike. 

What does a former top security official have to say about all of this? On this episode of “Explain to Shane,” Shane sits down with Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, for an update on how both cybersecurity threats and best practices have progressed in a number of domains since Secretary Chertoff left office. They also discuss the security pitfalls of Congress’ attempts to weaken mobile device protections in the name of competition.

How are the American and European approaches to regulating the technology industry similar? How are they different? Can policymakers from the two continents find agreement on today’s most pressing tech policy issues?

On this episode of “Explain to Shane,” Shane is joined by Peter Brown, a Washington, DC-based diplomat for the European Parliament. Using Europe’s Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, and country-by-country approach to regulating autonomous vehicles as case studies, Peter compares and contrasts the US and European regulatory systems, and suggests key areas for transatlantic cooperation. He also discusses the importance of a unified US-European approach to technological standards-setting amidst China’s rise.