In this episode, we are joined by Joshua Pulsifer - narrative designer and co-director at Zipit! Games, an indie studio in New York. Joshua and his partner Ben are building The Wide Open Sky is Running Out of Catfish, a story-driven photography game set on the back of a giant flying catfish. Beneath its playful exterior lies a meditation on memory, friendship, and the impermanence of life. 

We dive into a super fun journey exploring: whether video games are a good storytelling medium, what creates powerful emotional arcs, and why we need to take video games seriously as art. Along the way, we also confront death - both as a universal fear and as a source of connection and meaning. 

It’s an episode about creativity, mortality, and the stories we play that shape who we are.

Socials: @zipit_games

Data breaks. AI models go crazy. Downstream teams scramble to put out the fire.

In this episode, I talk with Chad Sanderson, CEO and co-founder of Gable - a startup rebuilding data quality and governance from the ground up. We dive into the “shift left” philosophy: why upstream engineers must own their data outputs, how data contracts create accountability in AI systems, and what it takes to drive real cultural change across an organization.

We also zoom out into Chad’s journey - from martial arts and journalism to leading data teams at Microsoft and Convoy. Along the way, we unpack why upstream ownership unlocks downstream speed, why the future of AI depends on mapping data flows end to end, and how a mission rooted in truth and transparency ties it all together!

A must-listen for anyone navigating the messy intersection of product velocity, data integrity, and organizational scale - the foundation needed to truly unlock AI’s potential.

https://www.gable.ai/

https://dataproducts.substack.com/

How do you measure whether an education policy is actually working?

In this episode, I talk with Stephanie Franklin, Deputy Associate Commissioner of Strategy and Analytics at one of the largest education agencies in the U.S.

We dive into the grounding yet complex role data plays in education - how student outcomes are tracked, how metrics are built to drive accountability, and the delicate balance between actionable insight and student privacy, in a world of emerging tech.

From evaluating classroom initiatives to exploring why education is inherently data-driven, this conversation unpacks the challenge of measuring what matters - and why great policy still hinges on effective execution.

If you’ve ever wondered how governments gauge success in education - or why it’s so difficult - this episode is for you!

In this episode, we sit down with Sean Chen - a former data scientist at Google and one of the first AI product managers at Walmart/Sam’s Club - to unpack his whirlwind journey through tech and startups. 

Sean reveals how VC pressure can steer or stall your vision, and how he and his co-founder built “Shelfer,” a voice-driven inventory app for SMB retailers, in just two days on London’s shop floors. We also break down the most realistic agent-AI use cases (of course, how could we miss the buzzword), dive into authentic content creation (and handle criticism like a game), and explore why scrappiness often trumps perfectionism. 

Tune in for a candid conversation about hustling, pivoting, and staying true to yourself in the fast-moving world of entrepreneurship.

From a hacker's perspective, what are some of the most overlooked - yet critical - problems in tech?

In this episode, Clarence Chio shares his journey from giving DEFCON talks on adversarial AI before it was cool, to building two startups at the intersection of risk management and AI. We dive into his experiences hacking alongside white, red, and black hats in an abandoned warehouse near the Kremlin, to the quiet evolution of vendor management, and how the meaning of "work" is evolving as tech modularizes knowledge and labor.

Clarence also reflects on what it takes to scale companies without letting ego lead, why a little delusion might be necessary for persistence, and why letting go can be the hardest - and most essential - leadership lesson.

If you've ever wondered where hacking, humility, and the future of work collide, this conversation is for you.

Floating Questions welcomes Ashish Ranjan Jha - former AI lead at Revolut, author of Fight Fraud with Machine Learning, and now founder of Nativ.

In this episode, we trace Ashish’s journey across three continents and a range of roles - from customizing LSTMs for interpretability before it was cool, to scaling fraud and identity verification AI systems at Revolut, to founding Nativ, a startup helping businesses go global through seamless localization. You’ll also hear some unexpected gems - from catching fraud rings to validating early product ideas in manga .

We also explore immigration challenges, the hurdles of building in agri-tech, and Ashish’s philosophy of making just enough plans while staying tuned in to his inner voice.

Floating Questions welcomes Matt LeMay, a product leader, musician, and author of two books: Impact First Product Teams and Product Management in Practice. With experience at Spotify, Mailchimp, Bitly, and beyond, Matt shares his thoughts on navigating ethical dilemmas in big tech, driving real impact in product teams, and the essential traits of a great product manager.

Beyond work, we dive into his love for music, how therapy shaped his leadership, and the experiences that have shaped his approach to product management. Join us for a candid conversation on personal growth, career evolution, and finding balance in an ever-changing world.

Check out his latest book - Impact First Product Teams HERE

Floating Questions welcomes Nivedita Gaur, whose extraordinary journey spans from India's Space Applications Centre to shaping the future of augmented reality (AR) as a Silicon Architect at Meta, where she contributed to the cutting-edge Orion AR glasses.

In this episode, we delve into not only her remarkable achievements but also her passion for empowering women to forge their own paths. Nivedita also shares moving stories of her family's support, the generational friction she navigated, and the pivotal encouragement of male allies - from her father’s fight against tradition, to a stranger’s nudge toward space college, and her partner’s unwavering support of her dreams.

Through her lens, we explore the delicate dance of separating from family, standing firmly on our own, and reconnecting stronger than ever.

Tune in for a rich conversation about ambition, resilience, and the quiet power of empathy that binds it all together.

What is even fairness in AI? Is there such a thing as too much diversity in AI output? Should AI reflect the world as it is, or the world we wish it to be? 

In this episode of Floating Questions, Brian Hsu, a Senior Responsible AI Engineer at LinkedIn, takes us into the heart of responsible AI, sharing his journey from grad school stardom to the trenches of building fair and impactful machine learning systems with interesting tales. We also delve into why Brian chose to forgo a PhD at top-tier institutions like Stanford, and his reflections on the type of talents of AI needed in practice. This conversation is part technical, part philosophical, and wholly human. Tune in and decide for yourself: how can we really program ethics into the machines of tomorrow?

In this episode of Floating Questions, we sit down with Amine Bennouna, a postdoctoral researcher at MIT and soon-to-be professor at the Kellogg School of Management. We explore his childhood in Morocco and how competing in the International Mathematical Olympiad inspired him to co-found Math&Maroc, an NGO dedicated to unlocking the scientific potential of Moroccan youth, one equation at a time. 

Amine also delves into his research focus area in artificial intelligence (AI), discussing the challenges of interpretability and robustness in data-driven decisions, and how to navigate uncertain and unstable environments with smarter algorithms. 

Beyond academia, we discuss the cultural warmth and community spirit of Morocco, his motivations for becoming a professor, and the teaching principles he operates by to make learning accessible and empower students to believe in their potential.