Tech'ed Up

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...

SVP of Marketing and Public Affairs at Uber, Jill Hazelbaker, shares lessons learned from her career at the comms helm of John McCain’s presidential campaign, to jumping in head-first at Google, to what keeps her engaged and energized at Uber.  

“...most companies get a honeymoon period, and you would be very wise to use it to think about those arguments and think about your allies…” -Jill Hazelbaker

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Founder and CEO of the Chamber of Progress, Adam Kovacevich, joins Niki for a rapid-fire take on the latest tech headlines. They dive into the latest Big Tech anti-trust litigation and have a candid talk about childhood in the smartphone era. 

“Apple hasn't done anything in the U.S. differently than in Europe. So it's peculiarly American that we've ended up in this situation.” - Adam Kovacevich

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Head of Strategy at The Future US, Evan Burfield, joins Niki with an update on how hacking the regulatory environment for start-ups has changed over the last few years. They take a deep dive into minerals and bioeconomy tech, talk human brain interfaces, and how building coalitions is essential to being strategic in approaching Washington. 

“The Department of Defense can be an incredibly useful partner to a wide range of startups.” ...

Founder and CEO of the Chamber of Progress, Adam Kovacevich, joins Niki for a rapid-fire take on the latest tech headlines. They talk about TikTok’s headache in Washington, Europe’s misguided Digital Markets Act, and the state of play in Congress. 

“Even if this bill founders this year, the issue doesn't go away, right? That's the thing. The issue never goes away. There's no path really for TikTok to be a successful a...

Puck reporter Teddy Schleifer pulls back the curtain on tech billionaires and political contributions.  He and Niki look into the money and influence wielded by Silicon Valley titans over the presidential campaign. They talk about effective altruists, the “red-pilling” of Silicon Valley, and why tech donations to third-party candidates will continue to make things interesting this election season. 

“We write about these donor adviso...

Steer PR partner Lauren Tomlinson joins Niki for the second installment of Beyond the Buzz, the bi-weekly series of Tech’ed Up that digs into the comms, tech, and DC news creating headlines. They talk “Spamoflauge”, Gemini, and Chat GPT. 

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Head of Global Communications and Marketing at DeepMind, Dex Hunter-Torricke, joins Niki in the studio to inject some optimism and hope into the doom n’ gloom AI conversations dominating the airwaves. He highlights exponentially innovative developments at the Google subsidiary like AlhpaFold, scientific discoveries of new crystals and minerals, and AI-improved weather forecasting - all of which feeds his optimism for the future of ...

Steer PR partner Lauren Tomlinson joins Niki for the first installment of Beyond the Buzz, the bi-weekly series of Tech’ed Up that digs into the comms, tech, and DC news creating headlines.  They swap hot takes on “jargon monoxide” when it comes to corporate layoffs, the new space race for AI-augmented satellite surveillance, and the Swifties’ impact on Super Bowl advertising. 

“...people are talking about [faster data processing in...

Spotify’s Head of Content Partnerships, Jordan Newman, joins Niki remotely to celebrate Tech’ed Up going weekly and to share podcasting tips and tricks. This episode is a great listen for anyone who has thought they might want to join the ever-growing community of podcasters. Jordan also offers his take on what he thinks the impact of AI will be on the industry.

“...podcasting is one of the few mediums that we have left that is real...

DC-based AI policy and governance expert, Chloe Autio, joins Niki in the studio to break down the state of play in Washington for AI regulations this year. They explore AI’s PR challenge, talk about the awkward optics of recent Congressional briefings, and Chloe explains why the term “artificial intelligence” conceals more than it reveals.  

“It really should be more about not whether or not AI is going to take your job, but whether...