It looks like this podcast has ended some time ago. This means that no new episodes have been added some time ago. If you're the host of this podcast, you can check whether your RSS file is reachable for podcast clients.
Confluence
by Consulate General of Canada in San FranciscoIn Confluence, Canada's Tech Envoy in Silicon Valley, Consul General Rana Sarkar delves into issues shaping technology and diplomacy through the lenses of Silicon Valley, Canada, and the world. Each episode, Sarkar presses critical topics with subject matter experts to gain an unrestricted, deep dive into the tech policy issues defining our times.
Copyright: © 2021 Confluence
Episodes
The History and Future of Silicon Valley
44m · PublishedIn order to understand what’s happening in Silicon Valley today, we look back at the history of the world’s most famous innovation hub. On this week’s episode of Confluence, host Rana Sarkar speaks with Margaret O’Mara, Professor in the Department of History at the University of Washington and author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America. Her book traces the region’s lineage back to its humble beginnings as the agricultural, “prune capital” of the world. It describes the unique set of circumstances and environmental factors which made Silicon Valley a global research hub before today’s leading tech companies had even been conceived. Rana then connects with Jennifer Stojkovic, Executive Director of sf.citi, an organization that represents and advocates for tech with the City of San Francisco. Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, sf.citi has been researching and reporting on demographic changes in the city—mapping the so-called “techxodus.” Growing costs of living in the city have led to a real housing crisis, which leaves the road ahead for Silicon Valley somewhat uncertain. As global communications technologies make remote work easier than ever before, will Silicon Valley remain in the San Francisco Bay area? Could there be a “Silicon Valley” somewhere else in the world, or in other words, is Silicon Valley a place, or an idea? Tune in this week for sharp discussion on the past and future of Silicon Valley.
LINKS:
Margaret O’Mara Website
Margaret O’Mara Twitter
Margaret O’Mara LinkedIn
Margaret O’Mara Wikipedia
Margaret O’Mara New York Times
The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America at Penguin Random House
Jen Stojkovic Twitter
Jen Stojkovic LinkedIn
Jen Stojkovic Wikipedia
Sf.citi Website
Vegan Women’s Summit
Rolling Stone Culture Council
Techplomacy for Tomorrow with Brad Smith
44m · PublishedOn this week’s episode of Confluence, we speak with President of Microsoft, Brad Smith. In 2019, Smith penned Tools & Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age, a book which explains how Big Tech has a core responsibility to address the issues and potential harms of the technologies they create. This year, Smith updated the book with a second edition for 2021 that includes new chapters on cybersecurity and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke to Smith about these updates, and how he’s seen the landscape in Silicon Valley change in the years since the book’s first publishing. How should Government policy makers be engaging with the private sector? What kinds of collaboration can lead to the development of more ethical innovation? And, from the perspective at the helm of one of the most important companies in the world, where is Microsoft headed for the future?
LINKS:
- Brad Smith LinkedIn
- Brad Smith Twitter
- Microsoft Homepage
- Link to Tools & Weapons at Microsoft
- How Top-Valued Microsoft Has Avoided the Big Tech Backlash
- Microsoft president Brad Smith on the cloud, tech outages, and Boston’s ‘extraordinary advantage’
- Microsoft’s larger lesson from TikTok: Brad Smith on the future of U.S.-China tech relations
Canada’s Tech Community: Leading the Way
43m · PublishedOn this week’s episode of Confluence, we continue our conversation with leading Canadians who are at the forefront of global tech. Michelle Zatlyn, co-founder of Cloudflare, is back to talk about whether or not there is a special Canadian sauce that puts Canadian entrepreneurs in a unique position to foster innovation. We also spoke to Atlee Clark, Director of Operations at Ottawa-based Shopify and former Executive Director of the C100 in the Bay Area. These women have set standards in their fields for innovation and business leadership and we set out to find out how.
Is Silicon Valley confined to its geographical location or has its ‘borders’ expanded? Could Canada be home to the next Big Tech Hub? As talent continues to circulate around the world, how should we be paying attention to ‘brain flow’, and what strategies can be deployed at scale to attract and retain talent? And finally, what values should leaders be focusing on to support diverse communities and more equitable innovation?
LINKS:
- Michelle Zatlyn LinkedIn
- Michelle Zatlyn Twitter
- Atlee Clark LinkedIn
- Atlee Clark Twitter
- C100
C100 Twitter - Shopify
- CloudFlare
- Hemispheric Partners: Trade, Technology, and Innovation Ties Between the Bay Area and Canada
- Globe and Mail - Opinion: Is Canada in line to be the next Silicon Valley?
- The Logic - Origin Story: Canadians in Silicon Valley
- CNBC - Why Canada is becoming a start-up mecca rivaling Silicon Valley
- Business Insider - Why tech companies in Silicon Valley should expand to Canada
- San Francisco Chronicle - Canada to Silicon Valley’s International Talent: We Want You
- Forbes - CloudFlare Cofounder Michelle Zatlyn Is New Billionaire As Stock Reaches New High
- BusinessWire - Cloudflare Announces First Office in Canada to Further Support Canadian Customers, Innovation, and Growth
- Fortune - Cloudflare Co-Founder Michelle Zatlyn: ‘Somebody Should’ Decide What to Delete Online
- C100’s Founding Executive Director, Atlee Clark, Launches Backbone Angels
Canada in the Valley: Owning the Podium
35m · PublishedOn this week’s episode of Confluence, we’re coming back home and talking about Canada’s role in defining the future of tech. There seems to be a special Canadian sauce that gives us an edge. To help us figure out where Canada belongs in this conversation, we’re talking to three powerhouses in the tech landscape (who also all happen to be Canadian!). First, you’ll hear from C100s Laura Buhler and Chris Albinson, two Canadian expats working in the Bay Area to galvanize the global Canadian tech diaspora . We also sat down with Michelle Zatlyn, founder of Cloudflare, who reveals the differences between Canadian and American cultures within tech and how much community matters within Canada’s growing landscape.
Is Silicon Valley confined to its geographical location or has it become so much more than that? How is Gen Z reshaping the way we think and work within tech? Will global pandemic provide an opportunity for Canada to define best business and investment practices for the future? And finally, is there something holding Canada back from being a top player on a global scale?
LINKS:
- Laura Buhler LinkedIn
- Laura Buhler Twitter
- Chris Albinson LinkedIn
- Chris Albinson Twitter
- Michelle Zatlyn LinkedIn
- Michelle Zatlyn Twitter
- C100
C100 Twitter - CloudFlare
- Hemispheric Partners: Trade, Technology, and Innovation Ties Between the Bay Area and Canada
- Globe and Mail - Opinion: Is Canada in line to be the next Silicon Valley?
- The Logic - Origin Story: Canadians in Silicon Valley
- CNBC - Why Canada is becoming a start-up mecca rivaling Silicon Valley
- Business Insider - Why tech companies in Silicon Valley should expand to Canada
- San Francisco Chronicle - Canada to Silicon Valley’s International Talent: We Want You
- Forbes - CloudFlare Cofounder Michelle Zatlyn Is New Billionaire As Stock Reaches New High
- BusinessWire - Cloudflare Announces First Office in Canada to Further Support Canadian Customers, Innovation, and Growth
- Fortune - Cloudflare Co-Founder Michelle Zatlyn: ‘Somebody Should’ Decide What to Delete Online
- Silicon Valley Digital: Canadian Technology Accelerator
The Case for Pro-Human Tech and How We Get There
39m · PublishedThe need to create and shift towards pro-human tech is more important than it’s ever been. The question is, how do we get there? Do we leave it up to the governments, policy makers and diplomats to figure out or do we let Big Tech answer this for us? Does a world exist where they can all work together while our democracy is at stake? This week, Rana sits down with Zvika Krieger, Director of Responsible Innovation at Facebook, who is searching for the answers to these questions everyday. His breadth of experience in every corner of the tech world has equipped him with unique perspectives on how to tackle these issues.
We talk to Zvika about what motivated his career trajectory to go from journalism, government, and now into the private sector. We also discuss the evolution of tech diplomacy in Silicon Valley, the biases that are inherent to product decisions, and how the societal impact of products are an existential risk for Big Tech companies like Facebook.
Connect with us on Twitter. We’re @CanCGSF and @RanaSarkar_. We look forward to continuing the conversation.
Links:
Zvika Krieger
Zvika Krieger Twitter
Scoop: Facebook hire aims to infuse ethics into product design
A Practical Guide for Building Ethical Tech
WEF Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Center for Humane Technology
All Tech Is Human
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
Opinion | Who Will Teach Silicon Valley to be Ethical?
The World’s First Ambassador to Silicon Valley
Pro-Human Technology
40m · PublishedOn this episode of Confluence, host Rana Sarkar turns to the private and not-for-profit sectors to get the perspective of folks who really understand the human side of technology and the implications of technology policy on real people. To do this, Sarkar speaks with Aza Raskin—Co-Founder of the Center for Humane Technology and the Earth Species Project—as well as Yael Eisenstat—Future of Democracy Fellow at the Berggruen Institute, Founder of Kilele Global risk advisory firm, and former Senior Intelligence Officer for the United States. Coming from diverse backgrounds in engineering, intelligence, and corporate leadership, these two guests understand the harms that misuse of tech can cause to unwitting citizens. These harms are serious, and both guests advocate for a more humane standard for the tech industry that is grounded in supporting rather than exploiting users. In this conversation, Sarkar and his guests discuss the role that public-private partnership in tandem with comprehensive regulation can have in shaping the landscape.
Links:
Aza Raskin LinkedIn
Aza Raskin Website
Aza Raskin Wikipedia
Yael Eisenstat Website
Yael Eisenstat LinkedIn
Yael Eisenstat Twitter
Yael Eisenstat Wikipedia
Center for Humane Technology
Earth Species Project
Berggruen Institute
Kilele Global
Additional Resources:
Section 230 Debate on Electronic Frontier Foundation
Section 230 Debate on The Verge
Section 230 review by US Department of Justice
Your Undivided Attention Podcast
Yael Eisenstat TED Talk
Yaël Eisenstat: 'Facebook is ripe for manipulation and viral misinformation'
What This CIA Veteran Learned Helping Facebook With Elections
Techplomacy Deep Dive
42m · PublishedIn this episode of Confluence, host Rana Sarkar takes a closer look at what techplomacy is, how it works, and why it’s important. To better understand the global stakes at play, we hear from two experts from Stanford University: Eileen Donahoe—Executive Director of the Global Digital Policy Incubator and former US Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva—and Marietje Schaake—International Policy Director of the Cyber Policy Center and former Member of the European Parliament. Both guests have strong backgrounds in governance and law, with extensive practical experience working on the frontlines of diplomacy for public good. This episode takes the conversation from Episode 1 on the importance of techplomacy deeper by focusing on specific policy issues and their international ramifications. Both speakers explain some of the thorniest problems faced by governing bodies today—like the rise of digital authoritarianism and a growing digital divide . They offer some possible solutions and frameworks for action that can be achieved through greater diplomatic coordination.
Links:
Eileen Donahoe Stanford Profile
Eileen Donahoe LinkedIn
Eileen Donahoe Twitter
Marietje Schaake Stanford Profile
Marietje Schaake LinkedIn
Marietje Schaake Website
Marietje Schaake Twitter
Cyber Policy Center
Global Digital Policy Incubator
Additional Resources:
The Digital Technology Agenda at the Summit for Democracy
Democratic Source Code for a New U.S.-EU Tech Alliance
Report of the Working Group on Platform Scale
Top Technology Policy Priorities for the New Administration
A Transatlantic Effort to Take on China Starts with Technology
A Rights-Respecting Digital Policy Agenda: Human Rights Community Perspectives for the New U.S. Administration
Welcome to Confluence
48m · PublishedWelcome to the inaugural episode of Confluence! Meet Consul General Rana Sarkar, Canada’s Tech Envoy in Silicon Valley. In this first episode, Sarkar introduces the concept of techplomacy, or technology diplomacy. Over the past five years, Sarkar and his team at the Consulate of Canada in San Francisco have been using diplomacy to help shape the future of technology regulation. To help illustrate this work, Sarkar speaks to Peggy Hicks—Director, Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures, and Right to Development Division at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)— and Anne Marie Engtoft Larsen—Tech Ambassador for Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Technology and Sustainable Development lead at the World Economic Forum. Both guests are diplomats working at the intersection of human rights and technology policy. Together, they help Sarkar introduce the concept of techplomacy, give examples of this kind of diplomatic work, and describe the global importance of techplomacy—with implications for everyone. Both guests on this episode provide a global perspective that is both rooted in yet extends far beyond Silicon Valley. While their approaches to dealing with the enormous impact of the tech industry may differ, human rights frameworks are a common throughline that many actors can agree upon as a guide for action.
Links:
Peggy Hicks WEF Profile
Peggy Hicks LinkedIn
Peggy Hicks Twitter
Anne Marie Engtoft Larsen WEF Profile
Anne Marie Engtoft Larsen LinkedIn
Anne Marie Engtoft Larsen Twitter
Danish Tech Embassy
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights
Canada in San Francisco Twitter
Rana Sarkar Twitter
Consulate General of Canada in San Francisco
Additional Resources:
The rise of TechPlomacy in the Bay Area
Why techplomacy is more important than ever
Introducing ‘Techplomacy’: A roundtable with Denmark’s Tech Ambassador - Casper Klynge
All Tech is Human, August 2020
Massey Dialogue, September 2020
Dane against the machine: Tech-diplomat aims to protect fundamentals of democracy in digital age
Citizen Lab Submission to the Government of Canada
Canada Digital Government
Global Affairs Canada
Canada’s Efforts to Support Human Rights
Canada and the United States
Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat
Introducing: Confluence With Rana Sarkar
1m · PublishedIn the Consulate of Canada’s first podcast, Rana Sarkar, Canada’s Tech Envoy in Silicon Valley, will delve into the issues shaping technology, diplomacy, and economic recovery through the lenses of Silicon Valley, Canada, and the world. In each episode, he will discuss pressing topics with subject matter experts to gain an unrestricted, deep dive into the tech policy issues shaping our times. Working at the intersections of big tech, public policy and change, Sarkar brings a unique perspective to these conversations and offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the global technological revolutions happening all around us. Audiences can tune in for sharp, informative, and entertaining conversations in this limited series.
Confluence has 19 episodes in total of non- explicit content. Total playtime is 12:12:53. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on November 25th 2022. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on March 23rd, 2024 08:44.