Mostly Human with Laurie Segall

We’re living through one of the most extraordinary tech accelerations in human history. But too often, it can feel like tech is happening to us. Longtime tech journalist Laurie Segall is here to change that. Her new podcast, Mostly Human, explores the intersection of tech and humanity—offering a bridge to the future, one where we all benefit from innovation. Each week, Laurie brings you first-hand experiments with new trends, investigations into the darker corners of the internet, and rare-access interviews with both news-making tech titans and the people you don’t know yet—but should. Through immersive, in-depth conversations about the future, she tackles some of the defining questions of our time—leaving you with a sense of agency over fear, and a clearer view of how tech can actually work for you. Mostly Human is tech through the most important lens: the human one. Find new episodes every Thursday right here in this feed, starting March 26, 2026.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our new hyperconnected lifestyles have revealed weaknesses in the technology we use every day. But new problems lead to new solutions. That’s where innovation comes from. Phil Libin is probably best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Evernote. These days he heads up a company called All Turtles, whose latest project mmhmm wants to save us all from the Zoom-apocalypse and revolutionize how we will work in the future. Phil sets a high ethical bar for the creators of new technology, including himself: It’s their responsibility to think about the intentional and unintentional impact of their products, he says. Not just the impact on the technology’s users, but also on people who don’t use it at all…

————————————

Show Notes

*All Turtles

*mmhmm

*The Gray Area Newsletter #1, featuring Phil Libin

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facebook has ambitious plans for virtual reality. And Andrew “Boz” Bosworth is in charge of it all. He says we’ve only scratched the surface of how VR and AR technology will transform society. So what does that future look like? How do you make virtual interaction feel as natural as in-person interaction? How do you prevent harassment, without prohibiting intimacy? How will virtual spaces change the way we work? The way we learn? The way we play? And when it comes to your virtual self - who owns your identity? As Facebook dives head first into the next technological frontier, will they manage to avoid the mistakes of their past?

———————————— Show Notes

• Douglas
• Engelbart 
• Facebook
• Horizon
• Facebook
• Project Aria 
• Codec Avatar

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens to our civil liberties when an algorithm is used by law enforcement to make an arrest? Even more concerning, what happens when that facial recognitiontechnology is racially biased? As we enter an age of ubiquitous surveillance, it’s minorities - especially people of color - who are disproportionately affected. The ACLU has recently filed a complaint on behalf of a Black man who was wrongfully arrested dueto faulty police facial recognition tech. It’s the first case in the US, but it’s unlikely to be the last because, according to the ACLU - the tech often can’t tell Black people apart. The organization that has been fighting for civil rights protections forover 100 years, is now calling on lawmakers nationwide to stop law enforcement use of facial recognition technology. For Susan Herman, it’s an extraordinary time to be president of the ACLU. Over the years, the American Civil Liberties Union has fought forfree speech, reproductive rights, and privacy. But as technology continues to muddy the waters, the tradeoffs become more complicated. Where do we draw the line between security and privacy? Herman says we must act now.————————————Show Notes

• ACLU
• People Power
• Robert Williams’ Op-ed in The Washington Post
• 
  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re bringing you three interviews from the first at-home edition of the Collision tech conference. Laurie chats with Headspace Co-founder and CEO Rich Pierson about the importance of mindfulness and how to live in the present amidst global uncertainty. Match.com CEO Hesam Hosseini and Plenty of Fish CEO Malgosia Green discuss how COVID-19 has transformed the world of dating. And lastly, entrepreneur and author Molly Bloom shares her incredible life story — one that you may be familiar with from the 2017 film Molly’s Game. She gives Laurie a peak behind the curtain of running one of the highest-stakes illegal poker games in history.

————————————

Show Notes

• Collision
• Headspace
• Match
• Plenty Of Fish
• Molly’s Game

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's no secret to anyone: Tech has a major diversity problem. And it's not getting better. How do we finally start making the necessary changes to fix the glaring inequity in Silicon Valley? How do we change the makeup of board members, make companies more diverse, and start putting our money where our mouth is? Venture Capitalist Sarah Kunst is someone who’s not afraid to speak out. She’s been leading a discussion on minorities in tech for a long time. She's made it her life’s work to change things for the better. These are times of listening and learning. We all have to do a better job of informing ourselves, listening to others, and changing our behavior. So let’s listen to Sarah Kunst.

————————————

Show Notes

• The Bail Project
• Code2040
• Black Girls Code
• Black Women Talk Tech
• BLCK VC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are living through pretty surreal times... Most of the country is still shut down due to COVID-19. Over the last few days we’ve seen protests and riots across the country following the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man. All while Facebook faces a crisis of its own: internal and external revolt in response to the company’s inaction towards President Trump’s inflammatory posts.

Barry Schnitt was Facebook’s Director of Communications for four years and his recent blog post criticizing the company’s stance on free speech has gotten a lot of attention — especially since Facebook employees, even former ones, are normally so tight-lipped. He talks to Laurie about why both current and former employees are speaking out.

—————————————Show Notes

• Early Facebook employees’ open letter
• Barry’s blog post
• Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You probably know Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an actor from films like Looper, Snowden, and 500 Days of Summer. But he’s also an entrepreneur. In 2005, Joe and his brother started HitRECORD -- it was a simple website where he could post things he was making. In 2010 he opened it up. He and his friend Jared Geller turned HitRecord into an online platform where people from all over the world could come together to collaborate. Since then, they’ve pivoted from a production company to a tech company, with a vision to help us move away from aimlessly scrolling, towards creating together.

We’re in a moment filled with anxiety and fear. It’s hard to find any kind of silver lining. But if we had to, it might be this: moments of pain and uncertainty have historically led to incredible art and creativity. So what will be the legacy of the technology built in this age? In this episode of First Contact, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and co-founder Jared Geller talk to Laurie about finding creativity in difficult times.

———————————————

Show Notes

• Laurie’s interview with Joe at Web Summit 2016
• HITRECORD
• Jaron Lanier (author)
• Tristan Harris

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2008 recession was a devastating time for many Americans. But amidst the chaos, it was also the breeding ground for a new creative class: Developers who coded their visions into reality. Uber and Lyft redefined transportation, Airbnb shook up the travel industry, and TaskRabbit helped pave the way for the gig economy. In many ways, the uncertainty we face today mirrors that crisis. TaskRabbit’s founder Leah Solivan joins the show to explain why she believes founding her company in harsh conditions was key to her success, and why the pandemic provides a similar opportunity for innovation.

——————————————

Show Notes

• Codecademy Pro Scholarships
• Frontline Foods
• COVID Coach
• Sign up for the Dot Dot Dot newsletter

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a long time, we tried to limit our screen time. But now we’ve gone all in. We’re living in isolation, more reliant than ever on technology for human connection. So let’s look at technology through a more philosophical lens: Are we now slaves to our devices? Could tech companies use the same persuasion tactics they use to get us to click... to help save lives? How will we balance protection and privacy?

Aza Raskin is the co-founder of The Center for Humane Technology. There’s no one better to talk about the intersection of philosophy and technology. Aza returns to the show to chat with Laurie about the long-term ramifications of our newfound digital lives.

———————————————

Show Notes

• Reboot
• Facebook voter study
• GeoCities
• Doughnut Theory of Economics
• Figma
• Style Transfer: Photo, Text
• Xiaoice
• Replika
• Earth Species Project
• Songs of the Humpback Whale
• Invisibilia: Two Heartbeats A Minute
• First Contact: The Weaponization of Loneliness

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.