Best Aza Raskin Podcasts (2025)

1
Decoding cross-cultural communication with Erin Meyer 39:01

17m ago39:01

39:01

When talking and working with people from different cultures, sometimes meanings and intentions can get lost in translation. Erin Meyer is an expert on how we communicate and collaborate differently around the world. She and Adam discuss how cultural norms affect honesty and assertiveness, unpack the science behind some common American stereotypes,…

1
Behind the DeepSeek Hype, AI is Learning to Reason 31:34

8d ago31:34

31:34

When Chinese AI company DeepSeek announced they had built a model that could compete with OpenAI at a fraction of the cost, it sent shockwaves through the industry and roiled global markets. But amid all the noise around DeepSeek, there was a clear signal: machine reasoning is here and it's transforming AI. In this episode, Aza sits down with CHT c…

1
The importance of validation with therapist Caroline Fleck 37:17

3d ago37:17

37:17

Seeking acceptance is a natural part of the human experience — but do you know how to dish it out? Clinical psychologist Caroline Fleck believes that validating others is a key to building stronger relationships. She and Adam discuss strategies for recognizing another person’s feelings, the distinction between empathetic validation and exaggerated …

1
Rewriting your story with Allison Sweet Grant 42:27

10d ago42:27

42:27

Allison Sweet Grant is the author of the debut novel I Am the Cage — and also Adam’s wife. In this special episode, Allison and Adam dive into Allison’s book, inspired by her experience growing up with a congenital limb discrepancy and undergoing a complicated medical procedure at a formative age. They explore the lessons for identity, shame, trust…

1
Cancelling cancel culture with Loretta Ross 36:38

17d ago36:38

36:38

As a public intellectual, activist and professor at Smith College, Loretta Ross is no stranger to confrontation and debate. But years of working to change the minds of others have led her to rethink her own ideas about approaching difficult conversations. Loretta and Adam discuss why shaming rarely changes behavior and her powerful alternative to c…

1
The Self-Preserving Machine: Why AI Learns to Deceive 34:51

29d ago34:51

34:51

When engineers design AI systems, they don't just give them rules - they give them values. But what do those systems do when those values clash with what humans ask them to do? Sometimes, they lie. In this episode, Redwood Research's Chief Scientist Ryan Greenblatt explores his team’s findings that AI systems can mislead their human operators when …

1
Reimagining the US political system with Sharon McMahon 37:47

24d ago37:47

37:47

Sharon McMahon is a government expert, but that doesn’t mean she wants to run for office. As an author, podcaster and civics teacher, Sharon finds that her time is best spent kindly correcting people on the internet and leading her millions of Instagram followers — who call themselves the Governerds — in conversations about how to improve democracy…

1
Improving teen mental health with Lisa Damour 41:10

1M ago41:10

41:10

Adolescence can be an emotionally volatile time, and in the age of social media, concerns about teenage mental health are more pressing than ever — for teens and parents alike. Dr. Lisa Damour is a clinical psychologist who specializes in teenagers and their mental health, consulting on the Pixar film Inside Out 2 and authoring the New York Times b…

1
Laughing at Power: A Troublemaker’s Guide to Changing Tech 45:47

1M ago45:47

45:47

The status quo of tech today is untenable: we’re addicted to our devices, we’ve become increasingly polarized, our mental health is suffering and our personal data is sold to the highest bidder. This situation feels entrenched, propped up by a system of broken incentives beyond our control. So how do you shift an immovable status quo? Our guest tod…

1
Fixing the trust crisis with Rachel Botsman 43:17

1M ago43:17

43:17

Who do you trust — and when? Rachel Botsman is a leading expert on trust in the modern world, and her new audiobook, How to Trust and Be Trusted, offers bold new ways of thinking about building, maintaining and restoring relationships. Rachel and Adam redefine trust, examine why we often trust the wrong people and question the assumption that trans…

1
Sam Altman on the future of AI and humanity 39:42

2M ago39:42

39:42

Sam Altman is the CEO and cofounder of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. He and Adam discuss AI's advances in creativity and empathy, its ethical challenges, and the role of human oversight. Sam and Adam also discuss strategies for adapting to a changing world and their hopes for technology that enhances human progress while maintaining human val…

1
Merve Emre on emotional intelligence as corporate control (Re-release) 53:44

2M ago53:44

53:44

It's been 25 years since the concept of emotional intelligence exploded onto the scene. Cultural critic Merve Emre makes a bold case that in the wrong hands, it can be used to exploit people. We unpack the surprising roots of emotional intelligence, how it's been co-opted as a form of corporate control and why you might want to rethink some of your…

1
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on doing death, truth-telling in comedy and getting wiser (from On with Kara Swisher) 41:20

2M ago41:20

41:20

Actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus is most famous for her comedic TV characters Elaine Benes in Seinfeld and Selina Meyer in Veep. But in recent years, she's been showing her dramatic chops, including in her latest film, Tuesday, in which she takes on grief, denial and death. She's also been winning awards as the host of her podcast Wiser Than Me. In this e…

1
Ask Us Anything 2024 40:04

2M ago40:04

40:04

2024 was a critical year in both AI and social media. Things moved so fast it was hard to keep up. So our hosts reached into their mailbag to answer some of your most burning questions. Thank you so much to everyone who submitted questions. We will see you all in the new year. We are hiring for a new Director of Philanthropy at CHT. Next year will …

1
Befriending your impostor syndrome with Iceland's president Halla Tómasdóttir 33:44

2M ago33:44

33:44

When Halla Tómasdóttir lost her bid for the Icelandic presidency in 2016, she wasn't sure she wanted to run again. But after battles with self-doubt, encouragement from her supporters and an epiphany about leadership, she ran again this year — and this time, she won. Halla joins Adam to discuss dealing with impostor syndrome, why leadership is wort…

1
How Mark Rober hides "science vegetables" in viral videos 41:08

2M ago41:08

41:08

If you don't know Mark Rober, your kids do. He's best known for his viral engineering feats — like creating an obstacle course for squirrels, designing glitter bombs to get revenge on package thieves and building the world's largest Nerf gun. Before launching YouTube's most followed science channel, he was a NASA engineer, and he now runs his own c…

1
Jane Goodall on leadership lessons from primates 42:50

3M ago42:50

42:50

Have you ever felt like your work colleagues sometimes act like animals? In this conversation, Jane Goodall and Adam take that idea literally, exploring what Jane's expertise on chimp behavior can teach us about how humans relate and organize. With grace and wisdom, she shares primal insights on how we acquire and keep power, the difference between…

1
The art of invention with Nathan Myhrvold 26:30

3M ago26:30

26:30

Nathan Myhrvold may be the closest thing we have to a modern-day Renaissance man. A cofounder, inventor, chef, photographer, dinosaur hunter, author and former Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft, Nathan infuses creativity and innovation into everything he does. Nathan and Adam dive into the science behind the creative process, discussing what it…

1
The Tech-God Complex: Why We Need to be Skeptics 46:32

3M ago46:32

46:32

Silicon Valley's interest in AI is driven by more than just profit and innovation. There’s an unmistakable mystical quality to it as well. In this episode, Daniel and Aza sit down with humanist chaplain Greg Epstein to explore the fascinating parallels between technology and religion. From AI being treated as a godlike force to tech leaders' promis…

1
The science of fighting crime with Nick Cowen 32:57

3M ago32:57

32:57

Criminologist Nick Cowen doesn't just analyze crime — he studies how to prevent it. As a professor at the University of Lincoln in the UK, he explores the unexpected factors that influence crime rates. Nick joins Adam to discuss how social norms and incentives helped the UK curb drunk driving, and the two talk through the science behind what actual…

1
Malcolm Gladwell on the importance of self-correction 46:16

3M ago46:16

46:16

Malcolm Gladwell joins Adam for a lively discussion and debate, recorded live at the Authors@Wharton series. More than 20 years after releasing his blockbuster book The Tipping Point, Malcolm has decided to rethink his first famous ideas by writing his new book, Revenge of the Tipping Point. He and Adam riff on the value of acknowledging our past m…

1
What Can We Do About Abusive Chatbots? With Meetali Jain and Camille Carlton 48:44

4M ago48:44

48:44

CW: This episode features discussion of suicide and sexual abuse. In the last episode, we had the journalist Laurie Segall on to talk about the tragic story of Sewell Setzer, a 14 year old boy who took his own life after months of abuse and manipulation by an AI companion from the company Character.ai. The question now is: what's next? Megan has fi…

1
Finding the joy of service with Milk Bar's Christina Tosi and restaurateur Will Guidara 34:18

4M ago34:18

34:18

Christina Tosi and Will Guidara have found many winning recipes — in food, business and love. Christina is the chef-owner at Milk Bar, a James Beard award winner and the author of multiple cookbooks. Will transformed Eleven Madison Park into a three-Michelin-star restaurant ranked among the world's best. The power couple joins Adam to share remarka…

1
Should leaders be feared or loved? with historian Niall Ferguson 40:05

4M ago40:05

40:05

Niall Ferguson is an intellectual provocateur. His specialty is counterfactual history — imagining how events could have unfolded differently. And he and Adam disagree on nearly everything. In this episode, Niall and Adam have a vigorous debate about the vital qualities of effective leadership in government, sports, business, and education. Availab…

1
When the "Person" Abusing Your Child is a Chatbot: The Tragic Story of Sewell Setzer 49:10

4M ago49:10

49:10

Content Warning: This episode contains references to suicide, self-harm, and sexual abuse. Megan Garcia lost her son Sewell to suicide after he was abused and manipulated by AI chatbots for months. Now, she’s suing the company that made those chatbots. On today’s episode of Your Undivided Attention, Aza sits down with journalist Laurie Segall, who'…

1
Overcoming loneliness with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy 31:30

4M ago31:30

31:30

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy thinks about public health holistically. Whether he's addressing youth mental health crises, the loneliness epidemic or serving on the White House's COVID-19 pandemic response team, Vivek is dedicated to improving well-being. In a live conversation, Vivek and Adam discuss the individual and collective foundations of bel…

1
The dark side of charisma 23:46

4M ago23:46

23:46

You may think no leader could ever be too charismatic, but the evidence is clear: a dazzling personality doesn't always drive success. In this episode, Adam investigates why an excess of charm can actually be detrimental to people and organizations. He chats with bestselling author and executive coach Liz Wiseman and one of her clients, CEO Hazel J…

1
Is It AI? One Tool to Tell What’s Real with Truemedia.org CEO Oren Etzioni 25:36

5M ago25:36

25:36

Social media disinformation did enormous damage to our shared idea of reality. Now, the rise of generative AI has unleashed a flood of high-quality synthetic media into the digital ecosystem. As a result, it's more difficult than ever to tell what’s real and what’s not, a problem with profound implications for the health of our society and democrac…

1
How to design teams that don’t suck 37:43

5M ago37:43

37:43

Too many teams are less than the sum of their parts, and building a great team requires more than just picking an all-star roster or doing trust falls. Adam dives into the hard-hitting research on what makes teams work — with members of the “Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey team and organizational behavior professor Anita Woolley. You’ll also hear so…

1
'A Turning Point in History': Yuval Noah Harari on AI’s Cultural Takeover 1:30:41

5M ago1:30:41

1:30:41

Historian Yuval Noah Harari says that we are at a critical turning point. One in which AI’s ability to generate cultural artifacts threatens humanity’s role as the shapers of history. History will still go on, but will it be the story of people or, as he calls them, ‘alien AI agents’? In this conversation with Aza Raskin, Harari discusses the histo…

1
The wrong way to think about culture fit 33:45

5M ago33:45

33:45

Many workplaces hire, reward and promote on culture fit. But that can come with real costs to individuals and organizations. In this episode, Adam dives into the evidence on why overemphasizing fit can overlook promising people — and shows how organizations can fight conformity and support self-expression. Guests include Ellevest founder Sallie Kra…

1
John Legend on the creative process and "mumbling" his way to a hit 35:23

5M ago35:23

35:23

Before John Legend was coaching The Voice and winning Emmys, Grammys, Oscars and Tonys, he was a twenty-something consultant living in Boston. In this episode, John sits down with Adam to share how he hustled from the boardroom to the studio and crafted the creative career that led him to the top of the entertainment industry. John also talks about…

1
‘We Have to Get It Right’: Gary Marcus On Untamed AI 41:43

5M ago41:43

41:43

It’s a confusing moment in AI. Depending on who you ask, we’re either on the fast track to AI that’s smarter than most humans, or the technology is about to hit a wall. Gary Marcus is in the latter camp. He’s a cognitive psychologist and computer scientist who built his own successful AI start-up. But he’s also been called AI’s loudest critic. On Y…

1
The secret to success isn't power — it's status 32:45

5M ago32:45

32:45

Many people believe that success depends on gaining power, but it turns out that status is a more sustainable path to accomplishment and impact. Adam is joined by Survivor star Parvati Shallow, organizational psychologist and author Alison Fragale, and Chynna Clayton — former special assistant to Michelle Obama — to break down the best strategies f…

1
Sarah Silverman on being wrong — and treating trolls with kindness 30:00

5M ago30:00

30:00

Sarah Silverman is a comedian, actor and writer who doesn;t shy away from saying what she thinks. Her bold, distinctive voice has taken her from Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld to Broadway plays, late-night TV and Disney animated movies. Sarah shares surprising stories about turning haters into fans, and she and Adam discuss strategies for defusin…

1
AI Is Moving Fast. We Need Laws that Will Too. 39:09

6M ago39:09

39:09

AI is moving fast. And as companies race to rollout newer, more capable models–with little regard for safety–the downstream risks of those models become harder and harder to counter. On this week’s episode of Your Undivided Attention, CHT’s policy director Casey Mock comes on the show to discuss a new legal framework to incentivize better AI, one t…

1
How to stop doom scrolling — and have a better experience online with Jay Van Bavel 33:56

5M ago33:56

33:56

Jay Van Bavel is an award-winning professor of psychology and neural science at NYU — and he's an expert on the causes of and cures for division. Adam and Jay discuss the science of virality, why bad news often commands our attention, and how we can find common ground around more uplifting content. Jay's latest book, The Power of Us, is out now. Ho…

1
Esther Perel on Artificial Intimacy (rerun) 44:52

6M ago44:52

44:52

[This episode originally aired on August 17, 2023] For all the talk about AI, we rarely hear about how it will change our relationships. As we swipe to find love and consult chatbot therapists, acclaimed psychotherapist and relationship expert Esther Perel warns that there’s another harmful “AI” on the rise — Artificial Intimacy — and how it is dep…

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