This week, Lola Oyelayo-Pearson and Mamuna Oladipo skip the small talk and dive straight into Marc Andreessen’s “Techno-Optimist Manifesto.” We explore what it really means to be a techno-optimist, whether bold declarations like these help or harm the conversation, and how personal platforms can shift from self-expression to wielding real-world influence.

Continuing with the theme of amplified voices, we discuss how technology has reshaped the way information spreads—particularly in times of crisis. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has once again highlighted the polarized nature of the internet, where perspectives are shaped not just by facts, but by who holds the mic. How do influencers, tech leaders, and everyday people navigate their role in a world where speaking up—or staying silent—carries consequences?

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 Are you a Techno-Optimist?

• The manifesto’s take on innovation, progress, and the future of technology.
• The problem with extreme polarization—can we really reduce people to binary beliefs?
• The nuance of progress—who benefits and who gets left behind?

🔹 The Role of Personal Platforms in a Crisis

• The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how the internet amplifies divisiveness.
• How leaders and influencers choose to engage—or avoid—global issues.
• Lessons from 2020: leading through anti-Blackness, Indigenous genocide, and the expectation for companies to take a stance.

💡 We made this show for YOU! Got a tech challenge? Need career advice? Send your dilemmas to [email protected] or DM us on @LostInTechPodcast on Twitter.

👍 Like, Subscribe & Follow for real conversations about tech, career growth & everything in between!

Show Notes:

• The Techno-Optimist Manfiesto - https://a16z.com/the-techno-optimist-manifesto/
• The Bottom Billion - https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-bottom-billion-9780195311457?cc=us&lang=en&

After a short break (turns out we have seasons!), Lola Oyelayo-Pearson and Mamuna Oladipo are back to talk about what’s been happening in tech—from the exodus from Threads to the rise of stablecoins and the latest from X CEO Linda Yaccarino at the Code Conference.

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 Is Threads Already Dying?

• Major brands are pulling back—is it just another social media hype cycle?
• Why platforms need time to grow and whether social media is resistant to traditional growth curves.

🔹 Stablecoins & the Future of Money

• Lola takes Mamuna to crypto school—what’s the deal with stablecoins, and why are people moving towards them?
• Did you know PayPal’s USD stablecoin has more consumer protections than standard digital currency? 🤯
• What’s the long-term impact of stablecoins on financial systems?

🔹 X CEO Linda Yaccarino at Code 2023

• What’s next for Twitter/X, and does anyone really trust the platform’s new direction?
• Can advertisers and users still find value on a platform that keeps shifting under Elon’s vision?

🔹 What we’re learning:

• Lola is deep into how to price software—subscription models, profit margins, and why it’s easier in agencies vs. in-house.
• Mamuna is in performance review season and continuing to refine the art of giving and receiving feedback.

💡 We made this show for YOU! Got a tech challenge? Need career advice? Send your dilemmas to [email protected] or DM us on @LostInTechPodcast on Twitter.

👍 Like, Subscribe & Follow for real conversations about tech, career growth & everything in between!

Show Notes:

• Abandoning Threads: https://ktla.com/news/some-major-brands-are-giving-up-on-threads-as-engagement-craters/
• Two types of dollar on PayPal: http://jpkoning.blogspot.com/2023/09/there-are-now-two-types-of-paypal.html?m=1
• What is a stablecoin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stablecoin
• X CEO Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYymRU-bfpQ

This week on Lost in Tech, Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Oyelayo-Pearson dive into the empire of Elon Musk—from Starlink’s satellite dominance to SpaceX’s vertical integration and Neuralink’s Black Mirror vibes. Is he actually a visionary, or is he turning into a real-life Lex Luthor? 👀

Then, we break down a listener dilemma from a pregnant job seeker weighing two great job offers—one that requires relocation to California and another that lets her stay in Canada and work remotely. How do you evaluate a career move while considering family, benefits, support systems, and long-term career growth? We offer a practical framework to navigate these complex decisions.

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 Elon Musk: Innovator or Villain?

• Starlink now owns half of all low-orbit satellites—what does that mean for the internet?
• SpaceX’s vertical integration—when you own the rockets, you make the rules.
• Tesla’s charging network dominance and what it means for EV competitors.
• Neuralink… no seriously, are we living in a sci-fi movie?

🔹 Listener Dilemma: Two Job Offers, One Big Life Change

• How to evaluate job offers beyond just salary—think career growth, flexibility, and support.
• Why being pregnant doesn’t mean you can’t negotiate—we break down maternity leave, benefits, and company culture.
• The relocation factor—is uprooting your family worth the opportunity?
• What gives you energy vs. what drains you? The gut-check method for making career decisions.

🔹 What we’re learning:

• Lola is deep into software pricing strategies—why are there such wild variations in pricing?
• Mamuna is learning something critical: how to actually take vacation. 😂

💡 We made this show for YOU! Got a tech challenge? Need career advice? Send your dilemmas to [email protected] or DM us on @LostInTechPodcast on Twitter.

👍 Like, Subscribe & Follow for real conversations about tech, career growth & everything in between!

Is product management dying? This week on Lost in Tech, Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Oyelayo-Pearson break down Brian Chesky’s controversial comments about getting rid of PMs at Airbnb. Is this the beginning of the end for the role, or is it just another rebranding of what great PMs already do?

Before diving into that, we check in on Threads—Instagram’s latest attempt to compete with Twitter. Is it a real contender or just another short-lived hype cycle?

We also tackle a listener dilemma from a senior product designer who feels like they’re doing more PM work than design. With responsibilities like defining strategy, prioritization, and stakeholder management, they’re wondering if they’re in the wrong role—or if design and PM should even be separate roles at all.

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 Threads: Are we really doing this again? How do we make it work for us?
🔹 The Value of the PM Role:

• Brian Chesky’s interview at Config—does Airbnb really not need PMs?
• Why PM responsibilities are constantly evolving and vary widely across companies.
• Does size and org structure matter when defining PM vs. Design roles?

🔹 Listener Dilemma: "Am I actually a PM? My design role feels like something else."

• When roles blur, how do you decide where you fit?
• Defining your energy zones—move towards what excites you.
• How to have an open conversation with leadership about your career path.
• Why titles matter less than the work you do.

🔹 What we’re learning:

• Lola just submitted her first patent application!
• Mamuna is exploring AI prompting for greater efficiency.

💡 We made this show for YOU! Got a tech challenge? Need career advice? Send your dilemmas to [email protected] or DM us on @LostInTechPodcast on Twitter.

👍 Like, Subscribe & Follow for real conversations about tech, career growth & everything in between!

Brian Chesky at Config: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkfijg7s76o

Lola’s 2019 Blog post - Great designers lean out of Design to make an impact - https://medium.com/@LolaOye/great-designers-lean-out-of-design-to-make-an-impact-93b3bd8e2e2e

🌴 Take that vacation, embrace the unknown, and rethink risk.

This week on Lost in Tech, Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Oyelayo-Pearson dive into the importance of using your PTO, why rest isn’t just good for you—it’s necessary, and how pushing through without breaks can actually work against you.

From there, we discuss the Titan submersible tragedy and what it reveals about designing for human error. The tragedy raises critical questions: Are we too quick to label mistakes as human error when the real issue is poor design? How do we balance innovation, safety, and user experience—especially in industries where risk is inevitable?

Next, we tackle a listener dilemma from someone who is facing a tough career decision. They’ve worked hard to build a strong foundation in their current role, but a new, high-risk, high-reward opportunity is knocking at their door. With TEDx speaker and leadership coach Wendy Knight-Agard, we explore how to evaluate career opportunities using a simple three-question framework:

1️⃣ Do I like the job I’m currently doing?
2️⃣ Do I see a growth path within this role?
3️⃣ Do I like the environment I’m in?

We also break down the fear of failure, the importance of getting comfortable with discomfort, and how to separate personal vs. professional risk. Sometimes, the grass seems greener not because the opportunity is better, but because we’re afraid to grow.

💡 We made this show for YOU! Got a tech challenge? Need career advice? Send your dilemmas to [email protected] or DM us on @LostInTechPodcast on Twitter.

👍 Like, Subscribe & Follow for real conversations about tech, career growth & everything in between!

👑 Beyoncé, Apple’s latest flex, and leadership struggles—this episode has it all! This week on Lost in Tech, Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Oyelayo-Pearson break down the Apple Vision Pro and whether it’s the future of VR or just an overpriced toy. Plus, they tackle a listener dilemma about fixing communication issues with a struggling manager.

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 Lola’s Beyoncé Weekend: Was flying to London for 48 hours worth it? Spoiler: YES. 👑
🔹 Apple Vision Pro:

• Is this an Oculus killer or another Google Glass flop?
• The price tag—WTF?! 💰
• Will this change how we interact with VR, AR, and our kids?
• Black Mirror vibes… are we living in a simulation? 🤖
  🔹 Listener Dilemma: "My Head of Design is overwhelmed, and it’s hurting the team. What do I do?"
• Setting clear roles & expectations to avoid leadership bottlenecks.
• The importance of psychological safety in communication.
• How to reset relationships and align leadership dynamics.
  🔹 What we’re learning:
• Lola is knee-deep in tech infrastructure regulations.
• Mamuna is diving into deep fakes and their impact on trust.

💡 We made this show for YOU! Got a tech challenge? Need career advice? Send your dilemmas to [email protected] or DM us on @LostInTechPodcast on Twitter.

👍 Like, Subscribe & Follow for real conversations about tech, career growth & everything in between!

💼 Feeling stuck under a manager who doesn’t meet your expectations? You’re not alone. This week on Lost in Tech, Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Oyelayo-Pearson break down how to navigate a boss who isn’t the mentor you hoped for—and whether you should look elsewhere or learn to manage up.

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 The AI Pause Debate: Breaking down the Open Letter calling for a 6-month halt on AI development and what’s really behind it.
🔹 Listener Dilemma: "My boss isn’t technical, and I don’t think I can grow under them." We discuss:

• Why leadership is more than technical ability.
• Managing up and articulating what you need from your manager.
• How to find mentorship outside of your direct lead without burning bridges.
  🔹 What we’re learning:
• Lola explores the future of money, digital currencies, and payment evolution.
• Mamuna dives into the outdated home-buying process and why no one is incentivized to fix it.
• Michael shares insights on AI prompt engineering.

💡 We made this show for YOU! Got a tech challenge? Need career advice? Send your dilemmas to [email protected] or DM us on @LostInTechPodcast on Twitter.

👍 Like, Subscribe & Follow for real conversations about tech, career growth & everything in between!

Show notes:

• Open Letter to Pause AI - https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/
• Timnit Gebru - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timnit_Gebru
• India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Payments_Interface

📢 Lola and Mamuna are back this week with a special episode—joined by our incredible producer, Michael!

We’re diving into social media’s impact—from the TikTok hearings to whether Discord is really social media (👀). Plus, we unpack the good, bad, and ugly of LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit, and YouTube, and how these platforms shape how we think, communicate, and navigate the digital world.

📌 Topics We Cover:
✅ The TikTok CEO’s House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing—what went down?
✅ Our personal experiences with TikTok: the highs, the cringe, and the algorithm.
✅ Is Discord really a social platform, or is it in its own category?
✅ How social media is impacting critical thinking, attention spans, and younger minds.
✅ The evolution of LinkedIn, and why it’s still a necessary evil.

🎙️ Hosts:
This episode is hosted by Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Oyelayo-Pearson, two product and tech leaders navigating the intersection of technology, leadership, and digital culture.

📩 Have a challenge?
We want to hear from you! Send your questions and dilemmas to [email protected] or DM us on Twitter: @LostInTechPodcast

👍 Like, Subscribe & Follow for more candid conversations on navigating the world of tech!

Show Notes:

• TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in US Hearing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m07O_zgd-M
• Supreme court case against Google (YouTube): https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/supreme-court-gonzalez-v-google-2-21-23/index.html
• Molly case in the UK: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/how-a-british-teens-death-changed-social-media
• ADP List for Mentoring: https://adplist.org/
• Gas App: https://www.gasapp.co/
• Article on Discord Child Safety Actions 2022: https://discord.com/blog/discord-transparency-report-q4-2022

🎙️ Back again for another episode of Lost in Tech! This week, Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Oyelayo-Pearson dive into:

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 Banking chaos: WTF is happening with SVB, First Republic, and Credit Suisse? 💸
🔹 Listener dilemma: "I keep getting interviews, but never the job." We break down:

• How to craft a strong career narrative that highlights the right skills.
• Why you need to customize your CV (and how to avoid getting filtered out by automated screening).
• Interview mistakes you might be making—and how to fix them.
• The power of practice, recording yourself, and refining your pitch.
  🔹 The balance of confidence vs. BS—how do you sell yourself without overdoing it?
  🔹 What we’re learning: Lola is trying to take a real holiday, while Mamuna is deep in media player updates.

💡 Got a tech challenge? Need career advice? Send your dilemmas to [email protected] or DM us on @LostInTechPodcast on Twitter.

👍 Like, Subscribe & Follow for real conversations about tech, career growth & everything in between!

💼 Big career decisions, pay gaps, and legal grey areas—this episode has it all!

In this episode of Lost in Tech, Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Oyelayo-Pearson discuss everything from the realities of non-competes and job transitions to gender pay disparities and proudest career moments. Plus, we tackle a listener dilemma: What happens when you get a job offer that feels like a perfect next step—but might ruffle feathers at your current company?

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 International Women’s Day reflections & the UK Gender Pay Gap Bot—who’s still underpaid and by how much?
🔹 Listener dilemma: Can you legally take a new job if your current employer might see it as a conflict? We break down what to consider (plus some wild differences in non-compete laws across the US, UK, and EU).
🔹 Proudest professional moments—including shipping a major product redesign & getting promoted for it!
🔹 What we’re learning: Lola is deep into financial regulations (lending, securities, money transmission—oh my!), while Mamuna is rethinking personal operating models after reading Scaling People by Claire Hughes Johnson.

💡 We made this show for YOU! Got a tech challenge? Need career advice? Send your dilemmas to [email protected] or DM us on @LostInTechPodcast on Twitter.

👍 Like, Subscribe & Follow for real conversations about tech, career growth & everything in between!