Making A Killing With Bethany McLean podcast

#Business #Bethany McLean & Pushkin Industries #Bethany McLean

1:14:43

Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves? Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthroughs that have propelled machine learning from simple perceptrons to the sophisticated algorithms shaping today’s AI revolution, powering GPT and other models. The discussion aims to demystify some of the underlying math that powers modern machine learning to help everyone grasp this technology impacting our lives, even if your last math class was in high school. Anil walks us through the power of scaling laws, the shift from training to inference optimization, and the debate among AI’s pioneers about the road to AGI—should we be concerned, or are we still missing key pieces of the puzzle? The conversation also delves into AI’s philosophical implications—could understanding how machines learn help us better understand ourselves? And what challenges remain before AI systems can truly operate with agency? If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for exclusive insights and updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits. Links: Read Why Machines Learn, Anil’s latest book on the math behind AI https://www.amazon.com/Why-Machines-Learn-Elegant-Behind/dp/0593185749 Learn more about Anil Ananthaswamy’s work and writing https://anilananthaswamy.com/ Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s TED Talk on AI and intelligence https://www.ted.com/speakers/anil_ananthaswamy Discover the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship that shaped Anil’s AI research https://ksj.mit.edu/ Understand the Perceptron, the foundation of neural networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptron Read about the Perceptron Convergence Theorem and its significance https://www.nature.com/articles/323533a0…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Big Business is shaping the world in unprecedented ways. Through a series of conversations with today’s best business writers and thinkers, journalist Bethany McLean (co-author of The Smartest Guys in the Room) cuts through the hype and hand-wringing to reframe the stories you thought you understood and uncover the ones you didn’t know were important.

31 episodes

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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updated il y a 5 ans

maison des série•Feed

31 episodes

#Business #Bethany McLean & Pushkin Industries #Bethany McLean

Tous les épisodes

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

1
Going, going, Ghosn - with Joe Nocera 39:47

il y a 5 years39:47

39:47

In the Season One finale of Making A Killing, Bethany brings back her friend, colleague and co-author Joe Nocera (Bloomberg Opinion columnist and creator of The Shrink Next Door podcast) to bookend the season with a lively analysis of the former head of Nissan Motor Co. and Renault S.A., Carlos Ghosn... sure to go down in history as one of the wildest business stories ever. Time and time again we learn that in business, truth is always stranger than fiction. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Malcolm Harris on "Keynes Was Wrong. Gen Z Will Have It Worse." 37:45

il y a 5 years37:45

37:45

John Maynard Keynes, the founder of macroeconomics, thought he knew what his grandchildren would be facing today. He imagined that capitalism would be almost over by now, having simply been a means to greater ends. About other things he was right; about capitalism being over, he was very, very wrong. Today's guest, Malcolm Harris -- editor of The New Inquiry and author of the book Shit is Fucked Up And Bullshit: History Since The End of History -- believes today's kids will have it even worse. Bethany and Malcolm have a Gen-X-meets-Gen-Y conversation about our future economy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Liam Denning on the Price of Oil 45:15

il y a 5 years45:15

45:15

The inconvenient truth of oil is that it is still the lifeblood of industrialized nations -- and the price, politics and pollution of it matters. A lot. But one of the funny things about oil is how everyone who dares to make predictions has one thing in common: They’re wrong. In this episode, Bethany talks with Liam Denning, a well-known Bloomberg opinion columnist covering energy, mining and commodities. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Kirsten Korosec on the Rocky Road for Self-Driving Cars 39:43

il y a 5 years39:43

39:43

Autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars, are often painted as a utopian-like technology that will save time (no traffic), save lives (no crashes), save money (billions!), and maybe even save the Earth (no emissions). But, as TechCrunch's Kirsten Korosec notes in her recent piece, “Who Will Own the Future of Transportation?” even if autonomous vehicles are eventually deployed en masse, the road to that future promises to be long, chaotic and complex. In this fascinating episode, Bethany and Kirsten discuss the difference between describing a grand vision, and soberly understanding the real costs and deep impact incurred by the execution of said vision. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Chris McCann on Cryptocurrency in the Real World 40:41

il y a 5 years40:41

40:41

Cryptocurrencies are still in their infancy, as it seems most people agree, but it also feels like we’ve reached a tipping point. Even in Crypto Winters when Bitcoin prices crash, undeniably formative companies and global leaders (Starbucks, Microsoft, Visa, Facebook, the entire nation of China!) continue to make significant bets on the space. As we move from a speculative era into today, driven by more and more people investing time and money into the Bitcoin ecosystem, how do we know that digital assets will find a regular, scalable place in the world? What happens if crypto totally upends the “real” (is that fair to say?) financial markets? Are we in danger of that? What happens if there is a recession in the U.S. again - does Bitcoin become more attractive as an alternative to a centralized federal money system? And what is money, anyway? Bethany's guest Chris McCann, partner at Proof of Capital, chats about all this and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Paul Tough on How College Makes Us or Breaks Us 43:57

il y a 5 years43:57

43:57

If there’s a defining feature of upper income life for people with children, it’s school stress. How do you get your kids into the right preschool so they can get into the right high school so they can go to the best college? Paul Tough’s new book THE YEARS THAT MATTER MOST: How College Makes or Breaks Us, reveals why college, which is supposed to be the great equalizer, has become something that depends on and reinforces class and privilege. This is a huge deal for the business world. If we’re losing access to talent, we’re losing more than words can say. It also, of course, is a huge deal for our society. It’s not too grandiose to say that education determines the shape of the society in which we live. So…what shape is that? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Nick Lemann on Shooting Sacred Cows (in Economics) 33:00

il y a 5 years33:00

33:00

It's easy to take the economic mores of the time in which you live for granted. It's so easy, in fact, that it doesn't occur to most of us to question them. But question them we should. In his new book, TRANSACTION MAN, longtime journalist and Dean Emeritus of the Columbia Journalism School Nick Lemann shows that the beliefs that have shaped our modern world are not inviolable truths, but rather temporary and fragile constructs. In this episode, Bethany and Nick range from the 1950's-era belief that big corporations were the keepers of the social good, to the modern era of profit maximization, and agree that we need to keep questioning economic models and trends...because you never know when you’ll realize, all of a sudden, that they’re wrong. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Mark Rampolla on Peak Alt-Meat 40:48

il y a 5 years40:48

40:48

Mark Rampolla has been at the forefront of not one, but two industry-making companies. The first was his own ZICO coconut water, which birthed an $8 billion alternative beverage industry. The next saw Mark as an investor in Beyond Meat, which has been leading the plant-based food revolution. In both cases, the pioneering companies were met head on with major challenges. Both companies had to change deeply held biases of their consumers. But then, the minute they started to win people over, competitors came on strong. Is there such a thing as first-mover advantage, and if so, how do you hang onto it? What happens when you literally create an industry, and then the industry tries to cannibalize you? Pun intended! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Vanessa Grigoriadis on the Business of Ivanka Trump 37:11

il y a 5 years37:11

37:11

From the minute her dad took office, Ivanka and her business affairs have been at the center of controversy. Even though Ivanka removed herself from her Ivanka Trump fashion company when she entered the White House as a formal Adviser in 2017, she was forced to close the brand in Summer of 2018 due to continuing questions of conflicts of interest. Brands such as Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Gilt dropped her products after a boycott-Trump movement in backlash to the president's policies on… everything. Fair, unfair, for politics to take a toll on her business? To discuss all of this and more, Bethany sits down with New York Times Magazine writer Vanessa Grigoriadis, who also hosts the popular new podcast Tabloid, currently focusing an entire season on trying to understand none other than Ivanka Trump. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Fake News and Fact Checking on Social Media with Kyle Pope 39:41

il y a 5 years39:41

39:41

Bethany talks to Kyle Pope, editor in chief and publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review, about the importance of fact checking. In this terrifying new world of fake news, it's more important than ever. Are the major social platforms doing enough, or is it just a losing battle? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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The Business of Cannabis: Chatting about the highs and lows, with Jackson Tilley 33:47

il y a 5 years33:47

33:47

Now that cannabis is "legalish" there are a host of new opportunities for emerging businesses and investments... but also a decent amount of playing wait-and-see. Today, pot is legal in 33 states. But it is still illegal at the federal level. From a financial point of view, too, the short history of cannabis stocks is... high and lows! In this fascinating episode, Bethany talks with Jackson Tilley, author of the book Billion Dollar Dimebag, about the business of cannabis, what he calls the next great American industry. But is it really? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Consumer v. Retailer: Online Shopping Gone Wild 32:39

il y a 5 years32:39

32:39

Bethany talks with Jerry Useem, contributing editor to The Atlantic, about online shopping. Who has the power in the ever-expanding world of online shopping - the retailer or the consumer? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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The Debt Bomb in Middle America, with Ken Brown 34:42

il y a 5 years34:42

34:42

The Wall Street Journal headline reads: “Families Go Deep in Debt to Stay in the Middle Class.” In the article, we meet several responsible, educated, well-employed families who are making nearly $150,000 a year… yet going deeper into debt with every paycheck. With, it seems, no way out. This is scary because it’s true, it’s widespread, it’s fundamentally disempowering for families, and it’s only going to get worse. For the last two decades, incomes have been pretty much stagnant. Over the same period of time, the average cost of cars, college tuition, health care expenditures, child care, and housing prices have swelled at an alarming rate. In order to bridge this widening gap between earning and costs, the middle class has turned to that knight in not-so-shining armor… financing. Borrowing. DEBT. In this episode, Bethany talks with Ken Brown, the reporter on this WSJ story that has gotten such a huge response. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Brexit as Game of Thrones, with Gillian Tett 41:52

il y a 5 years41:52

41:52

Bethany sits down with Gillian Tett, Chairman of the Financial Times Editorial Board (U.S.) and a British author. Among many other things, she has a way of looking at the big picture questions and implications of Brexit. In the U.S as in the U.K., we’re watching the daily breakdown of the political norms and processes that we’ve all been used to for the last few decades. Which leads to the biggest question of all: Is there a right level of dysfunction in modern democracy? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Making a Killing with Bethany McLean

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Tesla, and why "Elon Musk doesn't care about you" with Linette Lopez 49:07

il y a 5 years49:07