What's Your Problem?
iHeartPodcasts and Pushkin Industries
Every week on What's Your Problem?, former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein talks with entrepreneurs and engineers tackling the biggest challenges at the forefront of technology. How do you make a trip to space as routine as a plane flight? How do you turn solar energy into clean fuel? How do you use AI to stop deadly infections before they spread? We hear a lot these days about how the world is getting worse. What's Your Problem? learns from the thinkers and doers trying to make our future better.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 14, 2023 • 25min
The Giant Torch That May Help Save the World
Rob Hanson, CEO of Monolith, aims to create emissions-free hydrogen at scale and a competitive price using the world's largest plasma torch. They discuss the environmental impact of fertilizer production and the need for carbon-free alternatives. The trade-offs between cheaper and cleaner solutions, like PV solar, are explored. They also delve into their progress and plans for a proof of concept plant, along with the concept of deep time and the monolith's potential as an CO2-free energy transfer solution.
Dec 7, 2023 • 25min
Fixing Uber’s Broken Culture
Frances Frei and Anne Morriss, experts in building trust, discuss their work with Uber, addressing its broken culture. They delve into problems like financial losses, harsh feedback, and sexual harassment. Strategies to rebuild trust are explored, including leadership courses and addressing mean behavior. The hosts also touch on Apple Card benefits, working with a spouse, and tips for teaching kids to fish.
Dec 5, 2023 • 30min
Murder Brokers from Hot Money: The New Narcos
Dutch crime reporter discovers an international assassination plot connected to a small-town murder case. Topics include an organized crime summit, risks of unverified data in AI, unsolved murder, shocking revelations, a targeted assassination plot, and the dark side of organized crime.
8 snips
Nov 30, 2023 • 35min
Using AI for Creative Work
Author Stephen Marche and composer Lucas Cantor discuss the use of AI in creative work, including an AI-written novel and completing Schubert's Unfinished Symphony. They explore the strengths and weaknesses of AI in generating plots and style, the process of using AI as a writing tool, analyzing and generating music with AI, and the role of AI in enhancing human creativity. The chapter also covers topics like birthday gifts and ads.
Nov 23, 2023 • 24min
The Little-Known Office With $400 Billion to Fight Climate Change
A podcast explores the loan program aimed at combating climate change and the challenge of lending out hundreds of billions of dollars quickly. They discuss easy solutions for fighting climate change and tease a segment about a potential hydrogen storage facility. Specific projects for fighting climate change, the importance of storage in managing intermittent energy sources, and the significance of work and financial solutions are also discussed.
Nov 16, 2023 • 22min
How AI Solved a Biological Mystery
Discover how DeepMind's AI model, AlphaFold, revolutionized protein structure prediction, tackling a long-standing biological mystery. Explore the challenges faced, the intense contest, and the model's groundbreaking results. Gain insights into the broader implications of machine learning and its impact on scientific domains.
Nov 9, 2023 • 33min
Making Oxygen on Mars
Forrest Meyen, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Lunar Outpost, discusses the importance of producing oxygen on Mars for rocket propellant and the challenges of lunar missions. They also explore ethical concerns of mining on the moon and the risks involved in landing a rover. Additionally, they mention breakthroughs in the fight against viruses and plans for lunar regolith processing and moon mining.
11 snips
Oct 19, 2023 • 23min
The sold-out chips at the heart of AI
Brannin McBee, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at CoreWeave, discusses their journey from crypto mining to becoming a prominent player in the AI industry. They talk about the infrastructure, security, and power requirements of data centers, the demand for AI in various industries, and the challenges faced by the AI industry regarding limited supply of GPUs and data center space. They also highlight their efforts in scaling and meeting increasing demand, as well as the significance of risk management in commodities trading.
Oct 12, 2023 • 17min
Special Episode: The Trial of Sam Bankman-Fried
Former co-CEO of Alameda Research and Sam Bankman-Fried's ex-girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, takes the stand in the trial for fraud. The prosecution questions her involvement and she points out Sam in the courtroom. The trial continues with Gary Wong's testimony and the examination of liquid and illiquid assets.
Oct 5, 2023 • 24min
Getting Yeast to Make Medicine
Guest Christa Smolke, Co-founder and CEO of Antheia, discusses turning yeast cells into tiny factories for drug production, potentially solving drug shortage issues. The podcast explores the challenges of engineering yeast to produce drugs, the use of yeast in disrupting traditional farming methods for drug ingredients, and the benefits of therapy and bioengineering insights.
