The Bid Picture with Bidemi Ologunde

In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde unpacks how AI chip diplomacy is reshaping global power, from the UAE’s intelligence-tinted partnership with the U.S. to Silicon Valley’s high-stakes entanglement with Gulf investors. He explores Saudi Arabia’s record-breaking $55 billion leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts, the Kingdom’s sweeping mutual defense pact with Pakistan, and its strategic oil lifeline to post-Assad Syria. Along the way, Bidemi connects the dots between technology, finance, and security to show how these moves are rewiring geopolitics across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde spoke with Jake Ward, co-founder of the Developers Alliance, to unpack how tech policy battles quietly shape the lives and livelihoods of developers around the world. They explore why AI regulation will determine which startups survive, how fragmented privacy laws can unintentionally crush small innovators, and why lawmakers who think they’re targeting Big Tech often end up hurting the little guys instead. Jake also shares practical ways independent developers can "get a seat at the table" in policy conversations.

In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde explores the FATE model—fear, attention, tribalism, and engagement—as a lens for understanding modern information environments without jumping to “psyops” conclusions. He unpacks how different three-factor combinations of FATE show up in real-world cases since 2022: diaspora communities who care about crises back home but rarely mobilize; global public health threats like mpox and antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” that generate fear and action without tribalism; niche social media firestorms such as the Rings of Power (Lord of the Rings) backlash that are intense but not widely noticed; and major socioeconomic battles like France’s pension reform that ignite attention and tribal engagement without widespread fear. The episode offers practical tools for recognizing when FATE dynamics are organic social behavior versus signs of deliberate manipulation.

In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde spoke with data scientist and AI/machine learning (ML) enthusiast Daria Dubovskaia in a wide-ranging conversation about cybersecurity, data analytics, and building robust ML systems in the real world. Daria shares her journey from studying rocket propulsion in Russia to moving to the United States, completing a Master’s degree in Data Science at CUNY, and working at a healthcare startup in Tampa, Florida. Along the way, she talks about cleaning messy data, deploying production models in the cloud, protecting sensitive information, and communicating complex insights to non technical stakeholders. This episode is full of practical lessons for anyone interested in data-driven decision-making, career pivots into tech, and the growing intersection of machine learning and cybersecurity.

In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde unpacks four seemingly disconnected American stories: a Houston food critic's "toe touch" approach to restaurants, a Phoenix community organizer rebuilding neighborhoods from the ground up, the quiet expansion of charter schools in Florida, and rehab scams targeting Native American communities in the Southwest. He then reveals the hidden tech threads running through them all. From social media reviews and digital organizing tools to data-driven education policy and Medicaid billing fraud, Bidemi explores how technology can empower communities or quietly erode trust, and what it means for everyday people trying to eat well, learn well, and get well in a rapidly changing world. 

In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde spoke with Gal Borenstein—CEO and founder of The Borenstein Group—to unpack how brands earn and scale trust in a noisy, AI-driven world. They dig into the “trust deficit” in B2B/B2G, what separates branding from true trust-building, and how to keep human authenticity while using AI at speed. Gal shares playbooks for cyber and defense marketers, inside-out culture moves that make credibility durable, crisis protocols for deepfakes and breaches, and the metrics that boards actually respect.

In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde investigates how ordinary people around the world are unknowingly footing the electricity bill for Big Tech’s booming AI data centers. From hidden charges in your utility bill to billion-dollar subsidies for companies like Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Amazon, this critical episode uncovers the financial and ethical costs of AI’s explosive energy appetite—and why you’re the one paying for it.

In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde spoke with Derek Newton, an academic-integrity journalist, author, contributing writer, communications professional, and the founder of Verify My Writing (VMW). The conversation unpacked how AI-generated content is overwhelming editors, peer reviewers, and publishers—and how provenance-based verification can restore trust. They explore why detectors alone keep failing, practical disclosure norms for scientists and writers, and a playbook to protect credibility in the age of AI. Derek's work has appeared in The Atlantic, Forbes, NBC, USA Today, and many other outlets. Beyond writing, he's a leader in integrity and fraud: he delivered the keynote at the 2025 International Center for Academic Integrity conference and publishes The Cheat Sheet, a newsletter on cheating and authentic work that has released 400 issues and reaches roughly 5,000 subscribers. 

In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde connects Amazon’s recent layoffs and AI/automation push to everyday life—how task automation is reshaping hiring, local economies, and the culture of work. He also unpacks the rise of loneliness in a more screen-mediated world and the booming business that monetizes it—from creator DMs and OnlyFans to AI companion apps—then shares practical steps on how to future-proof your skills, efficient budgeting on “comfort spending,” and rebuilding real connection at work and at home.

In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde spoke with internationally recognized artist and former Googler Gretchen Andrew to unpack how AI and beauty filters are reshaping self-esteem, privacy, and identity. From her Facetune Portraits—oil paintings that make algorithmic edits visible—to museum acquisitions, Gretchen traced a path from Big Tech to the Whitney, revealing how design choices compress individuality and normalize a single “perfect” face. They discussed the psychology of filters and the mechanics behind her human–machine studio. Practical takeaways included: healthier tech habits, what transparency should look like, and how to reclaim your image online.