We've had interesting conversations about remote-first work with leaders like Jordan Husney, Parabol CEO, and Darren Murph who at the time was the global head of remote work at GitLab (thank you Darren for the intro to Adam). Today's guest has been building a platform to make distributed teams productive since long before it was fashionable. Adam Nathan founded Almanac in January of 2019 to challenge incumbents like Microsoft Office and Google's GSuite. Since then, he and the team have enabled organizations like Cisco, Credit Karma, and ByteDance to collaborate in shared workspaces.Adam has raised more than $40M to date across two rounds from a legendary group of investors that includes Floodgate, Tiger Global, and General Catalyst. Prior to Almanac, Adam did his undergrad at Duke and he received his MBA from Harvard. He's also an active volunteer for The Salvation Army.Listen and learn...How being a product manager at Apple and Lyft inspired Adam to start a company to avoid wasting time at workWhat's unique about remote-first workWhy remote teams need structure and transparency to be productiveHow to eliminate time wasted in meetings without losing opportunities to build trusted relationshipsHow to charge for new LLM features in SaaS productsWhy we tolerate LLM hallucinationsWhere there's a gap in the market for a better collaboration experienceWhat Adam has learned from his entrepreneurial journey References in this episode...Jordan Husney from Parabol  on AI and the Future of WorkDarren Murph from GitLab on AI and the Future of WorkWhy we need to shut down AI development to prevent AGIAlmanac.io

Durga Malladi, Qualcomm SVP and GM and 'Godfather of 5G', discusses Qualcomm's history in wireless technology and AI roadmap, the future of LLMs running locally on phones, improving consumer trust in LLMs, and the transformative potential of generative AI in mobile tech.

In 2020 when today's guest founded her company the transformer architecture was relatively new and OpenAI was a science experiment funded by Elon Musk to ensure that AGI benefits all humanity. She and her team commercialized an early version of a co-pilot for writing content long before we appreciated the value of next-word prediction.Since then, May Habib and the team have raised $21M from an exceptional group of investors including Insight Partners and Gradient Ventures. Today, Writer helps company authors comply with style and brand guidelines and also ensure grammatical accuracy. It's used by an amazing list or organizations including Spotify, Intuit, and Uber.Prior to Writer, May co-founded Qordoba and was a Global Shaper for the World Economic Forum after graduating from Harvard with a BA in Economics.Listen and learn...How May got her start in NLPWhat enterprise leaders don't understand about the current state of generative AIHow to speak to your data using LLMs Why Writer uses graph databases instead of vector databases for generative AIHow Writer mitigates the impact of bias, copyright infringement, and halluciations when using LLMsHow AI is being used to replace tasks people hate... without eliminating jobsHow AI helps users with neurodiversity issues like ADHDHow May navigated a tough company pivotReferences in this episode...Mona Akmal, Falkon CEO, on AI and the Future of WorkAlex Capecelatro, Josh.ai CEO, on AI and the Future of WorkMaking the web more accessible with AI for those with disabilities

Today's guest created one of the largest communities for conversational AI and generative AI enthusiasts. Pete Erickson is the founder of Modev which hosts the popular VOICE & AI conference and also others including the GovAI Summit. Pete started the company back in 2009 and has since produced over 150 events across 89 countries that have connected more than 125,000 people. Pete and the team have created communities for tech companies like Samsung and Amazon. Today, we get a glimpse into the mind of a great entrepreneur who is focused on making AI education accessible to everyone.Listen and learn...How Modev went from a few people in a pizza shop... to a conversational AI event with more than  1,000 attendeesHow Modev trained developers to build Alexa skills... in 2009How new AI regulation is impacting the generative AI developer communityHow Pete would regulate generative AIAbout Sam Altman's request to Congress for OpenAI to be regulatedShould we expect AI vendors to regulate themselves?What we can learn from GDPR in Europe about forthcoming AI regulationHow AI will transform the entertainment industryWhich jobs will be replaced by AI... and which ones are future-proofWhat big news Pete will be announcing at the Voice & AI conferenceReferences in this episode...The Voice & AI conferenceHow Goldman Sachs says AI will increase global GDPBradley Metrock, CEO of Project Voice, on AI and the Future of WorkDaniel Davila, movie producer and Hollywood consultant, on AI and the Future of Work

Entrepreneurs wonder what it’s like to be a VC. And VCs without an operating background often don’t understand the grit required to turn an idea into a successful business. The best investors have been successful operators first.Today’s guest is one of those. Nick Adams founded Differential Ventures in 2017 to invest in B2B, data-first seed-stage companies. Since then, Nick and the team have invested in an impressive group of companies including Private AI, Ocrolus, and Agnostiq.Before Differential, Nick helped grow companies like OPower and RAGE Frameworks in sales, marketing, and product leadership roles. Today we get to learn about how to innovate and grow a startup when the product is a venture fund.Listen and learn...How being an investor and entrepreneur are similarThe most outrageous pitch Nick has heard... and how it involved pornHow being a baseball player trained Nick to be a venture capitalistNick's advice for what to do after closing a big sales dealWhere there are opportunities for generative AI entrepreneurs to get fundedHow AI is being used to design circuit boardsNick's most recent investment... and what made him decide to write the checkWhat Nick is telling Congress we need to do to regulate AIReferences in this episode...Why generative AI is desperately in need of regulationMetafold, new Differential investmentDan Grunfeld from Lightspeed on AI and the Future of Work

Vijay Tella, CEO of Workato and author of 'The New Automation Mindset', discusses his background in enterprise software, the importance of automation and AI, and the power of embracing change with a growth mindset. He explores the concept of the new automation mindset and how it can transform organizations. The podcast also highlights the role of generative AI in Workato's products and provides career advice for recent graduates.

Christopher Penn writes one of the few newsletters I read weekly. I have no idea how I ended up on his mailing list but I’ll never opt out despite the rainbow “Unsubscribe here” buttons he prominently displays.Christopher provides well-researched, thought-provoking commentary on all topics related to generative AI. Like recent guests Pradeep Menon and Ken Wenger Christopher doesn’t settle for soundbite-level commentary and he often shares unpopular opinions backed up with data.Christopher is the Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist at TrustInsights.ai. He’s a six-time IBM Champion in IBM Data and AI, a Brand24 Top 100 Digital Marketer, an Onalytica Top 100 AI in Marketing influencer, and co-host of the award-winning Marketing Over Coffee marketing podcast. He is also the author of two dozen marketing books. His list of accolades and accomplishments goes on for days.Listen and learn...The number one question Christopher asks data-driven marketersWhat has surprised Christopher most about the capabilities of LLMsWhy the letter to pause AI was "dumb"The right way to remove bias and hate speech from LLMsOpen source vs. closed source AI... and how it's related to making pizzaAre we ready for AI vendors to censor content?Christopher's predictions for how all enterprise software will incorporate generative AIWhy Christopher continues to hone his bow and arrow skillsReferences in this episode...Pradeep Menon on AI and the Future of WorkKen Wenger on AI and the Future of WorkTiernan Ray on AI and the Future of WorkChristopher's (entertaining and informative!) newsletterDreamGPT... to glorify LLM hallucinationsThe bots aren't sentient!

Chris Fernandez, founding CEO of EnsoData, uses AI to solve sleep problems by making sleep studies more efficient, cost-effective, and accurate. He discusses how AI and machine learning can be applied to sleep apnea, the potential of 'smart rooms' for healthy sleep, and the importance of controlling AI bias. He also shares tips on improving sleep quality from an expert's perspective. Listen and learn about the intersection of technology and healthcare, the risks in AI software development, and the challenges of scaling a startup.

We’ve had interesting recent discussions about AI and the law with great guests like Robert Plotkin. And we’ve had many interesting conversations about AI with CIO legends like Mark Settle from Okta and Carter Busse from Workato to name a few. In over 200 episodes we haven’t yet discussed how to deliver IT service to the legal industry.Jim McKenna has been delivering technology to attorneys and coaching others who do the same for more than two decades. In his current role at perennial Silicon Valley top law firm Fenwick & West, Jim supports an organization of more than 1,000 employees as CIO. He oversees teams that manage IT and security and is first and foremost a thought leader for the business. Prior to Fenwick, Jim held similar roles at Morrison and Forester. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the International Legal Technology Association.Thanks to Xavier, unsung hero and Fenwick IT specialist, for helping with A/V issues.Listen and learn...What's unique about delivering IT and security service to lawyersHow the legal industry shifted to work from home during the pandemicWhat's ahead for LegalTechWhere there are opportunities for AI to predict future employee needsHow Jim keeps up with security and compliance requirements... while innovatingJim's leadership advice: "Prepare in advance so when the tough occurs you're not afraid!"References in this episode...Robert Plotkin on AI and the Future of WorkMark Settle on AI and the Future of WorkCarter Busse on AI and the Future of WorkHow generative AI is being used to analyze patterns in DNA sequences

Today’s guest has had a front row seat for every technology platform shift for the past 20+ years. More important, he has played an important role in enabling several of them.Kit Colbert joined tech stalwart VMware in September 2003 and currently serves as senior vice president and chief technology officer. He is responsible for ensuring VMware’s long term technology leadership through research and innovation programs. Kit manages the VMware Engineering Services team, advanced R&D initiatives, the Design/UX team and the company’s ESG commitments.Kit was previously VMware’s Cloud CTO, General Manager of VMware’s Cloud-Native Apps business, CTO for VMware’s End-User Computing Business, and the lead architect for the vRealize Operations Suite. Kit is a recognized thought-leader on application modernization and multi-cloud trends and a frequent speaker. He holds a bachelor’s of science in computer science from Brown University.Listen and learn...How a Silicon Valley stalwart like VMware innovates from the insideHow VMware's founder-led culture continues to influence the company todayHow VMware reinvented itself beyond desktop virtualizationKit's recipe for innovationWhy crypto and AI hype are similarKit's perspective on how to regulate AIVMware's generative AI strategyReferences in this episode...Andi Mann from Sageable and Splunk on AI and the Future of WorkDiane Greene and the history of VMwareKit's team's blog