🇺🇸 United States Episodes

My guest today is Alan Waxman. Alan is the co-founder and CEO of Sixth Street, one of the most unique investment firms with a "go anywhere, do anything" mandate across asset classes, geographies, and time horizons, and over $110 billion in AUM. He describes his journey from CIO of Goldman Sachs’ Special Situations Group and the frameworks he brought with him to lay the foundation for Sixth Street. Alan details their famous investments like Spotify and Airbnb during challenging periods, their innovative sports partnerships with Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, and their $30 billion "TAO" vehicle that allows them to write billion-dollar checks while keeping individual fund sizes matched to opportunities. We discuss hiring people without egos, enabling a truly multi-strategy approach, and Sixth Street’s "face the tiger" philosophy. Please enjoy this great conversation with Alan Waxman.  For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----- This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ramp.com/invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AlphaSense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Alpha-Sense.com/Invest⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. – This episode is brought to you by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ridgeline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ridgelineapps.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about the platform. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:04:57) Introducing Alan Waxman and Sixth Street (00:05:58) The Formative Goldman Sachs Years (00:10:21) Unitizing Risk and Return (00:14:23) Facing the Tiger: Sixth Street's Culture and Values (00:34:51) Spotify and Airbnb: Case Studies in Investment (00:39:20) Ambitious Investment Strategies (00:40:40) Strategic Partnerships in Sports (00:41:23) Navigating COVID with Airbnb (00:43:36) Risk and Return Analysis (00:46:56) Investing in Sports and Live Entertainment (00:52:23) Developing Investment Themes (00:55:29) Balancing Leadership and Investment (00:57:30) The Importance of Culture (01:10:33) Future Self and Long-Term Vision (01:15:09) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Alan

Last week, Grok went rogue. The AI chatbot – which users can interact with on X – posted antisemitic comments and graphic descriptions of violence before being deactivated, leaving users with a question: Where were Grok’s guardrails? WSJ’s Alexander Saeedy breaks down what happened and what it means for Musk’s company’s plans for an AI future. Annie Minoff hosts.    Further Listening: - How Elon Musk Pulled X Back From the Brink  - The Musk-Twitter Saga  Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Only a great novelist can understand a story as weird as the Luigi Mangione murder case. Walter Kirn on what actually happened. (00:00) Introduction (04:22) The Strange Similarities Between Mangione, Lee Harvey Oswald, the Unabomber, and Charles Manson (10:21) Was Mangione a Patsy for the Radical Leftist Social Justice Movement? (16:30) The Cult of Mangione and the Left’s Strange Glorification of Murder (24:50) Why Do Women Love Murderers? (39:13) The “Lone Gunman” Narrative Paid partnerships with: Levels: Get 2 free months on annual membership at https://Levels.Link/Tucker Liberty Safe: Visit https://LibertySafe.com to see the whole Centurion line Beam: Get 30% off the American Strength Bundle using the code TUCKER at https://ShopBeam.com/Tucker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Middle East is a climate hotspot, with many parts of the region set to experience an increase in temperature by five to eight degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Palestinian peace activist Nada Majdalani discusses how the climate crisis could actually instigate a movement towards peace, unveiling the "Peace Triangle" initiative — a visionary plan to transform conflicts in the Middle East through shared water and energy projects. Drawing on her experience in cross-border environmental collaboration, she offers a glimpse of how economic interdependence between Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians could lead to peace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, a16z General Partner Martin Casado sits down with Box cofounder and CEO Aaron Levie to talk about how AI is changing not just software, but the structure and speed of work itself. They unpack how enterprise adoption of AI is different from the consumer wave, why incumbents may be better positioned than people think, and how the role of the individual contributor is already shifting from executor to orchestrator. From vibe coding and agent UX to why startups should still go vertical, this is a candid, strategic conversation about what it actually looks like to build and operate in an AI-native enterprise. Aaron also shares how Box is using AI internally today, and what might happen when agents outnumber employees.

My guest is Dr. Marc Berman, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago whose research explores how different physical environments—particularly nature and patterns found in nature—can positively impact our ability to focus, our cognitive performance and our mental and physical health. We discuss how our physical environment influences our attention, stress levels and brain and heart health. He explains how even brief periods in nature and exposure to natural images and sounds can restore and improve attentional capacity, reduce mental fatigue and help combat rumination and depression. Whether you live in a city, suburb or rural area, this episode offers simple science-backed strategies for incorporating nature and natural elements into your daily life to positively transform your cognitive ability and mental and physical health. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Helix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman Our Place: https://fromourplace.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Marc Berman 00:02:14 Direct vs Involuntary Attention, Mental Fatigue, Attention Restoration Theory 00:06:59 Attention Fatigue, Focus & Vision, Tool: Restoring Attention in Nature 00:11:26 Sponsors: Helix Sleep & BetterHelp 00:13:50 Focused Work, Tool: Pre-Work Nature Breaks to Enhance Focus 00:15:54 Nature Walks & Cognitive Benefits, Comparing Nature vs Urban Environments 00:21:31 Nature, “Softly Fascinating Stimulation”, Fractals 00:27:12 Nature Images & Sounds, Cognitive Benefits 00:30:03 Urban vs Nature Images, Complexity & Image Compression; Semantics 00:40:44 Time Perception & Nature; Art Galleries 00:45:32 Tools: Resetting Attention & Nature Break; Features of a Restorative Nature Environments vs Focused Workspace; Length of Time in Nature 00:52:47 Sponsors: AG1 & Our Place 00:55:59 Nature, Time & Widening Attention; Fractals & Nature 01:02:21 Nature vs Urban Environments & Brain, Social Media & Attention 01:09:44 Depression & Rumination, Mental Well-Being, Attention & Nature 01:14:56 Sleep vs Wakefulness; Protecting Attention, Social Media 01:24:44 Sponsor: LMNT 01:26:19 Impulsivity, Texting & Attention, Meditation vs Nature Restoration 01:33:10 Passive Restorative vs Passive Depleting Activities, “Mental Obesity”, Shrinking Attention Span 01:37:31 Kids, Phones, Tool: Nature Free Play; Social Happy Hour, Tool: Solitary Nature Breaks 01:45:30 Physical Health Benefits of Nature, Trees & Indoor Greenery; Aquariums 01:53:26 Thoughts, Feelings & Physical Spaces, Biophilic Design, Bringing Nature Indoors 02:01:03 Nature Breaks, Incorporating Nature into Schools, Work, Home & Cities; Forest Bathing 02:09:18 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t curse - it’s Graydon Carter. Soft Power, subtitles, and a cat teaching itself to read. Meta much? We’re offending somebody. It’s an all-new SmartLess.

Jeffrey Katzenberg is a media mogul, film producer, and co-founder of DreamWorks. Hari Ravichandran is a serial entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of Aura. From bringing joy to millions of childhoods through beloved Disney films to now addressing the digital challenges facing today’s youth, Jeffrey Katzenberg has partnered with Hari Ravichandran to lead a new revolution focused on safeguarding the mental health and online safety of the next generation. At the heart of it all is this vital question: how do we keep children safe online? Expect to learn what Jeffery Katzenberg is up to and the current state of modern media and film, how to reinvent yourself at pivotal moments, how to get better at dealing with change and disappointment, what the data says about kids, online safety & how parents can better protect their kids online, the big problems with mental health of the younger generation & how to best address their growing issues, and much more… Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular Flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get a 20% discount on Nomatic’s amazing luggage at https://nomatic.com/modernwisdom Get the best bloodwork analysis in America at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Timestamps: (00:00) What Jeffrey Does & What Makes a Good Story? (10:51) What Drives Jeffrey & Hari? (16:40) What’s The State Of Modern Cinema? (23:04) Jeffrey & Hari on the Star Wars Universe, Gaming, & Dealing With Change (38:05) What Technology Is Doing To Younger Kids? (46:45) The Data Behind Keeping Kids Safe Online (1:00:01) Should We Ban Social Media For Anyone Under 16? (1:07:24) Why Parents Are the Key to Digital Safety (1:14:09) The Impact Of Wearable Devices & Celebrity Endorsements On Aura (1:23:24) How Early Screen Habits Affect Lifelong Patterns (1:32:51) The Hidden Costs Of Fame & How To Learn From Your Failures (1:41:32) The Trends Associated With Bullying & What Parents Can Do About It (1:51:38) Chris’ Thoughts On Adolescence (1:58:50) Learn More About Jeffrey, Hari, & Aura.com Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/43hv6y59 #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: https://tinyurl.com/2rtz7avf #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: https://tinyurl.com/3ccn5vkp - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you’re the only one who can see something, sometimes it feels like you’re in on a special secret. The hard part is getting anyone to believe your secret is real. This week, people trying to show others what they see—including a woman with muscular dystrophy who believes she has the same condition as an Olympic athlete. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Ira asks Jeff Emtman to do the impossible—describe the indescribable color he sees in his left eye. (5 minutes)Act One: Journalist David Epstein tells the story of Jill Viles, who has muscular dystrophy and can’t walk. But she believes that she somehow has the same condition as one of the best hurdlers in the world, Priscilla Lopes-Schliep. (36 minutes)Act Two: Producer Nancy Updike speaks with comedian Tig Notaro about her mother-in-law, Carol. Carol came up with a joke that is only funny to one person—herself. But she loved it so much, Tig had to have her perform it onstage. (9 minutes)Act Three: Actor Alex Karpovsky reads a short story by Etgar Keret, from his book, “The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God." (4 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life privacy policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices.

Barcelona is a city that can’t be separated from its art–you might picture Gaudí architecture, Picasso paintings, or flamenco and jazz spilling onto the streets and into the night. But there’s another art scene that’s breaking into the mainstream from the margins–led by the city’s street vendors, known as manteros. Listen to how this group of people, often immigrants without legal protections or rights to work in Spain, fought to form a union to gain the voice they needed, and ended up creating a global and people-centered fashion-label that highlights human rights in the process.This episode originally aired July 28, 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayrıca: Az bilgi gerçekten tehlikeli bir şey midir? Bu bölüm ilk olarak 6 Aralık 2020'de yayınlandı.

David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) ist ein legendärer Programmierer, Schöpfer von Ruby on Rails, Mitinhaber und CTO von 37signals, die Basecamp, HEY und ONCE entwickelt haben, und ein NYT-Bestsellerautor (mit Jason Fried) von 4 Büchern: REWORK, REMOTE, Getting Real und It Doesn't Have To Be Crazy At Work. Er ist auch ein Rennfahrer, einschließlich einer klassensiegenden Leistung beim 24-Stunden-Rennen von Le Mans. Vielen Dank fürs Zuhören ❤ Schauen Sie sich unsere Sponsoren an: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep474-sc Siehe unten für Zeitstempel, Transkript und um Feedback zu geben, Fragen einzureichen, Lex zu kontaktieren usw. Transkript: https://lexfridman.com/dhh-david-heinemeier-hansson-transcript KONTAKT LEX: Feedback - geben Sie Lex Feedback: https://lexfridman.com/survey AMA - Fragen, Videos einreichen oder anrufen: https://lexfridman.com/ama Einstellung - treten Sie unserem Team bei: https://lexfridman.com/hiring Andere - andere Möglichkeiten, um in Kontakt zu treten: https://lexfridman.com/contact EPISODEN-LINKS: DHHs X: https://x.com/dhh DHHs Webseite: https://dhh.dk/ Ruby on Rails: https://rubyonrails.org/ 37signals: https://37signals.com/ DHHs Bücher: Rework: https://amzn.to/44rSKob Remote: https://amzn.to/44GFJ91 It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work: https://amzn.to/46bzuwx Getting Real: https://amzn.to/4kzoMDg SPONSOREN: Um diesen Podcast zu unterstützen, schauen Sie sich unsere Sponsoren an und erhalten Sie Rabatte: UPLIFT Desk: Stehtische und Büroergonomie. Gehen Sie zu https://upliftdesk.com/lex Lindy: No-Code-KI-Agenten-Builder. Gehen Sie zu https://go.lindy.ai/lex LMNT: Zuckerfreier Elektrolyt-Getränkemix. Gehen Sie zu https://drinkLMNT.com/lex Shopify: Verkaufen Sie Dinge online. Gehen Sie zu https://shopify.com/lex NetSuite: Business-Management-Software. Gehen Sie zu http://netsuite.com/lex ÜBERSICHT: (00:00) - Einführung (00:58) - Sponsoren, Kommentare und Reflexionen (08:48) - Programmierung - frühe Tage (26:13) - JavaScript (36:32) - Google Chrome und DOJ (44:19) - Ruby-Programmiersprache (51:30) - Schöner Code (1:09:31) - Metaprogrammierung (1:12:52) - Dynamische Typisierung (1:20:10) - Skalierung (1:33:03) - Zukunft der Programmierung (1:50:34) - Zukunft der KI (1:56:29) - Vibe-Coding (2:05:01) - Rails-Manifest: Prinzipien einer großartigen Programmiersprache (2:29:27) - Warum Manager nutzlos sind (2:38:48) - Kleine Teams (2:44:55) - Jeff Bezos (3:00:13) - Warum Meetings giftig sind (3:07:58) - Argument gegen den Ruhestand (3:15:15) - Harte Arbeit (3:20:53) - Warum wir die Cloud verlassen haben (3:24:04) - AWS (3:33:22) - Eigene Server besitzen (3:39:35) - Elon Musk (3:49:17) - Apple (4:01:03) - Tim Sweeney (4:12:37) - Vaterschaft (4:38:19) - Rennen (5:05:23) - Autos (5:10:41) - Programmier-Setup (5:25:51) - Programmiersprache für Anfänger (5:39:09) - Open Source (5:48:01) - WordPress-Drama (5:59:18) - Geld und Glück (6:08:11) - Hoffnung

With levity and profound insight, artist Maira Kalman reflects on life, death, dinner parties, not knowing the right answers, the joys of eating a hot dog from a street vendor and more. This talk, interwoven with her delightful paintings, is itself an artwork that seems to hold the entirety of life in all its absurd glory. This episode originally aired Dec 6, 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Scott Eilers is a clinical psychologist, mental health coach, and an author. Depression gets thrown around a lot these days. Feeling off for a day or two, and suddenly it’s labeled as depression. But what does real depression actually feel like? And more importantly, how do you claw your way out when it feels like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel? Expect to learn what the difference between feeling sad and actually being depressed is, if mental illnesses has biomarkers and what’s happening neurologically, why so many people feel emotionally flat even when their lives look objectively good, what the warning signs are for someone is becoming emotionally disconnected, the most important things to stop doing to fix depression, what most people misunderstand about depression, and much more… Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get 10% discount on all Gymshark’s products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10) Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period from Shopify at https://shopify.com/modernwisdom Get the brand new Whoop 5.0 at https://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Timestamps: (00:00) What Does Depression Feel Like? (14:42) What Are The Biomarkers of Mental Illness? (30:06) Five Ways To Handle Sadness & Emptiness (48:00) What Should We Be Doing To Increase Happiness? (1:00:27) What is Psychosis? (1:02:44) Can We Have Too Much Self-Awareness? (1:07:37) Is There A Link Between Intelligence & Depression? (1:12:40) Find Out More About Dr Eilers Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/43hv6y59 #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: https://tinyurl.com/2rtz7avf #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: https://tinyurl.com/3ccn5vkp - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What people might picture when they think of "Made in America" ... might not look like the "Made in America" we have today.The U.S. does have a domestic manufacturing industry, including a garment manufacturing industry. In today's episode: We buy a garment made by factory workers in the U.S. – a basic purple sports bra – and learn how many people it took to make it, how much workers got paid to work on it ... and whether garment manufacturing is a job Americans want, or even know how, to do. Plus: why domestic garment manufacturing exists at all in the U.S., and whether the industry can grow.Other episodes: - What "Made in China" actually meansThis episode was reported and hosted by Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by Willa Rubin with production help from Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Marianne McCune, and it was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez who also helped with research. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.Support Planet Money, get bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening and now Summer School episodes one week early by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

(0:00) The Besties welcome Travis Kalanick and Keith Rabois! (3:02) Travis on Pony.ai / Uber rumors and the state of Cloud Kitchens (18:51) xAI launches Grok 4, learning "The Bitter Lesson" in AI (40:36) How Grok can catch ChatGPT in usage, OpenAI's product excellence (46:27) Perplexity and OpenAI building AI-native browsers and taking on Chrome (58:01) Elon's "America Party": is now the right time for a third party, and could he make an impact in 2026? (1:13:12) SCOTUS backs Trump over federal government RIF plans Follow Keith: https://x.com/rabois Follow Travis: https://x.com/travisk Get The Besties All-In Tequila: https://tequila.allin.com Join us at the All-In Summit: https://allin.com/summit Summit scholarship application: http://bit.ly/4kyZqFJ Follow the besties: https://x.com/chamath https://x.com/Jason https://x.com/DavidSacks https://x.com/friedberg Follow on X: https://x.com/theallinpod Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theallinpod Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theallinpod Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allinpod Intro Music Credit: https://rb.gy/tppkzl https://x.com/yung_spielburg Intro Video Credit: https://x.com/TheZachEffect Referenced in the show: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/technology/uber-travis-kalanick-self-driving-car-deal.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW5fJikPmfM https://grok.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wTA90BYo30 https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/08/elon-musk-agrees-that-weve-exhausted-ai-training-data https://x.com/ArtificialAnlys/status/1943166841150644622 https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1943192643439337753 http://www.incompleteideas.net/IncIdeas/BitterLesson.html https://x.com/chamath/status/1943177837956968499 https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/09/perplexity-launches-comet-an-ai-powered-web-browser https://x.com/perplexity_ai/status/1942969263305671143 https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1941584569523732930 https://polymarket.com/event/will-elon-register-the-america-party-by https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/presidential-approval/highslows https://news.gallup.com/poll/651278/support-third-political-party-dips.aspx https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency-workforce-optimization-initiative https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/07/supreme-court-allows-trump-administration-to-implement-plans-to-significantly-reduce-the-federal-workforce https://www.afge.org/article/summary-of-afge-lawsuits-against-trump--how-litigation-works https://cei.org/publication/10kc-2025-numbers-of-rules https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/american-manhunt-osama-bin-laden-release-date-news

The man of steel is back in a new $225 million reboot. Riding on this weekend’s release is the hope that DC Studios will finally begin to match the past successes of its archrival Marvel. Its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery views DC Studios as critical to its success or failure. WSJ’s Ben Fritz talks to Jessica Mendoza about whether or not Superman can be the savior that DC and Warner are hoping for. Further Listening: - With Great Power: The Rise of Superhero Cinema  - Ron Howard and Brian Grazer on Longevity in Hollywood  Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speak (https://speak.com) may not be very well known to native English speakers, but they have come from a slow start in 2016 to emerge as one of the favorite partners of OpenAI, with their Startup Fund leading and joining their Series B and C as one of the new AI-native unicorns, noting that “Speak has the potential to revolutionize not just language learning, but education broadly”. Today we speak with Speak’s CTO, Andrew Hsu, on the journey of building the “3rd generation” of language learning software (with Rosetta Stone being Gen 1, and Duolingo being Gen 2). Speak’s premise is that speech and language models can now do what was previously only possible with human tutors—provide fluent, responsive, and adaptive instruction—and this belief has shaped its product and company strategy since its early days. https://www.linkedin.com/in/adhsu/ https://speak.com One of the most interesting strategic decisions discussed in the episode is Speak’s early focus on South Korea. While counterintuitive for a San Francisco-based startup, the decision was influenced by a combination of market opportunity and founder proximity via a Korean first employee. South Korea’s intense demand for English fluency and a highly competitive education market made it a proving ground for a deeply AI-native product. By succeeding in a market saturated with human-based education solutions, Speak validated its model and built strong product-market fit before expanding to other Asian markets and eventually, globally. The arrival of Whisper and GPT-based LLMs in 2022 marked a turning point for Speak. Suddenly, capabilities that were once theoretical—real-time feedback, semantic understanding, conversational memory—became technically feasible. Speak didn’t pivot, but rather evolved into its second phase: from a supplemental practice tool to a full-featured language tutor. This transition required significant engineering work, including building custom ASR models, managing latency, and integrating real-time APIs for interactive lessons. It also unlocked the possibility of developing voice-first, immersive roleplay experiences and a roadmap to real-time conversational fluency. To scale globally and support many languages, Speak is investing heavily in AI-generated curriculum and content. Instead of manually scripting all lessons, they are building agents and pipelines that can scaffold curriculum, generate lesson content, and adapt pedagogically to the learner. This ties into one of Speak’s most ambitious goals: creating a knowledge graph that captures what a learner knows and can do in a target language, and then adapting the course path accordingly. This level-adjusting tutor model aims to personalize learning at scale and could eventually be applied beyond language learning to any educational domain. Finally, the conversation touches on the broader implications of AI-powered education and the slow real-world adoption of transformative AI technologies. Despite the capabilities of GPT-4 and others, most people’s daily lives haven’t changed dramatically. Speak sees itself as part of the generation of startups that will translate AI’s raw power into tangible consumer value. The company is also a testament to long-term conviction—founded in 2016, it weathered years of slow growth before AI caught up to its vision. Now, with over $50M ARR, a growing B2B arm, and plans to expand across languages and learning domains, Speak represents what AI-native education could look like in the next decade.

In a few days, former congressman George Santos will report to prison for seven years. He’s decided to tell the truth about Washington before he goes. (00:00) Why Is Santos Going to Prison? (10:18) Why Did All of Santos’ Colleagues Abandon Him? (16:42) Was the Ethics Report Against Santos Totally Fabricated? (25:08) Expelling Santos Set a Dangerous Precedent (44:42) Why Santos Loves Tim Burchett (48:23) The Moment Santos Realized How Unserious Congress Is Paid partnerships with: PureTalk: Go to https://PureTalk.com/Tucker to make the switch Dutch: Get $50 a year for vet care with Tucker50 at https://dutch.com/tucker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remember that gut-clenching fear of speaking up in class? Organizational psychologist Rafael Chiuzi reveals how that same feeling shows up in the workplace, limiting productivity and the free exchange of ideas. Backed by decades of research and hands-on consulting, he unpacks the science of psychological safety — and shares three actionable steps to build teams where curiosity thrives and courage replaces fear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.