Azeem Azhar's Exponential View

IonQ is the first company solely focused on quantum computing to go public, with its quantum computers accessible via the cloud today. The company’s co-founder/chief scientist Chris Monroe and president/CEO Peter Chapman join Azeem Azhar to explore how they turned cutting-edge research into a scalable product. They also discuss the engineering challenges that remain before quantum systems not only surpass the fastest supercomputers, but also become widely available. In addition, they address: Why IonQ, unlike Google and IBM, have bet on the “trapped ion” approach to building quantum computers. How major software innovation could move quantum computing forward. Why quantum computers excel at optimization problems involving more variables than classical computers can accommodate. @IonQ_Inc @azeem @ExponentialView Further Reading: “Building A Quantum Computer with Light” (Exponential View podcast featuring Jeremy O’Brien, 2021) “Quantum computing’s next trick? The power of networked clusters” (Peter Chapman in Wired, 2021) “Commercialising quantum computers” (The Economist, 2020)

Meltem Demirors, Chief Strategy Officer at CoinShares, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the potential and politics of cryptocurrencies: from the ideological origins of Bitcoin to the new wave of decentralized financial products that could disrupt traditional finance. They also discuss: Why the values of the Cypherpunk community are enshrined in Bitcoin’s design. How the Decentralized Finance movement is re-imagining existing products on blockchain networks. If Bitcoin will ever break out of its niche to become a widely used currency. @Melt_Dem @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “Is the financial establishment coming round to bitcoin?” (The Economist, 2021) “Get ready for self-driving banks” (Financial Times, 2021) “The Redecentralized Web” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “Politics, Power & Protocols” (Meltem Demirors, CoinShares 2019)

Atlassian, the enterprise software innovator, is helping to drive disruption across the world of work. Co-founder and co-CEO, Scott Farquhar, joins Azeem Azhar to explain how, during a global pandemic, they nearly doubled the size of their workforce, why the workplace will never be the same after Covid-19, and what the implications are for companies and employees who increasingly operate remotely, asynchronously, and in flatter hierarchies. They also discuss: Why Farquhar believes that most companies are becoming like software companies, where the CEO and CIO are in strategic lock-step and ready to disrupt their business before they are disrupted by competitors. Why companies are shifting their team structures from being project-based to product-based. Why Farquhar believes his approach to company-building is akin to gardening. @scottfarkas @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “Empowering Workers in the Digital Future” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “WFH Doesn’t Have to Dilute Your Corporate Culture” (Harvard Business Review, 2021) “Picking the Right Approach to Digital Collaboration” (MIT Sloan, 2021)

Cade Metz, technology correspondent at The New York Times, joins Azeem Azhar to discuss his new book Genius Makers. In it, he tells the story of the pioneers who brought AI out of academic labs, sparking a Big Tech arms race and transforming our everyday lives.  They also discuss: How deep learning went from an unworkable concept to fueling the AI boom. Why bias and prejudice “baked in” to an AI system are almost impossible to remove. Which early signals tech giants followed to develop AI even before deep learning went mainstream. @CadeMetz @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources Genius Makers (Cade Metz, 2021) “DeepMind’s Journey from Games to Fundamental Science” (Exponential View podcast with Demis Hassabis, 2020) “How GPT-3 Is Shaping Our AI Future” (Exponential View podcast with Sam Altman, 2020) “An AI Pioneer Explains the Evolution of Neural Networks” (Wired, 2019)

What are universities for? Are they an elite pipeline for elite jobs, or can they meet the needs of societies transforming amid technological advances? Azeem Azhar explores the role of higher education in research, innovation, and progress with Geraint Rees, Dean of Faculty of Life Sciences at University College London and a leader of their AI strategy. They also discuss: How University College London researchers drove the design, approval, and production of a breathing aid for COVID-19 patients in just 6 weeks. Why liberal, diverse universities can survive alongside more focused, skills-based institutions. Why universities are essential to a healthy startup ecosystem. @azeem @ExponentialView @profgeraintrees Further resources: “Understanding the Enduring Consequences of Covid-19” (Exponential View podcast, 2020) “What will education look like in 20 years? Here are 4 scenarios” (World Economic Forum, 2021)

Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of the self-driving technology startup Aurora, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the state-of-play of self-driving technology, the criticisms the tech must address, and the huge challenges to be overcome before we trust a computer to drive our kids to school. They also discuss: How Aurora’s founders built their “no jerks,” team-oriented culture. The importance of new LIDAR sensors (light-radar) for achieving faster speeds with bigger vehicles. Why Aurora is skipping the baby steps and heading straight for the prize of fully autonomous driving (in specified locations and conditions). @azeem @ExponentialView @chris_urmson @aurora_inno Further resources: “The Truth About Autonomy” (Exponential View podcast, 2019) “Uber ATG And Aurora Merge To Staggering $10B Valuation” (Forbes, 2020) “The Rumored Apple Car Is Bad News for Elon” (Wired, 2021) “Meet K.I.T.T.” (Youtube, 1980s TV series Knight Rider)

Social networks polarize communities and spread misinformation. Professor Sinan Aral, director of MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy and author of The Hype Machine, joins Azeem Azhar to explore what makes these networks so powerful and how we can engineer our way to a healthier online ecosystem. They also discuss: Why powerful “network effects” lead to social media monopolies. Why forcing interoperability and “identity porting” is the key to healthy competition. Why repealing Section 230 of the (U.S.) Communications Decency Act of 1996 would be a disaster for free expression on the internet. @sinanaral @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “Can We Amplify the Good and Contain the Bad of Social Media?” (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2020) “Humans, not bots, are to blame for spreading false news on Twitter” (Wired, 2018) “How We Can Protect Truth in the Age of Misinformation” (TEDxCERN, 2018)

Could deep tech companies bring about an age of abundance? Matt Ocko, co-founder and managing partner of Data Collective Venture Capital, joins Azeem Azhar to explore the art of investing in startups that aim to transform entire industries with radically cheaper, cleaner products. They also discuss: Why establishing “computational advantage” is key to a successful deep tech approach. How AbCellera, one of Matt’s portfolio companies, used machine learning and extensive automation to swiftly develop an antibody therapy for Covid-19. How investors should judge the right time to invest in a new technology. @mattocko @azeem @ExponentialView Further resources: “Materials Built by Microbes: A Revolution in Materials Science” (Exponential View, Podcast 2020) “This College Professor Became An Overnight Billionaire Fighting Covid” (Forbes, 2021) “With fresh support from its billionaire backers Pivot Bio is ushering in a farming revolution” (TechCrunch, 2020)

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)