TBD: Technology By Design

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A Podcast Hosted by Matt Perault

Matt Perault


    • Aug 18, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 47m AVG DURATION
    • 50 EPISODES

    Listeners of TBD: Technology By Design that love the show mention: insightful, host.



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    Latest episodes from TBD: Technology By Design

    48 • Leaving Well

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2021 47:02


    How do organizations create a healthy culture? Mike Rognlien, a founding member of Facebook's Learning and Development team, shares the lessons he learned from building and teaching culture at Facebook. After leaving Facebook, Mike wrote a book, This Is Now Your Company, that focuses on how people can take ownership in the workplace.  He also started his own consulting agency, Multiple Hats Management, where he provides coaching and learning to organizations, including training on implicit race and gender bias. In this episode, Mike talks about the frustrations of his departure from Facebook, how he runs his business, and the shift towards more flexibility in HR. Listen in.

    learning development mike rognlien
    47 • Tech's Newest Industry Coalition

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2021 52:04


    Tech policy discussions about privacy, competition, and speech often center on benefitting the consumer - but which policies actually do it? Adam Kovacevich is the Founder and CEO of the Chamber of Progress, a new center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology's progressive future. Adam previously worked at Lime, where he was the head of government relations and public affairs for North America and Asia Pacific.  Before that, he was a senior director on Google's public policy team. In this episode of TBD, Adam and Matt discuss Section 230, competition policy, business models, Democratic values, and the role of industry in policy development. Listen in.

    46 • Lifting Up the Startups

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2021 46:56


    Debates in tech policy are often dominated by a focus on a small handful of companies, but the tech sector encompasses a far broader group of companies of all sizes.  Kate Tummarello is the Executive Director of Engine, a nonprofit organization that works with a community of thousands of high-tech, growth-oriented startups across the nation to support technology entrepreneurship.  Kate is focused on ensuring that the voices of these startups are included in tech policy debates on issues like Section 230, antitrust, and diversity and inclusion. In this episode, Kate and Matt discuss Engine's role in the tech sector, how startups view key issues like content moderation and antitrust, and the tactics Engine uses to lift up the voices of startups.

    45 • Taking a Leap

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2021 38:31


    It's daunting to leave behind the perks, resources, and stability of a steady job. But Nancy Scola, a former senior technology reporter at POLITICO, took a leap to pursue more independent and entrepreneurial projects. She currently publishes “Slow Build”, a newsletter exploring the intersection of technology and society, on Substack and teaches digital journalism at Georgetown University. In this episode, Nancy talks about what led her to her decision, how it gave her an opportunity to look at tech issues through a different lens, and how journalists cover the tech sector. Listen in.

    44 • Big Tech, Antitrust, and Liberty from All Masters

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2021 59:54


    Barry Lynn is the director of the Open Markets Institute, which aims to “address threats to our democracy, individual liberties, and our national security from today's unprecedented levels of corporate concentration and monopoly power.” Barry has worked in this field for many years, but is probably best known for his work on concentration in the tech sector. In this episode of TBD, he and Matt discuss his new book, (Liberty from All Masters: The New American Autocracy vs. the Will of the People) his advice for running advocacy campaigns, and how he views his role as a mentor to the new generation of antitrust scholars. Listen in.    

    43 • How One Chef Innovated During COVID

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2021 49:55


    Cheetie Kumar is a musician and a chef, and she owns the Raleigh-based restaurant Garland, the music venue Kings, and the cocktail bar Neptunes. In this episode of TBD, she and Matt sit down to talk about how she innovated as a chef and business owner to keep her businesses alive during COVID. As restaurants faced shutdowns, declining revenue, and health risks to their employees, Cheetie joined with other chefs to create the Independent Restaurant Coalition and advocate with policymakers for relief grants for small restaurants.  Congress eventually passed a relief package that included a $28 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund.  Listen in.

    42 • Tech Policy from Rural Tennessee

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2021 41:21


    When people think about tech policy, they typically think about Washington or Silicon Valley.  But Victoria McCollough has spent the pandemic working on tech policy from her family’s beef cattle farm in Tennessee. Formerly, she served as the Director of Social Impact and Public Policy at Tumblr, and she recently started a new role at TikTok as the Head of Outreach and Partnerships for Trust and Safety in the Americas. In this episode, she and Matt discuss what it’s like doing tech policy work from rural Tennessee, how her surroundings have kept her “zen” over the past year, and what the shift into her new role has been like. Listen in.  

    41• Federal Privacy Legislation for the 21st Century

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2021 50:36


    Suzan DelBene represents Washington’s 1st Congressional District. First sworn into the House of Representatives in November 2012, Suzan brings a unique voice to Congress with over two decades of experience in the tech industry. In March of this year, Representative DelBene introduced the Information Transparency and Personal Data Control Act, legislation that would create a national data privacy standard. In this episode of TBD, she discusses the story behind this legislation, how her background in tech has influenced her work in Congress, and how the pandemic has affected work for members of Congress.  Listen in. 

    40 • Merger Reform and Venture Capital

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2021 37:59


    Jeff Farrah is the general counsel of the National Venture Capital Association.  He’s tracking this policy debate closely because he believes it could have a significant impact on the startups and venture capitalists he represents.  He came on the podcast to discuss the evolving debate about merger and acquisition policy, how the recent proposals in Congress could affect startups, and what he’s doing to make his case in DC.  Listen in. 

    39 • Directing the Social Dilemma

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2021 47:14


    The Social Dilemma is a Netflix film about how technology is designed and regulated, and the implications of those design and regulation decisions on our lives and our choices. Jeff Orlowski directed the film, devoting several years to talking with people throughout the tech sector about the design of products and business models. In this episode, we talk about The Social Dilemma, what we can do to address the challenges it raises, and how making the film changed Orlowski's own relationship with technology.  Listen in.

    38 • Behind the Battle Between Apple and Facebook

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2021 48:07


    Apple and Facebook are at war. When Apple announced plans for its latest operating system updates, Facebook threatened to file an antitrust lawsuit, and Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg traded barbs in the press. The new operating system requires users to opt-in to certain types of data usage. Apple claims it’s protecting privacy; Facebook claims it’s threatening competition and the ad-supported business model. To get a better understanding of the two sides of the issue, Matt discussed it with Steve Satterfield, a director of privacy and public policy at Facebook, and Michelle Richardson, the Director of the Privacy & Data Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology. We invited Apple to join the discussion, but they didn’t respond. If you’re interested in checking out a few of Apple’s statements on the issue, they outlined the new privacy features in iOS 14 and updated their user privacy and data use guidelines for App Store developers. Also check out Apple’s explanation of how your data is collected and protected through this family’s hypothetical day at the park.  

    37 • Discussing Silicon Values: Free Speech and Censorship

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2021 40:16


    What kinds of speech—political, controversial, or otherwise—should be protected? What kinds of speech should be censored? The ongoing content moderation debate has raised pressing questions about what kinds of speech can and should be regulated by companies and governments. Jillian York is the director for international freedom of expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and an expert on free speech and censorship. In this episode, we talk about global free expression policies, decentralized approaches to local engagement, working from another continent, and her new book, “Silicon Values: The Future of Free Speech Under Surveillance Capitalism.”

    36 • The Technology that Runs Krzyzewskiville

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2021 44:24


    If you’ve ever been a fan of college basketball, then you’ve probably heard of the Duke-UNC rivalry. It’s the stuff of legends. The infamous eight miles that divide these two schools make it impossible to live in the Triangle without picking a side. In non-COVID times, Duke Students camp out for months just to gain entry to this basketball game. Welcome to Krzyzewskiville – the tent village that can be found on Duke’s campus during the coldest months of the North Carolina winter. But how do these students live outside for months on end, and still keep their status as Duke students? Listen in to hear as Matt interviews some of the students who run the behind-the-scenes technological network that makes K-Ville possible.

    35 • Founding ClimateVoice

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2021 44:42


    Bill Weihl founded ClimateVoice in 2020, with the goal of “mobilizing the voice of the workforce to urge companies to go ‘all in’ on climate, both in business practices and policy advocacy.”  ClimateVoice is urging companies to be more active in the policy debates on climate change, and creating frameworks for students and employees to push companies in that direction. Bill founded ClimateVoice after working on these issues at Google and Facebook, where he started the companies’ sustainability teams.  In this episode of TBD, Matt and Bill discuss the mission of ClimateVoice, the tactics Bill’s using to achieve that mission, and what it’s been like to build an organization during a global pandemic. Listen in.

    34 • The Making of Morning Tech

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2021 46:25


    If you work in tech policy, then you’ve probably read the words of Alexandra Levine. Every weekday morning at 6 AM, Politico's Morning Tech newsletter is delivered to subscribers, who read it to learn about the most important news in the field. Alex is the force behind Morning Tech, deciding each day what to cover and how to present it.  In this episode of TBD, Matt and Alex discuss the making of Morning Tech, how Alex sets boundaries in a 24-hour job, and the tech policy agenda of the Biden Administration. Listen in.

    33 • Ten Principles for Tech Policy in a Biden Administration

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2021 45:57


    We’re in a moment of transition in tech policy.  With the start of a new administration and fallout from the Capitol riots, there is increasing pressure to enact sweeping reforms in tech regulation. Scott Wallsten and Thomas Lenard of the Technology Policy Institute recently published a set of 10 principles to guide tech policymaking in a Biden Administration.  In this episode, Matt speaks with Scott and Tom about the role tech played in the Capitol riots, overlooked factors in assigning accountability, and the principles that should guide President Biden’s tech policy agenda. Listen in. TPI's Ten Tech Principles for the Biden Administration

    32 • One Door Closes, Another Opens Up

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2021 50:38


    After Pierce Freelon lost an election for a seat in the North Carolina state senate, he embraced the sudden “silence” in his life, brought on by the lost election, the onset of COVID, and the death of his father.  As one door closed, others opened: he released "D.A.D", a music album in memory of his father, and in August, he was appointed to the Durham City Council.  In this episode, Matt and Pierce discuss Pierce’s approach to parenting, how he’s tackling tough issues on the Durham City Council with a “listen first, speak second” approach, and the debate in Durham about deploying ShotSpotter technology. Listen in. D.A.D. Album ShotSpotter in Durham

    30 • TBD's Year in Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2020 47:40


    This month, we here at TBD celebrated our 1st birthday! 2020 has been one hell of a year, and even amidst all the chaos, we can't help but reflect on how technology has enabled us to continue living in a post-pandemic world. In this episode, we look back on some of our favorite highlights and interviews from the past year. Listen in, enjoy, and we'll see you next year. 

    29 • A Section 230 Quid Pro Quo

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2020 47:27


    The Section 230 debate continues, and it seems like new legislation to reform the law is being introduced every week. This week, we spoke with Paul Barrett, who spent 30 years as a journalist before making the switch to policy.  He now works at NYU’s Stern School of Business, where he serves as the deputy director for the Center of Business and Human Rights.  He recently published a paper outlining possible reforms for Section 230.  Listen in to hear Paul’s thoughts on Section 230 and his proposals for how to make it better.

    29. UNICEF Tackles the COVID Digital Divide

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2020 45:21


    As we approach the end of 2020, and the global pandemic continues to rage on, one problem that has continually affected our world is the digital divide. Now more than ever, communities are separated by those that have access to a good internet connection, and those who don't. In this episode of TBD, Matt connects with Juan Pablo Giraldo Ospino and Thomas Dreesen of UNICEF. Throughout the pandemic, they've been working to create UNICEF’s Reimagine campaign, which calls for urgent investment to bridge the digital divide, reach every child with remote learning, and, most critically, prioritize the safe reopening of schools.  Lessons from COVID-19: Getting Remote Learning Right  At least a third of the world’s schoolchildren unable to access remote learning during school closures, new report says

    28 • Tackling Tech Policy in the New Administration

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2020 45:39


    It’s been a tumultuous week, to say the least. Eight days ago, the polls closed on the 2020 election, and America watched with anticipation to see who would hold the White House for the next four years. What role did technology and tech platforms play in this election? What difference does it make having an incumbent president who tweets his thoughts on a regular basis, and who may refuse to leave his position of power? What reforms to tech policy can we expect in the next administration? These are all questions that Matt and Adam Conner discuss in today’s episode of TBD. Listen in.

    27 • A Prescription for a Better Internet

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2020 43:13


    What needs to happen in order to achieve a "better internet"? Chris Riley has dedicated his life and career to answering questions like this one. He delves deeply into the world of tech policy and works hard at finding solutions to some of the sector's toughest questions. In this episode, Chris and Matt reflect on Chris's time as Mozilla's public policy team lead, and also tackle such questions as to how the government should approach the tech sector. Listen in.  Other pieces by Chris Riley: The Need For A Robust Critical Community In Content Policy It’s Time to Regulate the Internet... But Thoughtfully Could A Narrow Reform Of Section 230 Enable Platform Interoperability? Concentrated Digital Markets, Restrictive APIs, and the Fight for Internet Interoperability Dr. Riley refers to GoSocial as a website that leverages maximal user control over platform content viewing and distribution to improve social engagement for businesses

    26 • Week in Review: The House Report on Big Tech

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2020 48:24


    Last week, the House Judiciary Committee published a 400-page report on the findings of a 16-month long investigation into the state of competition in the digital economy, especially the challenges presented by the dominance of the "big four" tech companies: Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook. In this episode, Matt is joined by Avery Gardiner, General Counsel and Senior Fellow for Competition, Data, and Power at the Center for Democracy and Technology. Together they discuss the findings of this report and push back on what they think the HJC got wrong. 

    25 • The Case for a Digital Platform Agency

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2020 49:34


    Shorenstein Center Senior Fellows Tom Wheeler, Phil Verveer, and Gene Kimmelman join Matt this week to discuss their recent paper proposing a new Digital Platform Agency.  In their own words, “today’s exploding digital marketplace has delivered great gains to consumers. Residing amidst the wonderous capabilities of digital technology, however, are decidedly anti-consumer results.” Listen in as they explain their proposal and make the case for why it should be part of the tech policy agenda for the next Administration.   Access their paper here. 

    24 • Combatting Misinformation on Online Platforms: The UK Perspective on the US Election

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2020 46:24


    Phillip Howard is the Director of the Oxford Internet Institute and Professor of Internet Studies at Balliol College at the University of Oxford, where he researches how digital media affects political life and civic engagement. We talked about his latest book, Lie Machines, which investigates the impact of misinformation from bots, fake profiles, and fake news on our political system. He walks us through multiple potential policy solutions, applying existing and novel regulatory approaches to tackle misinformation on social media.  Phillip also describes what it takes to operate a successful tech policy institute at an academic university. He shares his strategy for building an academic institution that’s capable of responding to the challenges in the tech sector.

    23 • How Technology Connects Us: The Future of 5G

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2020 52:28


    John Godfrey is the senior vice president of public policy at Samsung, where he represents the company in Washington and covers a diverse set of issues, ranging from virtual reality to 5G. We talked in detail about the rollout of 5G networks, and he makes sense of a complex topic that’s always seemed confusing and complicated to me.  He’s passionate about the technology and passionate about its benefits.  He also responds to concerns that have been raised about potential security risks. John also manages a team that’s been working from home during the pandemic and has some tips about how to build strong teams even when we can’t be together in person.  So let’s get started.

    022 • A Turning Point in AI Policy

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2020 44:44


    Link to Darrell's latest book - Turning Point: Policymaking in the Era of Artificial Intelligence Link to Darrell's new podcast from Brookings, TechTank.

    021 • Patagonia and the Facebook Advertising Boycott

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2020 50:52


    Ryan Gellert is the General Manager EMEA at Patagonia, overseeing sales, marketing, sustainability, and operations throughout the region. In this conversation, he and Matt explore the reason for Patagonia's "Stop Hate for Profit" boycott, in which they pulled all ads from Facebook and Instagram. Listen in. 

    020 • Tech CEO Hearing: Week in Review

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2020 49:57


    It's been a big week in the tech policy world, as the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook appeared before Congress to testify on the competitive dynamics in the tech sector. In this episode, Matt and Gene Kimmelman (Senior Advisor at Public Knowledge) discuss who performed well in this trial, some of the key questions that were raised, and what yesterday's hearing means for the future of tech policy. Listen in. 

    019 • Samm Sacks

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2020 37:24


    It was tech company chaos in Hong Kong last week. There's a new national security law that makes the surveillance regime look more like the surveillance regime in mainland China. Tech companies scrambled to respond, and the responses varied. In this episode, Matt and Samm discuss this new regime, and Samm gives her insight as a China policy expert at New America. Listen in. 

    018 • Blair Levin

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2020 48:29


    Blair Levin is one of the world’s foremost experts on internet access policy. In this episode, Blair and Matt discuss the lessons we can learn about internet access from experience with the pandemic so far, how broadband policy might look different in a Biden Administration, and the challenges of being a grandparent during the pandemic. Recent articles by Blair: “The Internet After COVID-19: Will We Mind the Gaps?” (https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/the-internet-after-covid-19-will-we-mind-the-gaps/) “COVID-19 proves we need to continue upgrading America’s broadband infrastructure.” (https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/03/30/covid-19-proves-we-need-to-continue-upgrading-americas-broadband-infrastructure/) National Broadband Plan: https://www.fcc.gov/general/national-broadband-plan  

    17. Berin Szoka

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2020 79:40


    Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has been called the “Magna Carta of the internet,” the foundation of online free expression, and the 26 words that created the internet.  But it’s come under intense scrutiny in recent years, with critics saying that it’s the root cause of horrific online behavior.  Bullying, hate speech, and misinformation?  Critics say that’s all because of Section 230. But Section 230 is also wildly misunderstood, with journalists and politicians routinely misrepresenting what it does and doesn’t do, and using it as a pawn to achieve other political goals. Here to set the record straight is Berin Szoka, the co-founder of TechFreedom, a DC-based think tank that, in their words, “tries to write simple rules for a complex world.” TechFreedom Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship TechFreedom on the Executive Order  On Senator Hawley’s view of Section 230 TechFreedom amicus brief: Supreme Court should overturn the Ninth Circuit’s decision limiting Section 230 Protections

    16 • Jen Daskal

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2020 42:41


    The last 2 weeks in tech policy have been seismic. In this episode, Matt and Jen talk about online expression and President Trump’s Executive Order, about why Apple and Google were right to design their contact tracing system to be as privacy-protective as it is, and why despite this elegant design, digital contract tracing is unlikely to work.  Listen in.  Slate article Tech, Law, & Security Program Executive Order on Section 230 Professor Daskal's article on the Executive Order

    015 • Yvette Bourcicot

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2020 50:13


    Is it ok to cry at work?  Is it ok to swear?  If you show vulnerability, do you build your reputation or undermine it?   That’s where we started our conversation with Yvette Bourcicot, who’s got some thoughts on how to deal with these issues in diverse work environments, from government agencies like the Air Force and the Pentagon, to tech companies like Facebook and AirBnB.   Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Yvette and 2,000 other friends and colleagues were laid off from AirBnB last week; but she's not letting this get her down. She is currently searching for the next place to call her professional home. Check out Yvette's podcast: National Security Law Today

    014 • Ambassador Rick Barton

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2020 38:55


    Rick Barton has served as both a diplomat and an ambassador and was the Deputy High Commissioner at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the first Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations in the State Department.  One thing he learned over the course of his long career? Policy should always be people-driven. He gives us insight into what that means here. Listen in.  Find out more about Amb. Barton's book, "Peace Works: America's Unifying Role in a Turbulent World" Learn more about Amb. Barton's visit to Duke for the American Grand Strategy

    013 • Richard Fontaine (CNAS)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2020 49:09


    Richard Fontaine is the CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). He came to Durham back in February and took some time to sit down with us to discuss the difference between life in DC vs. NC, and to tell us more about his life as a foreign policy expert. Listen in.    Rising to the China Challenge. 

    012 • Sam Ratto (Videri Chocolate)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2020 69:46


    Many of us grew up thinking that Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory was a far-fetched dream, but Sam Ratto has made chocolate making a reality in downtown Raleigh.  He’s the co-founder and owner of Videri Chocolate, where he makes ethically-sourced chocolate bars and bonbons.  We had the chance to sit down with him and hear about how he uses technology to get delicious chocolate into the hands of people who love it.  What role does technology play in the life of a chocolate maker? And how does a global pandemic affect the day-to-day life of his small business? Listen in.

    011 • Brad Cook

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2020 59:00


    Brad Cook is a music producer based out of Durham, NC, who has produced bands like Bon Iver, Waxahatchee, and Hiss Golden Messenger. In this episode, he talks us through the technology of music-making and also gives us an update on the life of a music producer from inside quarantine. Are virtual reality concerts on the horizon? Stay tuned to find out.  Link to NYT's Video, The Diary of a Song Article about Brad in Pitchfork Listen to the new Waxahatchee Album 

    010 • Dr. Paul Farmer

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2020 32:49


    Paul Farmer is a Harvard professor, the founder of Partners in Health, and a global leader in public health. In our current moment, a moment of health chaos, when each day brings news that seems unprecedented and frightening, Dr. Farmer's voice is a voice we need.  He urges us to think broadly about the meaning of technology, to think twice before we act too quickly to sacrifice quality for scale, and to know a place well enough that you can celebrate its progress over time.

    009 • Antony Phillipson (Her Royal Majesty's Trade Commissioner for North America)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2020 33:22


    How do you make the case that the United Kingdom is a strong trading partner for the United States, right at the moment when they are making the exit from the European Union? That's the job of Antony Phillipson, Her Majesty's Trade Commissioner for North America, and the leading British diplomat for trade in the US. In this episode, Antony tells us about a day in the life of Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner and discusses how he’s navigating Brexit in his role. 

    *Bonus Episode • Shan Li*

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2020 45:13


    Shan Li is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, based in Beijing, China. She covered the early outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, and has now been quarantined twice, once in China and once in California.  We talk with Shan about the benefits and pitfalls of online expression in the midst of a public health crisis. How do you report on an outbreak in a country so concerned with censorship? And what was it like to be in America’s first mandatory quarantine since the smallpox outbreak in the 1960s? Listen in to find out. Inside China's Giant Quarantine - The Journal Podcast

    008 • David McCabe

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2020 46:59


    In a moment of toxic politics, hot takes, and diatribes fired off on Facebook and Twitter, how do you cover Tech Policy deeply and fairly? David McCabe is a tech policy reporter for TheNew York Times, and he’s seeking an answer to this question through his intense dedication to his craft. In this episode, David and Matt discuss the relationship between the press and big tech companies, the craft of reporting, and what it's like to be a journalist in Washington. 

    *Bonus Episode • Andrew Woods*

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2020 41:17


    *BONUS EPISODE* Tech Policy is a rapidly evolving field, and from time-to-time we hope to release these bonus episodes to give you some insight into things as they're happening in real time. This week, the European Union released a new set of rules on Artificial Intelligence and Andrew Woods, Professor of Law at the University of Arizona, was asked by the media for comment on this new set of rules. He gave us his insight here.  Show Notes EU white paper on artificial intelligence: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/commission-white-paper-artificial-intelligence-feb2020_en.pdf   Andrew Woods: https://law.arizona.edu/andrew-keane-woods https://www.lawfareblog.com/our-robophobia   How to make cacio e pepe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017304-cacio-e-pepe https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/batali-cacio-e-pepe-52901591  

    007 • Gabrielle Kohlmeier

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2020 59:36


    Gabrielle Kohlmeier used to suffer from Imposter Syndrome: she spent hours agonizing over whether she was good enough for her job, what her boss thought of her, and whether one mistake at her job might cost her a successful career. But she doesn't do that anymore. Gabi's love of tech, being part of a business environment, and studying diversity and leadership has helped her quell the imposter syndrome that felt paralyzing before she got into the tech arena. She's moved outside of her head and into a space of mental freedom and opportunity. Gabi now spends her energy investing in the things she cares about: women in tech, learning as much as she can, and her family. Listen in to hear her take on life at Verizon.   

    006 • Franklin Foer

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2020 41:23


    How can we use technology in a way that is purposeful?  In this conversation, Matt and Franklin Foer discuss the blurry lines of technological boundaries, what it means to take a tech sabbath and the art of craftsmanship in our daily lives. Franklin Foer is a staff writer for The Atlantic, lecturer at Georgetown University, and author of World Without Mind. He has spent an extensive amount of time thinking (and writing) about technology and its impact on our lives.

    005 • Sam Knox

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2020 34:19


    Sam Knox is the Associate General Counsel for Competition at Facebook, and one of the company's leading lawyers on antitrust issues. Matt and Sam worked closely together when he was at Facebook: she was a great mentor and a great friend, and we were lucky to have her on the podcast. Together, Matt and Sam reminisce on what made their team so strong, talk about some of the top issues facing the antitrust community, and discuss what it's like being a leading woman in a male-dominated industry. 

    004 • Mark Overbay (Big Spoon Roasters)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2020 54:28


    Mark Overbay, founder of Big Spoon Roasters, joins Matt for a discussion on the founding of his business, and how he has used social media and technology to grow his business. This episode is best enjoyed with a jar of Big Spoon Nut Butter in your hand! Senator Elizabeth Warren’s plan to break up big tech firms Bon Appetit’s piece on Big Spoon

    003 • Samm Sacks

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2019 43:01


    When you're working in the tech sector, China is one of the most difficult challenges you face: with over a billion residents, there's so much economic potential, but there are also so many challenges to face in the Chinese market. It's a difficult place to do business. When you're facing these types of challenges, you need a guide to help navigate them. Samm Sacks was Matt's guide during his time at Facebook, which is why we've asked her to come on the podcast. Together, Matt and Samm discuss China and technology, what the NBA can learn from tech companies' experiences in China, and women in the tech sector.  Samm Sacks is a Cybersecurity Policy and China Digital Economy Fellow at New America. Her research focuses on emerging information and communication technology (ICT) policies globally, particularly in China. She has worked on Chinese technology policy issues for over a decade, both with the U.S. government and in the private sector.  Matt’s article in Lawfare: Doing Business in China, What the NBA Can Learn from Big Tech

    002 • Caron Beaton-Wells

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2019 47:55


    This episode of TBD: Technology By Design, is brought to you by another podcast, Competition Lore, with Caron Beaton-Wells. Competition Lore is a podcast series that engages us all in a debate about the transformative potential and risks of digitalized competition. Caron Beaton-Wells, Professor in Competition Law at the University of Melbourne, tackles what it means to participate as a competitor, consumer or citizen in a digital economy and society. This recording originally aired on Competition Lore on December 5th, 2019, and Caron graciously agreed to allow us to co-publish it here.  If we regulate to protect privacy, do we risk competition? If we regulate to strengthen competition, do we risk innovation? If we regulate to exclude harmful content, do we risk free speech? Over-simplified perhaps, but these are in essence some of the hard questions in tech policy right now, and grappling with such questions from within a tech company must be one of the most challenging jobs there is. In this episode we Caron interviews our own host, Matt Perault, former head of global policy development at Facebook. Matt has looked the challenges squarely in the eye and shares with us how the social network giant has been dealing with them, together with his thoughts on how interactions between stakeholders can affect policy outcomes, for better or worse. It’s a rich and wide-ranging conversation that you won’t want to miss.  Access Mark Zuckerberg’s recent speech at Georgetown University Facebook’s Statement on a Privacy-Focused Vision for Social Networking and its White Paper on Data Portability.

    001 • Daniel Kreiss

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2019 54:19


    It was a rainy Thursday afternoon when Matt received a text from Daniel Kreiss, telling him to keep an eye on the news that day. A few minutes later, Twitter announced that they would be banning all political ads in the 2020 election. They immediately agreed that Twitter’s decision was the wrong one: political advertising has its downsides, but there are a lot of benefits too. A blanket ban gets rid of the bad stuff, but it gets rid of the good stuff too. Together, Matt and Daniel wrote an op-ed for the NYT proposing four possible solutions that Twitter could’ve implemented instead of banning political ads altogether. We invited Daniel to the podcast to further discuss these solutions. Daniel Kreiss is an associate professor at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and Director of the PhD in Media and Communication. His research explores the impact of technological change on the public sphere and political practice. NYT Op-Ed: Four Ways to Fix Social Media’s Political Ads Problem – Without Banning Them Link to Jack Dorsey’s Tweets on the policy Music by Velvet Negroni

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