In this conversation, Katie Harbath speaks with Hamish McKenzie, co-founder of Substack, about the transformative role of the platform in the media landscape. They discuss how Substack is redefining trust in journalism, the impact of AI on content creation, and the importance of direct relationships between creators and their audiences. McKenzie shares insights on the evolution of media from centralized control to a more democratic model, the challenges of navigating political discourse, and the...
Jun 26, 2025•45 min•Season 4Ep. 5
This week’s episode is for anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by the pace of AI—or unsure of what power they really hold to shape the future. Rumman Chowdhury is a trailblazer in the responsible AI space—she’s worked in big tech, launched her own nonprofit, advised the Biden administration, and now runs Humane Intelligence . What makes her stand out isn’t just her résumé—it’s her refusal to settle for cynicism. She calls herself an AI optimist. And not in a naive way. She knows the risks, she’s ...
Jun 19, 2025•42 min•Season 4Ep. 4
In this episode, I sit down with Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic , for a candid conversation about leading through disruption. From implementing a tighter paywall strategy that turned the publication profitable, to navigating career pivots from editor to executive, Nick shares the lessons he’s learned in data-driven leadership and reinvention. We dig into the evolving identity of journalists in the Substack era, the ethics of using AI in reporting, and how media companies can remain trust...
Jun 12, 2025•39 min•Season 4Ep. 3
When Suzy Dean left teaching, she wasn’t just making a career pivot—she was reclaiming her peace. In this episode, I talk to Suzy—also known as @ woowoobestie_suzy —about the path from high school English teacher to intuitive entrepreneur and creator of her own unique digital brand. We talk about what it means to show up online with honesty, how to take care of your nervous system while building a business, and why your next big move might be less about hustle and more about alignment. Whether y...
Jun 05, 2025•45 min•Season 4Ep. 2
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May 29, 2025•48 min•Season 4Ep. 1
I’m excited to announce that the podcast returns Thursday, May 29, with a fresh season of conversations designed to help you navigate life's complexities—and panic responsibly. As part of streamlining my brand, the podcast has officially transitioned from Impossible Tradeoffs to Anchor Change . This season, you'll hear stories of courageous pivots, meaningful transformations, and actionable insights from thought leaders including: * Christina Wallace, author of The Portfolio Life * Nick Thompson...
May 22, 2025•2 min0
In this episode of Impossible Trade-Offs, Katie Harbath and Mike Rognlien discuss the evolution of corporate culture at Facebook, particularly focusing on race and gender bias training. They explore the significance of learning and development initiatives, the impact of recent changes at Meta, and the challenges of navigating political perspectives within the workplace. The conversation delves into the importance of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs and the role of unconscious bias...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 2 min
For my last podcast of season three and 2024, I’m thrilled to welcome Ravi Agrawal, the Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy magazine , to reflect on this historic year of elections. We discussed the significant trends and observations from the 2024 elections globally during our conversation. He highlights the challenges incumbents faced, the role of cybersecurity and AI in elections, and the geopolitical implications of these electoral outcomes. The discussion also delves into the future of Indian...
Dec 19, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 15
This week I had the honor of moderating a fireside chat with NPR CEO Katherine Maher and C-SPAN CEO Sam Feist at the National Conference on Citizenship’s annual conference. We were able to record it to bring to you on this podcast. Katherine and Sam both took on these roles this year, and some of the things we discuss include: * Reflections on the evolving role of civic media in an increasingly polarized society. * How NPR and C-SPAN approach trust-building and transparency in today’s media land...
Dec 12, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 14
I’m grateful this week that Aaron Rodericks, Vice President of Trust and Safety at Bluesky, made the time to join me for a conversation about how the platform is tackling the surge in users it’s seen in the U.S. since the election. This isn’t the first time they’ve seen such growth spurts—another happened in Brazil when X was briefly banned. These rapid user increases bring unique challenges to moderating content and require some impossible tradeoffs. Aaron talks about the different approaches B...
Dec 05, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Happy Thanksgiving! I decided to release an episode today because I figured people would want something to listen to while prepping the turkey or driving to see family and friends. I also know that Thanksgiving and the holidays can be a time when tough conversations arise, especially after an election. That’s why I wanted to talk to Lori Brewer Collins . Lori is an executive coach. She and I met after the 2016 election when she created a program called Cultivate the Karass to help people across ...
Nov 28, 2024•48 min•Season 3Ep. 12
This week on the podcast, I chatted with Rebekah Park, Vishnupriya Das, Devika Kumar, and Laura Murray, researchers at Gemic, a global growth strategy firm. They worked with Nhu Le, Rachel Xu, and Beth Goldberg from Google’s Jigsaw on a study looking at how young people in India and the US trust online content in the age of generative AI. I wrote about this study back in October and have been quoting it nonstop to people exploring how the information environment has changed, especially in the co...
Nov 21, 2024•53 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Image created by ChatGPT If I’m honest, I’m still processing everything. I’m giving myself and others the space to process everything. But, I still wanted to do a podcast. I have this deep fear that if I don’t stick to a schedule, I’ll fall off the wagon of creating content. It's probably not true, but I like to keep doing things to move forward. Since I had no idea where we would be as a country today, I decided to conduct an experiment I’ve wanted to do for a while for this week’s podcast. Bac...
Nov 07, 2024•18 min•Season 3Ep. 10
In this episode, I welcome Maria Giannopoulos who shares her unique journey at the intersection of politics and technology, particularly her role in the 2024 Republican National Convention. She discusses the extensive planning involved in organizing such a large-scale event, developing a digital strategy to engage both on-site attendees and online audiences, and the increasing importance of influencers in political campaigns. Maria also reflects on her experience at Google, the cautious approach...
Nov 04, 2024•35 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In this episode, Nicole Schneidman discusses the critical processes involved in the electoral system, emphasizing the importance of understanding what happens after voting. She outlines key dates in the election cycle, changes in election laws since 2020, and the journey of a ballot from submission to certification. The discussion also highlights the increased scrutiny and risks faced by election officials, as well as the role of courts in ensuring fair election practices. Nicole discusses the c...
Oct 31, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Twenty years ago, Wired editor Chris Anderson wrote “The Long Tail” - a story about how “the future of entertainment is in the millions of niche markets at the shallow end of the bitstream.” Also, twenty years ago, the term “podcasting” was coined thanks to the introduction of the iPod and RSS feeds that could carry audio files. Today, in these final days before the election, we can confidently say that this prediction has become a reality—not just for entertainment but also for news and politic...
Oct 30, 2024•6 min
We have another bonus podcast episode for you. One perspective I wanted to get for this season of the podcast is what people outside of the United States think about the election and this country’s overall approach to tech. There’s no one better to ask that question of than Mark Scott. Mark has covered tech as a journalist and now works at the Atlantic Council studying tech’s impact on our information ecosystem. He also writes a weekly newsletter called Digital Politics that is one of my must-re...
Oct 28, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In this episode, Tim Harper discusses his extensive background in election administration and technology, focusing on the intersection of democracy and technology. He elaborates on his work with the Bipartisan Policy Center's task force aimed at improving election processes, as well as his current role at the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), where he addresses the challenges posed by generative AI in elections. ( You can find all of CDT’s reports on elections here .) Tim shares insight...
Oct 24, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 6
I’ve been so lucky to have some great conversations for the podcast this Fall, but with Election Day rapidly approaching in the United States, I will do two bonus Monday episodes on top of the usual ones on Thursdays to get all of this content out. First, we have Betsy Hoover and Eric Wilson discuss with me the evolving landscape of campaign technology, highlighting the importance of tailored solutions for political campaigns. They share their journeys into the field, the diverse range of compan...
Oct 21, 2024•33 min•Season 3Ep. 5
I’m excited to welcome Allie Funk, Grant Baker, and Kian Vesteinsson of Freedom House’s technology and democracy team to the podcast, who released their 2024 Freedom on the Net report this week. Our conversation revolves around the latest Freedom on the Net report, highlighting the ongoing decline of global internet freedom for the 14th consecutive year. We cover various factors contributing to this decline, including censorship, violence against online activists, and the impact of AI on electio...
Oct 17, 2024•43 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Welcome to fellow newsletter writer, Bruce Mehlman who has long been a fixture in DC for his smart graphs and quarterly reports on where the trends are going, not just in politics but also in the economy, tech, national security, and more. I highly recommend you sign up for his newsletter, Bruce Mehlman's Age of Disruption . In our conversation, Bruce discusses his journey from a political lawyer to a prominent figure in tech policy, sharing insights on the evolution of technology and its inters...
Oct 10, 2024•36 min•Season 3Ep. 3
We’re back! Thanks again to everyone for your understanding of my gap week. In this episode, Amanda Elliott and Kyle Tharp, both newsletter writers focused on digital politics, discuss their experiences and insights into the evolving landscape of political campaigning. They explore the impact of digital strategies, fundraising, and the role of social media platforms like TikTok in reaching voters. The discussion also touches on the differences in approach between the Republican and Democratic pa...
Oct 03, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Good morning. Due to some scheduling changes, I don’t have a podcast for this week. Thank you for understanding. If you are new to the pod, I recommend you check out the archives . Some of the more popular episodes include: * A conversation with Renee DiResta about her book Invisible Rulers * Dave Willner on the evolution of trust and safety in tech - and use of AI for content moderation * Yoel Roth on making hard tradeoffs and the future of trust and safety Have a great day and thank you for un...
Sep 26, 2024•39 sec
We’re back! Welcome to season three of Impossible Tradeoffs. This season will focus mainly on the U.S. election, how the campaigns use tech, how tech companies respond, and what people outside the United States are watching. First up is Paolo Carozza, a member of the Meta Oversight Board and law professor at Notre Dame. Earlier this week, the Oversight Board released a report on using AI in content moderation. In this conversation, we discuss the complexities of content moderation, particularly ...
Sep 19, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 1
I’ve got another special episode of the Summer Spectacular podcast for you with my good friend Emi Kolawole. Emi has 10 years of experience in communications, design, and tech. In our conversation, she shares her insights from attending the Aspen Ideas Festival and the Socrates program. She highlights the importance of including diverse voices, particularly women and minorities, in the conversations around artificial intelligence (AI) and technology. Emi also discusses the need for more intentio...
Aug 08, 2024•29 min
Ahead of TrustCon next week, I wanted to bring you a conversation I’ve been trying to set up since Duco released the Trust and Safety Market Research Report in March. Guests, investors Lauren Wagner and Shu Dar Yao, join me to discuss their involvement in the report and the reasons behind it. They highlight key takeaways from the report, such as the unbundling of the tech stack in trust and safety and the impact of regulations and talent outflow. The conversation also touched on the trends in th...
Jul 18, 2024•31 min
I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting to do my first Summer Spectacular episode quite this quickly. However, when Saurabh Shukla with NewsMobile pinged me on WhatsApp to offer to talk about what had happened in the Indian election, I jumped at the chance. I then saw former Integrity Institute resident fellow Alexis Crews post about her work in the EU, and I knew I had to include her as well. In our conversation, we discuss the role of social media and digital platforms in the elections, the use of AI f...
Jun 20, 2024•39 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Don’t forget to follow us on YouTube! This is the last episode of season 2! Thank you all for listening. I’ll be taking a break over the summer and returning with season 3 in the Fall. Between now and then, I might be planning a few summer spectacular episodes, so keep your eyes out. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to end the season with. Renee DiResta joins me this week to discuss her background and journey into researching the anti-vaccine movement, the impact of social media on publ...
Jun 13, 2024•43 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Don’t forget to follow us on YouTube ! This week Claire Wardle and Daniel Bramatti discuss their work in creating fact-checking coalitions around elections as a follow up to the guide we published back in April . They highlight the importance of collaboration and trust-building among news organizations and social media platforms. They also discuss the challenges they faced in handling misinformation during elections, such as dealing with blackouts and coordinating with tech companies. They empha...
Jun 06, 2024•45 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Don’t forget to follow us on YouTube ! I’m so honored to have my good friend and expert extraordinaire Kat Duffy as my guest this week. I have no words other than you should listen to everything she says. Summary Kat Duffy, a senior fellow for digital and cyberspace policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses her work in the trust and safety space and her role in leading the Trust and Safety Task Force. The task force brought together a diverse group of experts to explore the evolving ...
May 30, 2024•43 min•Season 2Ep. 13
