Vikram Mansharamani, PhD is a globally recognized leader whose expertise includes detecting and describing trends before they emerge. He shows people how to anticipate the future, manage risk, and spot opportunities.

Vikram first gained widespread attention with the release of his first book, Boombustology, which provided a framework for spotting bubbles BEFORE they burst. We’re fortunate to have him here as his second book - “Think for Yourself” - is on the verge of release - June 16 is the release date.

Vikram is a thought-leader whose ideas and writings have appeared in Fortune, Forbes, The New York Times and a long list of other publications. Vikram also has been named the #1 Top Voice for Money, Finance and Economics by the entire 500 million-plus LinkedIn Network for both 2015 and 2016, and Worth Magazine profiled him as one of the 100 most powerful people in global finance. 

Currently a lecturer at Harvard University where he teaches students to use multiple perspectives in making tough decisions, Vikram also has taught classes at Yale University on business ethics and governance, financial bubbles, and economic inequality.

On the show, Vikram discusses:

• How fluctuations in actual infection and fatality rates from the COVID-19 epidemic may shape attitudes about the economy and financial markets in the Fall and beyond
• How should everyday Americans decipher often conflicting public health directives about COVID-19 when they may lack the ability to make the right decisions on their own
• Whether the public’s faith in experts is going to be degraded as a result of the pandemic, with a backlash against scientists who are calling for more stringent public health precautions than some members of the public are unwilling to accept, for example.
• Does public confidence in scientists and other subject matter experts fluctuate over time. Are there factors that tend to trigger such fluctuations.
• Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing emphasis on standardized testing, which has created the dynamic of “teaching to the test” rather than actively encouraging critical thinking. Does this trend contribute to the dynamic Vikram analyzes in “Think for Yourself”?
• Conformity and social proof are hard-wired into human thinking - perhaps because we don’t have the brainpower to personally experience and understand everything we need to move through life. How should we determine the things to outsource to others and the things we should analyze and decide for ourselves?
• Looking ahead, we’ve heard that post-COVID-19 world won’t be a return to the way things were before, but perhaps a “new normal” will emerge. As an expert in detecting trends before they’re visible, what could this new normal look like - in terms of work, the economy, the financial markets, etc.