David Risher is Lyft's new CEO. He joins Big Technology Podcast for a frank discussion about his plan to put the company back on the right track after it's spent years languishing. Tune in for a frank discussion of the economics of ride hailing, the reality of leading a company after its founders depart, and Risher's plan to compete in a category that hasn't traditionally been easy to succeed in. We also discuss autonomous driving (but recorded ahead of my recent experience in San Francisco)e. This is Risher's first podcast interview as CEO. Please give it a listen and enjoy!
---
If you enjoyed this episode, or the podcast in general, please mark five stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify. It helps a lot. Thank you!

Lyft's New CEO Has a Plan To Compete — With David Risher

The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators. Alex Kantrowitz, a Silicon Valley journalist who's interviewed the world's top tech CEOs — from Mark Zuckerberg to Larry Ellison — is the host.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Technology

Tech News

Podcasting

Gadgets

Software How-To

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

Social Sciences

Science & Medicine

Religion & Spirituality

Other

Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

News

Science

Politics

Marketing

Religion

Government

Management

Entrepreneurship

News Commentary

Dwarkesh Patel is the host of the Dwarkesh Podcast, where he's interviewed Mark Zuckerberg, Ilya Sustkever, Dario Amodei, and more AI leaders. Patel joins Big Technology to discuss the current state and future trajectory of AI development, including the potential for artificial general intelligence (AGI) and superintelligence. Tune in to hear Patel's insights on key issues like AI scaling, alignment, safety, and governance, as well as his perspective on the competitive landscape of the AI industry. We also cover the influence of the effective altruism movement on Patel's thinking, his podcast strategy, and the challenges and opportunities ahead as AI systems become more advanced. Listen for a wide-ranging and insightful conversation that grapples with some of the most important questions of our technological age.
----
Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice.
For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/
Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology
Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com

AI Scaling, Alignment, and the Path to Superintelligence — With Dwarkesh Patel

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Apple's bad iPad ad 2) Is the backlash largely due to the creative, of people's feelings about Apple as a company 3) Asking Claude about the reaction to the ad 4) Apple's big moment at WWDC 5) Apple building server-side AI compute 6) Better Siri 7) OpenAI teases GPT-5 8) AI assistant buzz 9) AI as a dating concierge 10) AI news creating a zombie internet 11) Netflix's Tom Brady roast 12) Netflix's big bet on live TV, including the NFL.
---
Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice.
For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/
Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology
Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com

Apple's Bad iPad Ad, AI Assistant Hype, Netflix's Big Live Ambitions

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are the hosts of the Slate Money podcast. They join Big Technology to discuss the economics and societal implications of artificial intelligence and robotics. Tune in to hear their nuanced take on the costs, challenges, and potential paths forward for companies like OpenAI and Tesla as they pursue ambitious goals AI and robotics. We also cover the realities of retirement in modern economies and the ongoing debate over raising retirement ages. Join us for a thought-provoking conversation at the intersection of tech, business, and society, featuring experts who aren't afraid to challenge assumptions and dive deep into the details.
--- 
Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice.
For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/
Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology
Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com

Economics of OpenAI, Tesla’s Robotics Pivot, Hedonic Treadmill — With Slate Money

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Ranjan's visit to India and his use of Perplexity to gain cultural understanding and context 2) AI news' reliability 3) How social media drives the college protest 4) The need to elevate the reasonable voice 5) Elon Musk email Alex with details about X's AI news play 6) Could X's AI news plan work? 7) X warming to news? 8) AI monetization challenges 9) Risking the trough of disillusionment in AI 10) Apple earnings and the iPhone sales decline 11) A weird choose your own adventure with Claude 12) WSJ reporter turns ChatGPT into her boyfriend 13) Can relationships with AI be meaninful?
----
Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice.
For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/
Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology
Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com

Emails From Elon, AI Revenue Questions, Chatbot Boyfriends

Alan Cowen is the CEO and founder Hume AI. Cowen joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss how his company is building emotional intelligence into AI systems. In this conversation, we examine why AI needs to learn how to read emotion, not just the literal text, and examine at how Hume does that with voice and facial expressions. In the first half, we discuss the theory of reading emotions and expressions and in the second half we discuss how it's applied. Tune in for a wide ranging conversation that touches on the study of emotion, using AI to speak with — and understand — animals, teaching bots to be far more emotionally intelligent, and how emotionally intelligent AI will change customer service, products, and even staple services today. 
---
Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice.
For weekly updates on the show, sign up for the pod newsletter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6901970121829801984/
Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack? Here’s 40% off for the first year: https://tinyurl.com/bigtechnology
Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com

Teaching AI To Read Our Emotions — With Alan Cowen

Big Technology Podcast

Lyft's New CEO Has a Plan To Compete — With David Risher

Download our free app to listen on your phone