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Obama and the Future of the Internet Nov 14, 2014

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President Obama put forth a plan this week calling on the Federal Communications Commission to adopt strict rules protecting net neutrality. The agency has been working to balance the interests of technology companies who create and transmit information over the Internet with the concerns of cable operators and equipment makers that build and maintain the infrastructure that carries that information.

Tech companies, like Google and Netflix, generally oppose proposals that allow broadband companies to charge different rates for faster speeds.

The president is pushing for rules that would reclassify broadband operators and permit more regulation, bringing them in line with how phone companies have been regulated for decades. That would prevent preferential pricing and eliminate the so-called "fast" and "slow" lanes."

Not surprisingly, broadband providers want a freer hand to negotiate pricing and say net neutrality, as it's known, will stifle innovation and curb investment in better infrastructure.

This week on Money Talking, Tim Wu, a law professor at Columbia University and the man who coined the term "net neutrality" discusses why the outcome of this debate has the potential to fundamentally affect the way the Internet works, and by default, the way we work.

Then, a look at encouraging curiosity and tough questions with Genevieve Bell, Intel's Director of User Experience Research. An anthropologist by training, Bell represents a growing trend of companies looking to social scientists to help predict what people will want in the future.

An Anthropologist Walks Into a Bar in Silicon Valley Nov 13, 2014

Show notes

An MBA is no longer the only path to a successful Fortune 500 career. And while a business degree still goes a long way, majoring in the social sciences may offer more than a life in academia.

Genevieve Bel l is an anthropologist who, for the last 16 years, has been the in-house big thinker at Intel Corporation. Her official title is "Vice President and Intel Fellow at Intel Labs and Director of User Experience Research." Translation?

"We spend our time in people's homes all over the world getting a sense of what makes them tick, what they care about frustrates them. And using those insights to drive next generation technology development."

It turns out, social scientists are a good fit for this type of work. Intel has a research and development team who are paid to push the limits of chip technology. But if they can't get a sense of the devices those chips will power in the future, all that work could end up off the mark. Bell's job is to ask bigger questions about how and where technology will integrate into people's lives in world where we have the ability to put in everywhere.

One of the challenges for big companies, Bell says, is "how do you keep refreshing your imagination so that you find and pay attention to the things that don't look like the future you imagined. And how do you maintain curiosity at a company level?"

She has no shortage of curiosity herself. She recently gave a presentation at the New York City Media Lab about the history of robots and the future of automation. (Check it out, if only to find out the origin of the word "robot." Some hints: Eastern Europe, Broadway, Marxism and Spencer Tracy.)

As companies look to find new ways of thinking, graduates with degrees in the humanities might be just what corporate America is looking for.

With Republicans in Control, What's Next for the Economy? Nov 07, 2014

Show notes

Voters went to the polls this week thinking about the economy and decided that Republicans were a better bet. The GOP's success means the party will control both houses of Congress come January.

With two years left, the Obama administration now faces a divided government and a long list of unresolved policy issues.

But cooperation might be more likely with Republicans in power that some might expect. Corporate tax reform, trade policy, immigration and the Keystone XL pipeline are all areas where the president and Congress may find common ground.

This week on Money Talking, regular contributors Rana Foroohar of Time magazine and Joe Nocera of the The New York Times discuss whether Republican victories are good news for business and if the parties will move beyond the distrust and obstruction that has come to signify Washington.

Then picking up with contributors at the Harvard Business Review about the challenges that vex us in today's workplace. This week, Heidi Grant Halvorson, Associate Director of the Motivation Science Center at the Columbia Business School, explains "How to Make Yourself Work When You Just Don't Want To."

Ending procrastination at the office (or on Capitol Hill) is easier than you think.

How to Stop Procrastinating and Get Back to Work Nov 06, 2014

Show notes

At times, it seems like procrastination is an actual affliction. It sneaks up when we least expect it, undermines our productivity and then diminishes our ability to get anything done. In the end, we're left feeling defeated and wondering why we can't get motivated to tackle the things we know we should deal with, but just don't want to do.

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Associate Director of the Motivation Science Center at the Columbia Business School, has a simple strategy for overcoming our tendency to put things off:

Change what scares you. Some of us can't get started because we're afraid of failing. The logic goes: if you don't try, you can't fail. But Halvorson says we're fearing the wrong thing. Don't fear failure. Fear the consequences of not getting it done or not accomplishing something that's meaningful. That fear triggers a different response by creating the urgency that can propel us forward. Stop waiting to "feel" like doing whatever is on the to-do list. We all have tasks we need, or even want, to do, but never quite "feel" like starting. Waiting to "feel" like it is an excuse to avoid finishing. Feelings have nothing to do it. Some stuff just needs to get done. Make a plan. Be specific. Don't clear our your inbox "tomorrow." Clear it out tomorrow from 2:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Don't trust yourself to make the right decision in the moment. Make it ahead of time and stick to it.

And the results? Grant Halvorson put it this way in her original article in the Harvard Business Review, "Can you imagine how much less guilt, stress, and frustration you would feel if you could somehow just make yourself do the things you don’t want to do when you are actually supposed to do them? Not to mention how much happier and more effective you would be?"

The Myth of the Self-Driving Car Oct 31, 2014

Show notes

California recently issued permits to Google, Audi and Mercedes to test 29 self-driving vehicles on any public road in the state. These cars are self-driving, but not driver-less. Licensed drivers approved by California will be in the cars at all times as backups in case the technology fails. This may look like the beginning of a new world of driving, but are they safer? After all, these vehicles are still just machines run by computers.

This week on Money Talking, host Charlie Herman talks with Cardiff Garcia from the Financial Times and Will Knight from the MIT Technology Review to get a reality check about self-driving cars and what it means for the economy, the auto industry and for us.

Should Companies Report Profits Less Often? Oct 24, 2014

Show notes

It's earnings season again, that quarterly ritual when investors anxiously wait for companies to report their financial results. In the wave of new regulations passed during the Great Depression, the government decided that public companies owed their investors an update every three months. But in the 80 years since, public filings have gotten longer and more complex, putting a strain on management.

Writers with the Lex column at the Financial Times think these frequent filings might not be worth it, that they lead to short-term thinking by companies and put too much focus on stock prices instead of the long-term health of companies. This week on Money Talking, Sujeet Indap, a columnist at the Financial Times, makes the case that U.S. investors might be better off if companies had fewer filing requirements and provided information when it really matters.

Then picking up with contributors at the Harvard Business Review about the challenges that vex us in today's workplace. This week, Jeff Weiss, a professor at West Point and Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, reviews how "Negotiating is Not the Same as Haggling:" turns out negotiating for a raise is not the same as buying a car.

Wall Street Worries About the Economy, Oil And Ebola Oct 17, 2014

Show notes

Global markets have been on a wild ride for the past two weeks as investors act on fears of a slowdown in global growth. The IMF recently lowered its global economic growth forecast as there are new concerns rise that Europe is sliding closer towards another recession. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve later this month is scheduled to end its bond buying program that helped stimulate U.S. economic growth. This week on Money Talking, regular contributors Rana Foroohar of Time magazine and Joe Nocera of The New York Times discuss why investors are so spooked, the impact of low oil prices and how Ebola is helping to fuel the jitters. Even in the U.S., where the economic recovery appears to be on solid ground, markets remain volatile.

What a Difference a Year Makes: Obamacare Turns One Oct 10, 2014

Show notes

It's the one year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act and millions of people have health insurance for the first time. Premiums haven't spiked as some predicted, but more than 30 million people are still uninsured. But as the 2015 enrollment period approaches, some employers are scaling back benefits, offering plans with higher deductibles and in some cases, forcing employees into the marketplace to find coverage. This week on Money Talking, regular contributors Rana Foroohar of Time magazine and Joe Nocera of The New York Times discuss Wal-Mart's recent decision to stop covering part-time employees who work less than 30 hours per week and whether the law has lived up to its promises or just confirmed the suspicions of its critics.

Lehman Brothers Didn't Have to Go Bankrupt Oct 03, 2014

Show notes

New reporting by The New York Times suggests that the U.S. government could have kept Lehman Brothers out of bankruptcy six years ago. The Lehman bankruptcy marked the moment when a rocky, unstable economy turned into a full-blown financial crisis. This week on Money Talking, regular contributors Rana Foroohar of Time magazine and Joe Nocera of The New York Times examine how the crisis might have been different if Lehman was indeed, too big to fail. Also, a look at whether the New York Federal Reserve is too close to the banks it's charged with regulating. "This American Life" and ProPublica reported on secret tapes recorded by a Fed employee showing the central bank's unwillingness to aggressively confront questionable practices at Goldman Sachs.

Corporations Pledge to Combat Climate Change Sep 26, 2014

Show notes

A week of climate change marches, meetings, speeches and pledges in New York City is coming to an end. World leaders came for the U.N. Climate Summit and regular folks joined the People's Climate March on Sunday. Business executives also gathered and made pledges to fight climate change. This week on Money Talking, regular contributors Rana Foroohar of Time magazine and Joe Nocera of the New York Times examine what corporate leaders around the globe are doing to reduce emissions and embrace sustainability in their businesses and whether they are doing enough. Also, a look at the movement to get university endowments, pensions and individuals to divest from fossil fuel companies - how could it affect the climate change? According to Arabella Advisors, various entities have already committed to divest over $50 billion in assets from fossil fuel companies.

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