Keen On

EPISODE 1924: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Brian Klaas, author of FLUKE, about why we are all accidents of the most arbitrary chance and chaosDr. Brian Klaas is an Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London and a contributing writer for The Atlantic.  He is also the author of the book Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us and host of the Power Corrupts podcast. Dr. Klaas is an expert on democracy, authoritarianism, US foreign policy, American politics more generally, political violence, and elections. He has previously authored of three books: "The Despot's Apprentice: Donald Trump's Attack on Democracy" (Hurst & Co, November 2017); "The Despot's Accomplice: How the West is Aiding & Abetting the Decline of Democracy," (Oxford University Press, December 2016) and "How to Rig an Election" (Yale University Press, co-authored with Professor Nic Cheeseman; May 2018).  Klaas has advised governments, US political campaigns, NATO, the European Union, multi-billion

EPISODE 1923: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Casey Michel, author of the upcoming FOREIGN AGENTS, about the dirty overseas money sloshing around both sides of American politicsCasey Michel is an author, journalist, and director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program with the Human Rights Foundation. He is the author of American Kleptocracy, named by The Economist as one of the "best books to read to understand financial crime." His writing on offshoring, foreign lobbying, authoritarianism, and illicit wealth has appeared in Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, and The Washington Post, among other outlets, and he has appeared on NPR, BBC, CNN, and MSNBC, among other stations. He has also testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the links between illicit financial networks and national security. He received his Master’s degree in Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies from Columbia University’s Harriman Institute, and served as a Peace Corps Voluntee

This is a pretty funny interview. Especially at the end when, having asked Eve Herold whether or not we should have sex with our robots, there is a huge rumble of thunder in her home. Perhaps it was the Gods growling their disapproval of the question. Or maybe it was the cry from the heart of a jealous robot. Enjoy (but not too much). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

EPISODE 1922: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Eve Herold, author of ROBOTS AND THE POEPLE WHO LOVE THEM, about our narcissistic echo-chamber culture in which we are falling in love with our robots (ie: ourselves)EVE HEROLD is an award-winning science writer and consultant in the scientific and medical nonprofit space. A longtime communications and policy executive for scientific organizations, she currently serves as Director of Policy Research and Education for the Healthspan Action Coalition. She has written extensively about issues at the crossroads of science and society, including stem cell research and regenerative medicine, aging and longevity, medical implants, transhumanism, robotics and AI and bioethical issues in leading-edge medicine. Previous books include Stem Cell Wars and Beyond Human, and her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Vice, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe, among others. She’s a frequent contributor to the online science magazine, Leaps, and is the recipient

EPISODE 1921: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Dr Robert Pearl, author of UNCARING, about how the American healthcare system is rigged against ethical doctors and poor patients and what needs to change  in 2024Dr. Robert Pearl is the former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group (1999-2017), the nation’s largest medical group, and former president of The Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (2009-2017). In these roles he led 10,000 physicians, 38,000 staff and was responsible for the nationally recognized medical care of 5 million Kaiser Permanente members on the west and east coasts.  Named one of Modern Healthcare’s 50 most influential physician leaders, Pearl is an advocate for the power of integrated, prepaid, technologically advanced and physician-led healthcare delivery. He serves as a clinical professor of plastic surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and is on the faculty of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he teaches courses on strategy and leadership, and lectures on in

EPISODE 1920: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to PJ Caldas, author of THE GIRL FROM WUDANG, about why a future of digitally connected brains is about to transform all our realities. PJ CALDAS The author of multiple best-selling novels in Brazil, PJ Caldas, a.k.a PJ Pereira was picked by the Dictionary of Brazilian Literature as one of the most important writers of the twenty-first century. There, he published four books inspired by the mythology carried to the country by the African diaspora, and reached the top five best-selling titles multiple times. PJ is also a martial artist with 40 years of experience in combat sports, including kempo, karate, tai chi, and Brazilian jiu jitsu. He currently lives in the greater NY area. PJ is the co-founder of Pereira O'Dell, an Emmy award-winning advertising agency with offices in NY and San Francisco. Known as a pioneer in the intersection of marketing, entertainment and technology, he has worked with brands such as Coca-Cola, LEGO, Google, Skype and Intel. In 2023

EPISODE 1919: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Dominique Shelton Leipzig, author of TRUST, who offers protection from the high risk dangers of AI malfunction Dominique Shelton Leipzig is a Privacy & Cybersecurity Partner at Mayer Brown. She is an authority on how companies can transform their governance to be responsible data leaders by focusing on legal trends in AI, privacy and cyber. She leads the firm’s Global Data Innovation Team, the first data team to focus on CEO and board level advice for digital transformation. She has been practicing law for over 30 years after obtaining her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, and doing her undergraduate work at Brown University in International Relations and French Civilization. Dominique has advised on the global strategies for responsible data leadership for hundreds of companies, with a collective market cap of over $3 trillion. She has trained over 50,000 professionals on privacy, AI and cyber including Fortune 100 CEOs and board members

EPISODE 1918: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Bec Evans, co-author of WRITTEN, about how to turn writing into a habit that lastsBec Evans is an award-winning writer, speaker and business founder. With a background in innovation she turned her side hustle into a startup and now helps people make their ideas happen. Her book How to Have a Happy Hustle won its category in the Business Book Awards 2020, and has been reviewed by the Financial Times, The Stylist and Red Magazine and featured on The Lean Startup podcast and at The RSA. nFrom her first job in a bookshop, to a career working in publishing and managing a writing centre for Arvon, Bec is fascinated by what helps writer write. She co-founded Prolifiko and works with publishers, businesses, universities and writing communities to better support authors and content creators. She coaches and support writers of all types offering accountability and productivity advice to overcome blocks and find a writing practice that works in the busyness of their li

EPISODE 1917: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Colin Mayer, author of CAPITALISM AND CRISES, about the social responsibility of business in every industry, from oil to tobacco to AIColin Mayer CBE FBA is Emeritus Professor of Management Studies and Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Centre for Economic Policy Research and the European Corporate Governance Institute, an Emeritus Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford, an Honorary Fellow of Oriel College and St Anne's College, Oxford, and he has an Honorary Doctorate from Copenhagen Business School. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Oxford Playhouse, and was co-chair of the Scottish Government Business Purpose Commission, a member of the UK Government Natural Capital Committee, and the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is th

EPISODE 1916: In our weekly KEEN ON wrap of tech news with Keith Teare, author of  the THAT WAS THE WEEK newletter,  Keith gets out his crystal ball to predict the major political, economic and technological developments for 2024Keith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd - A UK-based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. He was also previously the founder at the Palo Alto incubator, Archimedes Labs. Archimedes was the original incubator for TechCrunch and since 2011 has invested, accelerated or incubated many Silicon Valley startups including Around (sold to Miro), Millicast (Sold to Dolby), InFarm, Miles, Quixey; M.dot (sold to GoDaddy); chat.center; Loop Surveys; DownTown and Sunshine. Teare has a track record as a serial entrepreneur with big ideas and has achieved significant returns for investors.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's be

EPISODE 1915: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Dr. Annie Zimmerman, author of YOUR POCKET THERAPIST, about how therapy can allow to break free from old patterns and transform our livesAnnie Zimmerman is a psychotherapist and TikTok personality, working with clients from a psychodynamic approach. She has a PhD in psychology and has completed her studies at the Guild of Psychotherapists. Her expertise centers on teaching clients how their early lives have formed strategies that might be contributing to unhelpful patterns in adulthood. Currently, she lives in London, where she sees clients from her private practice. You can follow her on TikTok and Instagram @your_pocket_therapist. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIG

EPISODE 1914: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to David Newhoff, the author of WHO INVENTED OSCAR WILDE? about why we don't need GenerativeAI to make good artDavid Newhoff is a writer, communications professional, rights advocate, and entrepreneur. Through Adastra Creative, he has provided creative communications and video production services for clients in multiple sectors. Since 2011, he has been a passionate advocate for the rights of creators and artists, primarily through his blog The Illusion of More. He has written over 1,000 articles on IP and cyber policy issues, and his writing has been cited by professional creators, academics, in testimony before the U.S. Congress, and in one brief to the U.S. Supreme Court. In November 2020, David published his first book, Who Invented Oscar Wilde? : The Photograph at the Center of Modern American Copyright. And in 2021, he co-founded RightsClick, Inc. with attorney/expert Steven Tepp to develop tools to help independent creators manage their copyright rights.N

EPISODE 1913: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to new media artist Eryk Salvaggio who sifts through the debris of an AI age in which we can no longer trust anything we seeEryk Salvaggio is an interdisciplinary design researcher and new media artist. His work explores emerging technologies through a critically engaged lens, testing their mythologies and narratives against their impacts on social and cultural ecosystems. His work, which focuses on generativity and artificial intelligence, often exposes the ideologies embedded into technologies. His work has been curated into film and music festivals, gallery installations, and conferences (such as DEFCON 31 and SXSW). The work interrogates generative AI through a blend of cybernetics, visual culture & media theory, with a critique grounded in resistance and creative misuse, highlighting the gaps that emerge between the analog and digital, such as datasets and the world they claim to represent. Eryk has since worked with partners including AIxDesign’s Stor

EPISODE 1912: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Marzio G. Mian, author of the Harper's piece "Behind the New Iron Curtain", about what it's like to be a Russian these daysMarzio G. Mian is an award-winning correspondent and author. For seven years, he was deputy editor-in-chief of Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera's weekly magazine. Mian is now a contributor to Corriere della Sera, Reportagen, Revue XXI, GQ Italia, L'Espresso, RAI TV, SKY Italia, and RSI Swiss Public Radio for cultural, social, and geopolitical topics. He has produced print, video, and audio reports from 56 countries, which included the collapse of communism, the Balkan wars, the enlargement of Europe, and four American presidential campaigns. He co-founded The Arctic Times Project, an international nonprofit, multimedia journalistic association based in the United States and Europe. It focuses on the consequences of climate change in the Arctic region. He also founded The River Journal, a collective multimedia project that deals with

EPISODE 1912: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Michael J. Gerhardt, author of THE LAW OF PRESIDENTIAL IMPEACHMENT, about how the threat of impeachment remain indelible stains on the Presidencies of Nixon, Clinton and TrumpMichael J. Gerhardt is Burton Craige Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of North Carolina Law School, resident scholar at the National Constitution Center, and the author of six books, including The Forgotten Presidents: Their Untold Constitutional Legacy, whichFinancial Times selected as one of the best non-fiction books of 2013. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is mar

EPISODE 1911: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Rafat Ali, founder & CEO of Skift, about the impact of AI on the travel industry.Rafat Ali is the CEO/Founder of Skift, the largest business intelligence and marketing platform in travel, providing news, information, data, and services to all sectors of the world’s largest industry. Previously, he was the founder/CEO of paidContent and ContentNext, which he sold to UK's Guardian News and Media in 2008, and left in 2010. Prior to that, he was managing editor of Silicon Alley Reporter. Rafat was the Knight Fellow at Indiana University, where he completed his Masters in Journalism, 1999-2000. Prior to that he completed his BSc in Computer Engineering, from AMU in Aligarh, India.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books abo

Tim O’Reilly won’t get fooled again. Or maybe he will. While he is fearful of the winner-take-all nature of current AI economics, he still has some faith that the system can be reformed. So what’s the alternative to the vicious cycles of Silicon Valley capitalism? How can we change the script so that history won’t repeat itself once again?This is the first of a two part conversation with Tim. Please let me know if you want the transcript and I’ll try to post. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

EPISODE 1910: In the first part of conversation with the noted tech writer and thinker Tim O'Reilly, Tim explains why OpenAI has an Uber problem and how successful tech companies depend on successful ecosystemsTim O’Reilly is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of O’Reilly Media, the company that has been providing the picks and shovels of learning to the Silicon Valley gold rush for the past thirty-five years. The company delivers online learning, publishes books, and runs conferences about cutting-edge technology, and has a history of convening conversations that reshape the computer industry. If you’ve heard the term “open source software”, “web 2.0”, “the Maker movement”, “government as a platform”, or “the WTF economy”, he’s had a hand in framing each of those big ideas. Tim is also a partner at early stage venture firm O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures (OATV), and on the boards of Code for America, PeerJ, Civis Analytics, and PopVox. He is the author of many technical books published by O’Reilly Media, and most re

This is a conversation with former mobster now mafia historian Louis Ferrante about his intriguing new book BORGATA: RISE OF EMPIRE. The former “chop shop” small time thug now erudite Ferrante is like a cross between Sonny Corleone & Niall Ferguson. Essential viewing/listening. Transcript below.AK (00:18): Hello everybody. It is Tuesday, January the second, 2024. We're in a new year, but old themes. Last year we did several shows on the Mafia, one with the historian Paul Moses on the what he calls, at least the true story of the immigrant cops who fought the rise of the Mafiaa. He had a new book out called Appropriately Enough, the Italian Squad, another with an interesting writer, Matt Beck, the Life We Choose about a series of conversations he had with a Mafiaa member called William Big Belly Delia. He talked about not just Donald Trump and Michael Jackson, but also Jimmy Hoffer, and we're going one better in 2024 rather than writing or talking to people who have spoken to people in the Mafiaa. We have

EPISODE 1909: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Louis Ferrante, author of BORGATA: RISE OF EMPIRE, the meteoric rise of the Cosa Nostra from 1860s Sicily to 1960s AmericaLouis Ferrante is a former Mafia associate and heist expert who served eight years in prison after refusing to incriminate his fellow Gambino family members. His last book, Mob Rules (HarperCollins), was an international bestseller, and his Discovery Channel Series, Inside the Gangsters Code, earned him a Grierson Award nomination for Presenter of the Year.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation