TBD: Technology By Design
A podcast devoted to exploring the tech industry, the products and policy decisions that shape it, and its impact on our everyday lives. Join Matt Perault, the director of the Center of Science & Technology Policy at Duke University, as he hosts guests from all corners of the industry: everyone from tech experts and policy gurus, to local business owners who are using social media to promote their brands. TBD is tackling the industry from every angle.
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48 • Leaving Well
08/18/2021
48 • Leaving Well
How do organizations create a healthy culture? Mike Rognlien, a founding member of Facebook’s Learning and Development team, shares the lessons he learned from building and teaching culture at Facebook. After leaving Facebook, Mike wrote a book, , that focuses on how people can take ownership in the workplace. He also started his own consulting agency, , where he provides coaching and learning to organizations, including training on implicit race and gender bias. In this episode, Mike talks about the frustrations of his departure from Facebook, how he runs his business, and the shift towards more flexibility in HR. Listen in.
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47 • Tech’s Newest Industry Coalition
08/04/2021
47 • Tech’s Newest Industry Coalition
Tech policy discussions about privacy, competition, and speech often center on benefitting the consumer - but which policies actually do it? Adam Kovacevich is the Founder and CEO of the Chamber of Progress, a new center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future. Adam previously worked at Lime, where he was the head of government relations and public affairs for North America and Asia Pacific. Before that, he was a senior director on Google’s public policy team. In this episode of TBD, Adam and Matt discuss Section 230, competition policy, business models, Democratic values, and the role of industry in policy development. Listen in.
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46 • Lifting Up the Startups
07/21/2021
46 • Lifting Up the Startups
Debates in tech policy are often dominated by a focus on a small handful of companies, but the tech sector encompasses a far broader group of companies of all sizes. Kate Tummarello is the Executive Director of Engine, a nonprofit organization that works with a community of thousands of high-tech, growth-oriented startups across the nation to support technology entrepreneurship. Kate is focused on ensuring that the voices of these startups are included in tech policy debates on issues like Section 230, antitrust, and diversity and inclusion. In this episode, Kate and Matt discuss Engine’s role in the tech sector, how startups view key issues like content moderation and antitrust, and the tactics Engine uses to lift up the voices of startups.
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45 • Taking a Leap
07/07/2021
45 • Taking a Leap
It’s daunting to leave behind the perks, resources, and stability of a steady job. But Nancy Scola, a former senior technology reporter at POLITICO, took a leap to pursue more independent and entrepreneurial projects. She currently publishes “Slow Build”, a newsletter exploring the intersection of technology and society, on Substack and teaches digital journalism at Georgetown University. In this episode, Nancy talks about what led her to her decision, how it gave her an opportunity to look at tech issues through a different lens, and how journalists cover the tech sector. Listen in.
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44 • Big Tech, Antitrust, and Liberty from All Masters
06/23/2021
44 • Big Tech, Antitrust, and Liberty from All Masters
Barry Lynn is the director of the Open Markets Institute, which aims to “address threats to our democracy, individual liberties, and our national security from today’s unprecedented levels of corporate concentration and monopoly power.” Barry has worked in this field for many years, but is probably best known for his work on concentration in the tech sector. In this episode of TBD, he and Matt discuss his new book, () his advice for running advocacy campaigns, and how he views his role as a mentor to the new generation of antitrust scholars. Listen in.
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43 • How One Chef Innovated During COVID
06/09/2021
43 • How One Chef Innovated During COVID
Cheetie Kumar is a musician and a chef, and she owns the Raleigh-based restaurant Garland, the music venue Kings, and the cocktail bar Neptunes. In this episode of TBD, she and Matt sit down to talk about how she innovated as a chef and business owner to keep her businesses alive during COVID. As restaurants faced shutdowns, declining revenue, and health risks to their employees, Cheetie joined with other chefs to create the Independent Restaurant Coalition and advocate with policymakers for relief grants for small restaurants. Congress eventually passed a relief package that included a $28 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Listen in.
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42 • Tech Policy from Rural Tennessee
05/26/2021
42 • Tech Policy from Rural Tennessee
When people think about tech policy, they typically think about Washington or Silicon Valley. But Victoria McCullough has spent the pandemic working on tech policy from her family’s beef cattle farm in Tennessee. Formerly, she served as the Director of Social Impact and Public Policy at Tumblr, and she recently started a new role at TikTok as the Head of Outreach and Partnerships for Trust and Safety in the Americas. In this episode, she and Matt discuss what it’s like doing tech policy work from rural Tennessee, how her surroundings have kept her “zen” over the past year, and what the shift into her new role has been like. Listen in.
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41• Federal Privacy Legislation for the 21st Century
05/12/2021
41• Federal Privacy Legislation for the 21st Century
Suzan DelBene represents Washington’s 1st Congressional District. First sworn into the House of Representatives in November 2012, Suzan brings a unique voice to Congress with over two decades of experience in the tech industry. In March of this year, Representative DelBene introduced the , legislation that would create a national data privacy standard. In this episode of TBD, she discusses the story behind this legislation, how her background in tech has influenced her work in Congress, and how the pandemic has affected work for members of Congress. Listen in.
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40 • Merger Reform and Venture Capital
04/28/2021
40 • Merger Reform and Venture Capital
Jeff Farrah is the general counsel of the National Venture Capital Association. He’s tracking this policy debate closely because he believes it could have a significant impact on the startups and venture capitalists he represents. He came on the podcast to discuss the evolving debate about merger and acquisition policy, how the recent proposals in Congress could affect startups, and what he’s doing to make his case in DC. Listen in.
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39 • Directing the Social Dilemma
04/14/2021
39 • Directing the Social Dilemma
The Social Dilemma is a Netflix film about how technology is designed and regulated, and the implications of those design and regulation decisions on our lives and our choices. Jeff Orlowski directed the film, devoting several years to talking with people throughout the tech sector about the design of products and business models. In this episode, we talk about The Social Dilemma, what we can do to address the challenges it raises, and how making the film changed Orlowski's own relationship with technology. Listen in.
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38 • Behind the Battle Between Apple and Facebook
03/31/2021
38 • Behind the Battle Between Apple and Facebook
Apple and Facebook are at war. When Apple announced plans for its latest operating system updates, Facebook threatened to file an antitrust lawsuit, and Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg traded barbs in the press. The new operating system requires users to opt-in to certain types of data usage. Apple claims it’s protecting privacy; Facebook claims it’s threatening competition and the ad-supported business model. To get a better understanding of the two sides of the issue, Matt discussed it with Steve Satterfield, a director of privacy and public policy at Facebook, and Michelle Richardson, the Director of the Privacy & Data Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology. We invited Apple to join the discussion, but they didn’t respond. If you’re interested in checking out a few of Apple’s statements on the issue, they outlined the and updated their . Also check out ’.
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37 • Discussing Silicon Values: Free Speech and Censorship
03/17/2021
37 • Discussing Silicon Values: Free Speech and Censorship
What kinds of speech—political, controversial, or otherwise—should be protected? What kinds of speech should be censored? The ongoing content moderation debate has raised pressing questions about what kinds of speech can and should be regulated by companies and governments. Jillian York is the director for international freedom of expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and an expert on free speech and censorship. In this episode, we talk about global free expression policies, decentralized approaches to local engagement, working from another continent, and her new book, “.”
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36 • The Technology that Runs Krzyzewskiville
03/03/2021
36 • The Technology that Runs Krzyzewskiville
If you’ve ever been a fan of college basketball, then you’ve probably heard of the Duke-UNC rivalry. It’s the stuff of legends. The infamous eight miles that divide these two schools make it impossible to live in the Triangle without picking a side. In non-COVID times, Duke Students camp out for months just to gain entry to this basketball game. Welcome to Krzyzewskiville – the tent village that can be found on Duke’s campus during the coldest months of the North Carolina winter. But how do these students live outside for months on end, and still keep their status as Duke students? Listen in to hear as Matt interviews some of the students who run the behind-the-scenes technological network that makes K-Ville possible.
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35 • Founding ClimateVoice
02/17/2021
35 • Founding ClimateVoice
Bill Weihl founded ClimateVoice in 2020, with the goal of “mobilizing the voice of the workforce to urge companies to go ‘all in’ on climate, both in business practices and policy advocacy.” ClimateVoice is urging companies to be more active in the policy debates on climate change, and creating frameworks for students and employees to push companies in that direction. Bill founded ClimateVoice after working on these issues at Google and Facebook, where he started the companies’ sustainability teams. In this episode of TBD, Matt and Bill discuss the mission of ClimateVoice, the tactics Bill’s using to achieve that mission, and what it’s been like to build an organization during a global pandemic. Listen in.
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34 • The Making of Morning Tech
02/03/2021
34 • The Making of Morning Tech
If you work in tech policy, then you’ve probably read the words of Alexandra Levine. Every weekday morning at 6 AM, Politico's Morning Tech newsletter is delivered to subscribers, who read it to learn about the most important news in the field. Alex is the force behind Morning Tech, deciding each day what to cover and how to present it. In this episode of TBD, Matt and Alex discuss the making of Morning Tech, how Alex sets boundaries in a 24-hour job, and the tech policy agenda of the Biden Administration. Listen in.
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33 • Ten Principles for Tech Policy in a Biden Administration
01/20/2021
33 • Ten Principles for Tech Policy in a Biden Administration
We’re in a moment of transition in tech policy. With the start of a new administration and fallout from the Capitol riots, there is increasing pressure to enact sweeping reforms in tech regulation. Scott Wallsten and Thomas Lenard of the Technology Policy Institute recently published a set of 10 principles to guide tech policymaking in a Biden Administration. In this episode, Matt speaks with Scott and Tom about the role tech played in the Capitol riots, overlooked factors in assigning accountability, and the principles that should guide President Biden’s tech policy agenda. Listen in.
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32 • One Door Closes, Another Opens Up
01/06/2021
32 • One Door Closes, Another Opens Up
After Pierce Freelon lost an election for a seat in the North Carolina state senate, he embraced the sudden “silence” in his life, brought on by the lost election, the onset of COVID, and the death of his father. As one door closed, others opened: he released "D.A.D", a music album in memory of his father, and in August, he was appointed to the Durham City Council. In this episode, Matt and Pierce discuss Pierce’s approach to parenting, how he’s tackling tough issues on the Durham City Council with a “listen first, speak second” approach, and the debate in Durham about deploying ShotSpotter technology. Listen in.
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31 • TBD's Year in Review
12/23/2020
31 • TBD's Year in Review
This month, we here at TBD celebrated our 1st birthday! 2020 has been one hell of a year, and even amidst all the chaos, we can't help but reflect on how technology has enabled us to continue living in a post-pandemic world. In this episode, we look back on some of our favorite highlights and interviews from the past year. Listen in, enjoy, and we'll see you next year.
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30 • A Section 230 Quid Pro Quo
12/09/2020
30 • A Section 230 Quid Pro Quo
The Section 230 debate continues, and it seems like new legislation to reform the law is being introduced every week. This week, we spoke with Paul Barrett, who spent 30 years as a journalist before making the switch to policy. He now works at NYU’s Stern School of Business, where he serves as the deputy director for the Center of Business and Human Rights. He recently published a paper outlining possible reforms for Section 230. Listen in to hear Paul’s thoughts on Section 230 and his proposals for how to make it better.
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29. UNICEF Tackles the COVID Digital Divide
11/25/2020
29. UNICEF Tackles the COVID Digital Divide
The UNICEF Perspective on Universal Internet Access
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28 • Tackling Tech Policy in the New Administration
11/11/2020
28 • Tackling Tech Policy in the New Administration
It’s been a tumultuous week, to say the least. Eight days ago, the polls closed on the 2020 election, and America watched with anticipation to see who would hold the White House for the next four years. What role did technology and tech platforms play in this election? What difference does it make having an incumbent president who tweets his thoughts on a regular basis, and who may refuse to leave his position of power? What reforms to tech policy can we expect in the next administration? These are all questions that Matt and Adam Conner discuss in today’s episode of TBD. Listen in.
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27 • A Prescription for a Better Internet
10/28/2020
27 • A Prescription for a Better Internet
What needs to happen in order to achieve a "better internet"? Chris Riley has dedicated his life and career to answering questions like this one. He delves deeply into the world of tech policy and works hard at finding solutions to some of the sector's toughest questions. In this episode, Chris and Matt reflect on Chris's time as Mozilla's public policy team lead, and also tackle such questions as to how the government should approach the tech sector. Listen in. Other pieces by Chris Riley:
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26 • Week in Review: The House Report on Big Tech
10/14/2020
26 • Week in Review: The House Report on Big Tech
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee published a 400-page report on the findings of a 16-month long investigation into the state of competition in the digital economy, especially the challenges presented by the dominance of the "big four" tech companies: Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook. In this episode, Matt is joined by , General Counsel and Senior Fellow for Competition, Data, and Power at the Center for Democracy and Technology. Together they discuss the findings of this report and push back on what they think the HJC got wrong.
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25 • The Case for a Digital Platform Agency
10/07/2020
25 • The Case for a Digital Platform Agency
Access their paper here: https://shorensteincenter.org/new-digital-realities-tom-wheeler-phil-verveer-gene-kimmelman/
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24 • Combatting Misinformation on Online Platforms: The UK Perspective on the US Election
09/23/2020
24 • Combatting Misinformation on Online Platforms: The UK Perspective on the US Election
Phillip Howard is the Director of the Oxford Internet Institute and Professor of Internet Studies at Balliol College at the University of Oxford, where he researches how digital media affects political life and civic engagement. We talked about his latest book, Lie Machines, which investigates the impact of misinformation from bots, fake profiles, and fake news on our political system. He walks us through multiple potential policy solutions, applying existing and novel regulatory approaches to tackle misinformation on social media. Phillip also describes what it takes to operate a successful tech policy institute at an academic university. He shares his strategy for building an academic institution that’s capable of responding to the challenges in the tech sector.
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23 • How Technology Connects Us: The Future of 5G
09/09/2020
23 • How Technology Connects Us: The Future of 5G
John Godfrey is the senior vice president of public policy at Samsung, where he represents the company in Washington and covers a diverse set of issues, ranging from virtual reality to 5G. We talked in detail about the rollout of 5G networks, and he makes sense of a complex topic that’s always seemed confusing and complicated to me. He’s passionate about the technology and passionate about its benefits. He also responds to concerns that have been raised about potential security risks. John also manages a team that’s been working from home during the pandemic and has some tips about how to build strong teams even when we can’t be together in person. So let’s get started.
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022 • A Turning Point in AI Policy
08/26/2020
022 • A Turning Point in AI Policy
AI policy expert Darrell West of the Brookings Institution calls on the public and private sectors to create clear, ethical AI policy as soon as possible — by being proactive, technologists and ethicists can foresee and mitigate risks of AI while the technology is in the early stages of development and implementation.
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021 • Patagonia and the Facebook Advertising Boycott
08/12/2020
021 • Patagonia and the Facebook Advertising Boycott
Ryan Gellert is the General Manager EMEA at Patagonia, overseeing sales, marketing, sustainability, and operations throughout the region. In this conversation, he and Matt explore the reason for Patagonia's "Stop Hate for Profit" boycott, in which they pulled all ads from Facebook and Instagram. Listen in.
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020 • Tech CEO Hearing: Week in Review
07/30/2020
020 • Tech CEO Hearing: Week in Review
It's been a big week in the tech policy world, as the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook appeared before Congress to testify on the competitive dynamics in the tech sector. In this episode, Matt and Gene Kimmelman (Senior Advisor at ) discuss who performed well in this trial, some of the key questions that were raised, and what yesterday's hearing means for the future of tech policy. Listen in.
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019 • Samm Sacks
07/15/2020
019 • Samm Sacks
It was tech company chaos in Hong Kong last week. There's a new national security law that makes the surveillance regime look more like the surveillance regime in mainland China. Tech companies scrambled to respond, and the responses varied. In this episode, Matt and Samm discuss this new regime, and Samm gives her insight as a China policy expert at New America. Listen in.
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