Azeem Azhar's Exponential View

From an insurance giant to an incubator of cutting-edge tech companies, Ping An’s evolution is impressive and unique. Chief Innovation Officer Jonathan Larsen joins Azeem Azhar to explore how the China-based holding conglomerate has managed such agility at immense scale. They also discuss: Why being founder-led has enabled bold movement into new markets. How Ping An created the world’s largest telemedicine platform from scratch. Why innovation must come from the company’s core culture and leadership. Why Ping An’s success is linked to pivoting the entire group to a self-built cloud platform. @PingAnTech @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “How Ping An, an insurer, became a fintech super-app” (The Economist, 2020) “Ping-An, the tech giant masquerading as a finance company” (FinTech Brain Food, 2020) “Ping An on building a fintech ecosystem in China” (McKinsey, 2019)

“Quantum computing is to conventional computing what a warp drive is to a bicycle,” says Jeremy O’Brien, CEO of PsiQuantum. He joins Azeem Azhar to explore the exponential advantage quantum computing will bring to problems across science and industry, and how he’s using photonics to build the first productive quantum computer. They also discuss: Why only quantum computers can help solve our most intractable problems. Why VCs are not rushing to fund this transformative technology. How existing silicon chip techniques can be adapted to build components for photonic quantum computing. @azeem @ExponentialView PsiQuantum Further resources: “Quantum computing and quantum supremacy, explained” (Wired, 2020) “Quantum for quants – Wall Street’s latest shiny new thing” (The Economist, 2020) “The future is quantum: solution to the world’s critical problems” (Financial Times, 2017)

Regina Dugan, CEO of new biomedical non-profit Wellcome Leap and former director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the U.S., joins Azeem Azhar to explore how she approaches delivering breakthrough technologies, and why she has now set her sights on global health. They also discuss: The thinking behind DARPA’s early support of Moderna’s mRNA vaccine technology. How the DARPA model of innovation can apply to advancing medical technologies. How the lessons from her experience of childhood cancer have guided Dugan’s career. Further resources “Understanding the Enduring Consequences of Covid-19” (Exponential View podcast with Professor Nicholas Christakis, 2020) “The Covid-19 Pandemic May Be a ‘Sputnik Moment’” (Bloomberg New Economy, 2020) “The Health Age” (Wellcome Leap, 2020) @azeem @ExponentialView @WellcomeLeap

Cory Doctorow, award-winning author, technologist, and founder, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the power of big tech monopolies and how a future wave of antitrust lawsuits could unleash innovation across the sector. They also discuss: How antitrust litigation, even if it fails, has a powerful effect on corporate behavior. Why interoperability is key to a competitive marketplace. How software patents have been weaponized to protect monopolies. Further resources: “Regulating Big Tech makes them stronger, they need competition instead” (The Economist, 2019) “Google lawsuit: the opening salvo in a battle to restrain Big Tech” (Financial Times, 2020) “How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism” (Online book by Cory Doctorow 2020) “How US Lawmakers Plan to Tackle Big Tech” (Exponential View – subscribers only, 2020) @doctorow @azeem @ExponentialView

In his reflection on this tumultuous year, Azeem Azhar finds hope in our reaction to the pandemic. The achievements made through collective action and the latest technologies have been life-saving. Azeem also explores: What businesses will need in order to thrive in 2021. How new multi-stakeholder institutions will emerge to meet the challenges in the coming period of friction and fragmentation. Questions sent in by subscribers to the Exponential View Newsletter. Further reading: IKEA: Making a $40 Billion Company Climate Positive (Exponential View Podcast, 2020) What if Every Day Was Pandemic Day (Exponential View, 2020) Your Technologies of the 2020s (Exponential View, 2020) @azeem @ExponentialView

Cory Doctorow, award winning author, technologist, and founder, joins Azeem Azhar to examine how the pandemic mindset around harnessing massive collective action and exponential technologies for the good of humanity could also help us mitigate climate change. They also discuss: How Covid-19 exposed the need to reset the relationship between market and state. Why the predicted 20-30 percent unemployment rate will force dramatic government action in 2021. Further resources: What can climate tech do for us? (Exponential View 2020) Cory Doctorow: Full Employment (Locus Magazine 2020) How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism (Online book by Cory Doctorow 2020) @doctorow @azeem @ExponentialView

Leila Rastegar Zegna, co-founder and general partner of Kindred Capital, joins Azeem Azhar for a deep dive into venture capital: how it really works, what’s broken, and how to fix it. They also explore a new model for venture capital, where founders become partners in the fund. This new approach aims to align incentives for both entrepreneurs and investors, in order to build a healthier innovation community. They also discuss: Why venture capital is a “people business,” not a finance business. Why obsessiveness is a more important than expertise for founders. Why not all startups should seek funding. Further resources: “How Venture Capitalists Are Deforming Capitalism” (The New Yorker, 2020) “What Is Equitable Venture?” (Kindred Capital, 2017) “Silicon Valley Needs a Shakedown with Chamath Palihapitiya” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) @lrastegar @azeem @ExponentialView

IKEA generates 0.1 percent of the world’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. Can this $40 billion multinational company become climate positive by 2030? Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka Group, joins Azeem Azhar to discuss how to grow a business while investing in renewable energy, sourcing sustainable materials, and building a circular economy. They also discuss: How being a leader in the “green revolution” is a business opportunity. How mass production could actually expedite progress towards sustainability. Why supporting customers in their efforts to re-use and recycle is part of IKEA’s plan. Further resources: “The Drive to Decarbonize with Ramez Naam” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “Ikea says it’s easier being green if you are private” (Financial Times, 2020) “Ikea Will Buy Back Used Furniture” (New York Times, 2020) @azeem @ExponentialView

“China is no longer a copycat. It’s an innovator,” says Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of Sinovation Ventures and former president of Google China. He joins Azeem Azhar to explore China’s rapidly evolving tech scene, their embrace of automation, and their journey to AI dominance. They also explore: How Covid has dramatically accelerated the use of consumer-facing robots. Why office workers are most vulnerable to replacement by AI. Why China is so attractive for tech investors. Further resources: “China, an AI Superpower” (Exponential View podcast, 2018) “Kai-Fu Lee on how covid spurs China’s great robotic leap forward” (The Economist, 2020) “China Has Caught Up To US In AI, Says AI Expert Kai-Fu Lee” (Forbes, 2020) @kaifulee @azeem @ExponentialView

As the world population grows and climate change intensifies, how can we transform the food supply chain to be more sustainable and resilient? Mike Zelkind, co-founder and CEO of 80 Acres Farms, is building a network of hyper-efficient, high-tech, indoor farms to provide local communities with fresh, nutritious produce. He joins Azeem Azhar to discuss the challenges of disrupting the farming industry to innovate the future of food. They also discuss: Why fruits and vegetables are now bred for logistics, not for flavor and nutrition. How robotics and AI are being used to optimize yield, taste, and growing time. Why “stressing” plants is key to making them healthy. Further resources: “Robots are changing the future of farming” (CNET, 2020) “Growing higher – New ways to make vertical farming stack up” (The Economist, 2019) “Reinventing food: The coming disruption” (Exponential View report, 2020) @80AcresFarms @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter