Freakonomics Radio

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561. How to Succeed at Failing, Part 1: The Chain of Events Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

We tend to think of tragedies as a single terrible moment, rather than the result of multiple bad decisions. Can this pattern be reversed? We try — with stories about wildfires, school shootings, and love.

RESOURCES

Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well, by Amy Edmondson (2023).
"Michigan School Shooter Is Found Eligible for Life Sentence Without Parole," by Stephanie Saul and Dana Goldstein (The New York Times, 2023).
"How Fire Turned Lahaina Into a Death Trap," by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Serge F. Kovaleski, Shawn Hubler, and Riley Mellen (The New York Times, 2023).
The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic, by Jillian Peterson and James Densley (2021).
"I Was Almost A School Shooter," by Aaron Stark (TEDxBoulder, 2018).

EXTRAS

"Is Perfectionism Ruining Your Life?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).
"Why Did You Marry That Person?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
"What Do We Really Learn From Failure?" by No Stupid Questions (2021).
"How to Fail Like a Pro," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).
"Failure Is Your Friend," by Freakonomics Radio (2014).

SOURCES:

Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership management at Harvard Business School.
Helen Fisher, senior research fellow at The Kinsey Institute and chief science advisor to Match.com.
Ed Galea, founding director of the Fire Safety Engineering Group at the University of Greenwich.
Gary Klein, cognitive psychologist and pioneer in the field of naturalistic decision making.
David Riedman, founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database.
Aaron Stark, assistant manager at Kum & Go and keynote speaker.
John Van Reenen, professor at the London School of Economics.

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232. A New Nobel Laureate Explains the Gender Pay Gap (Replay) Oct 10, 2023

Show notes

Claudia Goldin is the newest winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics. We spoke with her in 2016 about why women earn so much less than men — and how it’s not all explained by discrimination.

SOURCES:

Claudia Goldin, professor of economics at Harvard University.

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560. Is This “the Worst Job in Corporate America” — or Maybe the Best? Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

John Ray is an emergency C.E.O., a bankruptcy expert who takes over companies that have succumbed to failure or fraud. He’s currently cleaning up the mess left by alleged crypto scammer Sam Bankman-Fried. And he loves it.

RESOURCES:

"United States of America v. Samuel Bankman-Fried, a/k/a 'SBF,'" by the United States District Court Southern District of New York (2023).
"Does FTX’s New CEO Have the Worst Job in Corporate America?" by Ben Cohen (The Wall Street Journal, 2022).
"John J. Ray III, a St. Joseph’s Grad From Pittsfield, Is Earning $1,300 an Hour to Sort Out the Remains of the FTX Cryptocurrency Collapse," by Larry Parnass (The Berkshire Eagle, 2022).
"'Pit Bull' Fights to Pick Up Enron's Pieces," by Ameet Sachdev (Chicago Tribune, 2007).

EXTRAS:

“The Secret Life of a C.E.O.,” series by Freakonomics Radio (2018-2023).
"Did Michael Lewis Just Get Lucky with Moneyball?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
"Does the Crypto Crash Mean the Blockchain Is Over?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
"What Can Blockchain Do for You?" series by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

SOURCES:

John Ray, C.E.O. of FTX.

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559. Are Two C.E.O.s Better Than One? Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

If two parents can run a family, why shouldn’t two executives run a company? We dig into the research and hear firsthand stories of both triumph and disaster. Also: lessons from computer programmers, Simon and Garfunkel, and bears versus alligators.

RESOURCES:
- "How Allbirds Lost Its Way," by Suzanne Kapner (The Wall Street Journal, 2023).
- "Is It Time to Consider Co-C.E.O.s?" by Marc A. Feigen, Michael Jenkins, and Anton Warendh (Harvard Business Review, 2022).
- "The Costs and Benefits of Pair Programming," by Alistair Cockburn and Laurie Williams (2000).
- "Strengthening the Case for Pair Programming," by Laurie Williams, Robert R. Kessler, Ward Cunningham, and Ron Jeffries (IEEE Software, 2000).

EXTRAS:
- "The Facts Are In: Two Parents Are Better Than One," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
- "The Secret Life of a C.E.O.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2018-2023).

SOURCES:
- Jim Balsillie, retired chairman and co-C.E.O. of Research In Motion.
- Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder and co-C.E.O. of Atlassian.
- Scott Farquhar, co-founder and co-C.E.O. of Atlassian.
- Marc Feigen, C.E.O. advisor.
- Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, professor of management studies and senior associate dean at the Yale School of Management and founding president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute.
- Laurie Williams, professor of computer science at North Carolina State University...

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558. The Facts Are In: Two Parents Are Better Than One Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

In her new book The Two-Parent Privilege, the economist Melissa Kearney says it’s time for liberals to face the facts: U.S. marriage rates have plummeted but the babies keep coming, and the U.S. now leads the world in single-parent households. Plus: our friends at Atlas Obscura explore just how many parents a kid can have.

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When Is a Superstar Just Another Employee? Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

The union that represents N.F.L. players conducted their first-ever survey of workplace conditions, and issued a report card to all 32 teams. What did the survey reveal? Clogged showers, rats in the locker room — and some helpful insights for those of us who don’t play pro football.

For show notes, visit freakonomics.com/podcast/when-is-a-superstar-just-another-employee/

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556. A.I. Is Changing Everything. Does That Include You? Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

For all the speculation about the future, A.I. tools can be useful right now. Adam Davidson discovers what they can help us do, how we can get the most from them — and why the things that make them helpful also make them dangerous. (Part 3 of "How to Think About A.I.")

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555. New Technologies Always Scare Us. Is A.I. Any Different? Aug 31, 2023

Show notes

Guest host Adam Davidson looks at what might happen to your job in a world of human-level artificial intelligence, and asks when it might be time to worry that the machines have become too powerful. (Part 2 of "How to Think About A.I.")

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554. Can A.I. Take a Joke? Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

Artificial intelligence, we’ve been told, will destroy humankind. No, wait — it will usher in a new age of human flourishing! Guest host Adam Davidson (co-founder of Planet Money) sorts through the big claims about A.I.'s future by exploring its past and present — and whether it has a sense of humor. (Part 1 of "How to Think About A.I.")

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553. The Suddenly Diplomatic Rahm Emanuel Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

The famously profane politician and operative is now U.S. ambassador to Japan, where he’s trying to rewrite the rules of diplomacy. But don’t worry: When it comes to China, he’s every bit as combative as you’d expect.

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