Before Silicon Valley was dominated by the Big Five tech companies, there was Mozilla , an organization founded by a motley crew of coders and activists who believe the internet should be open to everyone. Those punk rock roots live on in Mozilla's Firefox browser and its decision to stop running ads on Facebook. On this episode, hear Mark Surman , President and Executive Director of the Mozilla Foundation, on why "privacy" is a new business opportunity for entrepreneurs, whether he thinks kids ...
Jun 27, 2019•45 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast You've probably heard her hundreds of times. Mallory Kasdan is the voice of dozens of ads, from Crest White Strips to Nickelodeon. For years, she made an excellent living sounding like the quintessential "hip mom" or sassy big sister, who happened to have a product to shill. But recently, as social media and celebs upended the advertising industry, Mallory stopped booking jobs. She's had to find new ways to pay the bills and get health insurance for her family. And she's doing it by sounding lik...
Jun 20, 2019•42 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Consumer Reports , the OG ‘s of product reviews, just got an upgrade: $6 million from Craigslist founder turned philanthropist, Craig Newmark . On this special episode, he and the CEO of Consumer Reports, Marta Tellado , announce their big plans to test all our apps and connected devices with a new set of criteria: one that takes people’s personal privacy and the collective good into account. Plus, Craig shares his thinking behind funding journalism start-ups like The Markup . ZigZag is the busi...
Jun 06, 2019•42 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast We went looking for a venture capitalist who is investing in products or platforms that make money AND make our lives a bit saner: Caterina Fake co-founded Flickr, coined the acronym FOMO, and is now a partner at Yes VC . She’s putting her money behind companies that she thinks will grow big and fast…but in ethical ways. Caterina explains why she said ‘no’ to joining the fancy VC firms on Sand Hill Road , what she’s looking for in entrepreneurs, and how to focus on what matters to you online. Pl...
May 30, 2019•41 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast We hear a lot about how people start up companies but what about winding them down ? After 15 years, media entrepreneur and "influencer" Grace Bonney has decided to close her lifestyle blog Design*Sponge . In this episode, Grace explains why she decided not to sell her business and has no plans beyond the farewell party...other than rethinking her relationship to the web. Plus, Manoush and Jen debate whether being a woman online means having to "perform" vulnerability and wonder if men also use ...
May 16, 2019•47 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast The workplace has become a place of sociological experimentation. But what are the pros and cons to “flattening” hierarchy or employees giving each other "radically transparent" feedback? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant (and host of TED's WorkLife podcast) explains some of the most cutting-edge workplace behavioral changes, how they reflect other societal changes like the #MeToo movement, and what each of us can do to evolve while GETTING OUR WORK DONE. Plus, Jen and Manoush consider how ...
May 02, 2019•41 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast The tech show about being human returns with an all new season exclusively on the new Luminary app. Manoush kicks things off with the latest on the battle between kids and parents over their screens: do we know how kids are impacted by tech? Does it make them less empathetic? Are they being constantly bullied online? Even if we can help kids figure out their digital habits, are we adults totally screwed? Researcher Elizabeth Englander joins Manoush to share new findings and give the most pragmat...
Apr 25, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Founded by Jenn Brandel and Mara Zapeda , the growing Zebras Unite network is a backlash against Silicon Valley's so-called "unicorn" companies. Many of these entrepreneurs are saying no to venture capital investors and attempting to build sustainable companies that fit their lives and values. But Jenn and Mara's inspiring real talk about making money AND doing good isn't just for "founders." It's about rethinking the role that all companies--and YOU--have in society. Zebras epitomize what we're...
Apr 25, 2019•45 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast On the launch episode of Season Four, Jen and Manoush celebrate the first anniversary of their company, Stable Genius Productions , and share the most important and difficult entrepreneurial lessons they've learned over the past year. They also explain how, after a year of experimentation with format and blockchain technology, ZigZag is evolving into a podcast that takes an honest look at the culture of business--and what needs to change. * Sign up for our newsletter and subscribe to the podcast...
Apr 11, 2019•43 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast What IS that anti-climactic feeling we get after completing a big project? Shouldn’t we be patting ourselves on the back and mixing celebratory martinis? Perhaps you’ve simply entered the final phase of the Hype Cycle : the rather dull Plateau of Productivity . This is when an idea just WORKS, maybe even becomes a cultural norm . All season long we’ve been tracking how ideas spark, evolve, and grow. Our final episode includes some harsh listener feedback, a conversation between women new to thei...
Mar 28, 2019•25 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast We're almost at the end of our deep-dive into the lifecycle of innovation, or the so-called Hype Cycle . Phase Four, aka the Slope of Enlightenment, is when the breakthrough happens, you get out of the trough , and start moving forward. We're using this phase to share big news from Stable Genius Productions and talk to Katrina Kelly-Pitou , an environmental economist, on the truth behind blockchain's energy-guzzling reputation. Plus, the mayor who made history by banning Bitcoin operations in hi...
Mar 14, 2019•30 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Our journey through the Hype Cycle takes a dark turn this week. Because every innovative idea, sadly, must pass through the third (and most miserable) phase of the cycle: the Trough of Disillusionment. This is when you start questioning why you ever decided to INSERT GOAL HERE in the first place. Hear Professor Kevin Werbach explain the difference between full-on failure and simply measuring success on a longer timeline, as related to tech and blockchain. (Because this podcast loves using blockc...
Feb 28, 2019•31 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast As we continue through the Hype Cycle , we reach the fun, thrilling, titillating phase: the Peak of Expectations. It generates the vital inspiration and adrenaline that keeps every entrepreneur or visionary going (that includes the listener who is in the midst of sleep training her baby daughter). On this episode, Manoush and Jen analyze their start-up highs and wonder whether exciting industry news means podcasting has hit its peak. Plus, more from Massena, NY, as we go inside cavernous Bitcoin...
Feb 14, 2019•36 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Question: what SPARKS us to *act *on an idea, rather than let it fade away? Answer: an "Innovation Trigger," also known as Phase 1 of the Hype Cycle . Hear listeners detail what triggered them to pursue a project, more from Gartner analyst Jackie Fenn , and how a hydroelectric dam prompted one small town to start manufacturing Bitcoin, for better and worse. All this season, we're exploring the lifecycle of ideas, including a visit to a town by the Canadian border where one of the biggest Bitcoin...
Jan 31, 2019•23 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast You may *feel *like a special snowflake, but even our best ideas usually take a predictable path: they'll pass through the 5 Phases of the Hype Cycle. Tech analyst Jackie Fenn created this iconic graph (see below) 25 years ago, and it's been used to track innovations (yes, like blockchain) ever since. But the Hype Cycle isn't just for tech: understanding it can help you decide when to press ahead with a job, relationship, or New Year's resolution... or cut your losses and move on. All this seaso...
Jan 17, 2019•33 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast The co-founders of Stable Genius Productions have a candid conversation about their current financial situation (hint: their grant is running out soon), the highs/lows of making this season of the podcast (another hint: they had a fallout over email), and Civil's plans to resurrect itself in 2019 (final hint: the token lives on). GO DEEPER: Blockchain has not yet added value to international development projects, USAID finds . After mindfulness, tech takes on information overload, Manoush's fore...
Dec 20, 2018•42 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast The richest 1 percent of the world's population now owns more than half of the world's wealth. The calls for breaking up Big Tech companies are growing louder. On this episode, the author of Open Revolution , Rufus Pollock , proposes a solution (think regulation, but on steroids) for wrangling monopolies, sparking innovation, and getting profits into the hands of more people. GO DEEPER: "What the California Wildfires Can Teach Us About Data Sharing," Joi Ito writes in Wired . An old monopoly sto...
Dec 20, 2018•26 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Journalists-turned-entrepreneurs Mark Little and Áine Kerr believe the experience of getting news online is broken. (And they should know: Mark worked at Twitter and Áine at Facebook.) So, they're building an app called Kinzen which they hope can reboot our daily news habit by delivering trustworthy journalism without overwhelming us. Afterall, they reason, we have apps to track our sleep, steps, and calories... Why not news consumption? But can there really be an app for that? GO DEEPER: You ca...
Dec 13, 2018•34 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast It's been an extraordinarily weird year. This mini episode compresses Manoush and Jen's story so far into a strange mash-up of voice memos that documents their leap from public radio producers to audio entrepreneurs (who often are very stressed and seem to rarely sleep). Think of it as an audio thank you note for being on this ZigZag ride. We're so glad you're here with us. We hope you'll also consider supporting Radiotopia, the podcast collective that helps make ZigZag possible. Go to radiotopi...
Dec 06, 2018•13 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Julia Angwin , the award-winning reporter whose investigations make Facebook sweat , just got $20 million from Craig Newmark (yes, as in Craig's List ) to start her own publication. Hear her vision for The MarkUp , why we need a new kind of watchdog journalism, and how she plans to combine hardcore data analysis with shoe-leather reporting. Plus, the honest lowdown on how Julia beats decision fatigue, as a startup founder and a parent. It's not all black turtlenecks and green smoothies, but it's...
Dec 06, 2018•38 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast CRIMINAL was a mega-hit long before the genre of true-crime took off in podcasting. On this episode, Manoush and Jen talk to the show's co-creators, Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer , about quitting their stable public radio jobs to start a company (sound familiar?), managing each other's quirks, and saying 'no' to the many business opportunities that come their way. This duo has great advice for anyone trying to manage a partnership, balance creativity with bill paying, or just stay to one's wei...
Nov 28, 2018•38 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we explain how the ZigZag inbox works and Manoush answers two very special letters: one from a listener with an unusual financial frustration and another who has an existential entrepreneurial query. Because in the daily cacophony of signals, email sometimes shines through as a place to get the news and information we want from people and sources we trust. GO DEEPER: A study about our email habits finds half of us achieve in-box zero. The SEC says tokens are securities (we think). Tha...
Nov 22, 2018•22 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Can you scrub the truth from the web? Or will people always find a workaround? An extraordinary tale this week about the intersection of new tech, personal stories, human rights, and repressive regimes. Plus, producer Thalia Beaty explains how governments around the world use digital tools to censor and surveil journalists and their citizens. GO DEEPER: New Yorker writer Jiayang Fan's article, China's #MeToo Moment . The testimony nestled in an Ethereum transaction . How Civil plans to repurpose...
Nov 15, 2018•29 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Meat world, real life, 'social infrastucture'...whatever you want to call it, human contact with our neighbors is crucial to mending divided communities, according to sociologist Eric Klinenberg , author of Palaces for the People . On this episode, Eric issues a passionate plea for more investment in libraries, public squares and other places where people can quite literally meet on common ground. Jen does her own reporting about the 'social infrastructure' that she believes kept her community t...
Nov 08, 2018•30 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast This week's episode is focused on a very specialized job in journalism: the Fact-Checker. Our guide is journalism's OG of information verification, Pulitzer Prize winner Bill Adair . He explains the origins, methodology, and challenges of fact-checking in a "post-truth" world. Plus, how journalists are partnering with technologists to build tools that they hope can make the very word "fact" less politically charged. GO DEEPER: Post-truth politics and why the antidote isn't just fact-checking . P...
Nov 01, 2018•28 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Hear from three entrepreneurs (Jen, Manoush, and Civil Media CEO Matthew Iles ) on how each is coping with uncertainty, deciding how to grow, and bouncing back when things go...well, badly, like that token sale you heard about in the previous episode . Because ZigZag listeners are emailing a lot about going through their own entrepreneurial growing pains. And they're grateful for the raw honesty about being a businessperson: "I appreciate so much that you don't know what you're doing." "It's suc...
Oct 25, 2018•34 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Civil couldn't convince enough people that blockchain and crypto-economics were the answer to journalism’s problems. It didn't even come close to its $8m goal. But, #failure is common in the tech world. And so are pivots . On this episode, Civil Media CEO Matthew Iles acknowledges the screw-ups and explains why the company is still solvent. Plus, the second half of our Twitter and 'misinformation' explainer with research from the Knight Foundation . Can you, lawmakers, or Twitter do anything to ...
Oct 18, 2018•44 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Manoush and Jen kick off the season with surprising new research from the Knight Foundation into how false information spreads on Twitter and its effect on society. They also have news about Civil , the blockchain startup for journalism, which is struggling to sell $8m worth of its cryptocurrency. With only days left in the token sale, techie journalist (and former WNYC colleague) John Keefe joins the duo to share his experience buying CVL tokens and where he thinks the startup went wrong. **GO ...
Oct 11, 2018•37 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast ZigZag is BACK on October 11 for Season Two. The theme is Trust + Information. Listen to the trailer to hear what Jen and Manoush have planned...and click here to learn how to get the podcast delivered to you every Thursday. * Never heard ZigZag? * Give Episodes One and Two of Season One a try. You'll get to know Jen and Manoush and finally understand what blockchain technology is. Still not convinced? Read what the press and listeners have to say about the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...
Oct 04, 2018•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Manoush and Jen explain the latest news on Civil’s token sale. They also admit why they're a little uneasy about some recent press coverage of their endeavors, and try to make sense of one man’s failed attempt at #MeToo redemption. Who you’ll hear: Manoush and Jen (@manoushz) (@jpoyant) A PROGRAMMING NOTE: Season Two officially kicks off on Oct 11, 2018. Never heard the show? Start with Season One here . GO DEEPER: Clarifications on where the money from the sale goes and how the process of buyin...
Sep 20, 2018•24 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast 
