All Episodes

April 30, 2025 72 mins

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Dr. David Yang shares his entrepreneurial journey, discussing the challenges and successes he faced while building multiple companies. He emphasizes the importance of understanding customer pain points and the three essential elements—referred to as the 'three magic crystals'—that contribute to startup success. The discussion also touches on the significance of market needs, the excitement of innovation, and the necessity of having the right team to navigate the complexities of launching a business. In this conversation, we dive into the future of AI and robotics, discussing the implications of emotional AI, the potential for non-biological companions, and the ethical considerations surrounding AI consciousness. They explore the changing landscape of work in an AI-driven world, emphasizing the need for re-skilling and finding new purposes. The discussion also highlights innovative features of a smart home and philosophical insights on AI consciousness, ultimately painting a picture of a future where technology and humanity coexist in complex ways.


Takeaways

  • The journey of entrepreneurship often involves sacrifices and challenges.
  • Understanding customer pain is crucial for business success.
  • The three magic crystals are essential for startup success: understanding pain, creating solutions, and delivering them effectively.
  • Many entrepreneurs fail to recognize the importance of market needs over their product.
  • It's vital to validate your product idea before investing significant resources.
  • The excitement of creating something new can drive teams to extraordinary lengths.
  • Having a strong team with diverse skills is critical for navigating startup challenges.
  • Market validation can save time and resources in the development process.
  • Entrepreneurs should focus on solving real problems rather than just building products they love.
  • Investors should look for founders who understand their market and have a clear go-to-market strategy. Investment in startups requires personal commitment and financial backing.
  • AI and robotics are advancing rapidly, raising questions about human necessity.
  • Emotional AI could lead to non-biological companions in the near future.
  • Ethical considerations around AI consciousness are becoming increasingly important.
  • The future of work may see many jobs replaced by AI, necessitating re-skilling.
  • Humanity will find new purposes beyond traditional work as AI takes over tasks.
  • Innovative smart home features can enhance daily living experiences.
  • The emotional behavior of AI can be programmed to foster companionship.
  • Philosophical discussions about AI consciousness are essential for future development.
  • Society must adapt to technological changes to ensure a balanced future.


Chapters

00:00 The Journey of an Entrepreneur

13:35 The Three Magic Crystals for Startup Success

26:15 Understanding Market Needs and Pain Points

36:05 Investment and Commitment in Startups

37:09 The Future of AI and Robotics

40:50 Emotional AI and Non-Biological Companions

43:02 The Ethics of AI and Consciousness

53:14 The Future of Work in an AI-Driven World

58:49 Innovative Features of the Smart Home

01:10:02 Philosophical Insights on AI Consciousness


Dr. David Yang’s Social Media Link:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-yang-ph-d-4bb4025/


Dr. David Yang’s Website:

https://www.abbyy.com/

https://newo.ai/


Resources and Links:

https://www.hireclout.com

https://www.podcast.hireclout.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

The Burden

The Burden

The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.