Lost in Tech

🎙️ We’re kicking things off in style—Lola blesses us with some of her vocals before diving into the big question: Is podcasting becoming obsolete?

This leads us to a deep geek-out over NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered note-taking tool. With its ability to answer questions about uploaded files and its game-changing audio summary feature, we explore whether tools like this are reshaping how we consume and interact with knowledge.

But who is NotebookLM really for? Is it best suited for university students tackling complex topics, or is it making learning too easy? We unpack how tools like this affect knowledge retention, critical thinking, and the way we apply what we’ve learned.

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 Is Podcasting Dying? The future of audio content in an AI-driven world.
🔹 NotebookLM Deep Dive: Can AI revolutionize the way we take notes and process information?
🔹 The Future of Learning: Are AI tools making us smarter or too dependent?
🔹 Who Benefits Most? Why this tech could be a game-changer for students and knowledge workers.

💡 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!

This week on Lost in Tech, Lola Oyelayo-Pearson and Mamuna Oladipo open with a hot take—we’re talking about the people who ride their roles, are highly credentialed, yet toxic to work with. Could this be part of why Paul Graham and Brian Chesky’s “Founder Mode” philosophy resonates? We break down where we align, where we don’t, and what we’ve seen firsthand.

From there, we dive into generalists vs. specialists—who thrives in today’s tech landscape? Founder Mode often presents as toxic hustle culture, but is there truth in some of the critiques? And in a shifting industry, how do you avoid being “tucked away” and unproductive?

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 Founder Mode vs. Manager Mode: Why the delivery of this idea feels extreme, but the takeaways are worth examining.
🔹 Generalists vs. Specialists: Who survives in the new world of tech?
🔹 The Old Tech World is Gone: Why now is the time to know your core skill set and actually produce meaningful work.
🔹 Toxic Credentials: When expertise is a mask for workplace toxicity.

💡 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!

This week on Lost in Tech, Lola Oyelayo-Pearson and Mamuna Oladipo explore the real-life applications of AI in our daily routines. From using ChatGPT as a personal assistant to streamlining workflows, we discuss where generative AI excels—and where it still struggles.

We also take a moment to celebrate wins—congrats to Lola on her big promotion! 🎉 But leadership isn't just about milestones—it’s about how you show up when things don’t go smoothly. We dive into the complexity of managing emotional responses and egos, especially in high-pressure situations.

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 How We Actually Use AI: The day-to-day applications of ChatGPT and generative AI.
🔹 Leadership & Emotional Mastery: Balancing accountability vs. emotional intelligence.
🔹 Modeling Ideal Behavior: How leaders can be human while setting the standard.
🔹 Handling High-Stakes Moments: Tools and strategies for staying calm under pressure.

💡 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!

🎙️ We’re back! After a long summer break, Lola Oyelayo-Pearson and Mamuna Oladipo return with a deep dive into AI regulation, job market realities, and how to stay competitive in today’s workforce.

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 AI Regulation: What’s Changing & Why It Matters

• Breaking down GDPR, CCPA, and California’s latest AI laws
• The EU’s approach to regulating startups—is it helping or hurting innovation?
• What these regulations mean for startups, enterprises, and AI developers.

🔹 Job Market Realities: How to Stay Relevant

• Is LinkedIn the best job market thermometer? How hiring trends are shifting.
• Why long-term job hunting feels different now, especially for older workers.
• Staying adaptable and marketable—tips for career resilience in uncertain times.

💡 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:

• Good critique of EU AI Regulation - https://www.techpolicy.press/the-eu-ai-act-regulatory-exemplar-or-cautionary-tale/
• CCPA vs GDPR - https://www.cookieyes.com/blog/ccpa-vs-gdpr/#:~:text=The GDPR stands for General,privacy rights of Californian residents

This week on Lost in Tech, Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Oyelayo-Pearson dig into marketplaces—what makes them successful, how they build trust and reliability, and why some stand the test of time while others fade away.

We start by breaking down eBay and Etsy, two marketplaces that have evolved to stay relevant. From shoe resellers on eBay to Etsy sellers pivoting to mask-making during COVID, how do these platforms keep their edge?

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 What makes a marketplace successful? The key ingredients for trust, experience, and reliability.
🔹 Etsy & eBay’s evolution:

• How these platforms have adapted to changing consumer behavior.
• What creators and resellers have taught us about marketplace dynamics.
• The impact of COVID on Etsy’s seller boom.
  🔹 Lessons from marketplaces:
• Who wins and who loses when new competitors emerge?
• What the next wave of marketplaces might look like.

💡 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:

• Oja Marketplace shuts down - https://peopleofcolorintech.com/founders/the-uks-first-digital-supermarket-for-african-and-caribbean-food-has-shut-down/Air BnB -https://www.plumguide.com/
• Builde.AI - https://www.builder.ai/

This week on Lost in Tech, Lola Oyelayo-Pearson takes Mamuna Oladipo on a deep dive into the world of Formula 1, breaking down how the sport engineers competition, changes rules to shape eras, and the impact of Adrian Newey’s departure from Red Bull. We compare this shift to Jony Ive leaving Apple and how key figures shape (or destabilize) dominant brands.

From there, we pivot to innovation in tech today—or rather, the lack of it. With many companies focusing on safe iterations and maintenance rather than bold, risk-taking moves, are we in an era of stagnation? Why aren’t we seeing more companies pushing the envelope like Nintendo did with the Wii? And how do economic factors like shareholders, profitability, and market constraints shape the decisions we see in modern tech?

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 F1 & Engineering Competition: How rule changes shape dominance and unpredictability.
🔹 Adrian Newey Leaves Red Bull: What this means for the future of the team.
🔹 Jony Ive & Apple: Do brands lose their magic when their visionary leaders depart?
🔹 The Current State of Tech Innovation:

• Why does it feel like we’re seeing maintenance over risk-taking?
• The role of shareholders & financial constraints in stifling bold ideas.
• Are we just in an innovation lull, or has the landscape truly shifted?

💡 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:

Adrian Newey:

• https://www.redbullracing.com/int-en/drivers/adrian-newey-obe

Jonny Ive’s Consulting as non-compete:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/12/technology/apple-jony-ive-end-agreement.html Adrian

US Bans Non-competes

• https://www.hcamag.com/ca/specialization/employment-law/us-bans-non-compete-agreements/486889#:~:text=With the new rule%2C non,enforce any new non-competes.

CNBC the lustre going out of FAANG

• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ijkTBtBWJWs

This week on Lost in Tech, Lola Oyelayo-Pearson and Mamuna Oladipo break down how we show up at work—both in how we’re perceived and how we’re expected to engage.

We explore the power of feedback and how coaching can help you level up your presence at work. Then, we shift to the increasing tension around politics in the workplace. With companies like Google banning political discussions at work, is there ever a “right” way to engage in corporate activism? And what happens when employees are asked—or expected—to take a stance?

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 How We Show Up at Work:

• Perception vs. Reality—how do others see us, and does it matter?
• Using coaching & feedback to refine your professional presence.
• Balancing authenticity vs. workplace expectations.

🔹 Politics in the Workplace: Where’s the Line?

• Google says no more political debates at work—is this the new norm?
• The rise of employee activism—when do companies engage vs. shut it down?
• How corporate culture shapes what’s “acceptable” to talk about.

💡 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:

• Google no more family at work - https://fortune.com/2024/04/22/sundar-pichai-google-staff-no-political-debates-office-firing-28-employees-israeli-contract-protest/
• Esther Perel on Diary of a CEO - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/esther-perel-love-sex-expert-why-men-love-porn-more/id1291423644?i=1000637769134

This week on Lost in Tech, Mamuna Oladipo and Lola Oyelayo-Pearson break down the Humane AI Pin and the state of wearables—what problems are they actually solving, and why do some founders seem to lack clarity? Is the $699 Humane Pin the future, or is it an overhyped experiment? We also explore Apple’s dominance in the wearable ecosystem and how controlling the vertical stack gives them an edge.

Then, we shift gears to discuss career transitions in tech. Many people feel trapped in high-paying jobs yet fear the instability of making a move. We unpack the golden handcuffs dilemma, the anxiety around overpromotion, and the real question: What would it take to leave?

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 The Humane AI Pin:

• What problem is it solving—if any?
• Is the $699 price tag justified, or are expectations just too high?
• How does Apple dominate the wearable ecosystem, and what does that mean for competition?
• Are founders building for the right problems, or is this just another hype cycle?

🔹 Leaving Your Tech Job: Fear vs. Reality

• “I want to leave, but I’m afraid”—what’s really holding people back?
• The golden handcuffs of stock gains & compensation in big tech.
• What happens when you’re overpromoted and underprepared?
• Finding clarity: Can I actually do this, and what would it take?

💡 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:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TitZV6k8zfA&themeRefresh=1

This week, Lola Oyelayo-Pearson and Mamuna Oladipo are joined by our producer Michael Busse for an unexpected deep dive into blockchain, meme coins, and the wild world of crypto influencers. We discuss how hype fuels blockchain adoption, the ethical dilemmas of Web3, and where fraud fits into it all.

We then shift gears to discuss the current state of tech jobs—how demand is shifting, what the candidate-to-role ratio really looks like, and how the job market is evolving.

Finally, Lola makes her blockchain pitch—why now is the time to build on this new technology, and how beyond the memes, there’s a real opportunity to innovate.

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 Meme Coins & Crypto Influencers: Who’s shaping blockchain hype?
🔹 Fraud & Ethics in Tech: Where do we draw the line in Web3?
🔹 Tech Job Market Reality: More candidates, fewer roles—what’s next?
🔹 The Future of Blockchain: Lola’s pitch on why now is the time to build.

💡 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:

• Twitter thread on Sui NFT Rug Pull - https://x.com/BL0CKRUNNER/status/1769748906802397496?s=20

🎙️ Here we go, yo! This week, Lola Oyelayo-Pearson and Mamuna Oladipo dive straight into Google’s Gemini controversy—how AI is shaping search, the tensions between facts, critical reasoning, and bias, and whether Google got too caught up in altruism.

Gemini was supposed to be Google’s AI breakthrough, but its "historical inaccuracies" and ethical AI issues have led to a $90 billion selloff and major backlash. Did Google’s AI team get too wrapped up in solving history’s injustices at the cost of accuracy?

📌 Inside This Episode:
🔹 Google’s AI Problem: What went wrong with Gemini, search relevancy, and factual accuracy?
🔹 Facts vs. Interpretation vs. Critical Reasoning:

• Why is AI rewriting history?
• When does an AI model become opinionated?
• Google’s past fears & the "Gorilla Incident" from Google Photos.
  🔹 Was Google Trying Too Hard?
• Google should have been first to AI dominance, but did they get distracted by ethical dilemmas?
• Bard vs. Gemini: How did one prepare users for imperfection while the other didn’t?
• Controversy farming & AI’s role in reshaping narratives.

💡 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:

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2024/02/26/googles-gemini-headaches-spur-90-billion-selloff/
• https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/21/24079371/google-ai-gemini-generative-inaccurate-historical
• https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/07/podcasts/the-daily/gemini-google-ai.html