Best Kai Fu Lee Podcasts (2025)

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Recording of AI Book Club discussion about Kai-fu Lee's AI Superpowers 1:01:01

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1M ago1:01:01

1:01:01

This is a recording of our AI Book Club session discussing Kai-Fu Lee's AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order. There are 4 people in this book club discussion, and our conversation focuses on the emerging AI duopoly between the US and China. We share our own US-centric blind spots and weigh the political and cultural implic…

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Will our next users be AI agents? The future of content delivery with Fabrice Lacroix, founder of Fluid Topics (podcast) 44:05

3M ago44:05

44:05

In this podcast, I chat with Fabrice Lacroix, founder of Fluid Topics, about the evolution of technical communication. Fabrice describes the industry's progression from (1) delivering static, monolithic PDFs to (2) using Content Delivery Platforms (CDPs) that provide dynamic, topic-based information directly to users to (3) developing content not j…

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AI Book Club recording and notes for The Singularity is Nearer, by Ray Kurzweil 55:53

3M ago55:53

55:53

This is a recording of our AI Book Club session discussing Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity is Nearer podcast: When We Merge With AI. You can watch the recording on YouTube, listen to the audio file, read some summary notes, browse discussion questions, and even listen to a NotebookLM podcast (based on the summary). There are 5 people in this book cl…

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Notes and discussion for Suleyman's <i>The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future</i> + AI Book Club recording and transcript 59:33

4M ago59:33

59:33

This post describes the key arguments and themes in The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future, by Mustafa Suleyman, for the AI Book Club: A Human in the Loop. This post not only breaks down the logic but also jumps off into some themes (beyond the book) that might be more tech-writer relevant, such as potential future job titles, areas of focus fo…

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Satya Nadella: Leading through the AI Revolution 23:54

4M ago23:54

23:54

I often sit down with Satya Nadella, my boss, and Microsoft’s third CEO—but rarely with microphones. In the final segment of our Microsoft CEO trilogy, we talk about his journey from his early days playing cricket to leading Microsoft, the link between poetry and programming, and how the company is leading the next wave of technological transformat…

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Notes and discussion for Jonathan Warner's <i>More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI</i> + AI Book Club recording 59:40

5M ago59:40

59:40

This post has notes and questions for discussion for More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI, published in February 2025 by Jonathan Warner. Warner's book, which explores what we lose when we outsource writing to AI, is the first book in the AI Book Club: A Human in the Loop.By Tom Johnson

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Steve Ballmer: Scaling the digital revolution 25:51

6M ago25:51

25:51

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO from 2000 to 2014, was instrumental in scaling the company from a small 30-person startup to one of the most valuable companies on the planet. Ahead of Microsoft’s 50th anniversary, I had the chance to catch up with my former boss. We talked about the early days of Microsoft and the pitch that convinced him to take a …

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Bill Gates: Starting the Digital Revolution 26:46

7M ago26:46

26:46

As Microsoft celebrates its 50th birthday, I had the chance to sit down with my friend and the company’s cofounder, Bill Gates. We discuss his memoir, Source Code: My Beginnings, Microsoft’s impact over the past 50 years, and how the next phase of the digital revolution is the most exciting one yet. Click here for the episode transcript.…

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Rethinking traditional approaches to release notes -- recording of WTD Australia presentation 56:52

7M ago56:52

56:52

I gave a presentation to the Write the Docs Australia group on using AI to write release notes using file diffs, on Feb 16, 2025. Here's the recording, presentation description, and transcript.By Tom Johnson

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Jeffrey Ding: AI and the Rise of Great Powers 33:12

8M ago33:12

33:12

What will it take for a great power today to remain one? Based on research from Jeffrey Ding, a professor at George Washington University, it’s probably not the flashy technology everyone is focused on. We discuss his recent book, Technology and the Rise of Great Powers, as he challenges conventional wisdom about how technology has shaped the rise …

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Fei-Fei Li: Staying curious at the forefront of AI 34:43

8M ago34:43

34:43

Fei-Fei Li is a pioneering AI scientist breaking new ground in computer vision, a Stanford professor, and currently leading the innovative start-up World Labs. While her career is deeply rooted in technical expertise, Dr. Li's journey is driven by an insatiable curiosity. In this episode, Brad and Dr. Li reflect on poignant moments from her memoir,…

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My 2025 trends predictions for tech comm 21:17

9M ago21:17

21:17

It's that time of year again when we take to analyzing trends. If you know me, you're probably gearing up for a load of AI-optimistic predictions because, as I've noted in previous posts like Unpacking the issues from AI, I'm an AI optimist. However, my AI optimism isn't based on hype or the current tech zeitgeist. Rather, I'm an AI optimist becaus…

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Norma Kamali: From canvas to code, redefining creativity with AI 33:55

10M ago33:55

33:55

You may not know Norma Kamali by name, but you certainly know the designer’s fashions – from the iconic Sleeping Bag Coat, to dresses worn by celebrities like Jessica Biel. 57 years into her career, she’s added AI to her design toolbox and has never been more excited about what’s coming out of her studio. In this episode, Norma makes the case for A…

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Maria Ressa: Turning crisis into opportunity 36:52

12M ago36:52

36:52

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Maria Ressa, and her co-founders created Rappler to harness social media’s connecting power to bring journalists directly to audiences. But those same social networks were then used by others against her – as a weapon – to spread disinformation and to seek to silence her. Brad and Maria also discuss turning crisis to opp…

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[Podcast] GenAI and Document360: Conversation with Saravana Kumar 49:36

12M ago49:36

49:36

This podcast explores GenAI in technical documentation scenarios, highlighting the AI features and capabilities provided in Document360. I talk with Saravana Kumar, CEO of Kovai.co, which makes Document360, about how AI is changing search functionality and reducing support costs in knowledge bases. We discuss practical applications of AI for techni…

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From What Now? with Trevor Noah: Why AI Won't Destroy Us with Microsoft's Brad Smith 40:32

1y ago40:32

40:32

Brad was recently a guest on What Now? with Trevor Noah, and we're excited to share their conversation with our listeners. Here's what the podcast had to say about this episode: Trevor puts on a suit (no, he’s not returning to The Daily Show) and heads to Microsoft. This week Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft talks AI, explains why …

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Podcast: Task decomposition and complex tree diagrams 18:38

1y ago18:38

18:38

This tutorial will help you understand task decomposition by guiding you through the process of creating a complex tree diagram that's too sophisticated for an AI tool to create at once. Whether you're creating tree diagrams or not, it doesn't matter. This is just an example of how to break down complex information into smaller chunks and pass it i…

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Podcast: Using long-token contexts to quality check an entire API doc set 21:58

1y ago21:58

21:58

One of the advantages of recent Gen AI updates is the massive token input context. When you can pass in an entire set of documentation as an input, you have a much stronger possibility for powerful prompts. In this tutorial, I share some quality-control prompts you can use that deal with entire doc sets as inputs, as well as explain some of the cha…

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Podcast: Using file diffs for better release notes in reference docs 17:31

1y ago17:31

17:31

You can use AI prompts when creating release notes for APIs by leveraging file diffs from regenerated reference documentation. The file diffs from version control tools provide a reliable, precise information source about what's changed in the release.By Tom Johnson

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Podcast: Populating documentation templates using AI 22:47

1y ago22:47

22:47

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to use AI to populate documentation templates with the source material you've gathered. For example, API overviews often follow a highly structured template. This technique can be a quick way to get an initial draft of documentation, which you can then edit and review with SMEs.…

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Podcast: Gathering source material for context input 18:02

1y ago18:02

18:02

One of the most successful strategies for using AI is to pass in an abundance of source material that can augument and inform the AI's responses. In this tutorial, I cover strategies for gathering this material, including what types of documents to look for, optimal ordering, pitfalls to look out for such as outdated or slanted information, and mor…

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Podcast: Creating high-fidelity, thematically organized notes from engineering meetings using AI 15:29

1y ago15:29

15:29

For AI tools to generate accurate information for documentation you're writing, you need to pass in source material. This usually means meeting with engineers and product managers to gather information about the product. In this tutorial, I share prompts for turning those meeting transcriptions into organized, readable meeting summaries. These clea…

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Dr. Sultan Al Jaber: The connection between AI and energy 35:01

1+ y ago35:01

35:01

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber is the President of COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference hosted by the UAE last year. He's also the CEO and Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), where he leads efforts to produce cleaner energy today and invests in sustainable energy solutions for the future. In this episode, Dr. Sultan shares how …

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[Podcast] Uncovering and communicating the value of your tech comm teams' work, with Keren Brown 47:32

1+ y ago47:32

47:32

In this podcast episode, I talk with Keren Brown, VP of Marketing and Value at Zoomin Software, about strategies for technical writers to demonstrate their value within their organizations, especially in light of recent layoffs in the tech industry. We discuss aligning documentation work with high-priority initiatives, quantifying the impact of tec…

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Bill Anderson: Using AI to combat hunger 32:33

1+ y ago32:33

32:33

Bayer CEO Bill Anderson considers himself a scientist at heart, a chemical engineer by training, and a lifelong student of biotechnology. Now at the helm of a 160-year-old German pharmaceutical and agriculture company, he's employing science and technology with a bold mission — Health for All, Hunger for none. In this episode, Bill discusses AI’s r…

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The New AI Economy 23:53

1+ y ago23:53

23:53

Gutenberg's invention of the printing press led to a new economy, which created a new sector of businesses, industries, and jobs. Generative AI is providing a similar opportunity today. In this episode, Brad Smith draws on the lessons from the printing press and supporting industries to illustrate how different technologies are coming together to c…

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Yves Ubelmann: Saving our heritage, one digital twin at a time 19:38

1+ y ago19:38

19:38

Yves Ubelmann is a technologist, artist, and architect who is on a mission to digitally preserve the world’s cultural and natural heritage. He is the founder and CEO of Iconem, a company that creates stunning 3D models of endangered sites and environments. In this episode, Brad and Yves take a boat trip through Venice, touring the subject of his mo…

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U.S. Ambassador Nate Fick: Choosing a radio over a rifle in combat 38:12

1+ y ago38:12

38:12

As the United States’ first Ambassador-at-Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, Nathaniel Fick is leading a tech-centered global diplomatic mission. Nate brings extraordinary depth to this important role in contemporary foreign policy – not as a career diplomat, but from a wide range of experiences: a Classics graduate from Dartmouth, a Marine l…

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[Podcast] Breaking ground: New API documentation course at UW, with Bob Watson 53:05

1+ y ago53:05

53:05

In this podcast, I chat with Bob Watson about an upcoming API documentation course he'll be teaching at the University of Washington. Bob has extensive experience working as an API technical writer at big tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. The UW reached out to Bob to develop this new course offering. The 14-week evening course will…

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My 2024 technical writing trends and predictions 28:28

1+ y ago28:28

28:28

I've been mulling over whether to write a trends post this year. There's so much uncertainty, it's hard to feel confident about how the tech writing profession will play out. But little trends-related ideas keep surfacing in the back of my mind, so I decided to write out some of my thoughts. Before I jump into this, I want to say that I’m much more…

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Podcast: Notes and themes from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig 1:03:29

2y ago1:03:29

1:03:29

These are some notes and thoughts from reading Robert Pirsig's classic philosophical novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, published in 1974. My reading here focuses more on the technical writing aspects and themes from the book. Some themes include Classic versus Romantic modes of thought, the concept of Quality, our relationship with …

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Webinar recording: Experiments and use cases for AI from a tech writer’s perspective 1:02:34

2y ago1:02:34

1:02:34

I recently gave a webinar titled 'Experiments and use cases for AI from a tech writer’s perspective' on December 8, 2023. The webinar was sponsored by the STC Washington, DC - Baltimore Chapter. In this presentation, I shared some personal experiences in using AI for different writing-related use cases, explaining what I’ve found helpful. These use…

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30+ ways I’m using AI in everyday writing life as a technical writer, blogger, and curious human 44:33

2y ago44:33

44:33

In this post, I provide over 30 real-life examples of how I'm using AI on a daily basis, not just for technical writing tasks but more broadly in life, including summarizing content, explaining concepts, answering questions, troubleshooting problems, and having engaging conversations for a variety of tasks and scenarios. In my view, AI use cases ar…

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Podcast: The evolution of podcasting, with Ed Marsh 57:24

2y ago57:24

57:24

In this podcast, I talk with Ed Marsh about podcasting. You may have listened to Ed Marsh's Content Content podcast previously. As an experienced podcaster, Ed has a lot of insights and thoughts about podcasting. We discuss what initially drew him to start podcasting, the equipment and logistics involved in podcasting, different formats that engage…

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Ben Rhodes: The enduring power of language in the era of AI 32:14

2y ago32:14

32:14

Ben Rhodes had a front-row seat to one of the great transformations of our time - how people consume and react to information on social media. From his post as Deputy National Security Advisor and speechwriter serving under Barack Obama, Ben watched, as this technology evolved from a democratizing force of the Arab Spring to a weapon used to spread…

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Podcast: Tech writing and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, with Dan Grabski 42:12

2y ago42:12

42:12

In this episode, I chat with Dan Grabski, a senior content developer based in Portland, both about his recent WTD talk titled 'Zen and the Art of Manually Creating API Documentation' and Robert Pirsig's 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.' Dan explains the importance of focusing not just on technical details of implementations but also on i…

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Doing research with AI tools -- avoiding the trap of fabricated URLs 14:56

2y ago14:56

14:56

In this short podcast, I explore using AI tools to do research, the potential for fake URLs, and how to deal with the fabrication. I started by using Claude to summarize a podcast and provide a list of salient points, including the potential counterargument. What I didn't expect was for Claude to fabricate a list of imagined research and then summa…

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Notes for Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality 46:49

2y ago46:49

46:49

In Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality, Melissa and Chris Bruntlett describe how the Dutch achieved so much cycling success, and how other cities might do the same. The authors bring up a variety of techniques and approaches the Dutch have used, such as seamlessly integrating cycling with public transit, pursuing custo…

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My experience trying to write original, full-length human-sounding articles using Claude AI 37:30

2y ago37:30

37:30

You can use AI tools like Claude to help you write full-length content. By going paragraph-by-paragraph, you can direct the AI while seemingly maintaining your own voice and ideas. However, despite my attempts to use AI with writing, I've found that it's harder to pull off than I thought. I can get close, but due to the way AI tools are trained, th…

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Chatting about AI trends and tech comm with Fabrizio Ferri Benedetti 49:01

2y ago49:01

49:01

In this podcast, I chat with Fabrizio Ferri Benedetti, a tech writer in Barcelona who blogs at passo.uno and works for Splunk, about various AI news topics. We talk about the Forrester AI jobs impact forecast, the community element in documentation, the way the profession is changing with AI, content design roles with LLMs, how complex processes an…

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[Podcast] AI and APIs: What works, what doesn't 1:00:58

2y ago1:00:58

1:00:58

In conversations about AI, a lot of tech writers are asking what kind of scenarios is AI good for? What works, what doesn’t? In which scenarios? You may have read my responses to these questions before in previous posts, but this time I recorded a podcast with slides. In the podcast, I try to pull together these ideas into more of a narrative shape…

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His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama: The journey from gaming to government 38:12

2y ago38:12

38:12

As a young child, His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama developed his confidence and leadership skills through video games, which sparked his passion for history, strategy, and problem-solving. Today, he’s putting these skills to use as the first in the world to hold a cabinet level position on AI as the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence,…

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U.S. Ambassador Meg Whitman: Leading with the right questions 32:41

2y ago32:41

32:41

Throughout her impressive career leading businesses, nonprofits, and now as the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman has been driven by a simple question: "What are we going to do about it?" This relentless focus on action propelled her as she transformed eBay from a fledgling startup into a global e-commerce powerhouse and guided her as CEO navig…

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Kevin Scott: Putting AI into the hands of people everywhere 33:27

2y ago33:27

33:27

Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer, Kevin Scott, believes that for AI to benefit everyone, humans must be at the center of its development. His philosophy was shaped by his rural Virginia roots, where he belonged to a hardworking community that used creativity, perseverance, and curiosity to support each other and tackle practical challenges. In …

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First Vice President Nadia Calviño: Architecting Spain’s AI future 31:57

2+ y ago31:57

31:57

Nadia Calviño is a world leader who has earned a reputation for getting things done. As Spain’s First Vice President and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, she created the first national agency for regulating AI. In this episode, she explains how she rearchitected Spain’s economy to embrace AI in every sector while protecting …

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Governing AI: A blueprint for our future 42:24

2+ y ago42:24

42:24

AI may be the most consequential technology advance of our lifetime. Rapid advances are creating new opportunities, challenges, and questions that require the public and private sectors to come together to ensure that this technology serves the public good. In this special episode, recorded as part of an event hosted by Microsoft in Washington D.C.…

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Presentation recording: Specialization myopia syndrome and the content journey 50:52

2+ y ago50:52

50:52

This is a recording of a presentation called Specialization myopia syndrome and the content journey, which I gave to a company's private tech comm event. With their permission, I'm posting it here. You can watch the recording via YouTube or listen the audio file as a podcast.By Tom Johnson

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Strive Masiyiwa: A vision to connect Africa’s greatest asset — its youth — to the world 35:36

2+ y ago35:36

35:36

At a time when most Africans had not yet heard the sound of a ringing telephone, Strive Masiyiwa, an impatient young engineer, successfully challenged Zimbabwe’s state-run telecoms monopoly to get the licenses he needed to launch Econet Wireless. The court’s decision reverberated across Africa, clearing the way for private sector operators to enter…

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Podcast: All about Redocly, with founder Adam Altman 36:16

2+ y ago36:16

36:16

In this podcast, I chat with Adam Altman all about Redocly, an authoring/publishing tool for creating API documentation. Topics we discuss include why he started Redocly, the approach to API doc tools, what explains the continued popularity of Redocly, the docs-as-code approach to API tooling, and more.…

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Carol Ann Browne: Turning the tables on Brad Smith 34:12

2+ y ago34:12

34:12

Brad and Carol Ann discovered that riding in an autonomous vehicle as it learns to navigate the streets of London can be a bit nerve-wracking. But these hands-on experiences are crucial to understanding the impact that AI's sudden surge has on everyday life at the intersection of technology and society. In this episode, Brad's co-author, chief of s…