Designers Kai Tang and Joe Hollier discuss their work to create a simpler mobile phone called the Light Phone, without apps or tracking of personal data. They explore the negative effects of smartphone use, their personal experiences with smartphone addiction, the challenges of integrating the Light Phone into daily life, and the potential for growth in the smartphone industry.

Andrew Abraham, founder of Orgain, shares his inspiring journey of starting the company out of his own illness. They discuss how Orgain evolved from a recovery drink to a lifestyle drink. Andrew talks about the challenges of starting a business and securing a national launch with Whole Foods. The chapter also explores the decision to leave a stable career and the journey of building and selling a company.

Steve Fambro, Co-CEO of Aptera Motors, discusses the potential of solar-powered cars and how Aptera's design could revolutionize the industry. They touch on the initial frustrations and inspiration behind the Aptera, their vision for the future of electric vehicles, and the incorporation of solar panels in their cars. The episode explores the advantages of solar energy, advancements in technology, and Aptera's plans for future releases.

Guest Henk Rogers, the contributor to the success and popularity of Tetris, talks about discovering the game, overcoming obstacles, obtaining publishing rights, negotiating Game Boy rights in Moscow, and his journey from video games to environmental activism.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed education forever. But Sal Khan says an even bigger educational revolution is just around the corner …This week on How I Built This Lab, Sal returns to the show to talk about a new learning platform he’s building at Khan Academy. It’s called Khanmigo, and it uses the same generative AI technology behind OpenAI’s world-changing ChatGPT to help students with their schoolwork. The technology isn’t without its risks, but Sal thinks Khanmigo could act as a personal tutor for every student and a teaching assistant for every educator - reshaping the classroom for good.This episode was produced by Alex Cheng and edited by John Isabella, with music by Ramtin Arablouei. Our audio engineer was Neal Rauch.You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A relentless hunt for their favorite foods and drinks led Scott and Ally Svenson into launching not one but two multi-million dollar businesses. The first came about in 1990s London when they discovered that British coffee meant instant coffee. So, the Washington natives decided to start the Seattle Coffee Company in the U.K, inspired by their love of Starbucks—which was still only in the U.S. But, once Starbucks started to go global, Scott and Ally decided to sell and move back to Seattle. They soon found themselves looking for quick, affordable, crowd-pleasers to feed their growing boys on busy nights; pizza is a good solution, but it can also be slow and expensive. So Scott and Ally wondered if they could figure out how to make individual, fast-casual pizza work; and they started MOD pizza as a one-store experiment. 15 years and more than 500 locations later, Scott and Ally have their answer: they can make it work.This episode was produced by J.C. Howard, with music by Ramtin ArabloueiEdited by Andrea Bruce, with research help from Casey Herman.You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chris Urmson is one of the founding fathers of the autonomous vehicle industry. He participated in three DARPA self-driving vehicle challenges before joining the team that launched Google’s self-driving car project, which later became Waymo. Eventually though, Chris saw an opportunity to scratch an entrepreneurial itch and bring his expertise to an industry that was ripe for it: trucking.This week on How I Built This Lab, Chris talks about launching and scaling Aurora, a company that is developing autonomous systems to safely drive semitrucks on America’s freeways. Plus, Chris and Guy discuss the impact that this technology could have on the U.S. economy, as well as the millions of truck drivers working in the industry today. This episode was produced by Chis Maccini and edited by John Isabella, with music by Ramtin Arablouei. Our audio engineer was Katherine Silva. You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the premise that a smartphone could vastly improve his love life, Joel Simkhai built one of the most popular dating apps in the world.  In 2008 he was living in LA and looking for an easy way to meet other gay men.  He saw the early potential of the GPS-enabled iPhone, and a year later, launched Grindr: an app where users could determine if a potential date - or a quick hookup - was down the block or ten miles away.  With no background in coding or app design, Joel bootstrapped Grindr into a global phenomenon –all the while dealing with technical meltdowns, safety issues, and criticism about toxicity on the app. Grindr was eventually sold, and Joel moved on; but last year launched another queer hookup app “for today” - called Motto.This episode was produced by Casey Herman, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.Edited by Neva Grant, with research help from Katherine Sypher.You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Keller Rinaudo Cliffton thinks we’re already experiencing the technology of tomorrow, just that it’s not evenly distributed...About a decade ago, Keller transformed his smartphone robot company into Zipline, which today orchestrates on-demand drone deliveries all over the world. Zipline got its start delivering critical medical supplies to hospitals in Rwanda: a testament to Keller’s belief that innovation is already improving lives outside the U.S.This week on How I Built This Lab, Keller recounts the ongoing and often challenging development of Zipline’s delivery drones. Plus, how Zipline is now chasing the commercial market, and could soon be delivering packages from stores like Walmart within an hour of a customer clicking “purchase.” This episode was produced by Carla Esteves and edited by John Isabella, with music by Ramtin Arablouei. Our audio engineer was Josh Newell. You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

While working as a psychologist in the Bay Area helping people with their problems, Mary Waldner discovered one of her own; at the age of 43, she was diagnosed with celiac disease. The foods she’d been eating all her life had been making her sick, so Mary came up with a solution. She decided to create a healthy gluten-free snack cracker that she could make at home, and eat in restaurants when her friends were eating bread. As it turns out, lots of people loved Mary’s crackers and they encouraged her to start her own company, which Mary turned into a multi-million dollar business.This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson, with music by Ramtin Arablouei.Edited by Casey Herman, with research help from Sam Paulson.You can follow HIBT on Twitter & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.