The Risktory Podcast

This week, a real treat for you. Master of the Risk Universe. And, in my opinion, the real King of Rock and Roll. Bo Diddley.

For many, the name Bo Diddley doesn’t instantly resonate. But if you know Fade Away by Buddy Holly, Faith by George Michael, Mr Brownstone by Guns and Roses, Desire by U2. If you know any of those songs, then you know Bo Diddley.

Because the beat that runs through those songs. Bo Diddley invented. He invented a syncopated beat that took the blues of the south, with all its deep references to sub-saharan music traditions, infused it with electronica distortion, and created a sound that transformed the burgeoning genre that was rock and rock in the 1950s in the US, and turned it into a mainstream juggernaut.

Bo Diddley was a true master of the unknown. A classic disruptor. An expert innovator. On today’s episode, I’ll explore how a kid from McComb, Mississippi became a music legend.

The Risktory Podcast is created, written, produced and hosted by Jacinthe A Galpin.

Soundtrack (sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org)
Alan Spiljak – Clouds
Alan Spiljak – Forgotten
Alan Spiljak – Light blue
Alan Spiljak – Empty days
Alan Spiljak – Stars above
Alan Spiljak – Not the end
Alan Spiljak – Sun
Alan Spiljak – Flying away
Alan Spiljak – Time
Alan Spiljak – Fantasy in my mind

Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley
http://www.bodiddley.com/
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/arts/music/03diddley.html
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bo-Diddley
https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/bo-diddley

This week, let’s talk about McDonalds and Ray Kroc. And how Ray Kroc turned a good business into a global behemoth that is one of THE most recognizable and universal brands in the world.

The transformation of McDonalds by Kroc is the stuff of legends. It’s a story of how vision, determination and the capacity to both recognize and act on opportunity, in the face of the unknown, yields incredible results.

It’s also a story of why getting the fundamentals right is critical when entreating with the unknown. Risk is a game where, the stronger you are, the more resilient you are, and the more prepared you are for both opportunity and threat… the more likely you are to prevail.

The Risktory Podcast is created, written, produced and hosted by Jacinthe A Galpin.

Soundtrack (sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org)
Alan Spiljak – Clouds
Alan Spiljak – Forgotten
Alan Spiljak – Light blue
Alan Spiljak – Empty days
Alan Spiljak – Stars above
Alan Spiljak – Not the end
Alan Spiljak – Sun
Alan Spiljak – Flying away
Alan Spiljak – Time
Alan Spiljak – Fantasy in my mind

Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kroc
https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/about-us/our-history.html
https://www.marketplace.org/2017/02/09/ray-kroc-mcdonalds-fast-food/
https://www.factinate.com/things/43-cut-throat-facts-ray-kroc-history-mcdonalds/

Coming up this week, let’s talk about whatever happened to myspace. At one point, myspace was THE biggest, social media platform in the world.

Within a month of its launch in 2003, it had an incredible 1 million users and those numbers grew exponentially. At its peak in the mid 2000s, myspace had 100 million users per month. 1 billion user accounts. More people clicked on myspace than they did google.

And then, something happened. The bottom dropped out of myspace.

On this week’s episode of the Risktory Podcast, I look at the decline of myspace. And I look at whether myspace might be a manifestation of Ray Kurzweil’s Law of Accelerating Returns.

The Risktory Podcast is created, written, produced and hosted by Jacinthe A Galpin.

Soundtrack (sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org)
Alan Spiljak – Clouds
Alan Spiljak – Forgotten
Alan Spiljak – Light blue
Alan Spiljak – Empty days
Alan Spiljak – Stars above
Alan Spiljak – Not the end
Alan Spiljak – Sun
Alan Spiljak – Flying away
Alan Spiljak – Time
Alan Spiljak – Fantasy in my mind

Related Episode
https://www.spreaker.com/user/jacintheagalpin/ray-kurzweil

Bibliography
https://www.businessinsider.com/ray-kurzweil-law-of-accelerating-returns-2015-5
https://www.appletoncreative.com/blog/myspace-what-happened-and-where-is-it-now/
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/19/business/myspace-user-data.html
https://www.failory.com/cemetery/myspace
https://metro.co.uk/2019/03/18/happened-myspace-tom-now-8930207/

This week, let’s talk about the Twitter hack. What it is. How it happened. Or at least, how analysts THINK it happened because the hack is still fresh and we’re still learning about it. Who was impacted.

And what are the implications of the Twitter hack that we – as risk people – ought to care about.

The Risktory Podcast is created, written, produced and hosted by Jacinthe A Galpin.

Human Risk Podcast - https://human-risk.com/

Soundtrack (sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org)
Alan Spiljak – Clouds
Alan Spiljak – Forgotten
Alan Spiljak – Light blue
Alan Spiljak – Empty days
Alan Spiljak – Stars above
Alan Spiljak – Not the end
Alan Spiljak – Sun
Alan Spiljak – Flying away
Alan Spiljak – Time
Alan Spiljak – Fantasy in my mind

Bibliography
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/17/tech/former-twitter-employees-sleuthing/index.html
https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/15/21326200/elon-musk-bill-gates-twitter-hack-bitcoin-scam-compromised
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/16/twitter-hack-how-hackers-gained-access-to-accounts.html
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/07/whos-behind-wednesdays-epic-twitter-hack/
https://threatpost.com/the-great-twitter-hack-what-we-know-what-we-dont/157538/
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/technology/twitter-hackers-interview.html
https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/15/21326656/twitter-hack-explanation-bitcoin-accounts-employee-tools
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jgxd3d/twitter-insider-access-panel-account-hacks-biden-uber-bezos

Coming up this week, I explore the life and times of the French Sun King, Louis XIV.

Ascending to the French throne when he was just four years old, and subsequently ruling France for an astonishing 72 years until his death in 1715, Louis XIV was an aggressive, disruptive opportunist.

A man who redefined France and what it meant to be French, through a curated blend of defending against threat and chasing opportunity. A man who, incidentally, was so brilliant that he had a whole American state named after him: Louisiana.

In this week’s episode, I’ll explore Louis’ childhood and the genesis of his risk management expertise. I’ll delve into his major achievements – such as his centralization of control, Versailles, the Royal Court, and Louis’ prowess in war – and I’ll explain why I think the Sun King was, and is, a risk master.

The Risktory Podcast is created, written, produced and hosted by Jacinthe A Galpin.

Soundtrack (sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org)
Alan Spiljak – Clouds
Alan Spiljak – Forgotten
Alan Spiljak – Light blue
Alan Spiljak – Empty days
Alan Spiljak – Stars above
Alan Spiljak – Not the end
Alan Spiljak – Sun
Alan Spiljak – Flying away
Alan Spiljak – Time
Alan Spiljak – Fantasy in my mind

Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV
https://www.biography.com/royalty/louis-xiv
https://www.biography.com/news/louis-xiv-biography-facts
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-XIV-king-of-France/Patronage-of-the-arts
https://www.history.com/topics/france/louis-xiv
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/louis_xiv.shtml

Coming up on this week’s episode, PRIDE month may have just ended, but I thought it would be worth exploring the event that serves as the reason why PRIDE month is held in June each year: the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion.

The Stonewall Rebellion is a story of many colors:
• It’s a story of the oppressed emerging into the light to claim what was rightfully theirs.
• It’s a story that illustrates why appeasement. Bowing to the mob. As a self-preservation strategy, never works.
• It’s a story of how change – true, sustained, beautiful change – can incubate from that which seems unlikely.
• And because this is a risk podcast, after all, the Stonewall Rebellion is a story of, not just of how you turn threat into opportunity, but how you take that opportunity, mould it, and transform it into sustained outcomes for the better.

This episode may be upsetting or distressing for some. There is explicit language. Listener discretion is advised.

The Risktory Podcast is created, written, produced and hosted by Jacinthe A Galpin.

Soundtrack (sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org)
Alan Spiljak – Clouds
Alan Spiljak – Forgotten
Alan Spiljak – Light blue
Alan Spiljak – Empty days
Alan Spiljak – Stars above
Alan Spiljak – Not the end
Alan Spiljak – Sun
Alan Spiljak – Flying away
Alan Spiljak – Time
Alan Spiljak – Fantasy in my mind

Bibliography
https://www.cnn.com/2015/06/19/us/lgbt-rights-milestones-fast-facts/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots#Leaflets,_press_coverage,_and_more_violence
https://www.womensrepublic.net/in-remembrance-of-the-stonewall-riots-the-lasting-impact-on-the-lgbtq-community/
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/28/us/1969-stonewall-riots-history/index.html
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-stonewall-riot
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/06/nyregion/stonewall-riots-nypd.html
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/06/harvard-scholars-reflect-on-the-history-and-legacy-of-the-stonewall-riots/
https://www.britannica.com/event/Stonewall-riots
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/01/an-amazing-1969-account-of-the-stonewall-uprising/272467/

Coming up on this week’s episode, whatever happened to Borders Books?

How did one of the OG disruptors of the book business, become the disrupted.
In this week’s episode, I look at the rise – and fall – of Borders Books. What they did right. What they did wrong. And I’ll explore the one thing Borders’ Arch Nemesis – Barnes and Nobles did – that Borders didn’t.

And I’ll share with you all, my theory on how that one thing may have made all the difference.

The Risktory Podcast is created, written, produced and hosted by Jacinthe A Galpin.

Soundtrack (sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org)
Alan Spiljak – Clouds
Alan Spiljak – Forgotten
Alan Spiljak – Light blue
Alan Spiljak – Empty days
Alan Spiljak – Stars above
Alan Spiljak – Not the end
Alan Spiljak – Sun
Alan Spiljak – Flying away
Alan Spiljak – Time
Alan Spiljak – Fantasy in my mind

Bibliography
http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/borders-rise-and-fall-a-timeline-of-the-bookstore-chains-40-year-history/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borders_Group
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-borders-timeline/timeline-a-short-history-of-borders-group-bookstores-idUSTRE70404I20110105
https://www.npr.org/2011/07/19/138514209/why-borders-failed-while-barnes-and-noble-survived#:~:text=Sullivan%2FGetty%20Images-,It%20appears%20to%20be%20all%20over%20for%20the%20Borders%20bookselling,employees%20will%20lose%20their%20jobs.&text=The%20retailer's%20first%20bookstore%20opened,Mich.%2C%2040%20years%20ago.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/01/what-went-wrong-at-borders/69310/
https://business.time.com/2011/07/19/5-reasons-borders-went-out-of-business-and-what-will-take-its-place/

Coming up on this week’s episode, the great reformer and risk master of the universe: Frederick Douglass.

From escaping slavery, to the emancipation of African-Americans, to advocating for women's rights, Frederick Douglass' understanding of risk was, truly, next level. It was a pure and exquisite recognition and understanding of risk as both threat and opportunity.

It was a recognition – and I think this is a recognition that has been somewhat lost in modern times and in modern risk management. It was a recognition – that every threat. Every obstacle. Every SNAFU. It wasn’t the end game. It was just an opportunity waiting to be exploited. And when it came to turning threat on its head, and taking advantage of opportunity, Frederick Douglass was an OG.

This week’s episode is an admitted homage to one of my favorite historical figures.

The Risktory Podcast is created, written, produced and hosted by Jacinthe A Galpin.

Soundtrack (sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org)
Alan Spiljak – Clouds
Alan Spiljak – Forgotten
Alan Spiljak – Light blue
Alan Spiljak – Empty days
Alan Spiljak – Stars above
Alan Spiljak – Not the end
Alan Spiljak – Sun
Alan Spiljak – Flying away
Alan Spiljak – Time
Alan Spiljak – Fantasy in my mind

Bibliography
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/douglass_exhibit/douglass_timeline.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass
https://www.biography.com/activist/frederick-douglass
http://www.frederickdouglass.org/douglass_bio.html
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/frederick-douglass/

You’d think – after the billion dollar collapse of Theranos – that investors would be wise to startup wolves in unicorn clothing. And yet, the scandal that has engulfed WeWork – an Airbnb for business workspaces – perhaps shows that the lessons of history… They might not have been truly heeded just yet.

What is key in the WeWork scandal is the lack of a symbiotic relationship between innovation and risk-based governance. In my mind, one can’t effectively thrive without the other fueling a competitive tension that forces exceptionalism in both.

WeWork was supposed to be the next Amazon. The next Airbnb. The next Alibaba. Instead, there is the very real possibility that WeWork may become just another footnote in the history of failed startups. Snuggled up against Theranos.

The Risktory Podcast is created, written, produced and hosted by Jacinthe A Galpin.

Soundtrack (sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org)
Alan Spiljak – Clouds
Alan Spiljak – Forgotten
Alan Spiljak – Light blue
Alan Spiljak – Empty days
Alan Spiljak – Stars above
Alan Spiljak – Not the end
Alan Spiljak – Sun
Alan Spiljak – Flying away
Alan Spiljak – Time
Alan Spiljak – Fantasy in my mind

Bibliography
https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/9/23/20879656/wework-mess-explained-ipo-softbank
https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-ipo-fiasco-adam-neumann-explained-events-timeline-2019-9
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/082415/how-wework-works-and-makes-money.asp
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/09/what-happened-at-we-why-wework-postponed-its-ipo.html
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/11/inside-the-fall-of-wework

On this week’s episode, one of the most inspiring start-up stories of all time: Gardner Rich and Co.

If you’ve read the book, and or seen the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, you will know who Chris Gardner is. An African-American entrepreuner who bootstrapped his way out of poverty and did so through an unshakeable resilience when it came to taking on risk.

Life is kinda unpredictable. Gardner knew that from a very young age. And he responded by doubling down, refusing to allow himself to be conquered by misfortune, and he made a conscious decision to do better and be better. Turning threat into opportunity. With resilience as his wingman.

With everything that is happening in the US today, the story of Chris Gardner and Gardner Rich and Co is a story I think many of us need to hear right now.

The Risktory Podcast is created, written, produced and hosted by Jacinthe A Galpin.
Soundtrack (sourced from www.freemusicarchive.org)
Alan Spiljak – Clouds
Alan Spiljak – Forgotten
Alan Spiljak – Light blue
Alan Spiljak – Empty days
Alan Spiljak – Stars above
Alan Spiljak – Not the end
Alan Spiljak – Sun
Alan Spiljak – Flying away
Alan Spiljak – Time
Alan Spiljak – Fantasy in my mind

Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Gardner
https://www.chrisgardnermedia.com/biography
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/homeless-with-a-son-chris-gardner-slept-in-a-public-bathroom-before-becoming-a-multi-millionaire
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/gardner-christopher-paul-1954/