Joining Microsoft as an intern in 1988, Phil Spencer has been part of the company’s entire gaming journey. Now, as CEO of Microsoft Gaming, he tells Ed about the company’s commitment to making sure that the folks making their products reflect the diversity of the 3 billion strong gaming community - and the steps Microsoft is taking to democratize who can make these games. It’s an honest and insightful conversation with one of the biggest figures in the entertainment ecosystem. You can subscribe ...
Aug 28, 2022•44 min•Ep. 36
Today Ed is joined by a long-time colleague, Herman Narula, CEO and co-Founder at Improbable.io - one of Europe's most successful and best-known tech companies. For over a decade the company has built the foundational technology to support scaled experiences in the Metaverse, taking in over $750M in funding. Their clients span defense firms as well as Yuga Labs, home of the Bored Ape Yacht Club, and this range of experience animates Herman’s vision for the Metaverse. It’s possible that today’s W...
Aug 14, 2022•48 min•Ep. 35
Ed has an in-depth chat with AI expert and CEO of Chinese deep tech VC Sinovation Ventures, Kai-Fu Lee. His extensive knowledge of AI is matched by an innate ability to explain its advantages and pitfalls in plain language. As Ed learns, there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about AI’s potential for optimizing class plans to accommodate a range of students, as well as creating entertainment that can be “good for you.” You can subscribe to the Vaizey View newsletter by clicking here ( http:...
Jul 17, 2022•44 min•Ep. 34
SUSE CEO Melissa Di Donato joins Ed for an invaluable conversation about the role Open Source software is playing across organizations and governments worldwide. Noting that 35% of all enterprise software contains open source-derived code, Melissa details how the 56 million developers contributing to open source projects globally are laser-focused on keeping systems flawlessly updated and impervious to bad actors. SUSE had the largest software IPO in Europe last year, and after listening to Meli...
May 08, 2022•46 min•Ep. 33
Talk about a masterclass! Ed catches up with Priya Lakhani OBE, CEO at CENTURY Tech and Gauthier Van Malderen, Founder & CEO at Perlego, for a razor-sharp discussion about how data is transforming EdTech right now. Priya, who also serves as non-executive Director of Ed’s former haunt - the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) - and Gauthier, whose own company has been likened to a ‘Spotify for textbooks’, weigh in on the pandemic-accelerated impact digitization is having o...
Feb 06, 2022•47 min•Ep. 32
Ed faces down another rival podcaster - Jimmy’s Jobs Of The Future host Jimmy McLoughlin OBE - along with Digital Futures CEO Scott Vincent to discuss how to fill all the new roles coming online as the economy modernizes. McLoughlin, a veteran of 10 Downing Street, and Vincent, who sold his consulting company to Accenture, opine on the challenges of re-skilling an existing workforce as well as finding a more diverse pool of candidates. A timely chat. You can subscribe to the Vaizey View newslett...
Nov 21, 2021•43 min•Ep. 31
Today Ed sits down with a pair of authors who’ve managed to do the impossible: make the mechanics of financial transactions fascinating. The pair’s recently published book, “ The Pay Off: How Changing the Way We Pay Changes Everything ,” ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094F69F8Q/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 ), underscores how the explosion of new payment systems around the world is impacting consumers and the broader economy. Leibbrandt, a former McKinsey Partner and the CEO of ...
Nov 07, 2021•48 min•Ep. 30
Ed returns to the mic with his second-ever in-person interview - and it’s a great one. William Tunstall-Pedo, a tech pioneer and AI guru, sold his Cambridge, England-based tech company Evi to Amazon; together, they built Alexa - one of the most successful new tech products in history. William’s been coding commercial products since he was 13, so his insights about the challenges and promises of AI and deep learning, as well as the UK’s primacy in the area, are keen. You can subscribe to the Vaiz...
Oct 03, 2021•48 min•Ep. 29
Ed sits with a big thinker (and rival podcaster), Damian Bradfield, the Chief Creative Officer and co-Founder of WeTransfer and WePresent. While he is focused on tools that empower creativity, he’s taking the long view on what our digital future should look like - as covered in his 2019 book “The Trust Manifesto” ( https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/307/307675/the-trust-manifesto/9780241369845.html ). Tune in to hear the pair engage in a rare and substantive conversation about what we should demand...
Aug 08, 2021•43 min•Ep. 28
Ed has a revealing conversation with Matthew Barzun, the former US Ambassador to the UK and, prior to that, Sweden. A former CNET executive and campaign strategist credited with creating the ‘citizen fundraisers’ that fueled Obama’s rise, Barzun’s communal viewpoint comes to the fore in the conversation. His recently published book, “The Power of Giving Away Power” ( https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/602163/the-power-of-giving-away-power-by-matthew-barzun/#:~:text=The%20Power%20of%20Givin...
Jul 25, 2021•44 min•Ep. 27
Best-selling author Noreena Hertz provides an eye-opening look at the epidemic of loneliness afflicting many of us, and engages Ed in a discussion about what tech’s role could be in addressing a situation that it has played no small role in creating. Her latest work, “The Lonely Century: How To Restore Human Connection in a World That’s Pulling Apart” ( https://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Century-Restore-Connection-Pulling-ebook/dp/B0841NT92X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Noreena+Hertz&qid=1625...
Jul 11, 2021•44 min•Ep. 26
Ed returns to in-person recording with an eye-opening conversation with Doug Gurr, the former head of Amazon UK who now serves as Director of the Natural History Museum in London. Braving the aging infrastructure of the building as well as a surprise thunderstorm, Ed and Doug take us beyond the ongoing ‘digitization’ of museum galleries - spurred into overdrive during the pandemic - to explore how AI and machine learning can enhance the institution's mission, giving it new relevance to the press...
Jun 27, 2021•32 min•Ep. 25
Tune in for an insightful conversation between Ed and Tim Davie CBE, who is the 17th Director-General (CEO and Editor-In-Chief) of the storied media institution. Tim’s keen understanding of the media firmament is driving the organization’s innovation, and uncovering new opportunities for collaboration with seeming competitors like Netflix. His insights into the threats and opportunities around audio are worth the price of admission alone. You can subscribe to the Vaizey View newsletter by clicki...
Jun 13, 2021•41 min•Ep. 24
Today, Ed is joined by LionTree and Kindred Media CEO and Founder Aryeh B. Bourkoff for a crucial conversation with Mark Carney, the former Governor of the Bank of England who’s now serving as the UN's Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance. In a far-ranging discourse, the trio discusses the financial and technical ramifications of achieving net zero, and the work that must go into it. Mark's just-released new book, "Value(s): Building a Better World for All," provides a jumping off point f...
May 30, 2021•49 min•Ep. 23
Ed welcomes Theo Blackwell MBE, whose job Ed (only half jokingly) covets; Theo is London’s first Chief Digital Officer, appointed in 2017. His role is a delicate balancing act between federal, local and commercial stakeholders and the populace. Their conversation is a fascinating look into what happens when a city takes a more holistic approach to innovation, whether it entails blending disparate data streams to create a thorough view of COVID’s impact on London or the introduction of an Emergin...
May 23, 2021•40 min•Ep. 22
Saul Klein is one of the UK's best known serial entrepreneurs and seed investors. A Founding Partner at seed fund Localglobe, his previous roles include: Partner at Index Ventures; co-Founder of Lovefilm (acquired by Amazon); and part of the original executive team at Skype (acquired by eBay). Ed and he have a fascinating conversation around the possibilities of the UK’s explosive tech growth, and also - counter-intuitively in the post-pandemic digital world - the importance of place and why com...
May 09, 2021•47 min•Ep. 21
Ed welcomes Australia’s former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who led the country between 2015 and 2018. Turnbull was already a successful tech investor before he became PM, and like Ed, had also served as his country's tech minister. Their discussion covers a fascinating array of timely topics, including: building broadband infrastructure, supporting the tech ecosystem, tech regulation and the role of China. Australia’s recent passage of a first-of-its-kind law that requires Google and Facebo...
Apr 18, 2021•39 min•Ep. 20
Ed is joined by Ron Kalifa, who chairs both Network International and FutureLearn, and served as the CEO and Vice Chairman of UK payments powerhouse Worldpay. He shares findings from the report he recently submitted to UK finance minister Rishi Sunak examining the UK FinTech sector. Bolstered by heavy investment, the country’s financial services heritage and a burgeoning pool of tech talent, England’s FinTech outlook is unmistakably bright. You can subscribe to the Vaizey View newsletter by clic...
Mar 21, 2021•35 min•Ep. 19
If keen insight and quick wit are your thing, then you’ll want to catch Ed’s conversation with Will Page. As Chief Economist at Spotify, he’s had a front row seat as the first industry to suffer digital disruption has reinvented itself. He’s baked those observations into a highly touted new book, “Tarzan Economics: Eight Principles for Pivoting Through Disruption,” and shares some amazing and telling anecdotes about everything from how Meghan Trainor went top 40 in the UK without her music actua...
Mar 07, 2021•47 min•Ep. 18
Philanthropist and Burnbrae Group Chairman Jim Mellon takes Ed on a whirlwind tour of the very near future of agritech, spanning everything from the meatless burgers that are virtually mainstream; through the rapid transition of the milk market to dairy alternatives; to the enticing world of cell-based meat, where one, non-intrusive sample can produce the meat of eight cows. Exciting stuff! Check out Jim’s new book, “Moo’s Law: An Investor’s Guide To The New Agrarian Revolution” to find out what...
Feb 21, 2021•34 min•Ep. 17
It’s hard to imagine two more qualified guests to discuss the good, bad and ugly of government tech initiatives – one of Ed’s favorite topics. Phaedra, who now serves as Chief Strategy Officer of Libra Group, is a veteran of the Obama administration, where she oversaw some of their signature digital initiatives. And Daniel, a former special advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron, is the co-founder and CEO of PUBLIC, a VC focused on helping tech startups transform public services. They tackle th...
Feb 07, 2021•36 min•Ep. 16
Ed hosts a trans-Atlantic discussion with Form Ventures co-Founder Leo Ringer and Trust Ventures Founder and General Partner Sal Churi, a former professor of law at the University of Chicago’s Law School’s Innovation Clinic. The topic – one of Ed’s favorites: how is the constant cycle of innovation impacting governmental policy in post-Brexit UK, post-Trump US and across the globe. The answers may surprise you! You can subscribe to the Vaizey View newsletter by clicking here ( http://eepurl.com/...
Jan 24, 2021•44 min•Ep. 15
Leaning into his second season, Ed welcomes Natalia Brzezinski, who recounts her amazing journey from a hardscrabble Chicago upbringing to becoming America’s co-ambassador to Sweden (with her husband), focusing on tech. Now, as Head of US Strategy for FinTech unicorn Klarna, which is making huge inroads in the American market, she shares her enthusiasm for the incoming administration along with some inspiring words from soon-to-be President Biden. You can subscribe to the Vaizey View newsletter ...
Jan 10, 2021•46 min•Ep. 14
Ed wraps up the first season of The Vaizey View with an intriguing conversation with Azeem Azhar, the entrepreneur, investor and advisor whose Exponential View newsletter (nearly 200K subs) is a must-read on all things tech. They cover a broad range of topics quickly, ranging from the scientific implications of collaboration during our present health crisis; how nuclear is less of a threat than malicious AI; and whether or not prolonging life is desirable. You can subscribe to the Vaizey View ne...
Dec 07, 2020•41 min•Ep. 13
Ed sits with serial entrepreneur Tabitha Goldstaub, who in addition to co-founding the knowledge network Cognition X is the Chair of the UK Government's AI Council. A restless champion of the practical business applications of Artificial Intelligence, she has just published an important book, “How To Talk To Robots: A Girls’ Guide To a Future Dominated by AI.” Listen in to learn why the UK is ahead of the pack in terms of AI research and innovation, and why one of its leaders is reluctant to be ...
Nov 23, 2020•32 min•Ep. 12
Today Ed chats with Poppy Gustafsson OBE, the CEO of Darktrace – a UK unicorn worth almost $2 billion, and ranked Europe’s ninth fastest-growing European company according to the Financial Times. Their AI-driven solution ‘inoculates’ companies’ systems against cyber threats, be they bad actors peddling malware or unintended data breaches brought about by human error. A crucial conversation full of insight from one of Europe’s top executives. You can subscribe to the Vaizey View newsletter by cli...
Nov 08, 2020•40 min•Ep. 11
Tune in for a compelling conversation with Alex Burton, a 2-star UK Royal Navy Rear Admiral (and US Bronze Star Medal recipient) who now serves in a leadership role at Rebellion Defense. Rebellion Defense, whose investors include Eric Schmidt and James Murdoch, is a leading start up in the defense space. Alex provides an insider’s perspective on why the military needs to pivot away from a hardware mindset in order to meet tomorrow’s threats more readily – and backs it up with historical examples...
Oct 26, 2020•33 min•Ep. 10
Ed converses with London and Ghana-based entrepreneur Izzy Obeng, the Managing Director of Foundervine. Ed and Izzy look at the issue of why there is still too little funding for start-ups with female or minority leadership. Izzy's consultancy was established to address the social and economic inequality that’s faced by women and young people from under-served communities when starting a business or social enterprise. Obeng discusses why Foundervine’s workshops and programs begin with pre-teen s...
Oct 12, 2020•38 min•Ep. 9
It’s an exciting cacophony of voices today as Ed is joined by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and LionTree CEO Aryeh Bourkoff. The trio tackles topics ranging from tech's drive to disrupt the ultimate monopoly of government to the role that digital innovation can play in reshaping society and bringing more benefits to more people. Later, Ed speaks one on one to Chris Yiu, who is the Executive Director of the Technology and Public Policy team at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, to ...
Sep 28, 2020•44 min•Ep. 8
Ed chats with Nina Schick, a political commentator and author whose recently released book “Deepfakes” explores how manipulated media is impacting our lives, and how we can fight back. Though they met as opponents in a debate about Facebook (in which she bodied Ed), they find lots of common ground on the upside of synthetic media – think the “de-aging” effect in Scorsese’s “The Irishman” – as well as the dangers of disinformation to companies and governments. You can subscribe to the Vaizey View...
Sep 14, 2020•43 min•Ep. 7
