ZigZag
75 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 1.5K ratingsZigZag, the business show about being human, returns as a member of the TED Audio Collective.
Join this zig-zagging quest with Manoush Zomorodi (Host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour; Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business) to discover new ways we can align our professional ambitions with our personal values.
Find @ZigZagPod on Twitter and Instagram. Get recommended readings to go with each episode and more with the newsletter. Share your zig or zag with Manoush by emailing a voice memo to [email protected]
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Episodes
S6 EP6 STEP 6: THE TIMELINE
June 03, 2021 09:55 - 26 minutes - 24.7 MBOn the final episode of The ZigZag Project, activist Stacey Abrams explains her short-term strategies for sticking to her long-term goals and Manoush shares data from surveying thousands of listeners about making a big career change. The project wraps up with one last assignment and Manoush’s favorite messages from listeners. It’s a tear jerker. The ZigZag Project is six steps (and episodes) to help you map out a path that aligns your personal values with your professional ambition...
S6 EP5 STEP 5: THE PATHS
May 20, 2021 04:00 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBToday is Step 5 of The ZigZag Project, our six-step process to get you from wanting to make a big change in your life and work...to actually making a change, in a responsible and mindful way. Now, as we move from ideation into action, we're getting coaching from Columbia Business School professor, psychologist, and stress researcher Modupe Akinola. Modupe explains why rethinking the scary feelings that come with all big life transitions is crucial as you decide, with the help of th...
S6 EP4 STEP 4: THE MATCH
May 06, 2021 04:05 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBOn this episode of The ZigZag Project, we move into a more practical phase and start asking hard questions like: What might you need to sacrifice, in order to align your values with your work? Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett shares a story about what she gave up as a young aide, working for the city of Chicago. Manoush gives her own example and asks listeners to try a strange (but proven) methodology to figure out what changes are worth pursuing. The ZigZag Project is six steps (and ...
S6 EP3 STEP 3: THE WEIRD IDEAS
April 22, 2021 04:00 - 16 minutes - 15.5 MBThe third step of The ZigZag Project requires getting weird. Because we're gonna need to dig deep to find new ways to roll back climate change, bring equity to society, and pay our bills. If, after a year of lockdowns and stress, you feel drained at the thought, meet Rob Walker, author of The Art of Noticing. Rob has some unusual ways to inspire you to get creative and figure out your next job, business model, or project. Manoush turns Rob’s insight into this episode’s assignment: T...
S6 EP2 STEP 2: THE VISION
April 08, 2021 04:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBConflict resolution specialist Priya Parker joins Manoush to talk about visioning: Taking time out of our daily lives to clarify our professional and personal purpose. With 60% of the project’s beta testers reporting that work is an important part of their identity (and 25% saying they define themselves by the work they do), picturing the future is a particularly crucial step. Manoush shares instructions for listeners to conduct their own visioning lab, similar to the session she di...
S6 EP1 STEP 1: THE PULSE
March 25, 2021 04:00 - 20 minutes - 19 MBWe’re doing something different this season… The ZigZag Project is six steps (and episodes) to help you map out a path that aligns your personal values with your professional ambitions. Think of it as a RESET for your career or business. In this first episode, host Manoush Zomorodi shares stories and data from the 150 listeners who volunteered to test the project. We also learn why change requires spending time in “the neutral zone,” from MIT Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein, and ge...
S5 EP6: The Case of the Lost American Dream
August 27, 2020 04:30 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBYou may have heard Aarti Shahani’s voice on the radio when she was NPR’s Silicon Valley reporter. The techies she interviewed often assumed she came from a family of engineers or scientists. Nothing could be further from the truth, Aarti says. Her parents brought her to the U.S. when she was a child. They overstayed their tourist visas, moved the family into a roach-infested apartment, and subsisted on welfare while looking for work. Eventually, they all got green cards and Aarti thrived a...
S5 EP5: Changing Our Relationship to STUFF
August 20, 2020 04:30 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBWe recycle. But does it make a difference? We donate our old t-shirts. But does anyone want them? We try to shop less. But isn't that bad for the economy? On this episode, author Adam Minter explains the connections between our personal habits and a massive global network of recycling and secondhand markets...and he helps us consider: what would it take to build an economy that didn't depend on manufacturing yet more STUFF? Plus, Adam's own zig-zagging story: from growing up in...
S5 EP4: Carrie Goldberg is the Troll Slayer
August 13, 2020 04:30 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBCarrie Goldberg‘s legal career changed course the year her ex-boyfriend relentlessly cyber-harassed her. At the time, the First Amendment protected his right to post nude photos of her and file (false) police reports against her. Frustrated and angry, Carrie quit her stable nonprofit job and started a law firm to help people dealing with abusers and stalkers. But, as Carrie explains, she quickly realized that finding justice for these victims required more than taking on their indiv...
S5 EP3: Can Big Tech Be Healed?
August 06, 2020 04:30 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBFrom his posts at Harvard and M.I.T., Greg Epstein observed that the tech industry– with its hierarchies and sacred texts–looked a lot like a religion…and his students worshipped at the alter of Elon Musk. The chaplain wondered: how could he counsel techies to build more humane products? On this episode, Greg explains why he decided to take an unusual side gig as TechCrunch’s ethicist-in-residence and bring his Humanist perspective to Silicon Valley. He also shares how he became an ...
S5 EP2: Why Arlan Hamilton Still Believes Capitalism is the Great Equalizer
July 30, 2020 04:30 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MBIn 2018, Backstage Capital's Arlan Hamilton was on the cover of Fast Company magazine. The headline was irresistible: homeless, gay, Black woman becomes hot-shot Silicon Valley investor. But the reality is that Black female founders still get token amounts of funding, despite being the fastest growing demographic in the startup world. On this episode, Arlan reflects on whether she's improved the plight of “underestimated and underrepresented” founders and how she explains privilege ...
S5 EP1: Eric Ries' Radical Stock Market Experiment
July 23, 2020 04:30 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBWhen Eric Ries wrote The Lean StartUp he had no idea his book would inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs to ‘pivot’ and ‘iterate.’ Now Eric is 'disrupting' how we do business again. His Long Term Stock Exchange (LTSE) requires companies to change their measurements of success. Rather than live and die by quarterly earnings reports that require inhumane management tactics, companies on the LTSE have to do right by their employees, customers, and communities. Is that really so ra...
The zigs and zags just keep coming. Welcome to Season 5.
July 16, 2020 04:10 - 2 minutes - 4.1 MBZigZag, the business podcast about being human, returns as a member of the TED family of podcasts. Join this zig-zagging quest with Manoush Zomorodi (Host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour; Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business) to discover new ways we can align our ambitions with systemic change that’s good for our fellow human beings. On Season 5, Manoush profiles six unusual dynamos reinventing business, their industries, and even capitalism in the name of humanity. It wi...
End of A Partnership
May 07, 2020 05:00 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBTwo years ago, Jen and Manoush quit their jobs and became business partners. Today their adventure comes to an end. Hear how financial and parenting pressures in the age of COVID-19 forced them to make a hard choice. And what happens to this podcast.
S4 EP22: MailChimp’s CEO On Building a Multi-Billion Dollar Business Without Being an A$$hole
December 12, 2019 05:15 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBThe newsletter company MailChimp made an impressive $700 million dollars in revenue in 2019 and, after 20 years, it’s still owned and operated by co-founders, Ben ChestnutandDan Kurzius. On this episode, Ben shares his tactics for staying focused and calm through market crashes, tech disruptions, and now playing role model for CEOs who think success requires treating employees poorly. Manoush and Jen aren’t so sure about Ben’s advice regarding “scaling.” But as they play voice memos...
S4 EP22: Mailchimp’s CEO On Building a Multi-Billion Dollar Business Without Being an A$$hole
December 12, 2019 05:15 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBThe newsletter company Mailchimp made an impressive $700 million dollars in revenue in 2019 and, after 20 years, it’s still owned and operated by co-founders, Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius. On this episode, Ben shares his tactics for staying focused and calm through market crashes, tech disruptions, and now playing role model for CEOs who think success requires treating employees poorly. Manoush and Jen aren’t so sure about Ben’s advice regarding “scaling.” But as they play voice mem...
S4 EP21: Being Ethnically Ambiguous At Work
December 05, 2019 05:15 - 44 minutes - 41 MBAs co-host of NPR’s Code Switch, Shereen Marisol Meraji combines groundbreaking reporting on race and culture with her own personal experience as a half-Puerto Rican, half-Persian American. On this episode, she and Manoush discuss why the push for inclusion makes some people uncomfortable and how the diversity discussion can get even more delicate when people don’t clearly identify as white or black—like Manoush, who only recently realized her co-workers considered her a woman of co...
S4 EP20: How Valerie Jarrett Turned Her Misery Into Motivation
November 28, 2019 05:15 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MBValerie Jarrett‘s fascinating family defied racism to become some of the most influential African-Americans you’ve likely never heard of, including one of Louisiana’s first black legislators and MIT’s first black student. But Jarrett also shares how, despite a law degree and supportive parents, she struggled to find her own career path. Hear what jolted Jarrett out of a professional stupor to find work that mattered to her. Plus, the revolutionary ways she dealt with staffing and “w...
S4 EP19: The Guy Who Quit Planes for Good
November 14, 2019 05:15 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBFor millions of us, air travel comes with the job. NASA physicist Peter Kalmus was no different; he frequently flew to prestigious conferences around the globe to present his research. But then, on a routine flight in 2012, Kalmus had a personal reckoning. Disgusted at how his travel contributed to global warming, he decided to quit airplanes, switch careers, and start an online community for people who’ve changed their flying habits. On this episode, Kalmus shares how he handles in...
S4 EP18: Don't Tie a Pink Ribbon for Kate Pickert
November 07, 2019 05:15 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBAfter an onerous cancer diagnosis, Kate Pickert nearly skipped an interview for a job she desperately wanted. Her husband encouraged her to go, saying, "You never know. Maybe you won't die!" Pickert got the job...and she lived. Now she's a journalism professor and author of Radical: The Science, Culture and History of Breast Cancer in America. On this episode, she tells Jen how investigating her diagnosis like a reporter helped her realize how little people know about the latest can...
S4 EP17: Helping Your Relationship Survive Your Job
October 31, 2019 04:15 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBDouble-career couples are the norm these days. But when organizational behaviorist Jennifer Petriglieri looked for studies on how these couples manage their professional and personal responsibilities, she found little research. So Petriglieri did her own five-year study, talking to dozens of couples, and compiling what she learned into the book Couples That Work. On this episode, Petriglieri walks us through the three phases she discovered a couple must navigate to keep their relati...
Bonus: “The Surveillance Economy” from IRL
October 28, 2019 07:05 - 26 minutes - 36.4 MBThis week, we’re featuring an episode from the IRL podcast called “The Surveillance Economy.” Learn about the rise of surveillance capitalism, and hear from guests like Harvard Business School’s Shoshana Zuboff. She says that Big Tech uses our personal data to not only track, but also predict and even control our behavior. The culture of work and business has changed significantly due to surveillance capitalism. What have we gotten right, and where have we gone wrong? IRL: Online ...
EP16: Ari Weinzweig is Prototyping a New Kind of Delicious Capitalism
October 24, 2019 04:05 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MBIf you live in Michigan or run your company with a bit of an anarchist bent, you've likely heard of the Zingerman's Community of Businesses, including a coffee roaster, creamery, and candy factory, all co-owned and operated. On this episode, co-founder Ari Weinzweig shares the story behind his alternative business empire, starting with a single deli in 1982 that grew into a collective making $60m a year in revenue. Plus, Manoush and Jen reveal their own attempts at business visionin...
S4 EP15: The Secret Ex-Rock Star at The Ford Foundation
October 10, 2019 04:05 - 25 minutes - 23 MBWith her band Tsunami and record label Simple Machines, Jenny Toomey was a fixture on the '90s Washington, D.C. indie music scene. On this episode, Toomey shares her evolution from rocker to founder of the Future of Music Coalition to director at the Ford Foundation, one of the world's wealthiest philanthropies. Be prepared to hear a lot of amazing music...and an inspiring ideas about how youthful ideals can mature into pragmatic and powerful careers. **Who You’ll Hear: **@manoushz...
S4 EP14: When Women Don't Support Other Women at Work
September 26, 2019 04:15 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBIn 2015, Katharine Zaleski wrote an op-ed for Fortune that went viral called I’m Sorry to All the Mothers I Worked With. In it, the former media exec apologized for “a long list of infractions against mothers,” whom she’d assumed couldn’t handle long hours or weren’t committed to their career because of parenting duties. One of those mothers was ZigZag host Manoush Zomorodi. On this episode, she and Katharine make amends and track Katharine’s metamorphosis from a childless boss at t...
Bonus: Manoush Guest Hosts the TED Radio Hour!
September 20, 2019 04:15 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBWe're excited that Manoush is guest hosting the Ted Radio Hour! To celebrate, we're bringing you her 2017 TED Talk. It's all about our relationship to technology, and how it sometimes helps us to avoid some very human states of mind, like boredom. It’s an inspiring 14 minutes, meant to help you recharge.
S4 EP 13: The CEO Who Paid Everyone the $ame $alary. Including Himself.
September 19, 2019 04:15 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBDan Price, the founder of Gravity Payments, became a media darling in 2015 after announcing that every employee would be paid a minimum of $70k. (Those salaries have consistently risen since then.) For most of his staff, the increase was dramatic (the median income in the U.S. is about $60k.) Now, four years later, Dan tells Manoush how an ex-girlfriend woke him up to Seattle’s high cost of living, what equal pay has done to his company’s bottom line, and what he thinks could rehabi...
S4 EP12: We're Rethinking What Success Looks Like
September 12, 2019 04:15 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBZigZag is back after a brief hiatus and kicking off a series of shows investigating how people are rethinking the notion of “success.” On this episode, listeners share their frustrations with an economy structured to thrive at the cost of the planet, communities, and their mental health. Plus, an analysis of their responses to the question: how do you measure and define success in your life and work? The data reveal 5 main goals listeners are striving for…and some intriguing tactics they’r...
S4 EP11: Pacing Yourself After Burnout
July 25, 2019 04:15 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBTwo years ago, Helen Zaltzman and her husband, Martin Austwick, gave up their London apartment to travel the world. She paid the bills by continuing to produce her two podcasts, The Allusionist and Answer Me This, from the road. Things were going well until a visit to Tasmania, when Helen got a serious infection in her neck and had to be hospitalized. After nearly a month in intensive care, she was finally released. Helen was, of course, relieved to be alive. But she soon discovered that he...
S4 EP10: This is What a Male Identity Crisis Sounds Like
July 18, 2019 11:59 - 50 minutes - 45.8 MBEighteen months. That's how long Khe Hy (pronounced Kay Hee) gave himself to figure out his life after quitting his extremely well-paid job at Blackrock Financials. His friends called him nuts. His immigrant parents thought they'd failed him. But his wife was supportive. She and Khe set some ground rules ("no stressing over little luxuries like ordering wine") and then embarked on an adventure to discover if he could make enough money to support his family, feel intellectually satis...
S4 EP09: Is Your Career Veering Off Course...Or Just Doing a Zigzag?
July 11, 2019 04:15 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBIt can be hard to know if you're on the right track for building your career or business. Manoush and Jen consider crucial lessons from entrepreneurs whom they've reported on over the past five years, including a CEO who changed his business model after the U.S. 2016 presidential election and a software engineer who built an app ahead of its time. Plus, help for a listener worried she's addicted to "zigzagging"...and Valerie Jarrett explains what accepting professional sharp turns d...
S4 EP08: The Weird Kids At The Big Tech Party
June 27, 2019 04:15 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBBefore Silicon Valley was dominated by the Big Five tech companies, there was Mozilla, an organization founded by a motley crew of coders and activists who believe the internet should be open to everyone. Those punk rock roots live on in Mozilla's Firefox browser and its decision to stop running ads on Facebook. On this episode, hear Mark Surman, President and Executive Director of the Mozilla Foundation, on why "privacy" is a new business opportunity for entrepreneurs, whether he t...
S4 EP07: 46, Female, and Ambitious. Is that so wrong?
June 20, 2019 04:15 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBYou've probably heard her hundreds of times. Mallory Kasdan is the voice of dozens of ads, from Crest White Strips to Nickelodeon. For years, she made an excellent living sounding like the quintessential "hip mom" or sassy big sister, who happened to have a product to shill. But recently, as social media and celebs upended the advertising industry, Mallory stopped booking jobs. She's had to find new ways to pay the bills and get health insurance for her family. And she's doing it by...
S4 EP06: Why Craiglist's Founder Just Wrote Consumer Reports a $6m Check
June 06, 2019 07:05 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBConsumer Reports, theOG‘s of product reviews, just got an upgrade: $6 million from Craigslist founder turned philanthropist,Craig Newmark. On this special episode, he and the CEO of Consumer Reports,Marta Tellado, announce their big plans to test all our apps and connected devices with a new set of criteria: one that takes people’s personal privacy and the collective good into account. Plus, Craig shares his thinking behind funding journalism start-ups likeThe Markup. ZigZag is the busine...
S4 EP05: The Venture Capitalist Asking Existential Questions
May 30, 2019 04:05 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBWe went looking for a venture capitalist who is investing in products or platforms that make money AND make our lives a bit saner: Caterina Fake co-founded Flickr, coined the acronym FOMO, and is now a partner at Yes VC. She’s putting her money behind companies that she thinks will grow big and fast…but in ethical ways. Caterina explains why she said ‘no’ to joining the fancy VC firms on Sand Hill Road, what she’s looking for in entrepreneurs, and how to focus on what matters to you...
S4 EP04: When Your Gut Tells You It's Time to END Your Company
May 16, 2019 04:15 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBWe hear a lot about how people start up companies but what about winding them down? After 15 years, media entrepreneur and "influencer" Grace Bonney has decided to close her lifestyle blog Design*Sponge. In this episode, Grace explains why she decided not to sell her business and has no plans beyond the farewell party...other than rethinking her relationship to the web. Plus, Manoush and Jen debate whether being a woman online means having to "perform" vulnerability and wonder if ...
S4 EP03: Adam Grant Says Your Next Boss Might Want You to "Self Manage"
May 02, 2019 04:05 - 41 minutes - 37.6 MBThe workplace has become a place of sociological experimentation. But what are the pros and cons to “flattening” hierarchy or employees giving each other "radically transparent" feedback? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant (and host of TED's WorkLife podcast) explains some of the most cutting-edge workplace behavioral changes, how they reflect other societal changes like the #MeToo movement, and what each of us can do to evolve while GETTING OUR WORK DONE. Plus, Jen and Manoush...
Bonus: Our Old Podcast is Back! Here's a Taste.
April 25, 2019 21:30 - 35 minutes - 33 MBThe tech show about being human returns with an all new season exclusively on the new Luminary app. Manoush kicks things off with the latest on the battle between kids and parents over their screens: do we know how kids are impacted by tech? Does it make them less empathetic? Are they being constantly bullied online? Even if we can help kids figure out their digital habits, are we adults totally screwed? Researcher Elizabeth Englander joins Manoush to share new findings and give the...
S4 EP02: An Alternative To Silicon Valley's "Unicorn" Bullsh*t
April 25, 2019 04:15 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBFounded by Jenn Brandel and Mara Zapeda, the growing Zebras Unite network is a backlash against Silicon Valley's so-called "unicorn" companies. Many of these entrepreneurs are saying no to venture capital investors and attempting to build sustainable companies that fit their lives and values. But Jenn and Mara's inspiring real talk about making money AND doing good isn't just for "founders." It's about rethinking the role that all companies--and YOU--have in society. Zebras epitomi...
S4 EP01: Manoush and Jen Became Entrepreneurs One Year Ago
April 11, 2019 04:30 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBOn the launch episode of Season Four, Jen and Manoush celebrate the first anniversary of their company, Stable Genius Productions, and share the most important and difficult entrepreneurial lessons they've learned over the past year. They also explain how, after a year of experimentation with format and blockchain technology, ZigZag is evolving into a podcast that takes an honest look at the culture of business--and what needs to change. *Sign up for our newsletter and subscribe ...
S3 EP06: The Plateau of Productivity
March 28, 2019 04:30 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBWhat IS that anti-climactic feeling we get after completing a big project? Shouldn’t we be patting ourselves on the back and mixing celebratory martinis? Perhaps you’ve simply entered the final phase of the Hype Cycle: the rather dull Plateau of Productivity. This is when an idea just WORKS, maybe even becomes a cultural norm. All season long we’ve been tracking how ideas spark, evolve, and grow. Our final episode includes some harsh listener feedback, a conversation between women...
S3 EP5: The Slope of Enlightenment
March 14, 2019 04:30 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBWe're almost at the end of our deep-dive into the lifecycle of innovation, or the so-called Hype Cycle. Phase Four, aka the Slope of Enlightenment, is when the breakthrough happens, you get out of the trough, and start moving forward. We're using this phase to share big news from Stable Genius Productions and talk to Katrina Kelly-Pitou, an environmental economist, on the truth behind blockchain's energy-guzzling reputation. Plus, the mayor who made history by banning Bitcoin ope...
S3 EP4: The Trough of Disillusionment
February 28, 2019 05:30 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBOur journey through the Hype Cycle takes a dark turn this week. Because every innovative idea, sadly, must pass through the third (and most miserable) phase of the cycle: the Trough of Disillusionment. This is when you start questioning why you ever decided to INSERT GOAL HERE in the first place. Hear Professor Kevin Werbach explain the difference between full-on failure and simply measuring success on a longer timeline, as related to tech and blockchain. (Because this podcast love...
S3 EP3: The Peak of Expectations
February 14, 2019 09:00 - 36 minutes - 33 MBAs we continue through the Hype Cycle, we reach the fun, thrilling, titillating phase: the Peak of Expectations. It generates the vital inspiration and adrenaline that keeps every entrepreneur or visionary going (that includes the listener who is in the midst of sleep training her baby daughter). On this episode, Manoush and Jen analyze their start-up highs and wonder whether exciting industry news means podcasting has hit its peak. Plus, more from Massena, NY, as we go inside caver...
S3 EP2: What Triggers Innovation
January 31, 2019 06:00 - 22 minutes - 21 MBQuestion: what SPARKS us to *act *on an idea, rather than let it fade away? Answer: an "Innovation Trigger," also known as Phase 1 of the Hype Cycle. Hear listeners detail what triggered them to pursue a project, more from Gartner analyst Jackie Fenn, and how a hydroelectric dam prompted one small town to start manufacturing Bitcoin, for better and worse. All this season, we're exploring the lifecycle of ideas, including a visit to a town by the Canadian border where one of the bi...
S3 EP1: The Lifecycle of an Idea
January 17, 2019 05:28 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MBYou may *feel *like a special snowflake, but even our best ideas usually take a predictable path: they'll pass through the 5 Phases of the Hype Cycle. Tech analyst Jackie Fenn created this iconic graph (see below) 25 years ago, and it's been used to track innovations (yes, like blockchain) ever since. But the Hype Cycle isn't just for tech: understanding it can help you decide when to press ahead with a job, relationship, or New Year's resolution... or cut your losses and move on. ...
S2 EP12: Lessons Learned from a Risky Crypto Experiment
December 20, 2018 06:30 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MBThe co-founders of Stable Genius Productions have a candid conversation about their current financial situation (hint: their grant is running out soon), the highs/lows of making this season of the podcast (another hint: they had a fallout over email), and Civil's plans to resurrect itself in 2019 (final hint: the token lives on). GO DEEPER: Blockchain has not yet added value to international development projects, USAID finds. After mindfulness, tech takes on information overload,...
S2 EP11: If Capitalism and Socialism Had a Baby
December 20, 2018 05:30 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBThe richest 1 percent of the world's population now owns more than half of the world's wealth. The calls for breaking up Big Tech companies are growing louder. On this episode, the author of Open Revolution, Rufus Pollock, proposes a solution (think regulation, but on steroids) for wrangling monopolies, sparking innovation, and getting profits into the hands of more people. GO DEEPER: "What the California Wildfires Can Teach Us About Data Sharing," Joi Ito writes in Wired. An old ...
S2 EP10: An App for Information Overload?
December 13, 2018 06:00 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBJournalists-turned-entrepreneurs Mark Little and Áine Kerr believe the experience of getting news online is broken. (And they should know: Mark worked at Twitter and Áine at Facebook.) So, they're building an app called Kinzen which they hope can reboot our daily news habit by delivering trustworthy journalism without overwhelming us. Afterall, they reason, we have apps to track our sleep, steps, and calories... Why not news consumption? But can there really be an app for that? GO ...
S2 BONUS: The Story of ZigZag Through Voice Memos
December 06, 2018 05:30 - 13 minutes - 11.9 MBIt's been an extraordinarily weird year. This mini episode compresses Manoush and Jen's story so far into a strange mash-up of voice memos that documents their leap from public radio producers to audio entrepreneurs (who often are very stressed and seem to rarely sleep). Think of it as an audio thank you note for being on this ZigZag ride. We're so glad you're here with us. We hope you'll also consider supporting Radiotopia, the podcast collective that helps make ZigZag possible. ...