The Next Stage podcast by Web Summit

Meredith Whittaker is an outspoken critic of big tech’s track record on gathering and processing user data. The president of encrypted messaging app Signal talks about what she calls its “surveillance business model” but also how much power these companies exert. AI, says Meredith, “is not some dematerialised technology that exists in the ether. AI is the product of significantly concentrated reso...

Football fans will know Pia Sundhage as a legend in the field. The Swedish player turned coach was the third woman coach for the US women’s football team, leading them to the final of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup before going on to coach the Brazil women’s national team. In this episode of The Next Stage, Pia talks to journalist Pedro Bassan about coaching and how it has evolved to include tech...

What are the most important areas in green energy right now? Brian Walsh, head of Wind Ventures, talks decarbonization, solar and wind energy, energy storage, and unlocking value pools through intelligence and technology. Brian also predicts the emergence of a “dragon“ in climate tech - a company with a valuation of US$12 billion or more, driven by the urgency to address climate change. For more i...

Chelsea Manning is perhaps best known as a WikiLeaks whistleblower but the data scientist and activist is now working as a consultant to privacy startup Nym. In this wide ranging conversation Chelsea talks about everything from AI ethics and the responsibility of individual technologists to ensure the products they work on are safe for the end user, to moving away from NFTs and Bitcoin in order to...

Michael Le is a social media dancing sensation with more than 50 million followers on TikTok.  He now has sights set on gaming and esports. Whether your interests lie in marketing, or in becoming an influencer, Michael has built an enormous following and holds some of the answers to success.  In this episode of The Next Stage, Michael Le answers a host of questions both from our moderator and a li...

What might cities of the future begin to look like as they respond to rapid changes in how and why we move around them?  Join Free Now CEO Thomas Zimmerman as he explores how data and tech are creating a world of integrated mobility through mass transit, micro mobility and ride sharing that could fundamentally change how we navigate the cityscape. Listen on for more exciting insights from Thomas Z...

Political polarisation is nothing new in the news world. But with an upswing in far-right political ideals and as the cancel culture wars rage on, where does political news coverage stand? Can traditional journalists hope to cover politics in a balanced and nuanced way while still finding a popular readership that trusts in traditional media institutions? Listen on for more insights from a panel o...

The world has made huge progress in developing a range of technologies in recent decades – but questions around how to use this technology ethically haven’t been answered as quickly.  Solutions are now emerging around danger spots such as data privacy, while, most importantly, companies are realising that a firm ethical stance can be a foundation for growth. Listen on for more insights as Rob Fran...

Life is busier than ever, and so it can be incredibly difficult to find time for dating. Feeld is the solution, a dating app that is designed to help people find who they are looking for, without judgement, when they are looking for it.  Listen on for more insights from Ana Kirova [Kir-ova] , CEO at dating app Feeld, and learn about how anyone can find love with Feeld, no matter where. "The b...

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions bots? We might think of clever ones like ChatGPT, useful ones like customer service chat bots, or even annoying ones like spam bots on Twitter. But what about bad bots? Pam Murphy, CEO of cybersecurity firm Imperva, details the kind of bad bots of every kind from those that can carry out identity theft through ATAs or account takeover...

The societal impact of artificial intelligence is often couched in terms of data privacy - the privacy of the individual or collective privacy rights. But Michael O'Flaherty, director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, says that we should be talking about AI in the broader sense of human rights. Algorithms, says Michael, impact your freedom of expression, your freedom of assembly, your...

Although it might sometimes seem like another exercise in ticking boxes, there are leaders in the tech industry that believe in empathy as a business tool for fostering strong relationships with both customers and employees. In this episode of The Next Stage Velia Carboni, Chief Digital and Technology Officer for VF Corporation and Jennifer Tejada, CEO of PagerDuty, talked about the importance of...

Does anyone really understand quantum? Yes or no, it's likely that quantum computers will play a major role in shaping our future. Here, Oxford Quantum Circuits CEO Ilana Wisby explores why quantum computing seems to be the next big thing in tech. Ilana Wisby, CEO, Oxford Quantum Circuits was in conversation with Jeremy Kahn, senior writer at Fortune Magazine on the Deeptech stage at Web Summ...

The next generation of critical drug and vaccine development will be supercharged by advancements in automation and AI, getting breakthroughs in the lab to clinical trials faster than ever before.  This panel of experts across programmable therapeutics, automation, and robotics, explore what's happening in the latest state-of-the-art labs, and discuss how automation is helping usher in a new...

In this episode of The Next Stage Queen Rania of Jordan talks about the perils of technology - addictive use and misinformation - as well as how it can be put to humanitarian use, particularly for the global refugee crisis. Queen Rania talks about the “shameful paradox” of live in an age of technological convenience and instant gratification while “witnessing such human hardship” as a result of wa...

In this episode of The Next Stage, Overtune CEO Sigurdur Arnason and Nick Gatfield, the former CEO of Sony UK, discuss how social media platforms, TikTok in particular, are driving innovation in music creation. They examine how these platforms are democratising the music industry by making it easier for anyone to create and share music, leading to new opportunities for both established and emergin...

Robots and humans will be working closer than ever in the not-too-distant future. Whether in private, commercial or industrial spaces, it’s imperative that robots understand where they are and what’s around them. Join this session as two industry experts discuss how they're helping robots better see the world around them – and adapt to it. Ariyan Kabir, co-founder and CEO at GrayMatter Roboti...

Author and out-of-the-box thinker Brendan Kane breaks down recent book Hook Point: How to Stand Out in a 3-Second World, which dives into the most effective strategies to generate new opportunities, innovate and scale your business, and to create a compelling brand. Brendan Kane, author of Hook Point: How to Stand Out in a 3-Second World was in conversation with Clara Armand-Delille, founder at Th...

Call it digital therapeutics, neuroelectric stimulation, or a brain-machine interface but it’s all part of the future of treating neurological and psychiatric conditions including pain, epilepsy, Alzheimer's, stroke, rehabilitation, depression and addictive disorders. Entrepreneur Ana Maiques is CEO of neuroscience-based medical device company Neuroelectrics, a startup creating a wearable dev...

Would you eat a burger that had been grown in a lab? Meatable co-founder and CTO Dan Lowning (pronounced like ‘frowning’) is betting on it. Instead of plant based alternatives this company is working on creating real meat products that don’t involve the slaughter of animals. In this episode of The Next Stage, Dan explains the science behind lab grown meat and why it is better both for animal welfa...

Michael Le is a social media dancing sensation with more than 50 million followers on TikTok.  He now has sights set on gaming and esports. Whether your interests lie in marketing, or in becoming an influencer, Michael has built an enormous following and holds some of the answers to success.  In this episode of The Next Stage, Michael Le answers a host of questions both from our moderator and a li...

As the scale of the climate change crisis sets in, it’s clear that solutions from traditional academic sources, such as universities and research groups, may not be enough. We need to start looking for fresh ideas and passions for developing innovative solutions to help address the environmental task ahead. In this session, environmental scientist Deborah Brosnan and FootPrint Coalition managing d...

Is the crypto downturn a growing pain, or exposing irreparable weaknesses? With the recent collapse of several of crypto’s biggest players, as well as accusations of illegal or unethical behaviour, criticism is becoming louder and more frequent.  In this episode of The Next Stage, Molly White, creator of Web3 Is Going Just Great, Ben McKenzie, actor and journalist, and Charles Hoskinson, founder o...

No matter the circumstances and economic outlook, tech’s ‘big five’ — Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft — somehow emerge from every disruptive event stronger. This discussion explains why.  Based on reporting in Alex Kantrowitz's new book, Always Day One, you'll learn how the big five reinvent themselves through cultures that optimise for tomorrow's demand, not today&apos...

Magic mushrooms are generally associated with the rave scene, or festival goers having a trippy experience. But what if these mushrooms are the future of mental health? Millions and millions have already been poured into research globally to measure the effects of the active ingredient, psilocybin. In this episode of The Next Stage Katerina Mal-eev-ska, co-founder of mental healthcare company Comp...