3 Takeaways

Kara Swisher is Silicon Valley’s premiere chronicler, filled with wisdom and insight on tech companies and the out-sized egos who found and run them. Here, she shares her take on the industry and on Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, the Google co-founders and others, who she’s known since their companies were mere start-ups.

The world is filled with talented, amazing people, but only a few find fame and success. What’s the essential magic behind Taylor Swift, The Beatles, Steve Jobs and others? Here, Cass Sunstein, author of “How to Become Famous,” shares his keen insights into the essential attributes of hugely successful people. Want to join them? Join us.

“There are plenty of Steve Jobs out there. We tend to think he's unique. But there are Steve Jobs, parallel amazing people, who never made it.”

A.J. Jacobs spent an entire year living as America’s Founding Fathers did 200 years ago. Really. He learned they envisioned a very different balance of power than exists in Washington today. How out of whack are things? How should the Constitution be interpreted? Is there too much free speech? Don’t miss this remarkable conversation.

Terrorism is roiling the Middle East and is a fact of life in many places around the world. How should civilized societies respond? What is an effective approach? Dame Louise Richardson, an Irish expert on the topic, has some surprising and insightful answers. The topic is timely and affects us all. Don’t miss this very necessary conversation.

We live in an age of hyper-marketing, when the marketing of events like Taylor Swift and the “Barbie” movie overwhelm the offering itself and takes on a life of its own. Here, Natasha Degen, marketing and cultural analyst extraordinaire, dissects how marketing is blurring the lines between movies, music, art and fashion and reveals the secrets behind today’s most talked about cultural events and personalities.

People and countries are at each other’s throats these days. How can some of this conflict be resolved? Here, world-class negotiator William Ury reveals the innovative techniques that have helped him resolve some of the world’s most malignant conflicts. You’ll almost certainly be able to put these techniques to use in your own life.

According to Janna Levin, “the chillest astrophysicist alive” (says Wired Magazine), there’s a great probability that other life exists in the universe. But what form might this life take? What the heck are black holes? How many planets are out there? And why should we give a hoot about all this? Be sure to listen to this other-worldly conversation.

“I find it impossible to believe we're magically the only experiment in life when we look at our own galaxy, which is a collection of 300 billion stars.”

“We have this notion that we have more control than ever, but I think we have it less and less,” says the brilliant Brian Klaas. Don’t miss this mind-bending chat about flukes, chance and random events. Also, how seemingly inconsequential actions have life-changing consequences, the eternal clash between chaos and order, and how to live successfully in a world on the edge of chaos.

Brain sensors embedded in watches. Earbuds that decode our brainwaves. Neurotechnology that reads our emotions and thoughts, and can be used to manipulate them. It sounds like science fiction, but it’s science fact. Don’t miss this chilling and cautionary talk with Duke professor Nita Farahany, author of The Battle for Your Brain.

Current debates over climate change are focused almost entirely on reducing emissions - which is something we should do - but we also need to answer the question, how should we be adapting? MIT’s Robert Pindyck shares what we know and don’t know and how we can adapt given the enormous climate uncertainty.

“Let’s suppose we do have an increase in temperature of 3 degrees. What would happen?”