Tech'ed Up

President of the Software Information Industry Association, Chris Mohr, joins Niki in the studio to break down two major tech cases at the Supreme Court involving Meta and NVIDIA, discuss what's next for Section 230 regulation, and share insights from his career transition from private practice to tech policy advocacy. Chris talks about how the courts are increasingly being used to shape tech policy as Congress remains gridloc...

CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, Gary Shapiro, joins Niki in the studio for an informal chat about his new book Pivot or Die. They discuss pivotal moments in his career, leading the influential trade association fighting for tech and innovation, and looking to the future of tech in America.  

“We have to recognize that technology and innovation are actually our secret sauce in this country that allows us to do all these a...

Twitter's former Head of Government Affairs & Public Policy for the US and Canada, Lauren Culbertson Grieco, joins Niki in the studio to talk about her career - from tweeting for senators to navigating Elon Musk's Twitter takeover. Currently President of The Ledyard Group, she shares leadership lessons from the transition days at X, and she and Niki swaptech policy stories. They also share a prediction about what will...

Sr. VP of Policy at Digital Currency Group, Julie Stitzel, sits down with Niki in the D.C. studio to talk about their shared path from Midwestern upbringings to helping shape crypto policy in the nation’s capital. Julie shares her admiration for Hill staffers and why she remains optimistic for the future of crypto in the U.S. They also do a little arm-chair quarterbacking on the 2024 presidential campaign. 

“...when I think about in...

New York Times reporter, Sheera Frenkel, joins Niki remotely to talk about the AI 2024 campaign season that wasn’t. She shares insights from her reporting on tech, shedding light on the reluctance to use AI by US campaigns compared to other countries, the rush by foreign adversaries to capitalize on AI’s capability to enhance disinformation campaigns, and lays out what has led Facebook to step back from political coverage. 

“While o...

VP of Quantum Technology Evangelism at D-Wave, Murray Thom, joins Niki remotely to explore the basics of quantum computing and share some real-world, right-now applications of this leap in compute power. They talk AI, the impact that efficiency improvements have on daily life, and the exciting potential of quantum to facilitate breakthroughs in health care and drug discovery. 

“There's a really deep technical connection between...

President and CEO of IQT (In-Q-Tel), Steve Bowsher pulls back the curtain on this CIA-launched non-profit that's been quietly shaping national security for a quarter-century. Steve shares what he looks for in game-changing startup teams, why IQT is not your average VC, and divulges what emerging technology he’s most excited about right now. 

“People think of us as an investment platform, but the heart of what we do is to facili...

Punchbowl News reporter, Andrew Desiderio joins Niki in the studio to share his insider handicapping of the state of play of tech policy on the Hill. They talk KOSA/COPPA 2.0, the DEFIANCE Act, and legislative gridlock. Andrew shares why 2024 has been a good year for major tech policy legislation despite the Senate being de-incentivized to pass tech legislation, the House likely to shut down what few bills passed the Senate before ...

"...whether you're a large company with a keynote that seats a thous...

Adjunct Fellow at CNAS and Founder of Tech Policy Solutions, Pablo Chavez joins Niki in the studio to explain digital solidarity and digital sovereignty, swap campaign convention memories, and discuss US policy when it comes to the global internet. They talk State Dept. footnotes, the TikTok ban, and the future of the open internet. 

“ ...the United States, increasingly as a matter of foreign policy on digital matters is a little bi...

Runway Strategies Co-Founder Dave Barmore joins Niki in the studio for a deep dive into the wave of tech regulations coming from the states. They talk about gridlock at the federal level and why tech needs to pay attention to the states when it comes to pending policy regulations facing AI, data privacy, and social media.

"in terms of bills getting passed and laws regulating tech, whether that's AI, data privac...

Head of Global Public Policy at Discord, Ross LaJeunesse, joins Niki in the studio to talk about how the app delivers today on the original promise of the internet - community and communication. He lays out how Discord fosters genuine servers-based connection, why it’s so important to small game developers, and what regulators should consider when they try to regulate Big Tech. Plus, he reviews just how huge gaming has become globa...

Crypto Council for Innovation CEO Sheila Warren breaks down crypto, Web3, and blockchain once and for all. She and Niki discuss crypto’s future on Capitol Hill and how it might impact this election season, the critical role blockchain has in making AI more transparent, and why you might already have a Web3 mindset. 

“Things like authenticity, tracking, accountability, I think, are becoming even more important than they ever were bef...

NVIDIA’s Head of AI & Legal Ethics, Nikki Pope, talks about why how we talk about artificial intelligence matters and why making the tech representative of more people is important. She and Niki break down some of the myths surrounding the tech and re-examine what regulators should be focused on when they think of “existential threat” and AI. Spoiler alert - it’s not what Hollywood thinks! 

“...democratization of AI means making...

Archer Aviation Founder and CEO, Adam Goldstein, joins Niki in the studio to talk about why, after years of flying cars being science fiction, the eVTOL industry is taking off now, how coordination with the FAA is critical to American dominance in the industry, and what the future of travel looks like. He lays out a future in which flying cars will be as accessible as automobiles. 

“...talent and capital are the two advantages that ...

Philanthropist and author of ‘Our Biggest Fight’, Frank McCourt sits down with Niki in the studio to lay out his vision for a decentralized internet. He shares why Project Liberty is focused on personhood online instead of data privacy, why a digital bill of rights is not the answer, and shares his optimism for technologists’ ability to build a better digital future. 

 “Let's re-decentralize the Internet so that we put people b...

Corporate Counsel at Google, Kat Mauler, sits down with Niki in the Tech’ed Up studio to talk about what’s moving fast in tech news. They break down big legislative moves in Congress with the expansion of FISA Section 702 adding extra surveillance remit to the US government, the TikTok divestiture bill dominating the headlines - and why it’s not a ban, and critique the moves of the new Boston Dynamics Atlas robot. 

“I had really tho...

The CEO and Founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Imran Ahmed, joins Niki in the studio to talk about what his recent win against Elon Musk means for the proliferation of hate speech online. He and Niki debate who has moral responsibility for online hate but both agree the current climate is untenable.

“CCDH advocates a market regulatory solution to a market regulatory failure.” -Imran Ahmed

• Follo...

Corporate Counsel at Google, Kat Mauler, joins Niki for a D.C. insider take on the latest tech headlines. They talk AI’s insatiable appetite for data and the landmark bipartisan data privacy bill making waves this week. Added bonus, zombie attacks in the Terms & Conditions and the sad trombone sounds of Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” tech. 

“You always want tech to move ahead of regulators. If tech moved at the speed of government, we...