The Dino Podcast

Spotify’s AI product manager Denis Beslic is back on The Dino Podcast. We discuss the massive buildout of data centers that provide compute for the ongoing AI boom. Big tech’s capital expenditure plans have reached staggering levels. We discuss: will the payoff ultimately materialize from all this spend? What is underneath the hood of the circular deals announced by market participants? And is the...

Paul Biggar founded a billion-dollar tech company. Then he became one of Silicon Valley’s most outspoken activists against Israel’s latest war crimes in Gaza. Paul joined this episode of The Dino Podcast to discuss his experience being vocal on the issue of Palestine in an industry that has historically been anything but. We discuss the material ways in which American Big Tech is instrumental to I...

Arnaud Bertrand returns to discuss the Israeli and U.S. war with Iran. The 12-day conflict settled into an uneasy ceasefire this week. Arnaud and I explore the origins of conflict with Iran. We also reflect on how successful each side was in achieving its war aims. In the second part of the podcast, Arnaud and I discuss Thomas Piketty’s economic research report “Colonial extraction and unequal exc...

Economist Geoffrey Woglom is back on the Dino Podcast to discuss the Trump tariffs. We cover the administration's biggest moves, from the April 2nd (so-called "Liberation Day") reciprocal tariffs to subsequent negotiations. We explore the economic causes of trade deficits, and we ask whether tariffs are an effective policy instrument to correct them. Lastly, we consider America's...

The pod made it to 30 episodes! We're chatting with Iman Oubou, the co-founder of Vocable.ai, an AI-powered content marketing platform. In her incredible career, Iman has been a scientist, Miss New York pageant winner, author, content marketer, and a repeat founder. I enjoyed discussing her amazing journey and her latest venture. Try Vocable AI for your content marketing at: www.vocable.ai ; C...

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald joins The Dino Podcast to discuss the Trump administration’s recent arrests of student activists across the United States. The administration has summarily canceled green cards and student visas for students who wrote op-eds critical of the war on Gaza or took part in student protests. We examine the lack of due process in these cases - and what it...

No recording this week, so we're unlocking one of the Patreon bonus episodes. Leadership coach and entrepreneur Alexsandra Guerra came on the pod to discuss attachment styles in romantic relationships. Recorded in December 2024, just getting out from behind the paywall now.

Robert Mazzucchelli is currently the Chairman and CMO of SportEdTV, the world’s leading online platform for sports education. We discussed his journey from tennis pro to startup founder and business executive. In his career, Robert has bootstrapped a successful startup, built a $300 million business line for a global ad agency, launched a luxury menswear line, and co-founded an online sports educa...

Tatum Brandt is the founder of Brandt Creative Co., an agency that specializes in branding and websites for fitness, sports, and wellness brands. In this episode, we dive into the booming fitness and wellness industry, exploring how to build standout brands in this competitive space. Tatum shares her insights on the latest trends—from run clubs and cold plunges to the rise of athlete influencers—a...

Denis Beslic, AI PM of Spotify’s Personalization team, returns to the Dino Podcast. We discuss the release of the DeepSeek foundational model from China, and how it has shaken up the tech industry. Denis also lays out how to build great software products incorporating AI and generative AI – a must listen for any product manager or developer. You can follow Denis’s content on his Substack, “AI Prod...

Geopolitical analyst and entrepreneur Arnaud Bertrand returns to the pod to discuss: Is the US-led West in strategic decline relative to rising powers? We consider this question both in concrete fields, such as economic might and technological development, as well as the decline in moral authority which previously underpinned the West’s leadership of international institutions. How are U.S. policy...

Alexsandra is a leadership coach who helps founders and tech executives manage their biggest challenges at work – everything from burnout to difficulties building relationships. In this episode, we dive into the biggest challenges leaders face and effective strategies to overcome them. Prior to coaching in this field, Alexsandra was a co-founder of the Techstars green startup Nori. She has been in...

Our election correspondents, Ardalan Tajalli and Gustavo Menendez, are back for a post-election wrap-up. We look back at our predictions for the 2024 presidential elections vs. how it ultimately played out. We ask why Harris lost? Why Trump won? Plus we review Trump's initial appointments to his administration - the Cabinet edition of Celebrity Apprentice.

Ardalan and Gus are back! We sat down to analyze the 2024 U.S. presidential election - Donald Trump vs. Kamala Harris. We looked at the polls, prediction markets, and funny campaign gaffes. Ultimately, we predict who will become the next president of the United States. The episode was recorded on Sunday, November 4th, 2024.

Is the U.S. a global empire in decline? I explore this topic with professor and political scientist Glenn Diesen. On the world stage, we examine U.S.-backed conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Are these events accelerating the decline of America's global leadership? On the home front, we look at the state of democracy and free speech across the West today.

Bruce Sokler is a prominent antitrust attorney. He joins the pod to discuss the DOJ’s case against RealPage, the company that sells algorithmic pricing recommendation software to landlords. According to the DOJ, the software is used by landlords as an indirect way to illegally collude to set rents artificially high. This single software, used by most large landlords, may be a major reason why – in...

Wendy Wen is the founder and CEO of Antelope Pets. She joined the pod to discuss her journey from investment banking to private equity, and ultimately, to becoming a repeat founder.

Valerie Tarazi swam for Palestine in the Paris 2024 Olympic games. In our interview, Valerie shared how her college swimming career at Auburn University led her to compete internationally – and to do so under the Palestinian flag. We explored her family’s roots to Palestine. We also discussed what it meant to all the Palestinian athletes to participate in the Summer Olympics, at a time when the Ga...

Kristen Faulkner won two cycling gold medals in the Paris 2024 Olympic games. In this episode, we explore her uncommon journey from venture capital analyst in New York City to professional cycling star – and ultimately, how she fulfilled her childhood dream of winning Olympic gold. Kristen also dishes her nutrition and fitness tips, which should help all you Office Athletes step up your game.

Reem Edan is an Iraqi-American stand-up comedian, content creator, and award-winning writer. On the pod, we chat about her upbringing as a first-generation American, and how her heritage influences her comedy today. We also explore her journey into comedy, and chat about Burning Man, cultural identity, & froyo. Finally, we give our hot takes on The Bodega Corner.

Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson joins the podcast to discuss America's approach to foreign affairs. He recaps how he became a skeptic of U.S. interventions abroad. We also explore whether Donald Trump represents a threat to the Washington D.C. status quo, or more of the same. This is part 2 of our discussion. Part 1 will be on Patreon, available to members of the podcast. Consider a membershi...

The pod welcomes Kharay Kenyatta, a wealth advisor at Goldman Sachs and an entrepreneur. We discuss how Kharay built a successful side-business in networking and events, while working a demanding day job on Wall Street. We also explore the roles that community and family play in Kharay’s business and his life journey.

Mike Zamansky is a legendary computer science educator in New York City. He has worked in industry, at Goldman Sachs and Google. For over 20 years, he built and led the computer science program at Stuyvesant High School, one of the leading math & science high schools in America. The program has launched countless prominent careers in Silicon Valley. Mike joins The Dino Podcast to discuss the t...

My brain trust Ardalan Tajalli and Gustavo Menendez return to talk politics & economics. We discuss the rise of the populist right-wing across European elections and in the US. We contrast that with the recent elections in Mexico. We debate the legal cases faced by Trump. The gang also discusses the rising national debt in the US and whether it poses a risk for US economic and political leader...

Arnaud Bertrand and I discuss the US–China relationship. It is the story of an established world power grappling with the rise of a peer competitor. We explore how this competition plays out in the realms of economics, technology, and geopolitics. Arnaud is a serial entrepreneur turned renowned geopolitical commentator. Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand ... And check out his...