Thinkers & Ideas

In Why We Die: The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for Immortality, Venki Ramakrishnan explores the current research on and prospects for human longevity.Ramakrishnan leads a group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. For his research on the structure and function of ribosomes, he won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. From 2015 to 2020, he served as president of the Royal Society. In his new book, Ramakrishnan explains the mechanisms of aging and their potential impacts on life expectancy, health span, and lifespan.Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Ramakrishnan discusses the likely social, economic, and ethical implications of increasing longevity as well as the specific efforts researchers are making to prolong healthy life—and how close they are to achieving a breakthrough. He shines a light on a set of technologies which could be every bit as impactful as artificial intelligence, which therefore also deserve our attention.Key topics discussed: 02:28 | Life expectancy vs. health span vs. maximum lifespan08:21 | Mechanisms of aging13:25 | Potential interventions for promoting longevity18:27 | How close are we to a longevity breakthrough?24:02 | Societal and ethical implications28:48 | The art of communicating complex ideaAdditional inspirations from Venki Ramakrishnan:The Most Promising Ways to Stop Ageing (New Scientist Interview, 2024)The Story of Deciphering the Ribosome (The Royal Society Talk, 2020)Gene Machine: The Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome (Basic Books, 2018)

Complex systems scientist Doyne Farmer challenges traditional economics models, advocating for complex systems thinking and agent-based modeling for better predictions. Topics include limitations of standard models, consequences of inadequate models, leveraging alternative modeling techniques in business, and how CEOs can embrace complexity thinking.

Ethan Mollick, professor at Wharton, discusses AI co-intelligence, training people to use AI effectively, AI substitution vs. complementing workers, generating long-term value with AI, social changes in organizations, AI regulation, and AI's impact on education.

Gerd Gigerenzer discusses the power of intuition in decision-making, challenging the notion of it being inferior to rationality. Topics include the difference between intuition and rationality, heuristics, using intuition in business, and distinguishing right intuition from wrong. The conversation also covers the role of AI in utilizing intuition and the importance of cultivating intuition for handling uncertainty.

In Climate Capitalism: Winning the Global Race to Zero Emissions, Akshat Rathi tells the stories of people around the world who are building impactful solutions to tackle climate change.Rathi is a senior reporter for Bloomberg News, focusing on climate and energy. He also hosts the weekly Zero podcast, in which he talks to the people leading the fight for a zero-emissions future. In his new book, Rathi argues that the best way to cut carbon pollution is by harnessing capitalism. Combating climate change requires a combination of smart policies, financing, technological innovations, and leadership—without killing markets or competition.Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, Rathi discusses the essence of climate capitalism, how to scale up individual success stories, and how to navigate the challenging political context. Key topics discussed: 02:09 | Definition of climate capitalism07:19 | Success stories: Chinese EVs, Orsted11:31 | The need to combine tech, policies, and finance12:52 | How to scale case studies to big solutions16:24 | Navigating a polarized political context18:45 | Making climate solutions profitable24:06 | Where CEOs should start

In Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto, Kohei Saito explores the relationship between capitalism and the climate crisis. He argues, controversially, that to have any chance of achieving true sustainability, we must move to a system which deemphasizes growth, adopts different metrics of progress, expands the commons, and places value on goods and services which are not currently considered as part of the economy, like caregiving and nature.Saito is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Tokyo and a recipient of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science prize, which is awarded to the top scholar in Japan under the age of 45. His book, published previously in Japan, became an unexpected bestseller, shipping more than half a million copies to date.Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Saito discusses the arguments for fundamental economic system change, explores the feasibility of less radical alternatives, and assesses implications for business leaders. The book’s propositions will likely seem very radical to many of our business listeners—but as Saito notes, sometimes utopian ideas can be a stimulus for generating new thinking for complex intractable topics like climate change.Key topics discussed:  01:50 | Defining the problem and the need for system-level change06:21 | The relation between capitalism and technological progress08:41 | Exploring alternative, less radical solutions13:32 | The need for a new measurement of economic and social progress17:08 | The feasibility of a transition to a new system21:41 | Implications for business leaders25:35 | Reasons to remain hopeful

In Higher Ground: How Businesses Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World, Alison Taylor explores how companies can navigate the complexity of modern business ethics.Taylor, a clinical associate professor at NYU Stern, has spent decades advising large multinational companies on risk, corruption, sustainability, and organizational culture. In her new book, she combines her experience with vivid case studies to guide companies toward reaching what she describes as the “higher ground”—a space where companies can act ethically and achieve long-term strategic advantage.Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Taylor discusses why good governance is now more important than ever, how leaders can navigate a polarized political landscape, and how businesses can build trust.Key topics discussed: 02:44 | The rising importance of internal governance06:10 | Common traps of internal governance07:55 | Best practices for deploying purpose10:53 | Businesses taking political stances14:58 | Importance of trust and traps in pursuing it17:12 | Solutions for businesses to pursue24:15 | How to apply these lessons in your own work

In The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder, Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao share insights on friction—the forces that make it harder, slower, more complicated, or even impossible to get things done in organizations.Sutton is an expert on organizational psychology at Stanford University and a best-selling author. His latest book is a culmination of a seven-year research effort on how effective organizations function without driving employees and customers crazy.Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Sutton explores what friction is, where it comes from, and its effects - both positive and negative. They discuss the practical steps leaders and employees can take to remove and add friction in the right places. They also discuss broader implications, like whether the nature and consequences of friction will change in a world increasingly characterized by machine-machine and machine-human, rather than only human-human interactions.Key topics discussed:00:54 | What is organizational friction04:30 | The negative consequences of friction08:42 | What does good friction look like?14:14 | How to remove friction17:22 | What creates friction19:11 | Removing friction and creating problems22:04 | Is friction less problematic in a world of AI?25:26 | How can ideas about friction be applied in academia?

In Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World, Mohamed El-Erian and Michael Spence, along with their coauthors, Gordon Brown and Reid Lidow, consider how we’ve arrived at this state of constant instability and insecurity—and suggest concrete ways to break the cycle.Mohamed El-Erian, president of Queens’ College Cambridge University, was previously the chair of President Obama’s Global Development Council, a Deputy Director at the International Monetary Fund, and CEO and co-CIO of PIMCO.Michael Spence, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Philip H. Knight Professor and dean, emeritus, at Stanford Graduate School of Business, was awarded the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.Together with Martin Reeves, the Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, El-Erian and Spence discuss new approaches to thinking about growth, economic management, and managing a global order, as well as how leaders could unlock the full potential of technologies that could drive growth, and ensure that the benefits of technological advancements, like AI, are widely distributed to avoid exacerbating national tensions.Key topics discussed: 01:59 | Defining permacrisis08:58 | The essence of how we need to think differently about growth and value10:32 | Unlocking the full potential of technologies that could drive growth14:09 | How to ensure that the benefits of technological advancements, like AI, are widely distributed to avoid exacerbating national tensions19:40 | Anticipating or managing similar crises (COVID-19) in the future25:15 | Reforming multilateral institutions

In The Worlds I See, Dr. Fei-Fei Li provides a personal and deeply insightful depiction of two convergent journeys. One describes her own life and career; Li immigrated to the U.S. from China at age 15, and within a few years had launched into research in computer vision and AI. The other is a history of AI, which has involved many breakthroughs over the past 70 years, culminating in a technology that is now changing life and business.Li is one of the world’s foremost experts on AI and was named by Time magazine as one of the top 25 most influential thinkers in AI in 2023. She previously served as Google’s chief AI and machine learning scientist.Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Li discusses critical inflection points in the history of AI, emerging AI technologies businesses must be aware of, and what implications AI will have for competitive advantage.Key topics discussed: 01:19 | Is our education system fit for the future?07:13 | What were the key milestones in the history of AI?11:48 | Which emerging AI technologies do businesses need to be aware of?13:38 | How should we be thinking about ethical issues surrounding AI?20:39 | How will AI transform business? Where will it create competitive advantage?