Episodes
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Blake Scholl joins Reid and Aria to explain why the future of aviation won't be built by reviving the past, but by reinventing it. They explore how Boom Supersonic rebuilt an entire aerospace supply chain, why small AI-powered engineering teams are outperforming legacy organizations, and how software is transforming the way physical products are designed, tested, and manufactured. Blake explains why building their own engine changed everything, how AI is accelerating hardware innovation far beyond coding, and why America's biggest bottleneck isn't technology but its ability to build. Together, they unpack what it takes to solve seemingly impossible problems—and why the next generation of industrial innovation may come from startups willing to rethink entire systems.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ -
Carbon removal has gone from a niche climate concept to one of the world's most important challenges. Reid and Aria sit down with Nan Ransohoff, Head of Public Goods at Stripe and a leader behind Frontier, the advanced market commitment helping build the market place for carbon removal. Nan explains why cutting emissions alone won't be enough to meet climate goals, what it will take to scale carbon removal from thousands to trillions of tons, and why governments—not just companies—will ultimately need to create and fund the markets that make it possible. They discuss the most promising carbon removal technologies, the role AI could play in accelerating climate solutions, and what it means to be a "general manager" for challenges that affect all of humanity.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ -
Missing episodes?
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Reid and Aria explore what the coming wave of AI IPOs could mean for the future of technology, investing, and the broader economy. They discuss why public ownership may become an important way for society to participate in AI’s upside, where Reid sees the strongest long-term opportunities across the AI landscape, and why the next generation of software engineers will be defined by managing AI agents. They end the episode examining the rise of AI-generated music, what it means for creativity and copyright, and why AI should be viewed as a tool that expands human expression rather than replaces it.
To watch Reid’s Pi Day music video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DV3-Pw8EZ7x/?hl=en -
Reid sits down with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella fresh off Microsoft Build 2026. The conversation goes wide: how AI is reshaping work, business, and society—and why the transformation sweeping through software development today is only a preview of what's coming for all knowledge work. Satya makes the case that human capital and "token capital" are now deeply intertwined, that companies—not just countries—must build their own AI capabilities, and that the organizations best positioned to thrive are those that can leverage their unique expertise inside intelligent systems. Reid and Satya also explore Microsoft's enterprise AI vision, Reid's work with Manas on AI-powered scientific discovery, lessons from past technological revolutions, and why demonstrating real, tangible benefits may be the most important thing the industry can do to earn—and keep—the public's trust.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit
https://www.possible.fm/podcasts/satya/ -
Before Kanjun Qiu raised $200 million from NVIDIA and others to build reliable AI agents, she was writing high-frequency trading algorithms to pay her way through MIT. Today she leads Imbue, an AI lab unusually focused on power, agency, and what it would take to make AI systems trustworthy by design. In this episode, Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger sit down with Kanjun to explore what it means to truly own your AI tools, not just use them; how to build agents that are systemically trustworthy, not just convincingly so; and why the future of AI may depend as much on moral invention as technical innovation. From meditation and the amygdala to Adam Smith and open-source software, this is a conversation about the deeper architecture of the AI future.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ -
Reid and Aria dig into where AI is creating real, durable value—and where they see it heading to next. Reid shares an inside look at his AI-driven drug discovery work at Manas AI, making the case that medicine could be one of the biggest opportunities in the entire AI landscape. They also explore why AI will likely shift toward a mix of specialized agents and “front doors” rather than a single dominant assistant, how enterprise vs. consumer AI revenue will evolve, and what companies like Anthropic signal about where the real business of AI is taking shape. They also touch on the role of governments in delivering AI-powered public goods, before closing with a candid conversation on political corruption, institutional trust, and why civic courage still matters.
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We all feel the urgency: learn to use AI, or risk falling behind at work. And we all know there’s upside: AI can reduce tedious tasks, streamline operations, and boost output. But knowing is half the battle (maybe even less) and implementing AI needs to happen across an entire organization. So what does it take to start?
Well, here at WaitWhat (the company behind this podcast!) we paused all operations for three days to find out. From editorial curation to visual design to event planning, we split into teams for an “AI Sprint.” And this Pioneers of AI episode takes you to the starting blocks on the track with us, as we test new tools, discover their limitations, and find where AI can deliver on its promise.
Learn more about Pioneers of AI: http://pioneersof.ai/
Follow Pioneers of AI on all channels: https://linktr.ee/pioneersofai
At the center of AI is people, so we want to hear from you! Share your experiences with AI — or ask us a burning question — by leaving a voicemail at 601-633-2424. Your voice could be featured in a future episode! -
Reid and Aria explore how an AI-native world is reshaping trust, money, and work. Reid breaks down why crypto could power identity and transactions in an agent-driven internet, and what recent layoffs at Coinbase and Cloudflare signal about the shift toward AI-native organizations. They also examine Anthropic’s push into finance, and what it means for accuracy, regulation, and fraud. Plus, Reid responds to listener questions on “AI slop,” and why human taste and judgment matter more than ever.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ -
Beeple didn’t turn an 18-year daily JPEG habit into a $69 million Christie’s sale by waiting for permission. He posted, missed, learned, repeated, and inadvertently walked straight into the moment NFTs forced the art world to take digital work seriously. In this episode, Reid Hoffman talks with Mike Winkelmann (aka Beeple) about the real story behind the sale, why deadlines beat inspiration, how satire lets artists ask dangerous questions without preaching, and why AI is not a soul, a friend, or a shortcut. It is a tool that can—and should—make humans do more. From robot dogs with billionaire faces to AI-built sculptures shaped by strangers, Beeple argues the future is going to get much weirder, the bar for originality is rising fast, and artists who opt out may not like what happens next.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ -
Reid and Aria unpack a pivotal turning point for AI as rapid advances in generative image tools, such as ChatGPT Images 2.0, lead to deeper questions on AI usage, culture, and habits. For example, they explore how these technologies could transform creative work and visual communication, before zooming out to a global debate where voices like Pope Leo’s weigh in on AI as a fundamentally human challenge. Reid argues that while risks like isolation and misinformation are real, the future of AI depends on how actively we steer it. The episode also examines a major economic shift: the move from selling software to delivering outcomes—and what that means for jobs, entrepreneurship, and entire industries.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ -
This week, Reid and Aria sit down with Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings. Reed has seen technology rewrite the rules of entertainment before, but AI takes him back to his beginnings: he studied it at Stanford in the late '80s, decades before it became the only conversation in tech. Few people have watched this moment build from as many vantage points: he's served on the boards of Microsoft, Meta, Bloomberg, and, now, Anthropic.
In this episode, they talk about what AI changes in entertainment in the stories themselves, and who gets to tell them. We ask what AI can deliver for education, an area Reed has poured hundreds of millions to reform. We dig into whether the disruption coming for workers is a wages problem, a jobs problem, or something else entirely. And we ask what a two-superpower AI race means for everyone else.
Note: we recorded this episode with Reed Hastings before he announced that he won't stand for re-election to the Netflix board.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ -
With AI moving from apps into the devices we use every day, Reid and Aria explore where the real value will be created. From Google Gemini powering hundreds of millions of devices to ChatGPT entering cars, Reid argues that distribution alone won’t decide winners but that depth of use, iteration, and personalization will. They also examine the $650B race to build AI infrastructure, the hidden bottlenecks and geopolitical risks behind it, and why U.S. capital still provides a key edge. Finally, they highlight the Trust in American Institutions Challenge and its winner as a case for how AI can help rebuild trust by making institutions more transparent and accountable.
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Reid and Aria unpack the geopolitical battle over chips, from U.S. export controls to China’s push for self-sufficiency, and how the race for compute is reshaping global power. They then turn to how AI is rapidly expanding the attack surface, driving more frequent breaches and exposing new vulnerabilities deep in the software stack as speed and scale outpace traditional defenses. Finally, they explore why enterprise AI adoption has been slower and more uneven than expected, and how network effects, organizational inertia, and trust constraints are shaping the path forward. Together, these forces show how AI is not just advancing technologically, but quietly transforming the foundations of security, competition, and economic power.
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In this episode of Possible, Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger talk with Sean Neville, co-founder of Circle and architect of USDC, about building the financial infrastructure for an AI-driven economy. Now leading Catena Labs, Neville is working on what he calls the first AI-native bank—designed for autonomous agents that can transact, comply, and interact without humans in the loop. The conversation explores what breaks when AI tries to use today’s financial rails, why stablecoins may power machine-to-machine commerce, and why new concepts like “Know Your Agent” could become the foundation of trust in an AI financial system.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ -
Is SaaS actually dead or just evolving? Reid and Aria break down why the traditional seat-based software model is under pressure as AI reshapes how products are built, priced, and delivered. They discuss how these fundamental changes have started shifting SaaS software toward customization, token-based economics, and deeply integrated AI systems. The conversation digs into what this change means for engineers, why network effects and customer relationships still matter, and how new moats will emerge as software becomes faster, cheaper, and more dynamic than ever before.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ -
Reid and Aria unpack three emerging fault lines in the AI era: where real power sits in the AI stack, how AI is reshaping human creativity, and whether governments could ultimately treat AI as critical national infrastructure. Reid responds to Jensen Huang's "five-layer cake" framing of AI, arguing that while compute, infrastructure, and models carry geopolitical weight, the greatest economic value tends to emerge at the application layer. The episode then turns to a broader debate over a viral NYT experiment that pitted humans against AI writing. Reid and Aria close by examining Palantir CEO Alex Karp's warning about AI nationalization, weighing the tensions between innovation, national security, and democratic values as AI becomes foundational technology.
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Reid and Aria unpack new research on AI decision-making in simulated nuclear crises—and what it reveals about the limits of machine reasoning. They explore why frontier models consistently escalated to nuclear conflict in war game scenarios, and what that says about the enduring importance of human judgment. Then Reid examines the rise of software agents that can be hired like employees, and the broader shift from hourly labor toward ownership and leverage in the AI economy. The episode closes with Reid and Aria debating AI-powered manufacturing—why automation may be the only viable path to rebuilding U.S. industrial capacity, and why embracing AI-amplified industries is essential for long-term competitiveness.
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In this episode of Possible, Reid and Aria talk with Ivan Zhao, co-founder of Notion, about what happens when intelligence becomes abundant rather than scarce. Zhao shares his philosophy of treating computing as a material — like steel or steam — and why organizations must be built for human scale in an AI-driven world. From Renaissance cities to Xerox PARC, the conversation traces a shift from productivity software to cognitive infrastructure, and arrives at a clear conclusion: in an AI-powered future, human judgment, taste, and values matter most.
For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/ -
In this episode, Reid and Aria are live from New York as they unpack why predictions about the “death” of San Francisco and New York keep missing the mark and how network effects continue to anchor these cities as the world’s leading tech and finance hubs. Reid also shares advice for young founders choosing where to build and explains how to align your startup with the right economic network by breaking down lessons from companies like Shopify and Spotify that scaled outside Silicon Valley. The conversation then shifts to the future of AI in biotech as Reid offers an update on Manas AI and why curing disease hinges on regulation as much as technological breakthroughs. The episode closes with a candid discussion on media, political pressure, and the dangers of “pre-obeying” authority. Reid reflects on free speech, institutional courage, and what a volatile post-midterm landscape could mean for American democracy.
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In this episode, Reid and Aria examine a growing tension at the heart of the AI moment: whether these tools are actually saving time or simply accelerating the pace, volume, and expectations of work. The conversation touches on workflows across investing, engineering, legal, and management and why faster output rarely means less work. From there, Aria and Reid engage with competing essays about the AI moment, pushing back on both apocalyptic predictions of immediate white-collar collapse and dismissive claims that today’s AI are merely “tool-shaped objects.” The episode closes with a reframing of AI not as an inevitable force of gravity, but as a strategic capability that rewards those who are able to learn how to adapt more effectively as the landscape continues to shift.
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