Code Red by Red Swan

“Predictions are extremely difficult, especially when they concern the future”, Winston Churchill once said. And yet, every year, as December rolls around, we’re buried under a flood of predictions from experts and self-proclaimed gurus. It’s that season again. But how do we make sense of it all—and what should we do instead to kick off the new year with real success? "But aren’t you a futurist?"...

Perfect imperfection: In this episode of  Code Red: Technology, Madness, and the Future of Humanity,  Chris Kalaboukis and I discuss the wild, unpredictable world of AI creativity.  Sometimes, creative AI tools like Midjourney or Runway have the audacity to flat-out ignore our precise prompts, dismiss our carefully crafted wishes, and mock our desires by producing something entirely different.  It...

"Scrum masters and hackathon enthusiasts will hate us." In this episode of Code Red: Technology, Madness, and the Future of Humanity, hosts Ursula Eysin, CEO of Red Swan, and Silicon Valley’s Chris Kalaboukis, tackle a hot question in the world of corporate innovation: Are hackathons a real innovation driver, or just corporate theater? You’ll be surprised by their take on what really goes on behin...

In this episode of Code Red - Technology, Madness, and the Future of Humanity, Red Swan CEO Ursula Eysin and former Head of IP Innovation at Yahoo, Chris Kalaboukis, dive deep into the age-old question: Why can't AI handle our everyday chores yet? From robots that can’t set the table or do the laundry to AI taking over white-collar jobs, we explore the irony that AI seems to replace the people...

🧠 Welcome to the digital age, where attention spans have shrunk to the size of a TikTok video. In this episode of Code Red - Technology, Madness, and the Future um Humanity, Chris Kalaboukis and I dive headfirst into the phenomenon we're calling "TikTok Brain"—a state of mind where anything longer than 15 seconds feels like a marathon. But don't worry, we promise this episode wi...

The modern workplace, much like Queen's iconic song, is "Under Pressure." 🎶 Existential angst has always been present, but rapid advancements in AI, massive layoffs by tech giants, and the isolation of digital meetings have introduced new fears—fear of obsolescence and fear of dying alone in our offices, unnoticed. 😨 In this episode of Code Red: Technology, Madness, and the Future...

🤩Oh, social media—those wonderful platforms that use intermittent reinforcement patterns to keep us blissfully addicted. Their algorithms? Totally transparent and unchanging...just kidding! They change all the time, like capricious, moody lovers who sometimes give us attention, care, affection, or validation—when they feel like it. Who doesn't love the thrill of never knowing if we'll be...

With over 75 million users worldwide, Tinder might be a hidden gem for recruiters. 18% of people on Tinder are in fact open to job opportunities. And 30% of millennials are using dating apps for networking. That's right! Tinder's not just for finding love anymore—it's a hotspot for making professional connections. That makes 58% of HR experts believe unconventional methods like Tinder...

I certainly don't. How about you? As a European, indulging in our rich food culture is so important to me that I clearly say, 'Get your robotic hands off my food.' But can Chris convince me that the 3D-printed pizza is a good idea? -------- Modern high-tech kitchens offer a plethora of options, from liquid nitrogen-infused drinks to lab-grown burgers to ultrasound-modified spices. 3D p...

As we sail into the end of March, most New Year's resolutions are long forgotten and it's time for a reality check. Ready to grab life by the horns? 23% of people give up on their New Year’s resolutions one week into the new year. 43% quit by the end of January. The new habit they wanted to form, all the exercise they said they intended to do, the diet that always starts tomorrow… Let’s fa...

Many people think AI is a recent invention. But it’s not. In 2026 it will turn 70 years old. But autonomous cars are new, right? Also, not. The first driverless car hit the roads of New York in 1925 – that’s almost 100 years ago. In this brand new podcast episode Silicon-Valley based 354-fold patent holder Chris Kalaboukis and I talk about The Hype, the Myths, and Little Pieces of History of Artif...

What is the path to real, sustainable success in the crazy startup world? There is certainly no one-size-fits-all recipe for this, but in this Code Red episode titled "Modern-Day Gladiators: Diving With Sharks and Fighting With Lions in the Startup Arena" former Yahoo! Head of IP Innovation Chris Kalaboukis - currently running 9 businesses - and Red Swan CEO Ursula Eysin (www.redswan.at)...

With good reason, we find it difficult to relinquish control to technological devices. This is particularly evident in the idea of self-driving cars, but even small things, such as the refrigerator that automatically restocks milk without being asked for it, meet with resistance. Human beings are creatures of free will and staunch defenders of our own agency. And any technological advancement that...

In this Code Red Episode we discuss the incredible story of Google Glass tracing back to an Austrian R&D project back in 2004 and how one of the Austrian team members became Google's head of Google Glass. Austrian Professor Alois Ferscha describes his work with the "Spectacles" project as both his greatest success and his greatest failure. The project was a collaborative effort b...

🧨“To disrupt” means “to tear apart,” “to divide,” or “to destroy.” Sounds brutal? It is. It’s about creating something new through destruction. 💥“Traditional business models, products, technologies, services, and entire industries and markets are to be destroyed, upended, and revolutionized. A disruptive innovation is supposed to completely displace the old.” 💡Since this famous postulate by the...