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126 interviews · 15 quotes
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By: Vikas Shah, Originally Published at AllAboutAlpha.com Factory farming is a brutal endeavour. In this environment, chickens (and other animals) are given a variety of feeds and chemicals (stimuli) designed to make…
By Vikas Shah (Originally for AllAboutAlpha.com) Modern markets are hugely complex environments. CME Group for example, trades over 3 billion contracts (with a notional value of over U$1 quadrillion) each and every…
In this interview I speak to author Turi Munthe, who argues that climate, geography, genes, brain shape and ancestral agriculture quietly script our deepest beliefs. He explains why polarisation thrives on a…
In this interview, I speak to Professor Jens Juul Holst — co-discoverer of GLP-1, the gut hormone now powering the most consequential drug class of the century. He talks about how a…
I speak to Nobel Prize Winner, Professor Alvin Roth on 'Moral Economics', exploring repugnant transactions — exchanges willing parties want but others would ban. Drawing on kidney exchange, vaccine challenge trials, surrogacy,…
World-renowned development economist Paul Collier has spent his life working in neglected communities. In this interview, we discuss his new book Left Behind, where he offers his candid diagnosis of why some…
In this interview I speak to Ben Lamm, the Co-Founder and CEO Of Colossal Biosciences (the world’s first de-extinction company) which he founded alongside world-renowned geneticist and serial biotech entrepreneur George Church,…
In this interview I speak to Judd B. Kessler, the inaugural Howard Marks Endowed Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. We discuss the hidden…
In this interview, I speak to Daniel J. Levitin- an award-winning neuroscientist, musician, and best-selling author. His research encompasses music, the brain, health, productivity, and creativity. He is the author of four…
In this interview I speak to Andrew Gallimore, a neurobiologist, chemist, pharmacologist, and writer interested in the relationship between psychedelic drugs, the brain, consciousness and the structure of reality. His collaboration with…
In this interview, I speak to Professor César A. Hidalgo, a physicist and global leader in the field of economic complexity. He leads the Center for Collective Learning at the Toulouse School…
Dr. Russell Kennedy—known to many as The Anxiety MD—is a physician, neuroscientist, and leading voice on the emotional and physiological roots of anxiety. Drawing on his own lived experience with childhood trauma…
In these conversations, I spoke with three of the world’s foremost thinkers on AI safety, risk & governance —Clark Barrett (Professor of Computer Science at Stanford and Co-Director of the Stanford Center…
In this interview I speak to Captain L. David Marquet (U.S. Navy, Retired), a celebrated leadership visionary, bestselling author, and educator whose career-defining moment came during his command of the nuclear ballistic missile submarine…
In this interview I speak to Martin Dubin, a clinical psychologist, serial entrepreneur, business coach, and adviser to C-suite executives and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. He founded several companies, including a multimillion-dollar health…
Federico Faggin invented the technology which made the microprocessor possible His semiconductor memory technology was adopted by Intel, and the microprocessor revolution began. Federico went on to found a number of businesses-…
Simon Woodroffe OBE, is one of Britain’s most successful Entrepreneurs and widely regarded as one of the world's foremost business gurus. He is the founder of YO! Sushi, YOTEL and the YO!…
In this interview I speak to Ellen J. Langer, Harvard’s first tenured female psychology professor and a trailblazer in social psychology, who has spent over 45 years upending assumptions about the human…
In this interview, I speak to Dr. Martha Beck, PhD, bestselling author, coach, and speaker. She has spent a lifetime offering powerful, practical, and entertaining teachings that help people improve every aspect…
In this interview I speak to Toby Gad, one of the world’s most successful songwriters & music producers whose songs have won GRAMMYs and a Diamond Award. Toby has been sought after by…
In this interview I speak to Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy and one of the world’s foremost experts in marketing, branding & human behaviour. We discuss how a deep understanding of…
In this interview I speak to J. Doyne Farmer, who is an American complex systems scientist and entrepreneur who was a pioneer in many of the fields that define the scientific agenda…
In this interview, I speak to Danny Morel - life coach and spiritual leader, guiding millions globally to awaken, heal, and transform their lives. He leads his audiences through profound internal transformations, healing lifelong…
In this interview, I speak to Baron Jon Moynihan on his new book, Return to Growth Volume One: How to Fix the Economy. We discuss the UK’s decades-long stagnant economy and looks…
From the archive
The polarising EU referendum brought much of this to a head. Let me be clear: I do not, by any stretch, feel that people that voted to leave the EU were racist- but it's clear that UKIP, EDL, and their peers realised the power of the race card, and played it to their advantage.
— VikasAll modern humans share a common ancestor. We all emerged from Africa, 200,000 years ago, as our species moved across the Earth, adapting to the differing climates and conditions of our planet. We are one big, beautiful, dysfunctional and incredible family, tearing itself apart over something as inconsequential as our hue.
— VikasFor the first time in over 20 years, I feel brown… I find myself being extra careful in terms of how I dress, where I go, how I speak, what I carry and how I behave; not to conform to any new social norms- but rather, so that people don't mistake me for a terrorist, or make assumptions about my intentions.
— VikasI assumed this was just a fact of life in the UK, but because I saw the warmth of some people's welcome in the business community in particular, I overlooked it…
— VikasI guess like any other entrepreneur, but Brown? – this may seem inconsequential, but sometimes, the 'them and us' in society only becomes apparent when pointed out.
— VikasLove it or hate it, we live in a furiously competitive world- and being just another face in the crowd simply won't help you get ahead.
— Mr. VikasThere's an adage, 'you don't ask? You don't get!' And in the curious world of humans, this applies more than you'd expect. You'd be astonished at how many people kick themselves after an event not having secured the contact they wanted to, or speaking to the person they had aimed for. In truth, this came down to not being bold enough.
— Mr. VikasOne of the most important pieces of advice I could give you is to keep the conversation casual, inquisitive and authentic. Casual means keep it light, don't try and get too deep or specific! Inquisitive means don't keep talking about you! Ask people about themselves, their lives, their career, get to know them! Authentic means be real, don't try and force a networking persona on yourself, just be relaxed and be your natural self.
— Mr. VikasWe are one big, beautiful, dysfunctional and incredible family, tearing itself apart over something as inconsequential as our hue.
— Vikas ShahRacism, like sexism and any other form of discrimination, is an utterly futile exercise… nobody benefits. Societies are better for diversity in all forms, and time and time again we've seen that the more homogenous people become, the less they are able to flourish.
— Vikas ShahFor the first time in over 20 years, I feel brown… I find myself being extra careful in terms of how I dress, where I go, how I speak, what I carry and how I behave; not to conform to any new social norms- but rather, so that people don't mistake me for a terrorist.
— Vikas ShahI assumed this was just a fact of life in the UK, but because I saw the warmth of some people's welcome in the business community in particular, I overlooked it…
— Vikas ShahThe role of a chef today is not just to feed people, but to be a storyteller, an educator, a guardian of traditions while pushing boundaries.
— Vikas KhannaAcclaimed Indian Chef, Author & Michelin-Starred Restaurant Owner
Food is not just sustenance. It's memory, it's culture, it's identity. When I cook, I'm telling the story of my grandmother, my mother, the streets of Amritsar where I grew up.
— Vikas KhannaAcclaimed Indian Chef, Author & Michelin-Starred Restaurant Owner
We can use the pain of our past as a catapult propelling us forward. As the saying goes, 'the best revenge is a life well-lived.' So, the most gratifying way to spite all those who tried to harm me during my childhood is to say, 'Look at me now; I'm speaking to Vikas Shah, 50 years later.'
— Gad SaadEvolutionary Psychologist & Author Known for Consumer Behavior Research
