The Front Row Podcast

Stephen Witt is a Los Angeles–based investigative journalist and author whose work appears regularly in The New Yorker.His latest book, The Thinking Machine (April 2025), chronicles the extraordinary rise of Nvidia and its CEO Jensen Huang—from immigrant dishwasher to leader of the world’s most valuable company. Stanford’s former computer science chair Bill Dally remarked: “Without Jensen we’d be ten years behind.”Witt’s previous book, How Music Got Free, explored the digital revolution that transformed the music industry and was later adapted into a TV documentary.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Trailer 01:00 How Stephen Got To Jensen Huang06:35 Reading In An Age of Social Media08:15 How NVIDIA Became So Valuable12:25 Jensen Huang's Early Career and Its Impact13:48 Jensen Huang's Early Career17:15 The Secret of NVIDIA's Success18:06 Jensen Huang's Unique Management Style20:41 How LSI Made Him21:51 Why NVIDIA Didn't Make Financial Sense24:52 How NVIDIA Made The AI Transition30:58 How Jensen Leads34:35 How Jensen Evolved Into A Business Leader37:38 How Jensen Knew To Double Down on AI43:53 NVIDIA's Competitive Edge47:36 Current AI Bottleneck48:23 AMD vs NVIDIA50:52 NVIDIA in China52:25 Intel's Downfall56:05 Should We Be Worried About AI60:43 Advice for the Next GenerationFull transcripts: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Connect:Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website – www.ykeith.comEmail – keith@frontrow65.coSubscribe:Spotify – https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Ooi Kee Beng, a political historian and executive director of Penang Institute, examines the intellectual legacy of Dr. Goh Keng Swee, Singapore's founding economic architect. He discusses Goh's contrasting leadership style with Lee Kuan Yew and the significance of historical awareness in modern geopolitics. The conversation also covers Singapore's unique economic strategies, the concept of socialism that works, and the importance of institutions in nation-building. Furthermore, he emphasizes critical thinking for new graduates in an AI-driven landscape.

🎙️ Guest: David Fishman | Principal, The Lantau GroupDavid Fishman is a Principal at The Lantau Group, a boutique strategy and economic consultancy focused on the Asia Pacific energy sector.He specializes in regulatory and economic intelligence for the Chinese power sector—including solar, wind, coal, nuclear, hydro, grid transmission, and power markets. His project portfolio spans renewable tariff policy, power market forecasting, green energy procurement for multinationals, and due diligence for clean energy assets.Outside of work, David runs a delightful blog exploring lesser-known corners of China’s economic transformation—covering topics like rural poverty alleviation, small-city trends, countryside solar, rural rejuvenation, and ethnic tourism.⏱️ Timestamps01:13 – China's Energy Landscape06:09 – The Global Implications of China's Energy Transition09:00 – How China Scales Green Tech14:09 – How China Innovates20:40 – Is Overcapacity A Challenge?24:57 – China's Energy Policy28:21 – Chinese Government As VC29:40 – Why Are SOEs Not As Prominent?33:03 – Downstream Impact of Chinese Policies34:15 – What Happens After China Peaks?34:34 – China's Clean Tech Transition: The Road Ahead37:19 – Can China Turn The Corner?38:20 – Understanding the Average Chinese Citizen44:34 – The Median City In China48:11 – The Practical Implementation of Common Prosperity50:39 – How China Does Infrastructure Development57:20 – The Myth of Chinese Ghost Cities01:00:24 – Lessons From China's Development Model01:05:51 – Advice For A Fresh Graduate📄 Full Transcript:https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/📲 Let’s Connect:Instagram: @frontrow.65LinkedIn: Keith YapWebsite: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.co🎧 Subscribe for Free:Spotify: Front RowApple Podcasts: Front Row

🎙️ Ambassador Chan Heng Chee is a prominent Singaporean academic, diplomat, and political scientist, known for her distinguished career in both academia and public service.She served as Singapore's Ambassador to the United States (1996–2012) and earlier as Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1989–1991), concurrently holding the roles of High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico.She currently serves as Ambassador-at-Large with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs.🧭 This conversation is brought to you by the National Youth Council of Singapore, a government agency dedicated to partnering with young people — hearing their views, empowering them to act on their passions, and giving them a stake in Singapore’s future.🔗 Learn more: https://www.nyc.gov.sg/about-us🎧 This is Episode 47 of The Front Row Podcast.🕒 Timestamps:00:00 Intro & Trailer01:25 Singapore In 196506:43 Lessons From 1G Leaders09:40 Would The Merger Have Actually Worked13:54 Representing Singapore At The UN21:34 Singapore's National Interests25:54 Securing Singapore's Interests29:25 Singapore As Global City33:13 America's Unipolar Moment35:57 Remaking Singapore's Image in America40:38 Luck & Diplomacy43:10 How America Has Changed44:44 Will America Swing Back?47:20 China's Rise and Its Global Implications50:01 How Does Singapore Play Both Sides52:15 US-China Decoupling?55:03 The Role of the UN in Global Conflicts57:08 Singapore's Relevance to the United States59:05 The Taiwan Question01:04:00 Middle East Dynamics: Change and Continuity01:04:28 What Counts As Political Realism01:05:39 Making Sense Of The Middle East01:09:41 New Forms of Diplomacy01:12:15 Amb Chan's Message To The US01:19:00 Core Values for Singaporeans in a Complex World01:19:35 Multiracialism As A Singaporean Ideal01:20:32 Advice For The Audience01:22:51 Goh Keng Swee's Final Speech📝 Full transcript:https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/💬 Join the conversation:📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/🌐 Website: https://www.ykeith.com📧 Email: keith@frontrow65.co🔔 Subscribe for free on:Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Jamus Lim is an Associate Professor of Economics at ESSEC Business School and a Member of Parliament in Singapore. With a PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and experience at the World Bank and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority , his work spans international economics, political economy, and development. In this episode, we discuss how Singapore and other NIEs succeeded and what the possible ways forward are. 00:00 Intro & Trailer 01:43 Why NIEs02:22 Understanding Heterogeneity Among Asian Economies06:36 The Contrast Between Singapore and Other NIEs08:16 Hong Kong vs. Singapore: Economic Divergence16:17 Was The Asian Miracle A Myth?20:49 India's Unique Economic Experiment24:41 How Singapore Can Stay Ahead28:04 Balancing Growth and Equality33:23 Are Wealth Taxes (Actually) Viable?47:31 The Tension of Being A Global Hub56:58 Urgent Problems Singapore Needs To Solve01:05:48 Advice For Graduating StudentsThis is Episode 46 of The Front Row Podcast. Full transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.coGet access to every episode by subscribing for free on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8 or Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Join historian Elizabeth Ingleson, a professor at LSE and author of 'Made in China,' as she delves into the critical shift in US-China trade dynamics since the 1970s. She discusses Nixon's pivotal policies and how American firms redefined China from a consumer base to a labor force. Discover the impact of the 1974 Trade Act and the devaluation of American labor. Ingleson also explores the current tensions in US-China relations and offers sage advice for graduates on balancing work and personal life while making a positive impact.

Professor Joseph Chinyong Liow is one of Singapore’s leading scholars on international affairs, known for his incisive analysis of Southeast Asian politics. He is serving as the Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where he now holds the prestigious Tan Kah Kee Chair in Comparative and International Politics. He was the former Dean of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at NTU.Beyond Singapore, Professor Liow has made a significant impact globally. He was the inaugural Lee Kuan Yew Chair in Southeast Asia Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., where he also served as a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Program. TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Trailer & Intro01:21 Defining Great Powers05:33 Cold War Dynamics in Southeast Asia08:41 Formation of ASEAN and US Engagement15:05 ASEAN's Response to Changing Landscapes19:44 Vietnam As A Case-Study26:58 American Unipolar Moment31:55 Is The US Values-Driven?38:49 Do Southeast Asian States Even Want America Here?44:56 Singapore's Role in U.S.-China Relations53:12 ASEAN's Future: Collective Action in a Changing Landscape54:49 Advice For Graduating StudentsFull transcripts of episodes can be found here: https://www.ykeith.com/tag/podcast/Feel free to mingle in the comments below or head to...Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontrow.65/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-yap/Website: www.ykeith.comEmail: keith@frontrow65.coGet access to every episode by subscribing for free on Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/keith-yap8 or Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/front-row/id1771599400

Cedric Chin, CEO & Founder of Commoncog, dives into the dynamics of Asian business empires. He reveals that cognitive agility is crucial for success in Southeast Asia, emphasizing the unique market structures that differ from the West. Cedric discusses why corruption isn't the only factor in business success and identifies essential skills for aspiring tycoons. He shares insights on the high concentration of conglomerates and explores strategies for navigating investment opportunities. Plus, there's valuable advice for fresh graduates entering the competitive job market.

Karthik Nachiappan, a Research Fellow at ISAS, specializes in India's foreign and economic policy. He discusses India's aspirations as a global power, emphasizing its military capabilities and strategic decisions amid challenges from China and Pakistan. The conversation dives into India's economic growth hurdles, the significance of its partnerships with Southeast Asia, and the evolving role in international organizations. Nachiappan also offers valuable insights for graduates on navigating India's complexities through literature and travel.

Professor Euston Quah is a prominent Singaporean economist and the Albert Winsemius Chair Professor of Economics at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where he also serves as Head of the Economics Division. Known for his work in cost-benefit analysis, environmental economics, and policy economics, he has advised various government agencies and chaired national committees in Singapore. His research often bridges economic theory with practical policymaking, particularly in sustainability, public infrastructure, and regulatory impact.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Introduction 01:30 Who Is Albert Winsemius? 05:55 How Albert Winsemius Made Singapore Better 20:35 The Art of Economic Advising 27:56 Market Failures and State Intervention 30:12 Intellectual Tradition of Economics in Singapore 31:06 Singapore's Entrance Into An Uncertain World 34:27 Why Cost-Benefit Analysis 42:22 How To Appraise Costs & Benefits 45:37 Limitations of Cost-Benefit Analysis 51:54 How Valuation Works 54:08 Why Sensitivity Analysis 60:09 Advice for Graduates Entering the Workforce