Mitchell Kapor is a pioneer of the personal computing revolution. He is the founder of Lotus Development Corporation and the designer of Lotus 1-2-3, the “killer application” which made the personal computer ubiquitous in the business world in the 1980s. In 1982, Mitch took lotus public, and in 1990 he co-founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation (The EFF is a non-profit civil liberties organization working in the public interest to protect privacy, free expression, and access to public resources and information online)   Mr. Kapor was first chair of the Mozilla Foundation, maker of the open source web browser Firefox, and continues to serve on its board. He is the founding investor and first chair of Linden Research, the creator of the virtual world Second Life. Currently. He is a trustee of the Mitchell Kapor Foundation, a private foundation works to ensure fairness and equity, particularly for low-income communities of colour. Mitch and his wife Freada Kapor Klein launched Kapor Capital to prove that investing in gap-closing start-ups—companies whose services or products close opportunity gaps for both communities of colour and low-income communities—is good business – they detail the stories of some of these remarkable businesses in their new book, Closing the Equity Gap. In this interview, I speak to Mitch Kapor about the inequality created by venture capital and how Kapor Capital has proven that economic and social impact can occur together – benefiting the investor, and society.

Thought Economics

A new dawn of brain tracking and hacking is coming. Will you be prepared for what comes next? Imagine a world where your brain can be interrogated to learn your political beliefs, your thoughts can be used as evidence of a crime, and your own feelings can be held against you. A world where people who suffer from epilepsy receive alerts moments before a seizure, and the average person can peer into their own mind to eliminate painful memories or cure addictions. Neuroscience has already made all this possible today, and neurotechnology will soon become the “universal controller” for all of our interactions with technology. This can benefit humanity immensely, but without safeguards, it can seriously threaten our fundamental human rights to privacy, freedom of thought, and self-determination. In this interview, I speak to Nita Farahany – widely considered to be one the foremost experts on the ethics of neuroscience. We discuss the battle for our brains – and why we need to defend the right to think freely in the age of neurotechnology.

Thought Economics

In this interview, I speak to Kira Rudik. She is a Member of Parliament of Ukraine and First Deputy Chairwoman of the Parliament Committee on Digital Transformation. Kira is Leader of Golos (Ukraine’s Liberal Political Party) and Vice-President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). Before politics, Kira Rudik was an IT entrepreneur who headed Ring Ukraine company and ensured its acquisition by Amazon for $1 billion. In our conversation, Kira describes the realities of life in Ukraine, a year into Russia’s invasion. We discuss the role of the international community, the threat of escalation, the strength of the Ukrainian people and what it will take to bring peace, and rebuild Ukraine.

Thought Economics

Lindsey Vonn is an Olympic gold medal–winning alpine ski racer and widely regarded as the most successful female skier in history. Lindsey is also a New York Times Bestselling author for her 2016 debut novel Strong Is the New Beautiful: Embrace Your Natural Beauty, Eat Clean, and Harness Your Power and has served as an International Games Ambassador in the 2018 Winter Olympics and is also the founder of the Lindsey Vonn Foundation, which provides scholarships and programming for education, sports, and enrichment programs to give future generations the tools they need to reach their goals and discover their grit within. In this interview, I speak to Lindsey Vonn, ski racer, Olympic Gold Medallist, entrepreneur, author & philanthropist. We talk about her journey to Olympic Gold, what it takes to succeed, conquer fear, and how she’s now empowering the future generation through the Lindsey Vonn Foundation.

Thought Economics

Hamish McKenzie is co-founder of subscription publishing start-up Substack and author of Insane Mode: How Elon Musk’s Tesla Sparked an Electric Revolution to End the Age of Oil (November 2018). In recent years, he has been the lead writer for Tesla, an advisor to Kik, a tech reporter, and a freelance journalist covering everything from the World Beard and Moustache Championships to the world’s most comprehensive face transplant. In this interview, I speak to Substack Co-Founder, Hamish McKenzie. We discuss the failures in traditional media, the genesis of Substack, and how it’s grown to become one of the world’s fastest-growing media platforms.

Thought Economics

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is the most famous astrophysicist of our time. He is the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, where he has served since 1996. He is the two-time host of the beloved TV series Cosmos — rebooting the original 1980 series hosted by Carl Sagan. Dr. Tyson is also the host and cofounder of the Emmy-nominated popular podcast StarTalk and its spinoff StarTalk Sports Edition, which combine science, humour, and pop culture. He is a recipient of 21 honorary doctorates, the Public Welfare Medal from the National Academy of Sciences, and the Distinguished Public Service Medal from NASA. Asteroid 13123 Tyson is named in his honour. In a time when our political and cultural views feel more polarized than ever, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, in his new book Starry Messenger, provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin chariots of enlightenment – a cosmic perspective and the rationality of science. In this interview, I speak to Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. We discuss life, culture and civilisation as seen through a scientific perspective and look at how the universe provides us with the perfect palette to examine truth, beauty, identity, life, and death.

Thought Economics

Laura Gassner Otting is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America, the TODAY Show, Harvard Business Review, and Oprah Daily, Laura’s 30-year resume is defined by her entrepreneurial edge. She served as a Presidential Appointee in Bill Clinton’s White House, helping shape AmeriCorps; left a leadership role at respected national search firm to expand a tech start-up; and founded, ran, and sold her own global search firm, partnering with the full gamut of mission driven corporate and non-profit executives. In this interview, I speak to Laura Gassner Otting. We discuss the true nature of success, why it isn’t always what we expect it to be, and what she’s learned from working with thousands of the world’s most successful executives about life in Wonderhell; and why success isn’t always what it seems

Thought Economics

Award-winning Beverly Hills dentist Dr. Kourosh Maddahi has been one of Beverly Hills premier cosmetic specialists for over three decades. During that time, he has developed his practice to create a truly one-of-a-kind experience for people looking to transform their smiles. After 28 years of practicing dentistry, and treating over 6,000 patients, Dr. Maddahi realised that even with great oral hygiene practices, his patients were suffering from persistent problems. This led him to challenge traditional oral care products that claim to kill 99% of all bacteria, relying on harsh chemicals and alcohol. He set out to create a product without harsh chemical ingredients for his patients. What originally started as a small batch of mouthwash for his practice, eventually grew into an extensive product line, now known as Lumineaux. In this interview, I speak to Dr. Kourosh Maddahi about the new understanding of our oral health, how critical oral health is to our overall physical and mental health, and what we can do to improve our oral health.

Thought Economics

It was 1998 when Barry’s first opened its doors in West Hollywood with an innovative new offering in fitness, combining HIIT interval training in a group setting. One part strength, one part cardio, 100% Barry Jay. This first site was founded by Barry Stich (Barry Jay) with help from his partners John & Rachel Mumford.  By 2011, the business had gone global (with its first site in Bergen, Norway) and today Barry’s has over 90 locations around the world, with over 140,000 people a week taking classes. In 2015, North Castle Partners (the investors behind Equinox Fitness, Curves International, Jenny Craig, Naked Juice & Octane Fitness) made a significant investment in Barry’s Bootcamp – allowing Barry Jay to move onto the next stage of his career, writing, producing, and directing horror films. In this interview, I speak to Barry Jay about Barry’s Bootcamp and how he built one of the world’s most recognised and fastest-growing fitness brands. We talk about his journey, succession, and how he’s gone on to find success in a whole new field, horror films.

Thought Economics

Dr. Joshua N. Weiss is one of the world’s foremost experts in negotiation. He is co-founder of the Global Negotiation Initiative at Harvard University and a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Negotiation Project. He is also the Director and creator of the Master of Science degree in Leadership and Negotiation at Bay Path University. Dr. Weiss has spoken and published on leadership, negotiation, mediation, and systemic approaches to dealing with conflict. In this interview, we discuss what it takes to be a great negotiator, why negotiation skills matter, and the secrets of how to effectively handle even the most complex negotiations.

Thought Economics

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