The last time Tokyo hosted the Summer Games was 1964. That was the first Olympics to be televised live, around the world, and in color. The event continues to be a hotspot of innovation for broadcast. Tuning in this year you may hear mention of an athlete's metabolic data, or analysis comparing the acceleration of runners. New tech is capturing this information and spitting out the details within seconds. In today's Brainstorm you'll learn about a variety of ways technology is improving the Olym...
Jul 29, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 40
In the past two weeks, both Sir Richard Branson and Amazon's Jeff Bezos flew into space on their own rockets. Space tourism, they say, is just around the corner: anyone who can pay the price of admission can now travel outside our home planet. In the flurry of headlines that followed, it’s easy to forget these billionaire-astronauts – along with Elon Musk – have been investing heavily in the commercial space industry for nearly two decades. There’s an obvious, immediate business case: Satellites...
Jul 22, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 39
In a digital world, the ability to code – to train a computer, using its own language – is key, hence the enormous push to make people literate in programming languages. “Don’t just play on your phone,” urged President Barack Obama in 2013, “program it.” But today the demand for digital applications outstrips the programming talent. The became especially clear during COVID-19, when digital accessibility became a necessity. Enter low-code and no-code application development: Platforms where softw...
Jul 15, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Fortune's Brainstorm podcast is on vacation this week, but will return next Thursday with a new episode. In the meantime, we bring you another Fortune podcast: Leadership Next (subscribe wherever you get your podcasts). Each Week, Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt interview CEOs from major companies like Intel, Hilton and Etsy. This episode of Leadership Next features Peggy Johnson, CEO of Magic Leap. The company's augmented headset never really took off with consumers, so now, Magic Leap is on a mis...
Jul 08, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Driverless cars are supposed to eliminate traffic, prevent millions of deaths and injuries, reduce congestion, and slash carbon emissions. And, they were supposed to be on our streets by now. In 2016, then-Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, now the Chief Policy Officer at Lyft, said in an interview that by 2021 “families will be able to walk out of their homes and call [an autonomous] vehicle, and that vehicle will take them to work or to school.” He wasn't the only one to make such clai...
Jul 01, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Semiconductors are an essential part of computer chips and, therefore, power much of the technology our modern world increasingly relies upon. This is especially the case during the COVID-19 pandemic, as demand for personal electronics and internet connectivity has skyrocketed. Along with toilet paper and lumber, though, semiconductors are in short supply, due to erratic, pandemic-related bottlenecks in the global supply chain. But simply making more semiconductors isn’t so easy. On today’s Brai...
Jun 24, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Over the past year, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have garnered lots of attention, due to their meteoric rise in value. Even Dogecoin, which began as a spoof, had a market cap larger than that of Ford Motor Company this spring. But there’s a growing awareness of the massive computing power these currencies require; how can something as intangible as cryptocurrency have such an enormous environmental footprint? On today’s Brainstorm, Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe examine why Bitco...
Jun 17, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 36
When was the last time you visited a bank branch? Called a broker to make a stock trade? Paid the babysitter in cash? Increasingly, our financial lives are online. And in today's Brainstorm podcast we dig into the growth of the fintech industry. First up, Matt Harris, a partner at Bain Capital Ventures. He's been closely following - and investing in - the intersection of finance and technology for over twenty years. Zach Perret is the co-founder and CEO of Plaid whose technology allows many of y...
Jun 10, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Ever since 1955 Fortune has published the Fortune 500 - a list of the country's biggest companies, ranked by revenue. And each year, that list reflects the biggest trends in business. This year, one trend stands above all others: technology is pushing business to new heights. The technology sector pulled in more profits than any other, and its market cap continues to grow. Scott DeCarlo, Fortune's list editor, breaks out some of the most telling stats. Also on today's show, Marc Benioff of Sales...
Jun 03, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Summer is right around the corner which means ... grilling! And this season there are more plant-based meats on the market than ever before. But startups are increasingly using other methods to develop alternative proteins too - and investors are flocking to support their efforts. Today's Brainstorm podcast is all about these alternative meats: the case for developing them, how Silicon Valley is embracing the challenge, who is most interested in backing these companies and - perhaps most importa...
May 27, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Over the course of 2020, when car trips were at a minimum due to the pandemic, Americans still spent a day of their lives, on average, sitting in traffic. Things were much worse pre-pandemic: In 2019, the average driver in Los Angeles spent almost 120 hours in traffic—nearly an entire work week. Traffic is one of the foremost inconveniences of modern life; it’s also unhealthy, inefficient and wasteful, which is why technologists are leveraging the power of data and machine learning to beat back ...
May 20, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Virtual reality (VR) is no longer futuristic fantasy: it’s a growing market across many industries, from gaming to education. In healthcare, doctors, nurses and therapists are immersing patients in computer-generated, interactive environments. And while it's no silver bullet, VR is proving to be powerful medicine. Studies show it can improve health outcomes in many situations, whether in labor and delivery, managing chronic pain, or for treating conditions like depression and anxiety. On today’s...
May 13, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 30
At the end of April, the European Union outlined ambitious new regulations for the use of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Systems that determine who gets a job, or who’s eligible for a bank loan, will have to prove their trustworthiness. While implementation is several years away, companies worldwide are already adjusting. The EU says the new rules reflect its human-centered values; skeptics say the laws intend to clip the wings of Chinese and American innovators, who are widely considered well-...
May 06, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Apple’s new iOS 14.5 contains a privacy feature that’s worrying the digital advertising industry. iPhone and iPad users will now be asked if they’d like to allow individual apps to track their activity across other apps. Digital advertisers, like Facebook, fear the answer will overwhelmingly be “no,” which is why some say Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature could seriously change how much advertisers get to know about us. On today’s Brainstorm, Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe examin...
Apr 29, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Global carbon emissions fell in 2020 for the first time in decades, due to the pandemic and the resulting economic slowdown. Empty airports and quiet highways meant fewer planes and cars spewing carbon dioxide into the air. The decline was significant, but emissions need to fall even more - for several years in a row - in order to reach the emissions goals set by the Paris Climate Agreement. To make matters worse: emissions are rising again. On today’s Brainstorm, Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keef...
Apr 22, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 27
After months and months of staying put, people are itching to travel. According to recent Google Trends, searches in the U.S. for “resort” and “hotel” are at five and 10-year highs, respectively. While the CDC recommends delaying travel until fully vaccinated, the number of vaccinated people grows each day, as does demand for a return to normalcy. On today’s Brainstorm, Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe examine how technology can help us start moving safely again, even as the pandemic continues. ...
Apr 15, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Proponents of artificial intelligence say it can eliminate human bias in hiring. Critics argue the algorithms are as flawed as the people making them. Nonetheless, A.I is becoming a mainstay in how employers attract applicants and select talent. According to the Brookings Institution, 55 percent of U.S. human resource leaders use some kind of predictive algorithms: A.I. matches candidates with job openings; it analyzes facial expressions and movements during interviews; game-based tests and pers...
Apr 08, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 25
COVID-19 has pushed small businesses to the brink. A survey from the Federal Reserve Bank shows three out of every 10 small businesses in the U.S. say they won’t survive 2021 without additional government assistance. For the ones lucky—or savvy—enough to stick around, a digital presence is key. On today’s Brainstorm, hosts Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe trace the path small businesses must take to digitize. Visa’s Mary Kay Bowman explains how customer demand for contactless payments has engend...
Apr 01, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 24
On March 11, the digital artist Beeple sold his “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” collage in a Christie’s online auction for $69.3 million. Its buyer didn't receive anything to display on a wall. Instead he received a NFT, a “non-fungible token.” NFTs are essentially a certificate of ownership, recorded on the blockchain, for a digital asset that is seemingly just a Google search away for the rest of us. On today’s Brainstorm, hosts Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe probe the profitable, perplexin...
Mar 25, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 23
At the end of January, Tesla CEO Elon Musk grilled Vlad Tenev, the CEO of investing app Robinhood, about the frenzied trading of GameStop stock. The billionaire tech titans weren’t on TV having their unscripted conversation about one of the biggest stories of the month; they weren’t even on a podcast. Instead, they spoke to a live audience on the new, invite-only, iPhone-only, audio-only app, called Clubhouse. What exactly is Clubhouse? The next big thing, or the latest flash in the pan? On toda...
Mar 18, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 22
It’s been a year since kids across the country left their classrooms and started learning from home. Many students find the virtual classroom a poor substitute for the real thing. And far too many families aren't properly equipped for remote learning, which only exacerbates the persistent social and racial inequities in education. Still, the pandemic is ushering in a new reliance on technology in education - and investors are betting tech only becomes more integral to the classroom. On today’s B...
Mar 11, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 21
While mid-February brought some unusual cold to much of the U.S., Texas was frigid. Dallas reached its third-coldest temperature on record at minus-2 degrees. Austin had its largest two-day snowfall since 1949. Natural gas lines froze, as did wind turbines. When Texans cranked up their heaters, the electric grid couldn't keep up; millions lost power and at least 40 people died, although that figure is likely an undercount. Some blame the state’s go-it-alone approach to its grid, while others poi...
Mar 04, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In the last few years, professional, competitive video-gaming, or “e-sports,” has seen tremendous growth. In 2018, over 100 million people watched the League of Legends World Championship Finals, held in South Korea, which beat viewership of the Super Bowl that year. Before COVID, e-sports could sell out venues like Madison Square Garden. During the pandemic, even more fans have been flocking to events online. And this has caught the attention of more corporate sponsors. On today’s Brainstorm, h...
Feb 25, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 19
While technology has enormous power to solve problems, it can also systematize the most toxic elements of our culture. Think algorithms that equate beauty with lighter skin, or that disproportionately disqualify black people from receiving bank loans. Why haven’t the creators behind the tech corrected these problems? And what will it take to fix them? Brainstorm hosts Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe speak with tech insiders and experts committed to building more inclusive technology. Sharae Gib...
Feb 18, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Social distancing; quarantining; avoiding bars and restaurants. The very public health guidance that saves lives and slows the spread of COVID-19 would seem to make dating during a pandemic impossible. But people have flocked to online dating apps: Tinder set a record for daily swipes, counting 3 billion on March 29, 2020. Between March and May of last year, OkCupid saw a 700% increase in dates. Brainstorm hosts Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe look at the pandemic-fueled boom in online dating. ...
Feb 11, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 17
You may have heard of the SolarWinds hack. Or, maybe not. News of the incident began trickling out slowly, in the midst of the U.S. election dispute and rising COVID-19 numbers. But the more we've learned about the attack, the more clear it's become that this is a big deal. Brainstorm hosts Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O'Keefe explain how the attack was carried out, who was involved, and what the fallout may be. They are assisted by Fortune writer David Z. Morris, and Dmitri Alperovitch, Chair of th...
Feb 04, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 16
We’re all familiar with the science-fiction trope of a computer getting so smart it takes on a mind of its own. That fantasy nowadays feels all too realistic, thanks to advances in Natural Language Processing (NLP). On today’s Brainstorm, hosts Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe examine what it means to teach a computer to understand and even “think” like a human. What are the innovative possibilities this unlocks? What are the dangers? Fortune Senior Writer Jeremy Kahn guides us through the lates...
Jan 28, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 15
The coronavirus vaccine rollout has been anything but smooth. Like everything related to COVID-19, the reasons behind that are complicated. On today’s Brainstorm, hosts Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe highlight one of the problems: the struggle to report and share data related to the virus. They dig into how this is hindering the vaccination effort. Three guests help tell the story. Tarek Tomes is the Chief Information Officer for the State of Minnesota and the Commissioner of Minnesota IT Serv...
Jan 21, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 14
COVID-19 has been no friend to our collective mental health. Rates of anxiety and depression have soared since the pandemic began, as has alcohol and drug use. In this episode of Brainstorm, Michal Lev-Ram and Brian O’Keefe talk to business leaders leveraging technology to address the problem. Robin McIntosh, co-founder and co-CEO of Workit Health, a virtual rehab service, extols the ability of telemedicine to increase accessibility for those seeking treatment. And while that’s unquestionably a ...
Jan 14, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 13
If you’ve committed to an ambitious fitness regimen to start off the New Year, there’s a good chance your devices are involved somehow. Whether you’re counting your steps daily or throwing punches in a no-impact boxing match courtesy of virtual reality, digital technology is becoming integral to how we exercise. In this episode of Brainstorm, Brian O’Keefe talks to Eric Friedman, a co-founder of Fitbit, about trends the company has seen from users over the course of the pandemic. While it’s no s...
Jan 07, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 12
