Curious and confused about the world we live in? Us too. Join us to explore various cultural topics in attempt to gain a better understanding. We try to see all the angles of controversy even if we don't agree with them. We are two passionate instigators discussing just about anything in the past, present and future of human society. New episodes published on Mondays.
…
continue reading
Instigators of Change is a Khosla Ventures podcast that explores innovative ideas, the people who come up with them, and those who invest in them. Our guests are the outliers, creators, mavericks — those who imagine differently. They build companies that alter transportation, retail, food, energy, entertainment, space. And when they succeed, we cannot imagine life without them. Tune in to hear about non-obvious ideas from inspiring people. The podcast is hosted by Kara Miller, former host of ...
…
continue reading
Looking for inspiration and encouragement geared towards leaders of social good organizations? Join your host Kirsten Bullock on the Social Good Instigators Podcast to hear about what's working. You'll be learning from other leaders who will provide helpful tips related to social entrepreneurship, growing successful organizations and more. Leaders will be sharing about ways they helped their organizations excel (as well as things that didn't work out so well). Formerly known as the Nonprofit ...
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
How to Conquer Imposter Syndrome, and Become a Tech CEO
42:02
42:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
42:02
Shellye Archambeau has encountered a lot of obstacles in life, but her ability to navigate around them has proved almost superhuman. Archambeau talks about deciding - as a teenager - that she wanted to be a CEO, and how she navigated the business world to make that happen. How do you deal with a company that’s not paying you enough? That won’t prom…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Dheeraj Pandey Wants to Change CRM. Can He?
31:50
31:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:50
When Dheeraj Pandey co-founded the cloud computing company Nutanix in 2009, the economy was shaky. Housing was turbulent. And interest rates had moved dramatically. Sound familiar? Nutanix would grow into a multibillion dollar company, and now, Pandey is back at the start-up game. He’s trying to change CRM, though it’s a tough time to be challengin…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Why entrepreneurs ignore an aging America - at their peril
36:01
36:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
36:01
After tennis great Serena Williams announced her retirement from tennis, she tweeted out an article from Joseph Coughlin, head of the MIT AgeLab. Williams said she wasn’t retiring - she was “forever evolving.” And Coughlin believes that Williams’ sentiment is a sign of the times. Average Americans are getting older. They’re living longer. They want…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Jeff Wilke: From Amazon Exec to Rebuilding American Manufacturing
42:42
42:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
42:42
When Jeff Wilke left Amazon in 2021, where - since 2016 - he had served as CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer, his next chapter could have focused on rest and relaxation. After all, Wilke had been at Amazon for more than 20 years, and had seen it grow from a modest-sized bookseller to a worldwide behemoth. But Wilke believes the American economy - an…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What Evidence Shows About Who Really Succeeds in Business
40:03
40:03
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:03
You might call Ethan Mollick a man obsessed. And he probably wouldn’t mind. Because Mollick - a high-profile professor at The Wharton School - is obsessed with data, which dispels a lot of the myths around startups. Like: Do twenty somethings have the most successful startups? Nope, it’s forty-somethings. Are teams more successful than solo founder…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Siddhartha Mukherjee and Anand Parikh On A New Way To Fight Cancer
35:00
35:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:00
More than 50 years ago, President Nixon announced a moonshot to cure cancer. But the cure never came. More than half a million Americans still die from cancer every single year. Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and cancer physician Siddhartha Mukherjee says that, in some ways, the scientific community has failed - and it must embrace new approaches. O…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Why Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar Took A Big Career Risk
36:40
36:40
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
36:40
When Sarah Friar quit as the CFO of Square, CEO Jack Dorsey wasn't thrilled. But she felt compelled to take the leap. Friar explains why she left, and how her childhood in a conflict-plagued part of Northern Ireland factored into the decision. Plus, if you're building a company now, how should you navigate this tricky economic environment? How shou…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
From Cute Cats to Political Upheaval: How YouTube Changed The World
43:19
43:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:19
In 2005, a small company began offering up a way to post amateur videos on the web. YouTube operated on a shoestring, with its founders maxing out credit cards, and debating what the company was really about. The next year, Google - sensing that YouTube would be a powerful force in search - acquired them. This week, author Mark Bergen tells the sto…
…
continue reading
In the early 2000s, a baby clothes salesman was about to strike it big. His name was Adam Neumann, and his rise - and fall - has a lot to teach both founders and funders about why a company can go off the rails. Neumann's new real estate venture, Flow, recently got a $350 million investment from Andreessen Horowitz. We thought it'd be a good time t…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
How one VC navigates today's volatility (Rebroadcast)
32:49
32:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
32:49
Financial markets have been up and down enough to make anyone seasick. And if you're starting a company - or investing in one - it's an uncertain time. In one of our most popular episodes of the last few months, Samir Kaul - a founding partner of Khosla Ventures - talks about how this volatility compares to the downturns of 2001 and 2008, why he's …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Why Big Money Makes Big Bets (Rebroadcast)
38:28
38:28
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
38:28
This month, as we highlight some of our favorite episodes, we take a look at an industry that has altered the economic fortunes of the world over the last 50 years: venture capital. It has brought us game-changing medicines and life-reordering tech. But not without controversy. And today’s venture capitalists want to fund companies that alter how w…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
How AI destroys businesses... and creates new ones (Rebroadcast)
37:03
37:03
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
37:03
This summer, we're revisiting some of our favorite shows. Including this discussion with Harvard Business School professor Karim Lakhani, which reflected Lakhani's view that almost every company is now an AI company. Even if founders and CEOs aren't always thrilled to hear it. In fact, he says, artificial intelligence is upending the way business i…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Can Batteries Solve Everything? (Rebroadcast)
31:42
31:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:42
As the summer - and lots of record-setting heat - drags on, you might wonder how we can slow global warming. But, even for a scientist and entrepreneur like Jay Whitacre, who has spent decades thinking about how to get Americans to embrace cleaner energy... it’s complicated. Should you, for example, buy an all-electric car? Actually, it depends on …
…
continue reading
Ben Horowitz isn’t afraid to pick favorites when it comes to great CEOs. Like Andy Grove, the former head of Intel. Grove didn’t put up with any nonsense, Horowitz says, because he was singularly focused on what it takes to achieve and maintain greatness. In our next show from KV’s CEO Summit, Horowitz - the co-founder of the venture capital firm A…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Star In a Bottle: Can Fusion Solve Our Energy Crisis?
27:56
27:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:56
Imagine if we could harness the power of a star, right here on Earth. Our energy challenges, as we know them, would disappear. That’s the promise of fusion technology, a way of generating electricity that scientists have been working on for decades, but have never quite cracked. Are we any closer in 2022? Commonwealth Fusion Technology, a venture-b…
…
continue reading
From massive supply chain issues to wary investors, 2022 is turning out to be a tough year for biotech. But it's also a sector that's reshaping our lives, as we saw during the pandemic. So what are the most exciting opportunities in biotech right now? And where are the pitfalls? Cellino co-founder Nabiha Saklayen and Khosla Ventures partner Alex Mo…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Vinod Khosla’s American Story (Rebroadcast)
37:01
37:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
37:01
On a week when we celebrate American indepedence, we revisit our conversation with venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. Khosla talks about coming to the U.S. and what it took to succeed here. Then, we look at the environmental implications when billions of people around the world want to live like Americans. Plus, Khosla explains why he’s so interested…
…
continue reading
Sure, Roger Martin used to run a business school. But that doesn't stop him from questioning the way we train captains of industry. In fact, he argues, many business leaders don't realize that we're not just locked in a struggle between capital and labor. Now, managing talent may be the most important part of your job as a leader. From Julia Robert…
…
continue reading
Financial markets have been up and down enough to make anyone seasick. And if you're starting a company - or investing in one - it's an uncertain time. Samir Kaul, a founding partner of Khosla Ventures, talks about how this volatility compares to the downturns of 2001 and 2008, why he's not panicking, and how companies should navigate this new real…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
MIT's Angela Belcher on cancer, green synthesis, and getting inventions to market
30:20
30:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:20
About a decade ago, when the President of MIT approached Angela Belcher about doing cancer research, Belcher turned her down. After all, Belcher is a materials and biological engineer who had done lots of work on environmental sustainability. But cancer research? That was an area she didn't feel she could contribute to. And then she realized that a…
…
continue reading
Kim Scott admits she has made some huge mistakes as a boss - mistakes that made her kind of obsessed with becoming a better manager. She's also learned a thing or two from being managed by Sheryl Sandberg, and from teaching managers at Apple to lead. She argues that if you don’t know what you’re doing as a leader, productivity will suffer. The team…
…
continue reading
Patrick Brown makes burgers for a living, but he’ll tell you without hesitation: he has no interest in making burgers. So how did a Stanford biochemist - who happily studied cells in a lab - end up trying to revolutionize fast food? He talks to us about why he felt compelled to quit his job, how he thinks burgers could help save us from economic an…
…
continue reading
You want to do what’s right for the planet. So you buy an all-electric car. Right? Well... not always. Jay Whitacre, one of the country’s foremost experts on batteries, tells us why where you live may dictate the answer to that question. Which speaks to the strange moment we're in right now, when it comes to batteries. Whitacre says that getting ba…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Turning pollution into jet fuel (and yoga pants)
23:11
23:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
23:11
Sure, lots of business leaders have big dreams. But when Jennifer Holmgren tells you she wants to turn pollution into both jet fuel and yoga pants, she means it. And she's done it. Her company, LanzaTech, has refined a technology to recycle carbon. And, as she explains, they can pull right up to a super-polluting steel mill and start gobbling up th…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What Smart Companies Know about Working with the Government
41:30
41:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:30
Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., aren't always two peas in a pod. The "move fast, break things" approach may not square with a cautious-at-all-costs outlook. So if you're a company that needs to work with government regulators, how do you do it? And achieve your goals? Michael Huerta, who ran the FAA and served as U.S. Secretary of Transportati…
…
continue reading
Self-driving seemed like a can’t-miss technology. Smart people were working on it. Money was poured into it. So why, decades later, aren’t you answering your email, while lounging in the backseat of a self-driving car on your daily commute? Sven Strohband, who came early to the world of self-driving cars and is now a partner at Khosla Ventures, say…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
How AI destroys businesses... and creates new ones
38:34
38:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
38:34
Artificial intelligence is upending the way business is done, and shifting who has the advantage. We talk with Harvard Business School's Karim Lakhani about why traditional models don't work anymore, why some companies are in denial about that, and where the opportunities are now. Plus, thorny questions over data, and China's growing influence over…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
How to Beat Burnout and Master Recruiting
37:59
37:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
37:59
Data shows that Americans are less happy than they’ve been in 50 years and - no surprise - that has implications for the work we do. Folks building companies are dealing with employees who are burnt out - while often feeling exhausted themselves. So how do you make decisions that really help employees? Jennifer Moss, author of "The Burnout Epidemic…
…
continue reading
Venture capital has drawn both supporters and detractors, as it has altered the economic fortunes of the world over the last 50 years. Today, venture capitalists have some very lofty goals. They want to fund companies that change how we shop, eat, travel, work, and more. Venture capital is revolutionizing China, and coming under fire for a lack of …
…
continue reading
In the early 2000s, a baby clothes salesman was about to strike it big. His name was Adam Neumann, and his rise - and fall - has a lot to teach both founders and funders about why a company can go off the rails. Bestselling authors Maureen Farrell and Eliot Brown join us to talk about how Neumann helped build WeWork, how he attracted tremendous amo…
…
continue reading
On the premiere episode of “Instigators of Change,” we talk with venture capitalist Vinod Khosla about what to watch for - and what to watch out for. Vinod explains why he’s so interested in improbable notions, why he’s failed so often, and what ideas captivate him now. Plus, how can tech help fix the climate crisis? Vinod argues it may be about to…
…
continue reading
Instigators of Change is a Khosla Ventures podcast that explores innovative ideas, the people who come up with them, and those who invest in them. Our guests are the outliers, creators, mavericks — those who imagine differently. They build companies that alter transportation, retail, food, energy, entertainment, space. And when they succeed, we can…
…
continue reading
In this Episode we discuss...............So much.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
In this episode, we discuss the polarizing figure that is Lil Nas X, what art is defined as, and how we should address mental health in the future.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
We are finally back recording and this time it is in person. More podcasts to come soon and they will be a step up from our previous ones. In this episode, we shoot the shit and bring up whatever is on our minds. Thanks for listening.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
In this episode we discuss if free will is a thing or not. Thanks for listening.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
In this Episode we discuss a few random things. In a few months we will be back to doing this in person together so the content should get better. I think we will be adding a video aspect at that time as well for our youtube channel. Stay tuned.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 43 - Consciousness: You Can't Use It To Understand It
1:32:54
1:32:54
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:32:54
In this episode we discuss the Gamestop frenzy, travel, Capitol Insurrection and a few other things. Intro Credit: Alan Watts SpeechBy Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
In this episode, we discuss the abolishionist John Brown as well as a few other things.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 41 - Friendship vs. Political Views
2:01:04
2:01:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:01:04
In this episode, we discuss many different things including a falling out due to political views between two friends.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 40 - Pandemic Political Ping Pong
1:33:03
1:33:03
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:33:03
On this episode we discuss how our lives have changed in the last year due to covid. We also get into sports, movies, society, etc.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 39 - Election Night Special
2:42:34
2:42:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:42:34
In this episode, we discuss many different topics impacting the 2020 presidential race and a few that have nothing to do with it.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 38 - People Don't Fuck With Books
1:38:01
1:38:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:38:01
In this episode, we catch up on sports, movies, books, tv shows, current events, and politics. Intro/Outro Song Credit: Kota the Friend - SummerhouseBy Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
On this Episode we discuss the ongoing clusterfuck that is 2020. Enjoy.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
On this episode, we discuss the current climate of the USA while dealing with Coronavirus and protests. Enjoy.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 35 - Culture Is Always Changing
1:52:40
1:52:40
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:52:40
On this episode we discuss the protests across the United States, culture and the current state of racism in the World.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
On this episode we get into anything and everything on our minds during month 3 of lock down. Some places are opening back up slowly and we are along for the ride with you.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 33 - Recessive Intelligence
2:08:18
2:08:18
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
2:08:18
On this episode we discuss whether or not college degrees are worth it.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Episode 32 - Can We Ever Be Normal Again?
1:11:01
1:11:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:11:01
Episode 32 of the Revolutionary Instigators.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading
On this episode we discuss a certain virus but also debate the founding fathers and the principles America is governed by.By Revolutionary Instigators
…
continue reading