Thinking Is Cool

Get in, we're disrupting venture capital (and there's nothing Marc Andreessen can do about it) Aug 26, 2022

Like my jewelry in this video? It's sweat-proof, which is exactly what I need now that my career is pretty much just dunking on the rich and powerful. It's from OXB—feast your eyes on their incredible, show stopping, never been done before selection here: https://bit.ly/3PkZIkd

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Meet Steph Mui, the founder and CEO of PIN, a startup innovating the venture capital model through community funds. Where Andreessen Horowitz zigs, Steph and PIN zag. Because the incentive model for venture is clearly not working (looking at you, Adam Neumann).

So how do we rewire the money? Steph Mui has an idea or two.

1:20 meet Steph and PIN

3:53 how has VC traditionally worked?

6:33 venture's competitive landscape

8:11 the c word (community)

13:47 community investing has risks

17:13 rage against the money machine

21:55 the future of VC

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How Betches beat the odds Aug 12, 2022

Like my jewelry? It's sweat-proof, which is exactly what I need as a profoundly sweaty betch. It's from OXB—feast your eyes on their gorge selection here: https://bit.ly/3PkZIkd

Today, you'll hear from Sami Sage, cofounder and chief creative officer of Betches, the digital media brand behind some of your favorite podcasts (like U Up? and The Betchelor and many many more), newsletters, meme pages, and now canned cocktails.

We talk about weathering the many storms of digital media this last decade, from the first pivot to video to the second pivot to video. Also TikTok, Instagram sucking, etc. Also? Creativity, the fallacy of determination, and more.

Listen! Learn! Live! Laugh! Love!

1:36 meet Sami and Betches

5:37 the world is changing...does that mean you should too?

9:50 pop culture & current events (Elon Musk x Ramona Singer)

15:21 the evolution of Betches content

Check out Sami's Morning Announcements here: https://betches.com/podcast-channel/m...

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Meet the next Nancy Meyers: Naomi Shah's founder story Aug 05, 2022

Presenting: Naomi Shah. Naomi is the CEO and founder of Meet Cute, the storytelling incubator breathing new life into rom-coms. We talk about her founder journey, her ambition to out-Disney Disney, and the challenges and advantages of operating in "modern" media.

HEY: Like my jewelry? It's sweat-proof, which is exactly what I need to watch that bathroom scene in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. It's from OXB—feast your eyes on their spectacular selection here: https://bit.ly/3PkZIkd

1:01 meet (cute) Naomi

4:10 in defense of rom-coms

6:30 on disruption

7:19 audio, video, and both

11:41 modern storytelling, decoded

16:17 defying expectations (self-set and otherwise)

21:08 Naomi's biggest founder lessons

28:57 watch out Disney

Learn more about Meet Cute: https://www.meetcute.com/

Follow Naomi: https://twitter.com/naomicshah

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See you soon!

We're in a post-Roe world. Now what? Jul 29, 2022

BUT FIRST: Like my jewelry? It's sweat-proof, which is exactly what I need given the feathers this might ruffle in my hometown. It's from OXB—feast your eyes on their spectacular selection here: https://bit.ly/3PkZIkd

You posted the infographic. You made the donation. But now what? What are we to do to fight for a better future in a dystopian present after the overturn of Roe vs. Wade?

Rachel Cantor and Ben Allan-Rahill have an idea or two. Welcome to postroe.

00:56 meet the guests

03:11 what is postroe?

05:31 the business angle

08:26 should companies have morals?

17:04 small is better than nothing

20:04 where to find postroe

Check out postroe.co at...uh, postroe.co.

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See you soon!

Web3 will change sports (and life) forever?? Jul 22, 2022

Last week, I outed myself as a web3 doubter. This week, I'm pushing myself to consider whether I might be...wrong.

But first: If you check this video on YouTube you'll see that I'm wearing some very gorgeous dainty gold jewelry. It's sweat-proof, which is exactly what I need when I'm talking about cr*pto. It's from OXB—feast your eyes on their beautiful selection here: https://bit.ly/3PkZIkd

Now to the episode: I'm hanging out with Kirby Porter, the founder of New Game Labs and W3 Sports and a former Harvard basketball player. She explains her thesis on the nexus of web3 and sports, namely how athletes navigating new rules around monetizing their careers can leverage web3 tech. The best part of this interview, though, is that it's about more than just people who play sports. It's about all of us.

Listen, learn, think about how you squandered your hoop dreams. Lots to be absorbed with this one!! Also Kirby is genuinely one of the coolest, smartest people I know. Enjoy!!!

00:32 meet Kirby

3:20 NIL changes & impacts

05:28 the athlete as a brand

08:18 why web3 for athletes?

15:31 fine let's talk about NFTs

18:32 the risks of web3

23:06 the future of web3

LINK TIIIIIMMMMEEEE

Follow Kirby: https://twitter.com/KirbyPorter_

Kirby mentioned Li Jin, whom you can follow here: https://twitter.com/ljin18

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What if web3 *isn't* the future of everything? Jul 15, 2022

It's just like my grandpa used to tell me: "If the Twitter bros can't shut up about how much money they're making within the blurry paradigm of a so-called technological revolution, there's probably not much going on there."

Today, let's consider the possible reality that web3, the so-called technological revolution du jour, isn't what its evangelists say it is. What if web3 is just a masterclass in over-promise, under-deliver hype tactics? We consider the answer with Ryan Broderick, writer of the Garbage Day newsletter about web culture and host of The Content Mines podcast.

Think we're wrong about where web3 is going? You know where the comments section is.

Like my jewelry in that intro bit? It's sweat-proof, which is exactly what I need with a thumbnail that says "web3's flop era." It's from OXB—feast your eyes on their gorge selection here: https://bit.ly/3PkZIkd

00:22 hello Ryan :)

01:42 web3 is not the future

04:41 dissecting the "web3 bro"

07:24 the web3 hype train

12:21 barriers to entry

15:32 actual web3 use cases

22:11 "political leviathans"

26:23 web3 as a political tool

32:03 the future of web3

LINK TIME!!

Follow Ryan: https://twitter.com/broderick

Subscribe to Garbage Day: https://www.garbageday.email/

I flexed on 'em with a mention of the Gartner Hype Cycle, here's what that is: https://www.gartner.com/en/research/m...

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See you next week for something else web3...with a little bit of a different spin muahahah

What we get wrong about immigration Jul 08, 2022

Turns out the pro-immigration and anti-immigration people *do* have one thing in common: neither group has fully considered the biggest element of coming to America—cost.

On average, it costs as much as $11,000 to gain full citizenship to the U.S., including green card, application for citizenship, legal fees and payments for processors.

So what's to be done? Enter: One Percent for America, a community of lenders, borrowers, and supporters helping to defray the costs of citizenship slowly but surely.

Come for the cool insight into a cool mission...stay for the epiphany I have around the 20-minute mark.

00:10 hello Jaime

1:10 what we're missing in the immigration conversation? cost

4:35 why America? (yes we talk politics)

9:09 America vs. the world

10:23 who gets the money?

15:14 the risks of OPFA

17:37 immigration in a time of tragedy

21:42 the future of immigration & OPFA

Learn more about One Percent For America here: https://www.onepercentforamerica.org/

And while you're at it...

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Is venture capital doomed in a recession? Jul 01, 2022

Maybe...maybe not... (it's maybe not)

Today I speak with Em Herrera of Night Ventures (that MrBeast fund) to learn more about:

1. How venture capital survives a recession

2. How creators should cosplay as founders

3. How to spend $20 million

Em's a certified superstar genius and we had a blast recording this one. Venture is weird but it doesn't have to be!! Hope you enjoy :)

Follow Em here: https://twitter.com/emilyhxrrera

And while you're at it...

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Make p*rn hot (and ethical) again Jun 24, 2022

How do you build an erotica company when the odds are systematically stacked against you? You get creative.

That was the ethos for Caroline Spiegel, founder and CEO of the audio erotica app Quinn, when she started the company three years back.

(Real ones remember Caroline from her appearances on the show way back when—I can't get enough what can I say.)

Today, Caroline shares her story, lessons, challenges, and predictions for the future of...ahem...entertainment.

00:45 meet Caroline & Quinn

05:37 on expectations, both of purity & sexuality

09:47 preserving the fantasy

13:13 Quinn's business challenges

15:33 Quinn vs. the world (and p*rn industry)

Follow Caroline here: https://twitter.com/CaroSpiegel

And while you're at it...

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See you soon :)

How to solve the formula shortage Jun 02, 2022

Reminder as always that this aired first on YouTube! Watch the original video here: https://youtu.be/5Pkb3CtFucM

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Step 1: Recognize that we should have seen this coming.

Step 2: Disrupt the monopolistic formula industry.

Step 3: Give parents more options.

At least according to Laura Katz, food scientist and founder and CEO of Helaina, the company using fermentation to create human milk proteins designed to provide the same health properties of breast milk.

Laura's work has, as you might expect, gotten a lot more intense over the last several weeks as the U.S. grapples with a high-stakes formula shortage. So how did we get here? How do we make sure this never happens again? And what does the future look like for America's infants?

Let's think about it with Laura Katz.

00:00 intro hi hi :)

00:39 meet Laura & Helaina

03:57 how has the formula shortage come to be?

06:28 we need to talk about formula, not fake meat

12:35 parents are terrified, and with good reason

15:56 the formula industry needs to change

18:44 anecdote break! in which I talk about breastfeeding anxiety

21:11 where we go from here

Thanks for watching! Follow Laura here: https://twitter.com/LauraHelaina

And while you're at it...

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See you soon :)

A bear market is like a bad breakup? Stock market volatility, explained May 27, 2022

REMINDER:

This episode is intended to be consumed in audio-visual format and was originally aired on my YouTube channel. If you'd like to see it as God intended (with funny edits & captions), please watch it here: https://youtu.be/NKX30Br9ZuI

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What do your most recent ex and the current stock market conditions have in common? They both suck now, but eventually you'll get over it.

That's the sitch, according to Kelsey Willock—cofounder and CEO of Aura, a mindful money management platform. I spoke with her to parse through what, exactly, is going on in the stock market. Because these days, it seems all we can count on is uncertainty.

Listen for a full 411 on today's market conditions, plus some top-shelf analogies about what therapy and sh*tty relationships can teach us about investing.

00:00 intro! & say hi to Kelsey

01:10 putting your losses in context

05:34 investing is like a chaotic bachelorette trip

06:58 how bad could this get?

11:29 how to think for the long term & money stories

18:41 the bitcoin millionaire fallacy

21:38 Kelsey's recs & more about Aura

Thank you for watching! Follow Kelsey here: https://twitter.com/kelsmels1

While you're at it...

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See you soon :)

Gen Z's BeReal obsession explained May 18, 2022

How, exactly, is a social media platform designed to only be used twice per day planning to scale? With the backing of an army of ferocious Gen Z users, it seems.

This is BeReal. And it might just be the future of the social web.

00:00 get ready for a killer interview with Casey Lewis of After School

01:07 meet Casey

03:03 what is BeReal and why do the youths love it?

05:47 Gen Z's relationship with social media

10:03 how will BeReal avoid becoming the next HQ Trivia?

17:21 the great copycats of Silicon Valley

Subscribe to After School: https://afterschool.substack.com/

While you're here...

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See you soon :)

The stock market may be crashing but you don’t have to May 13, 2022

REMINDER: THIS EPISODE IS THE AUDIO VERSION OF A YOUTUBE VIDEO—TO SEE THE VISUAL ELEMENTS, SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqkJwR_JacmcQJUrtqv8apQ

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I won’t sugarcoat it—if you’re an investor of any kind, it’s been a tough month. Things aren’t great. Red as far as the eye can see. Pandemic superstars imploding in historic fashion. Inflation at generational highs. The Fed doing…Fed things.

That’s reality, and it’s a stark difference from the way things used to be (read: easy). So what might that mean for a generation that both 1) came of age and 2) began investing in record numbers during one of the easiest times to make money in human history?

That’s what I’m talking about today—what’s going on in the economy, and how we’re going to live with it. Don’t panic! Everything’s chiller than you think.

00:19 economic vibe check

2:33 the bubble has burst

4:47 we’re all the stock market?

7:02 your vibes must be off

8:55 how to check yourself

While you're here...

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See you soon :)

The evolution of digital feminism, from #Girlboss to Roe vs. Wade May 12, 2022

We are what we post, right? If so...what does it mean to be a feminist in the digital age—when Twitter is the town square and your Instagram feed is your personal credo?

I interviewed Kate Lindsay, the writer and reporter behind the internet culture newsletter Embedded, to find out.

4:32 what is online feminism?

9:33 digital coalition building in the future

12:24 inserting nuance into the conversation

16:50 smaller digital villages and the alternative to mass-anything

25:59 Kate's recs

While you're here...

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Subscribe to Embedded: https://embedded.substack.com/

Follow Kate: https://twitter.com/kathrynfiona

Overturning Roe vs. Wade could flip America's economy on its head May 06, 2022

Everyone has a take on the potential overturn of Roe vs. Wade, as they should. Legal action this monumental deserves to be talked about & thought about, publicly and often.

But you know who else feels notably missing from the conversation? The corporations that are so eagerly hiring people to be “a part of the family.” To quote my favorite poet, “I’ve never heard silence quite this loud.”

So where are the capitalists now that the stakes are higher than ever? Let's think about it. From the labor force to equality commitments—today on Thinking Is Cool, the implications of the business world staying quiet on Roe vs. Wade.

While you're here...

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See you soon ILY!!!!

Twitter has us in a chokehold. Will Elon Musk make that worse? May 04, 2022

Elon Musk is (still) (most likely) buying Twitter, and along with a change in leadership, many are anticipating changes to the platform that was once home to some of the best moments in pop culture history ("Delete your account," anything Nicki Minaj has ever posted, etc.). If some media prognosticators are to be believed, those revolutionary cultural moments are going to be replaced with more vitriol should Twitter take the shape of its new leader, a self-described "free speech absolutist."

For the Twitter users who rely solely on the platform for work, connections, and more...that poses a problem. So what might Twitter look like, and what would be the potential breaking point for the platform's biggest power users to finally call it quits on the bird app?

Journalist Fortesa Latifi weighs in, today on Thinking Is Cool.

While you're here...

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Find more of Fortesa's work here: https://twitter.com/fortesalatifi

And here: https://www.fortesalatifi.com/

SEE YOU SOON FOR MOREEEEE

-Kins

Can Elon Musk make the internet fun again? Apr 29, 2022

Can Elon Musk make the internet fun again?

We might be about to find out…if this doesn’t all go to hell.

Elon Musk is buying Twitter, and whether you agree or disagree with his tactics (I won’t make you guess—I disagree), he’s swooping in at a time when Twitter *needs* to change.

The platform just isn’t what it used to be. Changes need to happen. But when they do, you can bet your bottom dollar they won’t just affect Twitter and its employees.

They’ll affect the entire social web, the infrastructure that connects us all. So today, let’s take the time to understand what might come next for Twitter and what reverberations those changes will have throughout the rest of the online world.

00:24 Elon & Twitter (a timeline)

1:55 Twitter actually sucks (the vibe shift)

6:58 what could Elon Musk do at Twitter?

9:48 theories on the future of Twitter

12:34 the bigger picture

While you're here...

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See you soon! -KG

Ukraine vs. Russia: what comes next & how this ends Apr 28, 2022

It’s been two months since Russia invaded Ukraine and the world collectively said ”what the f*ck?”

In those two months, we’ve posted countless Instagram infographics, tried to explain to our parents that rising gas prices actually weren’t President Biden’s fault, and attempted to grapple with a real live land war happening in the year of our lord 2022…which also coincidentally happens to be a year during which our attention spans are at an all-time low.

So how do we stop the news cycle fatigue as Ukraine vs. Russia escalates (and will continue to do so, by many accounts, for years to come)? What lessons can we learn that will guide humanity into the future? Where does America fit into all this? Where do you fit into all this? And how is 9/11 involved?

All that and more, answered today by Marshall Kosloff—podcaster, interviewer, and impressive thinker.

Listen, learn, and start developing your own perspective on this administration’s Ukraine strategy. And think. Because thinking is cool :)

2:21 more about Marshall & his coverage lessons

8:52 today’s lessons from the post-9/11 years

13:13 the American Savior Complex vs. empathy vs. tactical politics

20:24 America’s role in Ukraine

24:24 where does Ukraine vs. Russia go next?

27:55 news fatigue and virtue signaling

38:09 what you think about policy matters!!

41:17 how (if?) it ends

While you're here...

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Find more of Marshall’s work here…

The Realignment: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3O3P7AsOC17INXR5L2APHQ

Breaking Points: https://www.youtube.com/c/breakingpoints

Twitter: https://twitter.com/makosloff

See you soon!

Mark Cuban explains his American dream Apr 22, 2022

REMINDER: This episode/interview first aired on my YouTube channel. Subscribe to see my stuff first: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqkJwR_JacmcQJUrtqv8apQ

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Here's just like 53 minutes of billionaire Mark Cuban hyping you up on the universal possibility of achieving greatness.

Kidding, but only kind of. It's really an interview with Mark during which we explore what the American dream means in a modern context today—what his version of the dream looks like, how he failed to achieve the dreams he had as a kid, what this country can do to make the "dream" possible for all, and more.

And finally, as is tradition in my conversations with Mark, I pester him about a presidential run. Cuban Grant 2028?

A few notes! This is the extended cut of an interview featured in my recent video about the American dream (watch here: https://youtu.be/TE2O7-q7tL4). And it's the first of many interviews I'm planning in an effort to parse through what's broken about the American dream ethos in an effort to build something better. That more perfect future, if you will.

So subscribe to my channel to 1) see more interviews like this and 2) join me in a much needed re-evaluation of the American dream this country was built on.

While you're here...

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The American dream is dead...? Apr 22, 2022

But not for long.

The American dream is a vaunted concept that's guided U.S. and human history for centuries now. But it's outdated. It's out of touch. It's lacking any semblance of modern sensibility.

And that, my friends, presents us with an opportunity. It's time to deconstruct—and reconstruct—the American dream. For a more modern world. For a more perfect future.

Let's do this.

Next up: my full episode with Mark Cuban. It's a goodie. Smash that MF subscribe button. You know you want to.

And while you're at it...

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Coachella isn't just about the music anymore Apr 22, 2022

REMINDER: This episode aired on my YouTube first. Subscribe to my channel to see my content in all its glory: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqkJwR_JacmcQJUrtqv8apQ

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The word "spectacle" can take on plenty of meanings both good and bad, but when it comes to Coachella? No dictionary entry fits better. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a spectacle in every sense of the word—from the $8 million artist payouts to Revolve Festival, the annual desert gathering has morphed into a business enterprise beyond compare.

To understand how (if?) Coachella makes money, what the event means for the music industry, and why everything is a GD branding moment, I brought in an expert: Dan Runcie, founder of Trapital, a fantastic newsletter and podcast exploring the business and culture of the music industry.

Today, Dan and I talk about Coachella's prevalence in both music and our economy more broadly. And I only mention Harry Styles like 4 times.

Subscribe to Trapital: https://trapital.co/

Follow Dan: https://twitter.com/RuncieDan

While you're here...

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Thanks for listening :) fingers crossed Harry brings out someone cool this weekend!

Can this friendship survive a debate on capitalism? Apr 06, 2022

THIS IS THE AUDIO VERSION OF A VIDEO THAT AIRED ON MY YOUTUBE :) If you want to see the full audiovisual version, subscribe to my channel here and watch the video here.

You've seen Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather. You've seen Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier. But now, the greatest spectacle of all: Kinsey Grant vs. Josh Kaplan. Two friends, two intellectuals, two dissenting voices in modern capitalism...only one can walk away victorious.

Welcome to the 10-Minute Debate. Today, I (Kinsey Grant, noted reluctant capitalist) take on my friend (Josh Kaplan, noted optimistic capitalist) with one big question in mind: Does power flow the way it should in today's version of late-stage capitalism?

10 minutes for all the glory. Will our friendship survive? Watch to find out.

Hope you love it!! If you did/while you're at it...

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Thank you Josh for being a good sport. And thank you to the orchid for being a paid actor.

The problem with Emily Ratajkowski's politics Apr 01, 2022

THIS IS THE AUDIO VERSION OF A VIDEO THAT AIRED ON MY YOUTUBE :) If you want to see the full audiovisual version, subscribe to my channel here and watch the video here.

Can the ultra-wealthy fight for a wealth tax in earnest? Is it possible to believe in universal pre-k and still send your kids to the best private schools? Or is it all just political fence-sitting?

Let's think about it—the idea of "champagne socialism," or the specific brand of progressive politics popular among the very rich and very famous. Inspired by Emily Ratajkowski's debut essay collection, My Body, this is a video about dismantling perceived hypocrisy...and fighting the system from the inside.

Hope you love it!! If you did/while you're at it...

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The failure of mainstream media & its ripple effects: Brian Morrissey weighs in Mar 29, 2022

REMINDER: This is the audio version of an episode that aired on my YouTube channel last week. To see the episode in its 3D glory, subscribe to my channel right here.

When was the last time you opened your computer and navigated to, say, the home page of the New York Times? When was the last time you read a piece from CNN and thought to yourself, "fantastic—what fair and objective reporting that was!"

It's time to face the music: Mainstream media—the vaunted publications of lore like the Times, the Post, the Journal—have lost their luster. It's in part because we as consumers have gone sour on institutions in general, favoring instead a cohort we feel we can trust much more...individuals.

So what does this shift mean for the future of journalism, media, news, and the innumerable ways we as consumers count on those things to live informed and thoughtful lives?

Let's think about it...with Brian Morrissey, creator of The Rebooting and former president and editor-in-chief of Digiday.

Thank you for listening!! Couple things:

TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT ME TO TALK ABOUT!! CONSIDER THIS EMAIL ADDRESS (KINSEY@THINKINGISCOOL.COM) AN OPEN LINE FOR IDEAS :)

Find Brian's newsletter, The Rebooting, here.

And while you're at it...

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER

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Is Joe Rogan a journalist? Mar 18, 2022

*This is the audio version of a YouTube video essay released here*

If anyone with a phone and a WiFi connection can become a journalist these days...what does that mean for the future of journalism?

Consider this: Alex Cooper, Joe Rogan, any garden variety Instagram influencer—they all have platforms, and many of them are using their platforms to participate in and influence the news cycle. But what does that enormous shift mean for the future of media, journalism, information...and even truth itself?

Let's think about it. Because thinking is cool, and so are you :)

And while you're at it...

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Love, actually: The science behind love & everything we know about it Feb 15, 2022

L is for the way you listen to me

O is for the only pod you need

V is very, very honest commentary

E is even more episodes that’ll never bore

I’m aware that was mad cheesy, but I started and I couldn’t stop until it was finished. For better or more likely for worse. But what can I say? L-o-v-e is in the air.

This week on Thinking Is Cool, thanks to everyone’s favorite Hallmark holiday, is a week to think about love in all of its richness and its many forms.

But because I can’t help myself…we’re going to do it with a twist. Today, we’re not just talking about love. We’re learning about how it comes to exist. There are scientifically proven ways to create an environment for love, and it involves doing more than just recreating the final scene from the Parent Trap.

So hit play and settle in for a fun little jaunt through what makes love so unimaginably wonderful. You’ll hear from Dr. Arthur Aron, a research professor at SUNY Stony Brook who studies love and piloted a method for creating immediate intimacy and connection between strangers. You’ll also hear from some Thinking Is Cool listeners about their own diverse perspectives on love. And you’ll hear from me! Notorious lover of love and huge sap.

I hope you hit play, let the love wash over you, and enjoy. Sending you a big old hug or high five wherever you are.

And if you’re so inclined: Flowers say I’m sorry, chocolate says I love you, and sharing Thinking Is Cool says “I’m an intellectual.” I’d love it if you sent the show to someone special in your life :)

Final note: Thank you to our friends at Massican for making this episode possible. I’ll be uncorking a bottle of Annia tonight to honor all the love in my life. Buy a bottle for yourself here or hit up Whole Foods or your local fine wine shop. You’re gonna love it.

How much sex is too much sex? On Euphoria, onscreen nudity, and the line between life and art Feb 09, 2022

In media as in life, sex sells…but why? And how? And should it? This week on Thinking Is Cool, let’s take a traipse through critically acclaimed movies and television with a very important question in mind: How much sex is too much?

In the age of this HBO-ification of all the media considered “good,” we have to wonder whether graphic onscreen sex is ever a truly indispensable mechanism for moving plot forward. I can (and in this episode will) argue both yes and no—but at the crux of this conversation is an honest assessment of the over-sexualization of the characters on our screens.

I want to think more about why and how we got to this point (this point, of course, being the Sydney Sweeney of it all).

What are we vouching for, agreeing to, or upholding when we hit play on an episode rife with nudity, graphic sex, and utterly troubling sexual relationships? Perhaps something; perhaps nothing at all. Let’s think about it.

One important note: This episode speaks pretty explicitly about sex, both healthy and unhealthy, onscreen. If you find conversations like that to be triggering, please sit this one out! I promise I understand. And if you’re looking for more resources, check some out here, here, and here.

I hope you like this episode—if you do, it would be great if you shared it! And even better if you shared this episode and then rated and reviewed the show. And even better than that? Sharing, rating, reviewing, and subscribing to my newsletter. Do that here.

Champagne socialism, Emily Ratajkowski, and the moral failures of the very wealthy Jan 31, 2022

Champagne socialism. The slightly more radicalized cousin of liberal elitism, champagne socialism is increasingly becoming the default position for very wealthy people who also want to be (or be perceived as) good progressives. It’s leftism for people who have personal drivers. It’s political fence-sitting, and it’s so incredibly interesting.

Can we believe in a wealth tax and still want to become wealthy ourselves? Can we espouse the importance of universal pre-k and still send our children to the elite private schools that churn out senators regularly?

These are the questions of champagne socialism, rooted in the eternal battle between capitalism and whatever else is out there.

It’s the Emily Ratajkowski of it all, and it’s what I’m talking about in this week’s episode of Thinking Is Cool. The absence of ethical consumption, the question of ethical production, the justification of wealth and wanting, and where we fit into the paradigm of late-stage capitalism.

Listen now to confront your own ideas of good, bad, and worse.

Let’s settle it: Is your phone actually listening to you? Jan 24, 2022

Have you checked in on the FBI agent in your phone lately? Winter can be tough, you know. They could probably use a muffin basket or something.

I’m only kind of kidding because there isn’t actually an FBI agent in your phone, but there might as well be given the incredible amount of data that you offer up every time you paw through Instagram to find your high school nemesis or type in “perciatelli vs bucatini” on Google.

This week on Thinking Is Cool, I explore the depths of surveillance capitalism we’ve willingly and unwillingly submitted ourselves to. It’s pretty astounding how much we don’t know about the information we hand over in the form of anonymized data.

It might not seem like a big deal when you think about it in the context of just yourself—I mean, realistically I’m 1 of about a million carbon copies of girlies in their late 20s who like to read and also like to dress like Claudia Schiffer in the ’90s and also have a fondness for matching sets and also think maybe snail mucus will cure their skin problems. But when you think about the ways the data we may or may not care about can be weaponized en masse to literally shape society…things get kind of scary.

This episode explores those fears. But it also offers solutions and considerations that were entirely new to me, a power internet user, when I heard them first. Listen and send to the friend in your life who’s holding out on Instagram Reels because TikTok is a Chinese-owned entity.

Important deets:

My guests are Nik Sharma, head of Sharma Brands and Twitter’s go-to DTC Guy, and Robert Reeve, a privacy tech expert whose thread on data-driven ads and surveillance went viral last year. They’re both incredibly intelligent.
Get your Massican here. My favorites are the Annia and the Sauvignon Blanc.
It would be great if you shared this episode! And even better if you shared this episode and then rated and reviewed the show. And even better than that? Sharing, rating, reviewing, and subscribing to my newsletter. Do that here.

Check in on the cryptopunks in your life Jan 18, 2022

Bitcoin down? Might want to call your grandma. And your uncle. And your 7th grade math teacher.

At some point over the last couple of years, crypto has evolved from a conversation exclusive to the internet’s deepest depths into a conversation exclusive to nowhere and no one. Today, the mainstreamification of crypto is real.

But this isn’t your dad’s index fund we’re talking about. Crypto, for all its rather sudden mass appeal, remains an unregulated and vividly volatile prospect. So it’s time to check in with the crypto experts to hear what they think is going on.

Today on Thinking Is Cool, hear from three deeply intelligent cryptocurrency and web 3 experts about the future of pricing, the doubts that keep them up at night, and the future direction of the crypto conversation in a post-NFT world.

Annika Lewis of Gitcoin, Jackson Dame of Rainbow, and Bobby Thakkar of posting a lot of web 3 stuff on Twitter all weigh in. Listen now and send to the people in your life who are always asking “what’s going on with bitcoin” because this is what’s going on with bitcoin.

Why Aren’t We More Preoccupied With Dying? Continuing the Conversation with Cleo Abram Jan 10, 2022

What would the world look like if we lived forever? Or even just lived a little bit longer? As scientists, technologists, and anyone who’s experienced chronic lower back pain at the ripe old age of 25 will tell you…the world would look significantly different.

It’s a conversation we started having back in October, when I released an episode of Thinking Is Cool all about the basics of extending human life well beyond what we’d consider long & healthy today. I juuuuust started toeing the line of the ethical, social, scientific, and psychological side effects of living forever.

Today, I’m sprinting over that line.

Because no other episode that I’ve released has caused as much uproar in my circle, not even the episode about porn. Family members and friends and many of you reached out to me with stunning ideas structured by the concept of dramatically extending human life, ideas like what changes about marriage and lifelong commitment, ideas about the expectations of the role work plays in your life if you don’t retire ‘til you’re 160, ideas about who might profit from the very human exercise of avoiding death at all costs for as long as possible.

I fielded so many “wait what” text messages that week that I knew pretty immediately that this episode would need a follow-up. And that’s what we’re doing today. We’re continuing the conversation with someone whom I have long admired for her thoughtfulness, consideration, curiosity, and honesty…journalist, producer, and incredible thinker, Cleo Abram.

This conversation is a little about the science behind our efforts to live forever and a lot about the motivations behind our efforts to live forever. Technology is a seismic force driven by humans and our emotions, wants, needs, and fears.

So today, we’re doing our best to consider all of the above in the pursuit of the answer to one very big question: What does it mean to live…and to live forever?

Listen to my conversation with Cleo now to get thinking.

And if you haven’t listened to the original episode of Thinking Is Cool about extending human life, do that here.

Thinking is cool and so are you! See you soon.

Your Web3 Primer: Continuing the Conversation with Gaby Goldberg Dec 20, 2021

Who’s DAO is it anyway? What’s so wrong with the internet we know and love/hate today? Will those NFTs be worth something in a decade?

You’ve got questions and we’ve got answers. In this edition of Thinking Is Cool’s Continuing the Conversation series, I speak with TCG investor and general innovation expert Gaby Goldberg in an effort to truly understand what Web3 means for everyone (not just the crypto-pilled on the blue birdie app).

Covered in this episode:

What is Web3 and how might it permanently change the ways we use the internet?
What makes Web3 so much better than Web1 and Web2 (and yes those iterations of the web will also be defined)?
What are the biggest risks of putting all of our proverbial eggs in the Web3 basket?
And a whole lot more.

Listen, learn, and continue the conversation.

Resources for listening:

This episode is a continuation of my bitcoin episode from Season 1 of Thinking Is Cool. Listen to that one here.
I allude in the episode to Gaby’s list of Web3 resources—find that list here.
Follow Gaby on Twitter here.

Remember to take it anywhere, brainiacs. Thinking is cool and so are you.

How to win friends and... Oct 25, 2021

How to keep them. What does it mean to create and maintain close personal relationships in this world—this world that gives us connection, for better or worse, around every corner?

Online friends. Friends whose relationship changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Peripheral friends. The closest of friends. Friends who disagree. We need them all, but today it’s sometimes difficult to ensure each and every one of those groups gets priority.

But doing so is integral, and this episode will explain why.

This episode and all of Season 2 have been brought to you by Thinking Is Cool’s presenting sponsor, Fundrise. So thank you, Fundrise! And thank you, you! For listening! And hopefully for sharing! You’re the best. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram and hey while you’re here might as well sign up for my newsletter.

Should you (or...can you) buy a house? Oct 18, 2021

For generations, young people have been expected—nay, counted on—to buy a home by a certain age. Owning a house meant joining the ranks of real adults and laying claim to something with as much financial value as it boasted emotional value.

But then...reality kicked in.

Today, buying a house is more complicated and, at times, more impossible, than it ever was for our parents or grandparents. Younger generations are stuck in a tricky spot—culturally, owning a house is really important but financially, it feels out of reach.

So what are we to do? How are we to reframe our understanding of homeownership to better fit the world we live in and not just the one our parents lived in?

Today, let’s explore and deconstruct the idea that owning a home of your own (mortgage included, white picket fence optional) is the ultimate marker of success. We’ll take a journey through the concept of real estate ownership in the modern era for our generation—and eventually answer the larger question...should I buy a home?

This episode was produced with our partners at Fundrise, Thinking Is Cool’s Season 2 presenting sponsor. As you know, I’ve spent all season telling you about how Fundrise really is changing the idea of real estate investing for everyday people. Today, we’re talking about why that matters so much—why real estate is something you can’t ignore—with the help and support of the Fundrise team.

I’m a Fundrise user and you can believe me when I tell you this: Complicated as real estate might be, there’s nothing complicated about using Fundrise. Fundrise is a platform on which you can invest as little as $10 in private real estate. No major costs, no major complications—just a quick and easy way to, oh I don’t know, put your money toward something more useful than just a rent check.

You might not be able to own a home, but that doesn’t mean you can’t invest in private real estate. And with Fundrise as my partner, I’m about to tell you why. Let’s take it anywhere.

Thank you! For listening! And hopefully for sharing! You’re the best. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram and hey while you’re here might as well sign up for my newsletter.

What if we could live forever? Oct 11, 2021

A wise teenage girl in the Pacific Northwest who made the world fall in love with a family of vampires once said, “I’ve never given much thought to how I would die.”

She’s the only one. In truth, we humans are deeply preoccupied with how we might die...and even more, preoccupied with the efforts we can take to put it off. Sanitation protocols, germ theory, vaccines, exercise—for centuries, we’ve taken small steps each day to prolong our healthy, functional lives.

But what if we stopped taking small steps and started taking giant ones? What if we could solve ourselves out of aging? What might the world look like if we lived to 100 years, 200 years, or forever?

Today on Thinking Is Cool, we’re exploring just that—how (and more importantly, why) we’re doing our darndest to cheat death...forever.

Thanks as always to Fundrise, Thinking Is Cool’s Season 2 presenting sponsor. And to you! For listening! And hopefully for sharing! You’re the best.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram and hey while you’re here might as well sign up for my newsletter.

Who gets to speak freely? Oct 04, 2021

We know a few things to be certain about the freedom of speech here in the United States: It’s written in the Constitution, it’s fiercely defended by lawyers and laypeople alike, and we’ve got it better than a lot of other countries.

From my vantage point (this laptop), free speech is a complicated, deeply nuanced ideal.

It is that freedom, the freedom of speech, that allows us to disagree, to learn and share, to voice once unspoken thoughts, to engineer a more verbally and intellectually diverse world. But it’s also in no small part to blame for our unbelievable penchant for “well, actually…”

And for that reason, it has limits. Freedom of speech is not an absolute freedom, nor should it be. But most of the lines drawn in the sand were drawn centuries ago, long before Facebook was just a twinkle in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye.

And now...Pandora’s Box has been opened, and we have the receipts to show how wildly impactful free online speech can be. You were online this last year, right?

So how do we, citizens of a country famous for how much it loves freedom, interpret freedom of speech in a changing and increasingly online world? Who gets to speak freely on the internet? Well buckle up, because we’re about to start thinking it through.

How to solve homelessness? Give people homes Sep 27, 2021

Sometimes the most complicated problems require the simplest solutions. If we want to help the nearly 600,000 Americans who will go to sleep homeless tonight, all we need to do is give them homes, right?

Honestly...yes. Homelessness is a massive, unfathomably tragic problem, but it’s one we designed ourselves (more on that in the episode). And if we designed the problem, we can design the solution (definitely more on that in the episode).

Today on Thinking Is Cool, I’m taking 40 minutes to begin better understanding the nuanced labyrinth of homelessness in America—how we got here, what we’re doing, and when this can become a problem of the past. I hope you’ll join me.

Because chances are, there’s a lot we’re all getting wrong about homelessness. Now’s the time to make it right.

Listen to today’s episode to start—together.

Some very important thank yous:

To Adina Lichtman, founder of Knock Knock Give a Sock, for being the kind of person who’s quick to answer any call, both literal and metaphorical.
To J.R., a neighbor and hopefully someday a friend, for being so forthcoming with his story of homelessness in New York City.
To Fundrise, which is Thinking Is Cool’s Season 2 presenting sponsor.

And to you! For listening! And hopefully for sharing! You’re the best.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram and hey while you’re here might as well sign up for my newsletter.

The retail investing revolution is here (Ft. Public) Sep 20, 2021

Investing isn’t the old rich dudes’ game anymore. It’s yours, it’s mine, it’s everyone’s. But what are the ramifications of this rapid democratization of investing, this revolutionary tide change in the stock market?

What happens in the post-meme stonk world, one in which the definition of “investor” looks nothing like it did a decade ago? What might our investing habits and goals mean for platforms and their responsibility?

And most importantly...is it better to have meme-stocked and lost than to never have stocked at all?

On this episode of Thinking Is Cool created in partnership with Public.com, we’re finding out.

Public.com is a free investing social network app that allows you to both own parts of the companies you believe in and share ideas about your investing strategy with your community. I’m a fan and an active user (follow me here).

Download the app today or sign up online at Public.com with the code STAYCOOL to receive $10 in free stock. Just remember: This offer is valid for U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to join. Visit Public.com/disclosures/ for more information.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram and hey while you’re here might as well sign up for my newsletter.

Cyborgs Are People Too: The Apple Story Sep 13, 2021

Alternate episode titles: One Bad Apple Ruins the Whole of Humankind? Our iPhones, Our Selves? Hard to pick just one when the company in question has changed so much about the ways we interact with technology and with each other.

Today, we’re raising the mythical curtain on Apple, a company that needs no introduction...but also lays claim to a history that most certainly might surprise you. In four storied decades, Apple has transformed the world and its inhabitants. But how? And has it all been for better? Or for worse?

Listen to today’s episode to figure it all out together.

Some very important thank yous:

To Christopher Mims, the Wall Street Journal technology journalist and author of the forthcoming (reallllly forthcoming like coming out September 14) book Arriving Today.
To Fundrise, which is Thinking Is Cool’s Season 2 presenting sponsor.

And to you! For listening! And hopefully for sharing! You’re the best.

Why do people do drugs? Sep 07, 2021

People do drugs. They do drugs for tons of reasons. They also don’t do drugs for tons of reasons. Some people do drugs to feel better or to feel smarter or to feel more focused in a chaotic world. Some people do drugs to get outside their own mind. Some people do drugs to treat ailments traditional medicine ignores.

We all have different reasons and different highs. But the truth of the matter is this: Today, you’re hard-pressed to find anyone wearing one of those DARE “just say no” t-shirts without being drenched in irony. We’re not a society of “just say no” anymore.

We’re a society that’s becoming increasingly comfortable talking about (and even legalizing) drug use. There’s an opportunity there—if we can do this right.

So how do we use this moment—and our increasingly chill attitudes toward appropriate and safe drug use—to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself? Let’s think about it.

Who you'll hear from this episode:

Many of them preferred to keep their full names private, which...respect, seeing as this was all about doing drugs. So you’ll hear from several friends—Ben, Shardul, and Kelly. Additionally, I had the privilege of speaking with justice reform advocate Ashish Prashar. I also drew a lot of inspiration from Michael Pollan, whose work you can check out here.

We have some astonishingly good partners this season: Learn more about our presenting sponsor, Fundrise, here. And learn more about Massican here.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram and hey while you’re here might as well sign up for my newsletter.

Should Greek life exist? Aug 30, 2021

There’s a wildly popular, deeply powerful institution in the United States that breeds racism, classism, and elitism among young people and desperately needs to be dismantled. Want to guess what it is?

If you guessed it had to do with Natty Light, potential cult behavior, and 19-year-olds on power trips...you guessed right.

Today, I’m exploring the impacts and implications of Greek life in the United States, both the good and the bad. You might be able to guess what conclusion I come to about Greek life based on that first sentence, but what should we build in its place? How can we give young people room to socialize and gain leadership experience without...ya know...people dying?

We’re about to find out.

We have some astonishingly good partners this season: Learn more about our presenting sponsor, Fundrise, here. And learn more about Pluto here.

It’s a love story baby just swipe right Aug 23, 2021

Modern love is messy, complicated, heart-wrenching, beautiful, and above all else? Online.

Today on Thinking Is Cool (which happens to be the Season 2 premiere just sayin’), we’re exploring the ways our modern interpretations of meeting people might force us to hold a mirror up to all of our relationships—with each other, and more importantly, with technology.

Why do dating apps have such a stigma? Why do we think they suck so much? Why are our expectations so flawed? And what can we do differently?

Join in, listen, get introspective, and have some fun. Because thinking is cool and so are you.

Who you'll hear from this episode:

Lindsey Metselaar, host of the podcast We Met at Acme
Josh Kaplan, co-founder of Thinking Is Cool and reluctant Hinge user
Michael Fundora, close friend and honest confidant
Coleman Baker, boyfriend

We have some astonishingly good partners this season: Learn more about our presenting sponsor, Fundrise, here. And learn more about Massican here.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram and hey while you’re here might as well sign up for my newsletter.

Welcome to Season 2 of Thinking Is Cool Aug 20, 2021

Thinking Is Cool is back.

This show is all about making your next conversation better than your last, and this season there’s no shortage of thought-provoking topics for discourse on tap: dating apps, homelessness, Greek life, living forever, and so many more.

If Season 1 of this show was about finding my footing, Season 2 of this show is about hitting my stride. You might agree with me. You might disagree with me. You might feel impassioned to change something. But no matter what, I’m making a promise now: bangers only. So hit that subscribe button, send Thinking Is Cool to a friend, and get ready to get thoughtful.

Nothing is off limits. Everything is on the table. Take it anywhere. And remember...thinking is cool and so are you.

Sign up for my newsletter here.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram.

Continuing the Conversation: Quinn CEO Caroline Spiegel on porn, pleasure, and random things that are hot Aug 10, 2021

Porn is back.

Season 1 of Thinking Is Cool was all about considering generation-defining issues, big topics, and sources for thoughtful conversation. My first episode of this show was about making a better porn industry—but it was also about pleasure, social norms, getting comfortable being uncomfortable, and engineering ethical industries.

Those are all ideas that we can’t cover completely in one 38 minute podcast episode. So today, we’re kicking off a new project from Thinking Is Cool called Continuing the Conversation. The point is to get people to continue talking about big topics...they’re not a flash in the pan, and this will show why that is.

Continuing the Conversation starts with Caroline Spiegel, the CEO of the audio erotica company Quinn. We’re talking about how the porn industry changes for the better and the ways consumers (read: all of us) can expedite that evolution.

Here are some of the questions Caroline and I answer:

What are traditional porn’s biggest shortcomings?
How has the internet changed the way we get off?
Why can’t we assign value to the concept of pleasure—plain and simple?
Where do we most observe the impacts (positive and negative) of the sex positivity and sexual wellness movements in the world of porn?
How do you know when something is porn?
What are the realities of creating a truly good porn product—the Netflix of porn, if you will?

And those are just the big ones—we’re also comparing porn to fast food, considering why some people watch porn for the plot, listing the random things people do that are inexplicably hot, and more.

Listen now...but maybe make sure you’ve listened to Thinking Is Cool’s porn episode first. Do that here.

How Facebook destroyed us all Jul 19, 2021

Even if you only use it as a means of remembering high school acquaintances' birthdays, Facebook changed your life and the world around you. That’s just a fact.

This company—one that has in so many ways revolutionized technology and media and brought the world closer together—has also eroded democracy, engendered a dangerous new world of social mores, and not cared much for any of the negative externalities associated with becoming the fastest company ever to reach a $1 trillion valuation.

Today, we examine how Facebook, the king of the tech monopoly castle, has changed the world...both for better and for worse.

A note from our sponsor HMBradley: Deposit accounts are provided by Hatch Bank, Member FDIC. Go to www.hmbradley.com/apys to see current rates and the full Savings Tiers terms and conditions. The HMBradley Credit Card is subject to credit approval. The HMBradley Credit Card is issued by Hatch Bank under a license from Mastercard. Go to www.hmbradley.com/credit-card-terms to learn more about the Cash Back Rewards Program. This is a paid endorsement.

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Is the new normal finally here? Jul 12, 2021

The Great Reopening, the Roaring 20s, the Summer of Love. It’s here. We’re learning to cope with a new reality in the post-Covid era. But...how exactly are we supposed to do that?

This week on Thinking Is Cool, we’re figuring it out together.

It’s not easy to bounce back from a worldwide pandemic that claimed some 600,000 lives in the United States alone. It’s not simple to reintegrate into society after spending the better part of the last year distanced, both socially and mentally.

But also…

It’s incredibly gratifying to find yourself finally bellied up to the bar in a crowded hotspot after months of wishing for that sweet, sweet moment when you order a vodka soda with lime—hell, make it a double. It’s emotional, almost, to see hordes of people young and old filling the streets after months of that desolate reality we all endured when the bulk of traffic on 5th Avenue was Doordash drivers.

We’ve all lived through an unparalleled experience, and now we’re all working through the excitement of coming back, the application of shifted perspectives, the anxiety of typical socialization.

And we need to talk about it. So that’s what we’re doing this week on Thinking Is Cool—considering the ways this last year has changed people, places, and priorities, plus the ways those three interact. Let’s get personal.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Sign up for my newsletter.

A note from our sponsor, HMBradley: Deposit accounts are provided by Hatch Bank, Member FDIC. Go to www.hmbradley.com/apys to see current rates and the full Savings Tiers terms and conditions and www.hmbradley.com/tier-boost-terms to learn more about the HMBradley Deposit Account Savings Tier Boost Promotion. The HMBradley Credit Card is subject to credit approval. The HMBradley Credit Card is issued by Hatch Bank under a license from Mastercard. Go to www.hmbradley.com/credit-card-terms to learn more about the Cash Back Rewards Program. This is a paid endorsement.

How to become a billionaire Jul 06, 2021

It's not worth getting dressed this summer if you're not wearing Thinking Is Cool merch. Buy some here.

There are 2,755 billionaires in the world, which means 0.00000035% of us have three commas in our net worth. Despite that, those with the power to accumulate wealth are often those with the power, period.

Because of that, we need to hold the ultra wealthy accountable. How did they build their wealth? How have they held onto their wealth, often for generations? What responsibilities do they bear given their place in societal and economic structures?

They’re questions worth answering, so today we’ll attempt to do just that. I’ll tell you how to become a billionaire—and by the end of the episode, you’ll have the answer to a much bigger question: Should billionaires exist?

Listen to find out.

Sign up for Teddy's newsletter that explores the land of the modern billionaire here.

A note from HMBradley: Deposit accounts are provided by Hatch Bank, Member FDIC. Go to www.hmbradley.com/apys to see current rates and the full Savings Tiers terms and conditions and www.hmbradley.com/tier-boost-terms to learn more about the HMBradley Deposit Account Savings Tier Boost Promotion. The HMBradley Credit Card is subject to credit approval. The HMBradley Credit Card is issued by Hatch Bank under a license from Mastercard. Go to www.hmbradley.com/credit-card-terms to learn more about the Cash Back Rewards Program. This is a paid endorsement.

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Politics is broken & you’re gonna fix it Jun 28, 2021

All it takes is a positive attitude and a little elbow grease, right? Well, that...plus an enormous rethinking of the ways we incentivize political action and voting in the world’s most storied democracy. Nothing we can’t handle in a podcast episode.

This week on Thinking Is Cool, I’m exploring the future of political parties as we work to evolve past where we are today—at a point of extreme and even dangerous fracturing along party lines. Because this—hyperpartisanship and the gridlock and vitriol it breeds—is a problem that urgently needs solving, and talking about it is how we start.

This episode is about recognizing the horrors of our shared reality, but also finding the ways to move forward toward something better. It’s about the means by which we’ve become so shockingly extreme in our political views on both sides of the aisle...but also what we might be able to pull off to again find commonality in legislating.

It’s about building something better. Learning from mistakes. Disagreeing politely. And above all else, thinking a little harder.

Listen and let me know what you think. I can’t wait to hear it.

A note from our sponsor, HMBradley: Deposit accounts are provided by Hatch Bank, Member FDIC. Interest rates are variable and may change after account opening. The minimum opening deposit required to open an HMBradley Deposit Account is $100. Go to www.hmbradley.com/apys to see current rates and the full Savings Tiers terms and conditions and www.hmbradley.com/tier-boost-terms to learn more about the HMBradley Deposit Account Savings Tier Boost Promotion. The HMBradley Credit Card is subject to credit approval. The HMBradley Credit Card is issued by Hatch Bank under a license from Mastercard. Go to www.hmbradley.com/credit-card-terms to learn more about the Cash Back Rewards Program. This is a paid endorsement.

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Is bitcoin the future of everything? Jun 21, 2021

Today on Thinking Is Cool, we’re together taking on the sisyphean task of finding out. Here’s a spoiler: The answer is a big fat maybe.

Because like all good things in life, the answer is simple—it depends. Cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, and decentralization have the potential to be a lot of things: the future of global currency systems, the future of the internet, the future of wealth building, and more.

But it’ll take more than just adding laser eyes to your Twitter profile picture to bring those possibilities into the realm of reality. This week on Thinking Is Cool, we’re exploring what else we need to grasp to keep hold of the freer, fairer, and better future crypto has promised us.

Here’s who you’ll hear from. And sidenote—I love this episode’s guests. They’re the kind of people you get off the phone with and think, “yeah...I could definitely get a beer with that person.”

Joe Wiesenthal, the co-host of the Odd Lots podcast and “What'd You Miss?” on Bloomberg TV.
Aubrey Strobel, head of communications for the bitcoin rewards app Lolli.

Hit play, sit back, take a deep breath, and join me as I dig myself out of an internet rabbit hole to discover what the future of crypto, bitcoin, and the blockchain really are.

A note from our exclusive sponsor HMBradley: Deposit accounts are provided by Hatch Bank, Member FDIC. Interest rates are variable and may change after account opening. The minimum opening deposit required to open an HMBradley Deposit Account is $100. Go to www.hmbradley.com/apys to see current rates and the full Savings Tiers terms and conditions. This is a paid endorsement.

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The girlboss has left the chat Jun 14, 2021

These days, which have been more populated with critiques of late-stage capitalism than most, the girlboss is facing a reckoning for one major reason: Instead of reinventing a system that put her down, she learned to play by the rules of her oppressors.

What does that mean for the future of our social and economic frameworks? This week on Thinking Is Cool, we’re going to find out.

What you can expect from this episode of Thinking Is Cool:

An exploration of the archetypical girlboss character and how she ascended to such power
Context and insight from women who’ve certainly avoided the trappings of girlbossery at a masterful level
Some digs at men I’ve worked with before (yolo)
The inspiration (I think! And hope!) to reconsider the ways we tend to put each other in boxes, regardless of gender identity

We’ve got some really great insight in this episode thanks to two women who are all boss, no girlboss. Here are the guests in this episode:

Molly Maloney is a Senior Associate at PwC consulting on tech and program management. She’s incredibly bright and motivated, and I’m glad we’re now friends.
Carolyn Childers is the cofounder and CEO of Chief, a private network designed specifically for women leaders. Despite what you might think of private networks, Carolyn and her business are worth keeping an eye on. I loved speaking with and learning from her.

Season 1 of Thinking Is Cool is brought to you by HMBradley, our exclusive launch sponsor. Deposit accounts are provided by Hatch Bank, Member FDIC. Credit cards are issued by Hatch Bank under a license with MasterCard. This is a paid endorsement.

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Your move (and what it says about you) Jun 07, 2021

There’s no such thing as a city with livability, hype, affordable apartments, proximity to talent and money, and good food and people watching. But that’s never stopped us from attempting to find it.

The last year especially, we’ve been on the hunt for a new hub city here in the US as the post-Covid world opens up. In that search, long-held systems (both economic and social) have been uprooted—people who swore they’d never leave the Bay Area flocked to Miami like it was nothing. New Yorkers whose entire personality was being a New Yorker jumped on the first flight to Austin.

Moving patterns have been undoubtedly accelerated in the last 12 or so months. I don’t need to tell you that (Twitter probably already has). But what do those moves mean for economies, local and national, and the ways they’re built? Today, we’re finding out by examining four of this country’s potential hubs: Austin, Miami, New York City, and San Francisco.

Pack your bags. We’re gonna have some fun.

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Season 1 of Thinking Is Cool is brought to you by HMBradley, our exclusive launch sponsor.

Deposit accounts are provided by Hatch Bank, Member FDIC. Interest rates are variable and may change without notice. The minimum opening deposit required to open an HMBradley Deposit Account is $100. Go to www.hmbradley.com/apys to see current rates and the full Savings Tiers terms and conditions. This is a paid endorsement.

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Can you fix climate change? May 31, 2021

Probably not :( :( but it doesn’t mean you don’t have a part to play in mitigating the likelihood of climate disaster!

This week on Thinking Is Cool, I’m exploring the ways we as individuals can engineer a world that’s both livable and worth living in for future generations. Because at our current rate of environmental degradation, that’s looking harder and harder.

So what can you—someone who’s neither Joe Biden nor Greta Thunberg—do to ensure the world doesn’t go up in flames by the time you retire to Naples in a few decades? I’ve got an idea or two. Listen to find out what they are.

Who you’ll hear from this episode:

James Casey, my cool college environmental economics professor
David Wallace-Wells, the cool climate writer Professor Casey turned me on to five years back

Listen if you’re looking for a little hope and a lot of insight. Remember, thinking is cool and so are you.

Season 1 of Thinking Is Cool is brought to you by HMBradley, our exclusive launch sponsor. Deposit accounts are provided by Hatch Bank, Member FDIC. Credit cards are issued by Hatch Bank under a license with Mastercard. This is a paid endorsement.

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The Barstool Case Study May 24, 2021

What might Barstool Sports—a company thoroughly emblematic of the feverish nature of our modern, digital world—teach us about ethics? More than you might expect.

Here’s what you can expect in this episode of Thinking Is Cool:

A nuanced conversation about ethics, morals, and the ways late-stage capitalism has encouraged us to apply them to corporate entities
Lots of dunking on Barstool’s idiot in chief Dave Portnoy...plus some shoutouts to the people working at Barstool who are actually not dumb or bad or dangerous
Commentary on the inherent privilege of casting moral judgement against a potential employer
A look at what really goes down in my DMs

There’s a lot to unpack with this one, and I don’t think the conversation around good vs. bad, ethical vs. unethical, or moral vs. immoral will ever really be over. So do me a favor. Go have a conversation with someone about Barstool and the role of ethics in the corporate world. You won’t regret it.

This week’s guests are some of my most trusted friends, Twitter mutuals, and highly intelligent peers.

Dan Attia. Dan is the head of research for noted internet guy Scott Galloway. If you’ve ever heard Scott speak, you’ve likely heard at least a few thoughts and ideas that started in Dan’s mind.
Josh Ogundu. Josh works in product at TikTok and has some of the best insights on modern work I’ve ever seen on Twitter.
Alayna Treene. Alayna is a Congressional reporter for Axios and co-author of the Axios Sneak Peek newsletter. We also interned together at Bloomberg in the summer of 2016.

Season 1 of Thinking Is Cool is brought to you by HMBradley, our exclusive launch sponsor. Deposit accounts are provided by Hatch Bank, Member FDIC. Credit cards are issued by Hatch Bank under a license with MasterCard. This is a paid endorsement.

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How to make porn suck less May 17, 2021

My name is Kinsey Grant and I want better porn. Well, more specifically, I want a more ethical, more enjoyable, and safer adult entertainment industry, one that works for everyone.

Because everyone likes to get off. How you get there, though, is up to you. You might be into seeking out adult content that’s made ethically, with both porn star and porn consumer in mind...or you might be into supporting mega-monopolies that systemically undercut creators and engender unsafe environments for all. Different strokes, right?

For me, it’s ethical and fair creation and consumption of adult entertainment that really revs my engine. This episode, we’re exploring how “ethical and fair” become the norm.

Who you’ll hear from this episode:

Cindy Gallop, the Michael Bay of Business (she likes to blow shit up) and founder and CEO of Make Love Not Porn
Dr. Heather Berg, a feminist studies scholar writing about labor, sexuality, and social struggle. Also a professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University in St. Louis and author of the book Porn Work
Allie Knox, a porn performer and OnlyFans creator
Josh Kaplan...who’s my cofounder which is plenty big as far as claims to fame go.

Hit play. Listen. Learn. Think. And go have a conversation with someone.

Season 1 of Thinking Is Cool is brought to you by HMBradley, our exclusive launch sponsor. Deposit accounts are provided by Hatch Bank, Member FDIC. Credit cards are issued by Hatch Bank under a license with MasterCard. This a paid endorsement.

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Welcome to Thinking Is Cool May 12, 2021

What if we all stopped to think a little harder? To have conversations without getting combative? To be honest and give ourselves time and space for nuance? What might the world look like? I’m Kinsey Grant and together, we’re gonna find out.

Welcome to Thinking Is Cool.

My promise to you: Thinking Is Cool will make your next conversation better than your last. And that’s important—because conversations have the power to solve problems, connect people and generations, and root us in what really matters.

Smash that MF subscribe button to get in on the action—a killer new episode of Thinking Is Cool every Monday. And go to thinkingiscool.com to sign up for my newsletter and blog <3

Welcome to the party. Everything is on the table. Nothing is off limits. Take it anywhere. And remember, thinking is cool and so are you.

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