If/Then

The Art of Friction 20.05.2026 23min

“Great leaders are people who think of themselves as trustees of other people’s time,” says Huggy Rao.

Unconventional Wisdom 06.05.2026 26min

Seeing the world differently can be costly, but it can also provide a competitive edge.

Why Who You Are Affects How You Think 22.04.2026 24min

The moment we see someone as an individual rather than a category, we become more likely to find common ground.

The Paradox of Masculinity 08.04.2026 26min

“We spend a lot of time talking about gender inequality through the lens of women’s disadvantage,” she says. “I think that many of the problems that we’re seeing today… are actually bound up in masculinity.”

What We Actually Learn From Experience 25.03.2026 25min

Steven Callander has spent years building a mathematical framework to answer the question of how people learn from experience. “Here in Silicon Valley, the expression that you learn from failure is very widespread and very intuitive. But the question is… what do you learn? How do you optimally learn from that experience?” In this episode, Callander, the Herbert Hoover Professor of Public and Private Management and Professor of Political Economy at Stanford Graduate School of Business, explains the hidden, deceptively simple logic of correlated learning — and it may change how you think about finding the right job, the right market, or the right strategy. “It fascinates me and I can't stop thinking about it,” he says. Has theory made an impact on your life? Tell us more at ifthenpod@stanford.edu. Related Content:Steven Callander faculty profileHow to Turn Old Ideas Into Creative Solutions to Modern ProblemsWhat We’re Still Learning from Silicon Valley’s Bank Collapse Chapters: 00:00 Ann Miura-Ko on learning and the search for patterns in Venture capital 02:51 Introduction 05:23 What is correlated learning? 06:40 Where does this research apply in the real world? 09:28 Brownian Motion 12:45 Steven Callander’s Framework 15:25 Examples of correlated learning when seeking expert advice 20:53 Applying correlated learning 23:57 Why correlated learning research? 24:51 Conclusion If/Then, from Stanford GSB, features conversations with faculty that explore how their research deepens our understanding of business and leadership. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How Dating and Sports Explain the Job Market 11.03.2026 25min

Seemingly unrelated activities — like taking a soccer penalty kick or crafting an online dating profile — involve an embedded economics.

If/Then Returns: Season Three 04.03.2026 1min

If/Then Season 3 is coming next week. GSB faculty explore innovative research that deepens our understanding of business and leadership.

GSB at 100: "The Moment" 22.12.2025 28min

The fourth and final episode of GSB at 100 captures a snapshot of a once-in-a-century milestone.

GSB at 100: "The Experience" 26.11.2025 29min

From management to modeling, we explore the classroom experience at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

GSB at 100: "The Spirit" 12.11.2025 24min

Meet some of the people whose work powers a school that changes lives, organizations, and the world.

What's Your Problem: "Teaching Computers to See" 29.10.2025 27min

This week on If/Then, we’re sharing an episode of What’s Your Problem?, a show from Pushkin Industries where entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists talk about the future they’re trying to build—and the problems they must solve to get there. Hosted by former Planet Money co-host Jacob Goldstein, each conversation explores the challenges and breakthroughs shaping the next wave of innovation. In this episode, Goldstein speaks with Fei-Fei Li, Stanford computer scientist, former Chief Scientist of AI and Machine Learning at Google, and one of the most influential figures in the field of computer vision. Li reflects on her pioneering work developing ImageNet, the massive dataset that helped spark the modern AI revolution, and the “north star” questions that have guided her research from neuroscience to machine learning. Together, they trace how a single insight about how humans see the world led to a paradigm shift in artificial intelligence—and how Li’s vision continues to shape the way we teach machines to see, learn, and collaborate with us. More Resources: • Fei Fei Li • Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) • ImageNet • What’s Your Problem? If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Chapters: (00:00:00) Introducing “What’s Your Problem?” Kevin Cool introduces the Pushkin Industries podcast hosted by Jacob Goldstein. 00:00:45 — What Is Computer Vision? Jacob Goldstein and Fei-Fei Li explain how machines learn to see and interpret images. 00:03:18 — Real-World Uses of AI Vision Li shares examples from healthcare, robotics, and environmental science. 00:05:06 — Discovering the Science of Seeing How human vision research inspired Li’s lifelong “north star” in AI. 00:09:56 — Creating ImageNet Li builds a massive image database that transforms computer vision research. 00:13:29 — Defining 30,000 Visual Concepts How cognitive science helped shape ImageNet’s massive scale. 00:16:41 — Building the Dataset by Hand Li's team uses global crowdsourcing to label millions of images. 00:19:38 — The 2012 Breakthrough Jeff Hinton’s neural network shatters records and sparks the deep learning era. 00:22:19 — Data Meets Hardware Li reflects on how big data and GPUs converged to power modern AI. 00:24:55 — Lightning Round with Fei-Fei Li Quick insights on resilience, mentorship, and the future of human-AI collaboration. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

GSB at 100: The Magic 24.09.2025 20min

Professors reflect on what Stanford GSB has accomplished in one hundred years and what the future may hold.

View From The Top: “Lisa Su Is Still Curious About How Things Work” 27.08.2025 56min

This week on If/Then, we’re sharing an episode of View From The Top: The Podcast, an audio series featuring leaders from around the world in conversation with MBA students. Recorded live at the CEMEX Auditorium at Stanford Graduate School of Business, episodes feature insights on effective leadership, the values that guide it, and lessons learned along the way. Lisa Su, the chair and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), leads one of the world’s most influential technology companies, a pioneer in high-performance computing and designer of chips that power everything from cellphones to supercomputers. Su joins Michael Liu, MBA ’25, to talk about what it takes to stay on the cutting edge of technology, the tremendous potential of artificial intelligence, and why her superpower may be her commitment to learning. “Careers are very much by chance,” Su says. “The nice thing about my early career is I was lucky enough to have bosses who asked me all the time, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And I was like, ‘I don't know. Let me think about [it]...what I like to believe is the ability to learn at each step was what really helped me in my career.” This conversation was recorded on February 24, 2025. More Resources: • Lisa Su • GSB Insights • View From The Top If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction Kevin Cool introduces a summer spotlight on other podcasts, featuring View from the Top. (00:00:59) Meet Lisa Su Michael Liu introduces Lisa Su, AMD CEO, and highlights her career transformation. (00:04:13) Growing Up & MIT Years Lisa reflects on her immigrant upbringing and her journey through three degrees at MIT. (00:05:43) Discovering Semiconductors A part-time lab job at MIT ignites Lisa’s passion for chip technology. (00:07:21) From Engineer to Leader Lisa describes her transition from technical work to managing people and projects. (00:11:19) Tackling Hard Problems How curiosity and teamwork help Lisa embrace high-stakes technical challenges. (00:13:40) Betting on Talent Lisa recounts moments when she was given a chance—and how she now pays that forward. (00:17:03) Becoming CEO at AMD What brought Lisa to AMD and the unexpected call to lead the company. (00:21:51) Strategy in a Turnaround How AMD focused on high-performance computing and long-term bets. (00:25:41) Cultural Shift at AMD Lisa outlines how AMD’s culture became collaborative, ambitious, and learning-driven. (00:27:19) AI & Global Tech Politics The complex intersection of AI innovation and geopolitical regulation. (00:32:37) Open vs. Closed AI Platforms AMD’s open-source AI approach with NVIDIA’s more vertical model. (00:38:54) Future Vision & Final Reflections Lisa offers advice to MBAs and shares what she wants her legacy at AMD to be. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Joy of Discovery and Why Research Matters 13.08.2025 16min

As we celebrate the conclusion of the second season of the If/Then podcast, we present a bonus episode featuring Deborah H. Gruenfeld, the Joseph McDonald Professor and Professor of Organizational Behavior and a Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Gruenfeld, who appeared on the first season of If/Then in an award-winning episode about hierarchies and the nature of power, returned to the studio to share her thoughts on the value of academic research and its impact on individuals and organizations. “The nice thing about research is that it provides tools and methods and an approach to learn about what’s true in the world, taking into account that what we learn from firsthand experience is not reliable,” she says. “Research helps us build a body of knowledge about what's actually true that we can trust.” This episode was recorded on July 16, 2025. Related Content:Deborah H. Gruenfeld, faculty profileWhy Research MattersWhy I Research: Findings Fueled by the Head and the Heart If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Each episode features an interview with a Stanford GSB faculty member. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Future of Everything: "The Future of Motivation" 30.07.2025 34min

How do you stay motivated when your goal is months — or even years — away? Stanford’s Szu-chi Huang breaks down the science of sticking with it.

Think Fast, Talk Smart: "Ambiguity to Action: Tensions and Trade-Offs of Leadership and Communication" 09.07.2025 23min

Leadership isn’t about avoiding uncertainty: it’s about embracing the clarity that ambiguity can bring.

Culture Still Eats Strategy For Breakfast 25.06.2025 29min

Do you stick to the rules or do you roll through stop signs? Whether you’re “tight” or “loose” — how closely you adhere to social norms — has major implications for your life at home and at work. “To be effective, we want to be ambidextrous,” says Michele Gelfand, the John H. Scully Professor in Cross-Cultural Management and Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “Even if we might lean tight or loose, we want to be able to create a context where we can have both tight and loose elements.” Sophisticated strategies will fail if they don’t account for deeply embedded norms, and Gelfand breaks down why the adage that “culture eats strategy for breakfast” is more than just a management cliché. “From the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep, [culture is] affecting everything from our politics to our parenting,” Gelfand says. “But we take it for granted — we don’t even think about it. So it’s kind of invisible. And that’s a pretty profound puzzle.” What’s the biggest cultural adjustment you’ve made? Share your story at ifthenpod@stanford.edu. This episode was recorded on January 28, 2025. Related Content:Faculty profilePsst — Wanna Know Why Gossip Has Evolved in Every Human Society?Class Takeaways — The Art of NegotiationWhy the Pandemic Slammed “Loose” Countries Like the U.S. If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Each episode features an interview with a Stanford GSB faculty member. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The AI Prescription for Healthcare 11.06.2025 27min

AI has the potential to reshape medicine. But translating its promise into solutions for providers and patients is a high-stakes challenge. “There’s a lot more problems than solutions available,” says Mohsen Bayati, the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Professor of Operations, Information & Technology at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “So it’s ripe for innovation.” From trust and privacy to hallucination and data quality, the complications are significant. Bayati says that safely and effectively integrating AI into an enormous industry that treats people in their most vulnerable moments requires safety guardrails, human oversight, and maybe even a leap of faith. “[We] need to have patience with the benefits of these systems,” he says. Are you ready to interact with artificial intelligence at the doctor’s office? Sound off at ifthenpod@stanford.edu. This episode was recorded on March 4, 2025. Related Content:Mohsen Bayati faculty profileA Peek Inside Doctors’ Notes Reveals Symptoms of BurnoutMany Health Care Workers Are Emotionally Exhausted, and Technology May Be to BlameWhy Hospitals Underreport the Number of Patients They Infect If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Each episode features an interview with a Stanford GSB faculty member. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Designing the AI Organization 28.05.2025 26min

“The way I think about trying to anticipate and shape the AI future requires us to take a step back and ask ourselves first, ‘What does this technology do? What does it enable?’” reflects Amir Goldberg, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “That’s very different from asking ourselves, ‘How is the technology implemented?’” From locating the origins of innovation to identifying hidden barriers blocking new ideas, Goldberg presents a framework for harnessing novel technological capabilities like AI — capabilities that are essential for staying ahead of the competition. “The data/AI train is leaving the station,” he says. “The problem is, there are many trains — and some are going off a cliff.” Is your organization exploring how to transform its experience into data? Tell us your story at ifthenpod@stanford.edu. This episode was recorded on February 5, 2025. Related Content:Amir Goldberg faculty profileTo Discover Breakthrough Ideas, Look to the OutsidersIs Your Business Ready to Jump Into A.I.? Read This First.Why Investors Throw Money at Eccentric CEO If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Each episode features an interview with a Stanford GSB faculty member. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What Happened to the Middle? 14.05.2025 30min

Neil Malhotra, the Edith M. Cornell professor of political economy at Stanford Graduate School of Business, aims to identify the nature of our tumultuous political moment in his work. In this episode, Malhotra explores rising distrust, shifting political identities, and what these changes mean for individuals — and businesses. Plus, the billion-dollar question: “Is Trump creating a movement that is separate from himself or is it identified with himself?” Malhotra asks. “It remains to be seen.” Is there a political question you’d like us to explore? Email us at ifthenpod@stanford.edu. This episode was recorded on December 18, 2024. Related Content:Neil Malhotra faculty profile: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/neil-malhotraA Surprising Discovery About Facebook’s Role in Driving PolarizationPulling Back From Polarization: How Business Leaders Can Step Up10 Tips for Tackling Political Polarization in the Workplace and BeyondHow the Supreme Court’s Abortion Ruling Played in the Court of Public Opinion If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Each episode features an interview with a Stanford GSB faculty member. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.