Best Berkeley Engineering Podcasts (2025)

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Paul Blackstone: Global EdTech Lessons, China’s Hypergrowth Era and Why Mindset Beats Curriculum – E651 37:26

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8h ago37:26

37:26

Paul Blackstone, longtime education operator and founder of SummitLearn, joins Jeremy Au to unpack his path from running a small health-food shop in Australia to leading one of China’s largest English-learning organizations and advising education companies worldwide. He shares how early failures taught him to learn fast, why teaching adults unlocke…

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Episode 30: The AI Paradox: Why Your Data Team’s Workload is About to Explode 50:18

1d ago50:18

50:18

Chris Child, VP of Product, Data Engineering at Snowflake, joins High Signal to deliver a new playbook for data leaders based on his recent MIT report, revealing why AI is paradoxically creating more work for data teams, not less. He explains how the function is undergoing a forced evolution from back-office “plumbing” to the strategic core of the …

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Paul Blackstone: Global EdTech Lessons, China’s Hypergrowth Era and More – E651 37:26

1d ago37:26

37:26

Paul Blackstone, longtime education operator and founder of SummitLearn, joins Jeremy Au to unpack his path from running a small health-food shop in Australia to leading one of China’s largest English-learning organizations and advising education companies worldwide. He shares how early failures taught him to learn fast, why teaching adults unlocke…

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Guest Host Iza Ding with Deborah Seligsohn: Inside COP30 in Belem, Brazil, and China's Climate Leadership 2:05:54

2d ago2:05:54

2:05:54

This week on Sinica, I'm delighted to have Iza Ding as guest host. Iza is a professor of political science at Northwestern University and a good friend whose work on Chinese governance I greatly admire. She's joined by Deborah Seligsohn, who has been a favorite guest on this show many times. Deb is an associate professor of political science at Vil…

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Designing the Future of Drug Delivery: How AI is Solving RNA's Biggest Challenge 1:27:10

5h ago1:27:10

1:27:10

Yogev Debbi and Prof Avi Schroeder (Technion Israel Institute of Technology), co-founded Mana bio along with Dr. Kira Radinsky and Roy Nevo. They are leveraging data, machine learning and high throughput screening to design novel Lipid NanoParticles for targeted extrahepatic delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics and vaccines. Lipid nanoparticles ar…

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Maged Harby: Inside Middle East EdTech, Egypt’s Talent Engine and How Localization Decides Startup Success – E650 31:53

5d ago31:53

31:53

Maged Harby, General Partner at VMS, joins Jeremy Au to share his journey from publishing to building one of the Middle East’s earliest EdTech venture programs, explain how Egypt and Saudi Arabia differ as innovation ecosystems, and guide founders on how to enter the region with cultural fit and strong partnerships. They discuss how EdTech adoption…

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Chong Ing Kai: Chopstick Robots, ADHD Grit and Why Tinkering Beats Traditional STEAM – E649 34:50

9d ago34:50

34:50

Chong Ing Kai Founder and CEO of Stick’Em joins Jeremy Au to unpack how tinkering shaped his early years, how ADHD influenced his learning journey, and why he built a chopstick robotics kit to make STEAM education affordable for all. They explore how schools struggle with hands-on learning, why teachers need flexible tools rather than rigid kits, a…

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Murder House: Zhong Na on the Silicon Valley Tragedy That Exposed the Cracks in China's Meritocracy 49:58

9d ago49:58

49:58

This week on Sinica, I speak with Zhong Na, a novelist and essayist whose new piece, "Murder House," appears in the inaugural issue of Equator — a striking new magazine devoted to longform writing that crosses borders, disciplines, and cultures. In January 2024, a young couple, both Tsinghua-educated Google engineers living in a $2.5 million Silico…

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Shan Han: Crypto Lessons, Boom Bust Belief and Funding Students the Web3 Way – E648 33:13

12d ago33:13

33:13

Portfolio Manager at Animoca Brands and former Chief Investment Officer at Node Capital, Shan Han joins Jeremy Au to trace his path from Hong Kong trading to fintech and Web3, discuss how early crypto grew from ideology, and explain why tokenizing assets like student loans can unlock education across Southeast Asia. They explore how customer urgenc…

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Episode 29: Why AI Adoption Fails: A Behavioral Framework for AI Implementation 49:25

14d ago49:25

49:25

Liz Costa of the Behavioral Insights Team returns to High Signal to deliver a critical behavioral science playbook for the AI era focused on human and business impact. We discuss why the potential of AI can only be fulfilled by understanding a single bottleneck: human behavior. The conversation reveals why leaders must intervene now to prevent temp…

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Jianggan Li: China vs. USA Tactical Pause, Moves vs. Countermoves & Rare Earths Leverage – E647 36:23

16d ago36:23

36:23

China analyst and Momentum Works founder Jianggan joins Jeremy Au to break down how US–China tensions evolved through a year of tariffs, rare earth leverage, supply chain shocks, and fast-moving geopolitical swings. They examine why both sides misread each other, how Chinese companies adapted faster than expected, and why the global system settled …

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Kristie Neo: Middle East & China Partnership Acceleration, Secret Power Corridors Reshaping Global Markets & AI Megaprojects – E646 59:40

19d ago59:40

59:40

Jeremy Au and Kristie Neo break down how China, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia are forming new economic corridors that reshape trade, capital movement, and technology strategy. They describe how China and the Gulf now work together at a scale that surpasses Gulf–West flows, how the UAE and Saudi Arabia use bold planning to diversify their econ…

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Finbarr Bermingham of the SCMP on Nexperia, Export Controls, and Europe's Impossible Position 51:01

22d ago51:01

51:01

This week on Sinica, I welcome back Finbarr Bermingham, the Brussels-based Europe correspondent for the South China Morning Post, about the Nexperia dispute — one of the most revealing episodes in the global contest over semiconductor supply chains. Nexperia, a Dutch-headquartered chipmaker owned by Shanghai-listed Wingtech, became the subject of e…

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BRAVE: The Startup 10x Strategy and the Moats That Keep You Winning - E645 22:08

23d ago22:08

22:08

Jeremy Au outlines why founders must choose a single 10x advantage and commit to it. He explains how products win by being better or faster or cheaper than the status quo and why unfair advantages are required to defend that lead. He also highlights the Southeast Asian invention of the USB thumb drive as a case where a first mover delivered a bette…

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Joe Lu: From Meta Layoff to HeyMax, Rebuilding Value, Miles & the Future of Consumer AI – E644 53:29

26d ago53:29

53:29

Joe Lu, Co-Founder of HeyMax, joins Jeremy Au to unpack how layoffs, timing, and conviction turned a setback into a startup opportunity. They trace Joe’s journey from Shanghai to Michigan to Facebook Singapore, and how getting laid off in 2022 pushed him to co-found HeyMax. The conversation explores his reflections on building a consumer-first fint…

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The Department of War Just Shot the Accountants and Opted for Speed 30:48

27d ago30:48

30:48

The Department of War Just Shot the Accountants and Opted for Speed by Steve BlankBy Steve Blank

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Episode 28: From Context Engineering to AI Agent Harnesses: The New Software Discipline 50:34

30d ago50:34

50:34

Lance Martin of LangChain joins High Signal to outline a new playbook for engineering in the AI era, where the ground is constantly shifting under the feet of builders. He explains how the exponential improvement of foundation models is forcing a complete rethink of how software is built, revealing why top products from Claude Code to Manus are in …

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BRAVE: AI Jobs, Unicorn Math & Southeast Asia’s 45-Year Gap - E643 20:44

30d ago20:44

20:44

Jeremy Au explores how technology, economics, and startups shape Southeast Asia’s future. He shares why young founders should take early risks, how AI is changing entry-level jobs, why GDP growth reflects centuries of human progress, and how unicorns are built across different customer and revenue models. 02:00 Taking Early Risks: Jeremy encourages…

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We Were Right: Kaiser and Jeremy Reunite to Riff on the China Vibe Shift 54:07

1M ago54:07

54:07

This week on Sinica, I welcome back Jeremy Goldkorn, co-founder of the show and my longtime co-host, to revisit the "vibe shift" we first discussed back in February. Seven months on, what we sensed then has fully borne out — there's been a measurable softening in American attitudes toward China, reflected not just in polling data but in media cover…

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Larry Susanto: From Berkeley to Jakarta, Climate Tech’s Next Frontier & Indonesia’s Green Opportunity – E642 39:20

1M ago39:20

39:20

AVP of Investments at ACV Larry Susanto and Jeremy Au discuss Larry’s journey from a Berkeley-trained engineer to a climate-tech investor shaping Indonesia’s sustainability future. They trace how his career evolved across research, product management, and consulting, and how Southeast Asia’s climate ecosystem compares to Silicon Valley’s innovation…

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Franco Varona: Philippines’ Startup Boom, Global Diaspora Power & Why First Movers Win – E641 39:48

1M ago39:48

39:48

Franco Varona, Managing Partner of Foxmont Capital Partners and returning guest from episodes 357 and 516, joins Jeremy Au to unpack why the Philippines is fast becoming Southeast Asia’s next big investment and startup hub. They explore the country’s rapid digitization, growing middle class, and unique strengths like its global diaspora and English…

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Lizzi Lee on Involution, Overcapacity, and China's Economic Model 1:24:51

1M ago1:24:51

1:24:51

This week on Sinica, I chat with Lizzi Lee, a fellow on the Chinese economy at the Asia Society Policy Institute and one of the sharpest China analysts working today. We dig into the 4th Plenary Session of the 20th Party Congress and what it reveals about China's evolving growth model — particularly the much-discussed but often misunderstood push a…

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Episode 27: Q&A with Richard Carson, Yale University 14:44

1M ago14:44

14:44

Episode 27: Q&A with Dr. Richard Carson, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, Yale UniversityIn partnership with IEEE Nuclear Plasma Sciences Society. IEEE Brain Podcast Series special episode with Dr. Richard Carson, Yale University, a renowned researcher in the field of Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Dr. Ca…

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It only took 20 years, but the Strategic Management Society now Believes the Lean Startup is a Strategy 14:54

1M ago14:54

14:54

I’ve always thought of myself as a practitioner. In the startups I was part of, the only “strategy” were my marketing tactics on how to make the VP of Sales the richest person in the company. After I retired, I created Customer Development and co-created the Lean Startup as a simple methodology which codified founders best practices – in a language…

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Shao Ning: Southeast Asia’s Startup Winter, Founder Discipline & How Angels Are Shaping the Next Wave – E640 38:30

1M ago38:30

38:30

Shao Ning, Cofounder of AngelCentral and returning guest from Episode 267, joins Jeremy Au to reflect on Southeast Asia’s startup evolution from the fundraising highs of 2021–2023 to today’s disciplined recalibration. They unpack how founders, investors, and angels are adapting to longer fundraising cycles, stricter due diligence, and a renewed foc…

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Foreign Affairs Editor Daniel Kurtz-Phelan on Shifting Views of China 1:05:08

1M ago1:05:08

1:05:08

This week on Sinica, I chat with Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, editor of Foreign Affairs, about how the journal has both shaped and reflected American discourse on China during a period of dramatic shifts in the relationship. We discuss his deliberate editorial choices to include heterodox voices, the changing nature of the supposed "consensus" on China pol…

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Episode 27: Why Your Data Team Doesn't Have a Seat at the Table (And How to Earn It) 41:35

1M ago41:35

41:35

Paras Doshi (Head of Data, Opendoor; former data leader at Amazon) joins High Signal to unpack the playbook for building an indispensable data function. He shares his experience tackling the classic scaling challenge of fragmented data at Opendoor, where rapid growth led to inconsistent metrics across the business, and turning the data function int…

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Nathaniel Yim: From Broke Founder to B2B Builder, Logistics Lessons & Why Human Creativity Still Wins – E639 40:48

1M ago40:48

40:48

Nathaniel Yim, Founder of Nila Studios and former Co-Founder of Janio, joins Jeremy Au to share how he went from a fresh graduate to leading one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing logistics startups and later building a B2B marketing agency. They discuss how to earn trust in a mature industry, why human creativity remains vital in the AI era, and …

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Li Hongyi: Defining Real Performance, Avoiding Burnout & Building Accountable Teams – E638 48:47

2M ago48:47

48:47

Li Hongyi, Director of Open Government Products, and Jeremy Au discuss how leaders can define, measure, and sustain real performance within organizations. They unpack why clarity of purpose matters more than ambition, how to design fair and motivating systems, and how to prevent burnout in high-performing teams. Their conversation bridges lessons f…

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Dominic Law: Reviving Neopets, Nostalgia Economics & How Community Keeps Games Alive – E637 43:01

2M ago43:01

43:01

Dominic Law, CEO of Neopets and Jeremy Au dive into how a beloved millennial-era game evolved from early internet nostalgia into a modern revival story. They discuss the courage it took to spin Neopets out of its parent company, rebuild trust with long-time fans, and adapt a 25-year-old IP for new generations. Their conversation explores the challe…

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The View from Behind Xi Jinping's Desk, with Jonathan Czin 1:19:43

2M ago1:19:43

1:19:43

This week on the Sinica Podcast, I speak with Jonathan Czin, the Michael H. Armacost Chair in Foreign Policy Studies and a fellow at the Brookings Institution’s John L. Thornton China Center. His new essay in Foreign Affairs, “China Against China: Xi Jinping Confronts the Downsides of Success,” challenges the dominant Western narrative of Xi Jinpin…

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BRAVE: Three Generations, Three Revolutions: Walkman, Nokia, and ChatGPT - E636 27:21

2M ago27:21

27:21

Jeremy Au explains how human civilization remained mostly unchanged for nearly a million years before experiencing rapid economic and technological growth in just the last few centuries. He traces this transformation from basic survival to modern innovation, reflecting on how technology, trade, and governance reshaped human life and why Southeast A…

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Episode 26: Gen AI's True Cost: Why Today's Wins Are Tomorrow's Debts 43:14

2M ago43:14

43:14

Vishnu Ram Venkataraman (Generative AI Executive & Entrepreneur; former AI Leader at Credit Karma and Intuit) joins High Signal to unpack the true cost of generative AI. Having scaled AI solutions impacting over 140 million users, Vishnu reveals why the ease of shipping Gen AI prototypes often masks significant operational and engineering debts, ch…

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BRAVE: David’s Slingshot VS. Goliath, Oatly’s Rise & Southeast Asia’s VC Jungle - E635 14:31

2M ago14:31

14:31

Jeremy Au explained how startups evolve from chaos to clarity and how fragmentation in Southeast Asia creates both problems and opportunities. He used the jungle-to-highway model to describe startup growth, compared founders to David facing Goliath, and showed how innovation, like oat milk or vaping turns small experiments into billion-dollar revol…

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How to Sell to the Dept of War – The 2025 PEO Directory – Now with 500 more names 2:07

2M ago2:07

2:07

The October 2025 PEO Directory – Update 2.The Department of War (DoW) is one of the world’s largest organizations. If you’re a startup trying to figure out who to call on and how to navigate the system, it can be – to put it politely – challenging.By Steve Blank

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No Science, No Startups: The Innovation Engine We’re Switching Off 21:41

2M ago21:41

21:41

Tons of words have been written about the Trump Administrations war on Science in Universities. But few people have asked what, exactly, is science? How does it work? Who are the scientists? What do they do? And more importantly, why should anyone (outside of universities) care?By Steve Blank

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Jordan Dea-Mattson: Sci-Fi Futures, Rogue AI, and Why Meta-Skills Will Decide Who Thrives – E634 37:21

2M ago37:21

37:21

Jeremy Au and Jordan Dea-Mattson reconnect to explore how Vernor Vinge’s Rainbows End anticipated today’s world of accelerating technology, reskilling challenges, and demographic shifts. They examine which predictions came true, which fell short, and how these lessons apply to AI adoption, fragile digital systems, and the need for lifelong learning…

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Indonesia Protests, TikTok Suspensions & What Happens When Trust Breaks w/ Gita Sjahrir - E633 32:01

2M ago32:01

32:01

Gita Sjahrir and Jeremy Au analyze Indonesia’s nationwide protests to uncover how economic frustration, political tone-deafness, and social media reshaped the country’s trust in government. They discuss how widening income gaps and stalled reforms triggered anger across generations, how empathy and governance broke down, and how technology became b…

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Persevere or Pivot, Netflix Lessons & Sports Team Culture - E632 11:23

2M ago11:23

11:23

Jeremy Au discussed the founder’s dilemma of when to persevere or when to pivot, and why company culture works better when treated as a sports team rather than a family. He illustrated the points with startup case studies like Instagram, Netflix, YouTube, and Rippling, showing how companies evolved by changing either product or customer. He also em…

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Episode 25: How Data-Driven Growth Redefined a Media Giant 56:22

2M ago56:22

56:22

Sergey Fogelson (VP of Data Science, Televisa Univision) joins High Signal to reveal how the world’s largest Spanish-language media company built a sophisticated data engine from the ground up. This transformation fueled a tenfold expansion of its digital streaming business by redefining how the company connects with 300 million viewers worldwide. …

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Philipp Renner: From McKinsey’s Golden Cage to Building Dr. Shiba, an Eight-Figure Pet Wellness Brand – E631 37:21

2M ago37:21

37:21

Philipp Renner, Founder & CEO of Dr. Shiba, joins Jeremy Au to share his journey from a global childhood to building one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing pet wellness companies. He reflects on how eight years at McKinsey, the personal challenges of long COVID, and the limits of corporate consulting led him to take the leap into entrepreneurship.…

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The Symbolism of the Flying Tigers: Peking University's Wang Dong on the American Volunteer Group and its Historical and Diplomatic Usages 38:57

2M ago38:57

38:57

This week on Sinica, I chat with Peking University's Professor Wang Dong (王栋), an international relations scholar at the School of International Studies at Peking University, where he also serves as Deputy Director and Executive Director of the Office for Humanities and Social Sciences and the Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding. Pro…

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Kaizen VS. Boeing Failures, Lean Loops & Startup Learning - E630 12:15

2M ago12:15

12:15

Jeremy Au shared lessons from Toyota’s Kaizen model, Boeing’s safety lapses, and lean startup methods. He explained why small improvements, frontline empowerment, and rapid iteration matter for both manufacturing and startups. The discussion connected MVP thinking with divergence/convergence cycles and how faster learning beats the competition. 00:…

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Valerie Vu: Vietnam’s Tech Reforms, Energy Battles & Surviving Trump’s Tariff Shock – E629 36:44

3M ago36:44

36:44

Jeremy Au and Valerie Vu sit down in Singapore to examine how Southeast Asia’s private capital markets, Vietnam’s reforms, and regional politics are shaping investor sentiment and startup opportunities. They explore slower fundraising cycles, Vietnam’s push toward technology-driven growth, and how energy shortages and tariff shocks impact manufactu…

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Jasmine Sun on Silicon Valley through a Chinese Mirror 1:11:18

3M ago1:11:18

1:11:18

This week on Sinica, co-host Tianyu Fang makes his debut on the show to join me in interviewing his Stanford classmate and talented writer Jasmine Sun, who studies the anthropology of disruption. This summer, she took a trip to China with a group of friends with different levels of China experience, from people raised in the country to total novice…

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Joshua Wang: Reprogramming Cancer, Biotech’s Funding Shift & Why AI Will Rewrite Biology – E628 47:54

3M ago47:54

47:54

Jeremy Au and Joshua Wang reunite after three years to explore how biotech startups navigate scientific breakthroughs, funding challenges, and leadership growth. They discuss Joshua’s work at VerImmune on repurposing the immune system to treat cancer, the shift in early-stage global biotech financing from founder-led ventures to the “professionaliz…

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Dmitry Levit & Shiyan Koh: eFishery Fallout, Indonesia’s Growth Reset & Agritech’s Future - E627 49:19

3M ago49:19

49:19

Jeremy Au, Shiyan Koh, and Dmitry Levit dissect the collapse of eFishery, the breakdown of Indonesia’s growth narrative, and the systemic risks that resurface in Southeast Asia’s venture ecosystem. They explore how IPO failures and inequality capped consumer demand, why bad faith actors gained visibility, and how boom-era fads like embedded lending…

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When Sh!t Hits the Fan – Founders in a Crisis 5:44

3M ago5:44

5:44

Great founders shine in a crisis.By Steve Blank

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Yascha Mounk on China and Western Liberalism 1:22:03

3M ago1:22:03

1:22:03

This week on the Sinica Podcast, I chat with well-known author and public intellectual Yascha Mounk about his recent fascination with China, his approach to learning about the country and learning Chinese, and his thoughts on how China fits into the current crisis of Western liberal democracy. 7:15 – Yascha’s experience of living in China and learn…

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Episode 24: Rebuilding an Airline for the 21st Century: LATAM's Data-Driven Transformation 49:56

3M ago49:56

49:56

Andrés Bucchi (Chief Data Officer, LATAM Airlines) joins High Signal to unpack how a century-old airline reinvented itself with data and AI—and how that transformation is unlocking value from fuel efficiency to fraud detection. LATAM has built a massive data operation, experimenting across everything from pricing to operations, while customers bene…