Azeem Azhar's Exponential View

Global supply chains are efficient, but fragile. How can we make them more robust, flexible, and sustainable? Pamela Mar, EVP for Knowledge and Applications at the Fung Group, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the technological and economic changes needed to improve these vital networks of production and distribution. They discuss: The lessons about mass production and specialization we’re learning with the Covid-19 crisis. How digitization can build trust along the supply chain. Why automation is an opportunity to move from mass production to mass customization. Further reading: “Reinventing Fashion” (Chatham House Panel Discussion, 2018) “Meet the Eco-Business A-Listers: Pamela Mar” (Eco-Business, 2020) “The State of Fashion – Coronavirus Update” (McKinsey and Business of Fashion, 2020) @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For the first time in history, there are more people on the planet over 65 years old, than under five. How do we adapt to this demographic transformation? Camilla Cavendish, award-winning journalist and former Director of Public Policy for UK Prime Minister David Cameron, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the immense cost and new potential of this brave old world. They discuss: The huge wealth gap opening up between older and younger people. What we can learn from the Okinawan concept of “ikigai” or “life purpose”. Why meaningful relationships are the single most important factor in long-term wellbeing. Further reading: “The New Science of Aging” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “Extra Time: 10 Lessons for An Ageing World Camilla Cavendish” (2019) “We are prioritising the old and will have to make it up to the young” (Financial Times, 2020) “The Three Cleavages” (Azeem Azhar, 2020) @CamCavendish @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We have long assumed aging is inevitable, but is it? Professor David Sinclair, founder of the Sinclair Lab at Harvard’s Medical School and author of the bestselling “Lifespan: Why We Age — and Why We Don’t Have To,” joins Azeem Azhar to discuss emerging research that promises to radically slow down aging. Their conversation covers: What the Information Theory of Aging is and how it shifts the paradigm on biomarkers of aging. Why periodically stressing your body can promote health and longevity. Which supplements might arrest the three biochemical pathways implicated in aging. Further reading: “Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To” (Talks at Google, 2019) “This is why we need to start treating ageing as a disease” (Wired, 2018) “Has Harvard’s David Sinclair Found the Fountain of Youth?” (Boston Magazine, 2017) @davidasinclair @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In Estonia, the only public service not available online is marriage. Dubbed the “digital republic”, Estonia has the most advanced e-government in the world and nurtures a vibrant start-up community. Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia, joins Azeem Azhar to explore how legal and technological innovations have helped to build e-Estonia, and how this digital republic is navigating the Covid-19 pandemic. They explore: How Covid-19 could accelerate technology development and implementation. How Estonia has achieved astonishing transparency and privacy in digital government. How Estonia combats constant cyber threats. Further reading: “Estonia, the Digital Republic” (New Yorker, 2017) “Why Estonia Was Poised to Handle How a Pandemic Would Change Everything” (New Yorker, 2020) “Can AI Be a Fair Judge in Court? Estonia Thinks So” (Wired, 2019) The Official Website for E-Estonia @KerstiKaljulaid @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Clean energy is now cheaper than coal, and its uptake is accelerating. But can we get to zero emissions in time? Investor and technologist Ramez Naam joins Azeem Azhar to discuss how technological innovation and economies of scale are accelerating us towards a zero-carbon future, as well as the major challenges that remain. They also cover: The virtuous cycle that drove the falling price of clean energy. How the Covid-19 pandemic could be an opportunity for massive government investment in clean energy infrastructure. Three strategies to overcome the renewable energy storage problem. Why industrial production of steel, concrete, and plastics remains the biggest challenge. Further reading: “The Third Phase of Clean Energy Will Be the Most Disruptive Yet” (Rameez Naam, 2019) “Solar Power Is Sustainable for the Economy, Too” (Wired, 2020) “How Germany helped make renewable energy cheap for the rest of the world” (Vox, 2020) “How industry can move toward a low-carbon future” (McKinsey, 2018) @ramez @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

X, Alphabet Inc.’s “moonshot factory,” dares to solve big problems with breakthrough technologies. Most of their projects fail. But some — like self-driving cars and the AI that powers Google — are already changing the world. CEO Astro Teller joins Azeem Azhar to explain how he built a culture of radical creativity, where employees are encouraged to dream — and to fail — big. In this episode they explore: Why allowing the right amount of chaos is vital for flourishing creativity. The five basic principles at the heart of X. Why innovation dies if only success is rewarded. What inspiration Astro takes from Willy Wonka. Further reading: “Inside X, Google’s top-secret moonshot factory” (Wired, 2020) “Astro Teller on How to Handle Failure” (Wired, 2019) “Astro Teller, ‘Captain of Moonshots’ at Alphabet’s X, Is on a Roll” (WSJ, 2018) @astroteller @Theteamatx @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Biotech is gathering pace: AI systems are simulating novel materials, new genomic technologies are enabling precision bioengineering, and automation is executing production on a massive scale. Softbank Vision Fund Senior Managing Partner, Deep Nishar tells Azeem Azhar why biotech is the next trillion-dollar market, and what breakthroughs to expect. In this episode they also discuss: Why emerging biotech and AI, together, would help control and stop coronavirus-like outbreaks in the future. What new materials and medicines are coming out of the “virtuous cycle” of research and funding that is now taking off. What the rest of the world should learn from China’s vigorous development of AI technologies. Further reading: “As Zymergen Buys EnEvolv, Biological Manufacturing Is Ready To Transform How Industry Makes Everything From Airplanes To Air Jordans” (Forbes, 2020) “AI just found a new type of antibiotics” (Vox, 2020) @deepnishar @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The world is facing an economic crisis never seen before, says equity analyst Pierre Ferragu. Consumer demand remains strong and supply infrastructure is still healthy, but both are in lockdown and unable to function. In this wide-ranging conversation with Azeem Azhar, Ferragu explains how the pandemic will affect the technology industry and its major players. They also discuss: How “partial insuring” and “China + n” strategies could make for more resilient supply chains. How the crisis is accelerating the next generation of technologies. The winners and the losers of the pandemic. Further reading: “Tesla has yet another biggest bull on Wall Street. Here’s why he thinks the stock could surge 57%. (TSLA)” (Markets Insider, 2020) “Tech Sectors and Stocks to Avoid in a Recession” (The Street, 2020) @p_ferragu @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The exponential growth of COVID-19 is threatening to bring down the world economy. To understand the pandemic, Azeem Azhar chats with professor Yaneer Bar-Yam, President of the New England Complex Systems Institute, who worked on the response to Ebola with pioneering complex-systems mathematics. In this conversation, they discuss: Why we need to crush, rather than flatten, the curve. What lessons the Ebola outbreak offers us for dealing with COVID-19. What complexity mathematics offers beyond traditional epidemiological modelling. Further reading: “A Better Way: Building Capacity, Adaptation and Resilience” (Exponential View, 2020) End Coronavirus: Map, Guidelines, Community (2020) “Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance” (Tomas Pueyo, 2020) “Transition to Extinction: Pandemics in a Connected World” (Yaneer Bar-Yam, 2016) @yaneerbaryam @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter Note: a previous version of this episode included an excerpted conversation with Dr. Adam Kucharski, author of “The Rules of Contagion: How Things Spread – and Why They Stop.” That excerpt has now been removed, and the full conversation with Dr. Kucharski can be found here: https://www.exponentialview.co/p/-modeling-the-pandemic. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Data monopolies and abuses of privacy are only some of the flaws of Web 2.0. Muneeb Ali, co-founder and CEO of Blockstack, tells Azeem Azhar how the emerging Web 3.0 solves these challenges and gives users more control over their digital existence. In this conversation, they discuss: Why property rights and privacy are intimately linked. The emergence of a novel app ecosystem on the new internet. The role of the new crypto economy in the transformation of the internet. Further reading: “Tech Thinks It Has a Fix for the Problem it Created: Blockchain” (The New York Times, 2018) “The Emergence of Web 3.0” (Hackernoon, 2019) “Can’t Be Evil vs. Don’t Be Evil” (Exponential View newsletter, 2020) “Beyond Digital Gold” (Exponential View newsletter, 2020) @muneeb @azeem @exponentialview Exponential View newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.