unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc

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  672. Robot-Proof Yourself: Navigating AI's Impact on Work and Life with Vivienne Ming 31.07.2026 58分

  Vivienne Ming is the executive chair at Human Trust, Founder and Executive Chair at Socos Labs, Professor, and author of the book Robot-Proof: When Machines Have all the Answers, Build Better People. Greg and Vivienne talk about  how AI will reshape work and why the common narratives are really “lazy myths.” Vivienne argues that AI is superhuman at well‑posed problems but humans still retain a relative advantage in ‘ill‑posed problems,’ contributing to a U‑shaped labor demand with erosion of jobs in the middle of it. She criticizes benchmark-driven, autonomous AI development and calls for optimizing hybrid intelligence, better education focused on foundation/meta‑learning skills (curiosity, working memory, perspective-taking, intellectual humility). Vivienne and Greg debate the merits of UBI as a solution, when discussing how destabilizing mass unemployment would be, and describes experiments where human‑AI “cyborgs” matched expert prediction markets when participants actively challenged AI rather than copying it. She ultimately delivers her message of hope for the future and belief in the humanity of humans. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  671. The Intersection of Culture and Data with Sebastian Wernicke 28.07.2026 56分

  Dr. Sebastian Wernicke is a data scientist, a partner at Oxera Consulting, and author of the new book Data Inspired: Building an Organizational Culture of Inquiry for Lasting Transformation. Sebastian talks with Greg about why he thinks culture, not tools, is the biggest obstacle to effective data/AI adoption. Sebastian critiques the “data deficit” assumption that more data yields obvious answers, arguing data often increases complexity and should drive inquiry, psychological safety, and willingness to be proven wrong. They contrast data-driven optimization with a data-inspired mindset that also asks “what if” questions to enable transformation, noting A/B testing examples like Google’s “50 shades of Blue” experiment don’t generalize out to most business decisions. Sebastian also explains why initiatives fail when they treat technology as the hard part, while they ignore tacit decision-making, incentives, and workflows, and rely on pilots/lighthouse projects that don’t scale. He outlines strategy using Rumelt’s framework, discusses silos vs “swamps,” leadership behavior, and why CDO/AI roles need explicit transformation mandates, resources, and CEO-level support. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  670. Exploring Jewish Assimilation, Legacy, and Identity with Nicholas Lemann 24.07.2026 1時間 1分

  Nicholas Lemann is the Pulitzer-Moore Professor of Journalism at Columbia University and a staff writer for The New Yorker. He is the author of several books, including Higher Admissions: The Rise, Decline, and Return of Standardized Testing, Transaction Man: The Rise of the Deal and the Decline of the American Dream, and most recently, Returning: A Search for Home Across Three Centuries. Greg speaks with Nicholas about Returning, his memoir tracing five generations of his German Jewish family in New Orleans. Nicholas reflects on how the pursuit of acceptance led many German Jews to downplay their Jewish identity, distance themselves from Eastern European Jewish immigrants, and oppose Zionism, before describing his own gradual return to Jewish tradition and community later in life. From there, the conversation broadens into a discussion about the changing role of identity and institutions in American life. Greg and Nicholas explore the decline of religious and ethnic identity, the growing secularization of academia and journalism, and how changing ideas of merit, belonging, and fairness have shaped debates over standardized testing, affirmative action, and elite college admissions. Finally, they discuss Transaction Man, examining the rise and fall of the “company man,” the shift from stakeholder-oriented corporations to shareholder primacy, and Nicholas’s argument that today’s more individualistic, network-driven society has transformed how people find purpose, stability, and community. unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.
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  669. Liberalism and Discontent: Exploring Modern Democracy with Francis Fukuyama 21.07.2026 57分

  Francis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), and a faculty member of FSI's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). He is also Director of Stanford's Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy, and a professor (by courtesy) of Political Science. In addition he is the author of several books. His most recent titles are Liberalism and Its Discontents, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, and the upcoming In the Realm of the Last Man: A Memoir. Greg and Francis talk about Frank’s “End of History” thesis and later work on liberalism, identity, trust, and political order. Fukuyama argues long-run historical progress is visible in the gap between developed and developing societies, but he still sees no coherent “higher” alternative to liberal democracy and market society. He also explains that modern discontent through generational forgetting of 20th-century horrors and a deeper human desire for recognition and struggle (thymos), including megalothymia - the drive for superiority, which can turn tyrannical. They discuss how modern prosperity arose from Europe’s unique mix of innovation culture, political fragmentation, religious schism, and family changes that fostered individualism. Frank contrasts state strength with constraint, and traces democracy’s path through England to parliament and common law, critiques American anti-statism in state-building, and examines China vs India. They also discuss war’s effects on state capacity, the internet’s role in polarization and factual disagreement, and the need for shared liberal norms. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  668. Decoding Culture’s Role in Strategy and Success with Jennifer A. Chatman and Glenn R. Carroll 15.07.2026 55分

  How do leaders create a unified culture at their organizations that’s not only sustainable but propels growth and success? Psychologist Jennifer A. Chatman and sociologist Glenn R. Carroll put their expertise on management and organizational behavior together in the new book, Making Organizational Culture Great: Moving Beyond Popular Beliefs. Chatman is Dean of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Carroll is a professor of management at Stanford University. On this episode, they join Greg to discuss how organizational culture research has evolved, valid methods for measuring culture within a firm, the defining characteristics of strong cultures, how culture and strategy are complements to each other, and practices for changing an organization’s culture. They also delve into case studies from existing organizations like Netflix, Genetech, and Berkeley Haas. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  667. The Race to Efficiency & Why Construction Is Behind with Brian Potter 08.07.2026 46分

  In a world of constant, rapid digital transformation, one industry has struggled to evolve: construction. With all the gains made in efficiency and productivity, what’s holding the construction industry back? Brian Potter is a senior fellow at the Institute for Progress and author of the book, The Origins of Efficiency which charts the history of production efficiency, examining the great leaps forward with inventions like penicillin, the light bulb, and automobiles. Brian joins Greg to share his experience in the construction industry that prompted his research into productivity and why construction productivity appears flat compared with manufacturing and agriculture. They also discuss distinctions between labor productivity and overall efficiency, the central role of scale and fixed costs, why tacit knowledge makes process transfer hard across plants and countries, and political obstacles such as guilds and unions resisting automation, including AI. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  666. Decoding Disinformation in Numbers and Narratives with Aaron Brown 07.07.2026 57分

  Aaron Brown is an author and risk management professional, formerly the Chief Risk Officer at the hedge fund AQR. Aaron’s recent works are titled Wrong Number: How to Extract Truth From a Blizzard of Quantitative Disinformation and The Poker Face of Wall Street. Greg and Aaron discuss why quantitatively flawed studies still persist today. Aaron argues that the central problem is not just incompetence or conspiracy but a macro phenomenon he calls tribalism, combined with the diffusion of responsibility across authors, reviewers, journals, and journalists. He discusses examples, including an NTSB “Chinatown bus” study, a USAID mortality claim, a Chunnel fire-risk study, an observational marijuana/heart-attack paper, and a study claiming 40% of COVID deaths were caused by evictions and later cited in courts and legislation. They contrast academia’s weak incentives with finance and gambling, where betting forces accountability, and Aaron describes the empirical Bayesian approach he prefers using base rates and evidence. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  665. Understanding Trump’s Leadership Tactics and How to Counter Them with Jeffrey Sonnenfeld 03.07.2026 1時間 2分

  Jeffrey Sonnenfeld is a professor of management and senior associate dean for leadership studies at the Yale School of Management. He is also the author, co-author, and editor of a number of books. His works include The Hero's Farewell: What Happens When CEOs Retire, Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound After Career Disasters, and, most recently, Trump's Ten Commandments: Strategic Lessons from the Trump Leadership Toolbox with Steven Tian. Greg and Jeff discuss why Jeff thinks leadership scholars and journalists misread Donald Trump. He argues the goal should be not to normalize or judge Trump but to understand Trump’s predictable, strategic patterns—often mistaken as impulsive—so they can be countered, and he criticizes the labeling Trump as “stupid” or “crazy” for helping create widespread complacency. Jeff recounts a contentious 30-year relationship with Donald Trump that began with his Wall Street Journal critiques of “The Apprentice,” and then continued through Trump’s attempts to win him over (including with a position at Trump University), and Trump’s use of tactics like divide-and-conquer, distraction, the “sleeper effect,” and “wall of sound.” The discussion contrasts personal power versus institutional success,and  stresses collective action as an effective counter. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  664. A Pessimist’s View on What It Means To Be Human with William Ian Miller 30.06.2026 1時間

  What insights on social psychology can be gleaned from ancient texts? William Ian Miller is a professor of law at the University of Michigan and prolific author. His work is that of a polymath and covers everything from Icelandic sagas (Bloodtaking and Peacemaking: Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland; 'Why is your axe bloody?': A Reading of Njals Saga) to philosophical meditations on what makes us human (Outrageous Fortune: Gloomy Reflections on Luck and Life; Humiliation: And Other Essays on Honor, Social Discomfort, and Violence). William joins Greg to discuss the varying themes across his body of work including, luck and magical thinking, law and violence in Icelandic sagas, competition and humility, and the purpose of disgust. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  663. The Quest for Authenticity in an Algorithm-Driven World with Kyle Chayka 25.06.2026 53分

  Kyle Chayka is a staff writer for the New Yorker and also the author of the books Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture and The Longing for Less: What's Missing from Minimalism. Greg and Kyle discuss how algorithmic feeds shift culture from the “long tail” promise of niche discovery toward homogenization, rapid fads, and blockbuster dominance. Kyle argues platforms lower barriers to publish but make reaching audiences dependent on gaming recommendation systems, pushing creators, journalists, and even restaurants and tourism toward engagement-driven, Instagrammable, simplified outputs and fast feedback loops. Kyle discusses “algorithmic anxiety,” authenticity and taste being shaped by feeds, and incentives like Spotify’s 30-second stream metric affecting music length, quality, and what artists do to respond to that system. They contrast shallow metrics with criticism and curation, discuss minimalism and performative authenticity, and note countervailing long-tail models like newsletters, Patreon, and podcasts, emphasizing the need to exit feeds for deeper engagement. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  662. Exploring Honesty: Beyond Truth and Lies in the Age of Deception and AI with Christian B. Miller 23.06.2026 51分

  Christian B. Miller is the A.C. Reid Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University and the author of several books. His latest title is The Honesty Crisis: Preserving Our Most Treasured Virtue in an Increasingly Dishonest World. Greg and Christian discuss what Christian calls ‘The Honesty Crisis.’ He defines honesty as a virtue involving both stable honest behavior (not lying, cheating, stealing, misleading, promise breaking, fraud, hypocrisy, self-deception, or “BS-ing”) and proper motivation (rooted in altruistic concern or duty, not self-interest). He argues honesty tracks subjective belief, so false statements can be honest and true statements can be dishonest, and discusses bullshitting, authenticity, excessive frankness, white lies and their costs, and the puzzle of self-deception. Christian cites research suggesting most people default to truth-telling, but claims that multiple “honesty crises” are happening now where technology makes dishonesty easier to commit and harder to detect: AI cheating, deepfakes, internet infidelity, political misinformation, celebrity/influencer dishonesty, and plagiarism. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  661. Navigating AI: The Power of Our Wishes with Nicolas Darveau-Garneau 18.06.2026 55分

  Nicolas Darveau-Garneau is the founder of Garneau Digital Advisors, is the former chief evangelist of Google, and is the author of the book Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai: The Seven Growth Secrets of the World’s Most Successful Companies. Greg and Nicolas discuss how AI systems are akin to powerful “genies,” but the real power and risk come from the “wishes” humans give them. With everyone having similar access to similar “genies,” the true differentiation will come from the strategy behind their use. Nicolas emphasizes the need to think carefully about how we measure success in marketing and other areas of business. Often we focus on metrics that are easier to capture as opposed to the ones that really matter for achieving our goals. He also claims that companies that fail to articulate their goals in marketing are most likely to fail in other areas. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  660. The Intersection of Critical Theory and Business Education with Peter Fleming 16.06.2026 50分

  Peter Fleming is a professor of management at the University of Technology Sydney, and also the author of several books. His recent works are Dark Academia: How Universities Die, Sugar Daddy Capitalism: The Dark Side of the New Economy, and The Death of Homo Economicus: Work, Debt and the Myth of Endless Accumulation. Greg and Peter discuss doing critical theory inside business schools and how neoliberalism and managerialism have reshaped universities. They also discuss the professionalization of higher education toward “employability,” driven by scarce public funding and human capital theory, which monetized expectations and intensified pressure, insecurity, and unhappiness. Peter suggests even executives face external constituent pressures. He explains his critique of Homo economicus as an extreme Cold War governance template that failed and contributed to “deaths of despair,” and he emphasizes rebuilding institutions by focusing on the labor problem and workplace conditions. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  659. Science Journalism, Academic Silos, and the Cost of Being Right with Matt Kaplan 11.06.2026 59分

  Matt Kaplan is the science correspondent at The Economist and also the author of a number of books. His latest work is I Told You So!: Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled, and Imprisoned for Being Right. Greg and Matt discuss how Matt chose science journalism over academia, the value of being a generalist, and how journalists can cross-pollinate ideas from others. They also discuss academic silos, pecking orders, and how fear, funding pressures, and ego create sticky consensuses that punish deviants, and linking historic cases to modern parallels. Matt argues that incremental NIH/NSF funding discourages bold leaps compared with HHMI-style risk-taking, calls for better incentives for peer review and career transitions for senior scientists, and recounts a case in which a dissenting scientist was attacked to the point that they left the field. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  658. Preventing Alzheimer's: Bridging Research and Practice with Dr. Dale Bredesen 08.06.2026 1時間

  Dale Bredesen is the senior director of the Precision Brain Health Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute and also the founding CEO of the Buck Institute. He also has authored a number of books, including, most recently, The Ageless Brain: How to Sharpen and Protect Your Mind for a Lifetime and The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline. Greg and Dale discuss Dale’s “network insufficiency” view of Alzheimer’s that shifts focus from plaques alone to a balance of synaptic “supply and demand.” He argues the brain switches from connection to protection under chronic insults, which are microbes, inflammation, toxins, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, and poor energetics. Dale highlights tau phosphorylation as part of an antimicrobial response and APOE4 as a pro-inflammatory risk gene with evolutionary benefits. They also discuss diet, insulin resistance, exercise, sleep metrics, stress, and the case for prevention and combined approaches. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  657. Prophecy and Prediction: Exploring AI’s Future with Carissa Véliz 04.06.2026 50分

  Carissa Véliz is an Associate Professor in Philosophy at the Institute for Ethics in AI, a Fellow at Hertford College at the University of Oxford, and the author of multiple books, including, most recently, Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI. Greg and Carissa discuss Carissa’s newest work, where she links prediction to surveillance and argues that forecasts are speech acts that intervene in the world, often becoming self-fulfilling or self-defeating. She says humans seek prophecy to relieve anxiety, but this grants power to predictors and can undermine autonomy, democracy, and fairness, especially via opaque algorithms, social-credit-style control, and pattern-matching decisions like lending. Carissa urges transparent, contestable criteria, skepticism about incentives behind predictions, and treating unwanted forecasts as invitations to defy rather than “obey in advance.” Their conversation critiques utilitarianism and effective altruism for relying on long-term prediction, discusses fatalism and moral luck, and advocates resilience, scenario planning, Epicurean agency, and literature as an antidote to doomscrolling, shrinking attention, and AI-driven cultural convergence. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  656. Startup Governance, Mission Control, and the Failures of Shareholder Primacy with Eric Ries 02.06.2026 58分

  Eric Ries is an author, podcaster, and founder of The Lean Startup. He hosts The Eric Ries Show and his notable books Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad... and How Great Companies Stay Great, The Lean Startup, Farther, Faster, and Far Less Drama, The Leader's Guide, and The Startup Way. Greg and Eric discuss why startups and corporations lose their mission through shifts from founder-to investor-control, changing from long-term focus to short-term focus, and purpose-driven to profit-driven behavior. Eric argues governance is “organizational soul craft” and critiques shareholder primacy as a recent, judge-and-academic-driven ideology that creates unaccountable short-term pressure, metric surrogation, and value destruction, even for shareholders. Eric also explains how markets reward short-term cost-cutting (e.g. reduced R&D), and why mission-driven companies can outperform. He outlines practical protections such as writing mission primacy into charters, converting to Public Benefit Corporations, and stronger structures like foundation ownership (e.g. Novo Nordisk and Patagonia). *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  655. Inside The Mind of DeepMind’s Founder with Sebastian Mallaby 28.05.2026 49分

  How did a teenage video game designer from London become a Nobel Prize-winning scientist behind one of the most consequential technology efforts in history? Sebastian Mallaby is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the new book, The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence which provides an in-depth look into one of the greatest minds behind artificial general intelligence. In this episode, Sebastian and Greg discuss how Hassabis's early immersion in game design and neuroscience shaped his unique approach to artificial intelligence, why groundbreaking science is increasingly happening outside academia, and the tension between scientific discovery and corporate strategy. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  654. Predictive Brains, Placebos, Awe, and the Mind–Matter Frontier with Jo Marchant 25.05.2026 1時間

  Jo Marchant is a science journalist and podcast host, and also the author of several books. Her latest works include In Search of Now: The Science of the Present Moment and Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body. Greg and Jo discuss the shared threads across her work: a long view of the history of thought and the mind–body relationship. Jo explains how physics and neuroscience challenge a single objective “now,” describing perception as an active predictive process shaped by past experience and expectations, with examples from illusions and sensory priming. They discuss predictive coding, placebo effects, psychoneuroimmunology, anxiety as attention-weighted error monitoring, and how mindfulness and awe can rebalance attention and reduce stress. Jo also contrasts flow with mindfulness, explores choking and depersonalization-derealization as over-attention to self, and critiques medicine’s structural barriers to integrating context and meaning. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
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  653. Crafting a Purposeful Life with Tom Rath 21.05.2026 56分

  Tom Rath is a researcher and #1 NYT bestselling author of 12 books. His latest works are How Full Is Your Bucket? And What's the Point? Turning Purpose Into Your Daily Superpower. Greg and Tom discuss the broader arc of Tom’s work, translating research on wellbeing, engagement, and strengths into practical tools. Tom describes shifting from self-improvement to “other-improvement,” using Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s question “What are you doing for others?” as a daily compass, and reframing purpose as an hour-by-hour “portfolio” rather than a single grand mission. He contrasts purpose with passion, criticizes status and social-comparison traps, and argues that the responsibility for one’s wellbeing largely rests with individuals because many employers and leaders model unhealthy, always-on habits themselves. Tom explains his concept of job/task/relationship/cognitive crafting, the primacy of relationships, and how AI increases the need to prioritize proactive, creative, human work over reactive tasks that are likely to be automated. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*