Interesting People in Interesting Times welcomes technologist, writer and philosopher Jaron Lanier, to discuss his memoir _Dawn of the New Everything_ (Henry Holt & Co.) tracing his childhood in Texas to his work with Microsoft, his exploration of virtual reality and his thoughts on our digital future.

Recorded at Soho House in NYC, Jaron began with a short music performance. Jump to three minutes in if you want to skip the music. 

Interesting People in Interesting Times, hosted by Tom Goodwin and Adriana Stan, brings together provocative speakers, great ideas and bold new thinking.

Music: "Roadrunner" by Dan Tepfer from the album Eleven Cages on Sunnyside Records. Dan Tepfer - piano, Thomas Morgan - bass, Nate Wood - drums.

Produced by goldfieldmedia

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes talks income inequality, tech regulation, and the role the Big 4 have in driving societal and economic progress. Hughes, who is the author of Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality and How We Earn and the co-chair of the Economic Security Project, calls for radical reforms to our nation's tax code to rebalance the economy and make it work more fairly for all American workers. He also explains why the gig economy, with its Uber drivers, Taskrabbits and Postmates delivery people, is an example of technology taking us backwards. Plus, he answers the question of whether Facebook has lost its way, and proposes expanding the idea of fiduciary responsibility to include tech companies. 

Interesting People in Interesting Times, hosted by Tom Goodwin and Adriana Stan, brings together provocative speakers, great ideas and bold new thinking.

Music: "Roadrunner" by Dan Tepfer from the album Eleven Cages on Sunnyside Records. Dan Tepfer - piano, Thomas Morgan - bass, Nate Wood - drums.

Produced by goldfieldmedia

From multi-party democracies to one-party states, platforms and presidents are combining to re-write the rules of how we're governed.

Henry Timms, co-author of New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World-and How to Make It Work for You, explains how the power of dictatorships to social movements, are defined by their ability to connect across the internet. The consequences of this will decide the fate of us all.

Interesting People in Interesting Times, hosted by Tom Goodwin and Adriana Stan, brings together provocative speakers, great ideas and bold new thinking.

Music: "Roadrunner" by Dan Tepfer from the album Eleven Cages on Sunnyside Records. Dan Tepfer - piano, Thomas Morgan - bass, Nate Wood - drums. 

Produced by goldfieldmedia

When a President's tweets drastically change a country, do we accept it as the new normal? When our social media feeds consist of people who think just like us, how can we expect social change? And why do we always assume the future will be better than the past? Maria Konnikova, author of The Confidence Game, explains what politician's lies do to your brain, why we fall for the same tricks every time, and how humanity is hardwired for hope-and why that's problematic. In this conversation with Nick Childs, we also hear what dictates bias, what shapes our thoughts, and how we can escape the bubble of distraction that technology has built around us. 

Interesting People in Interesting Times, hosted by Tom Goodwin and Adriana Stan, brings together provocative speakers, great ideas and bold new thinking.

Music: "Roadrunner" by Dan Tepfer from the album Eleven Cages on Sunnyside Records. Dan Tepfer - piano, Thomas Morgan - bass, Nate Wood - drums.

Produced by goldfieldmedia

Open, funny, and self-aware, Andrew Yang is not your standard politician. But he plans to run for President in 2020 with a radical policy agenda from Universal Basic Income to what to do about AI and why we need to put humanity first. We also hear what he plans to do about Amazon. 

Interesting People in Interesting Times, hosted by Tom Goodwin and Adriana Stan, brings together provocative speakers, great ideas and bold new thinking. 

Music: "Roadrunner" by Dan Tepfer from the album Eleven Cages on Sunnyside Records. Dan Tepfer - piano, Thomas Morgan - bass, Nate Wood - drums.