Grey Matter with Michael Krasny Michael Krasny

With a client list that includes Walmart, Microsoft and Apple, Placement IO Founder and CEO Edwin Fu spoke with us about entrepreneurship. He talked about the high which comes from solving problems and building a better mousetrap and the necessity of having the passion of a mad scientist. He emphasized the necessity of craziness for founders based on tenacity and vision and an ability to execute. Money, success, and growth are all, Fu argues, byproducts of drive. He talked, too, of being burned and issues of data and privacy as well as the changing nature of advertising and the importance of being cautious about following advice. He then went on to speak of AI, social media and the U.S. economy. With nine out of ten start-ups failing here is wise and valuable advice.

The architect of the Oslo accords, Ambassador Dennis Ross, who worked in five U.S. presidential administrations trying to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians, joined us on the heels of the deaths in Gaza, at the hands of the Israelis, of seven humanitarian workers. Ambassador Ross spoke of the present conflict as the worst he has witnessed and he discussed the trauma of both the Palestinian and Israeli sides as well as the differences in the Israel, West Bank and Gaza governments, the security misreadings by the Israeli government, the diversions of humanitarian aid by Hamas and the legacy of October 7th and the hostages taken by Hamas. Ambassador Ross spoke, too, of Israel's fraught political stability and the likely future for Prime Minister Netanyahu and his coalition. He also provided an assessment of Hamas militarily and gauged the effect on the region of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the role of Turkey's Erdogan and Egypt under El-Sisi. He spoke, too, of the perniciousness of Hamas as well as condemning the Israeli occupation and the incorrect use of the word genocide to condemn Israel. We had the opportunity as well to speak with the Ambassador about Iran's role in the region and the prospects of a single versus a two states solution and what to expect after the war is over. A wide-ranging, incisive discussion replete with first-rate insights.

Veteran Journalist, Journalism professor and author Jeff Jarvis joined us to discuss media and its history and future and the future of journalism. We zeroed in on questions of Internet regulation and the effect of AI and Jeff spoke about why he believes TikTok should be defended and not banned and focused on what he called hegemonic and corporate old journalism versus journalism which serves the community. Jeff also talked about Section 230 and its so-called shield and sword role for media at its core as well as click bait, bias and the need to reinvent advertising. A caller spurred Jeff to address the lack of tech knowledge of legislators and the need for them to be educated. He also spoke critically of a recent book by psychologist Jonathan Haidt which blames the mental health crisis of Gen Z on phones and social media. Jeff then talked about red lining in journalism and how AI is a large and cracked mirror of all of us with many practical and positive uses. We wound up talking about Google's former motto of Don't be Evil, what to do about bad actors and the likely long run benefit to libraries of AI.

Former Kaiser Permanente CEO and one of modern healthcare's most influential physician leaders, Dr. Robert Pearl joined us for a deep discussion focusing on his recent book "ChatGPT, MD" and the exponential changes generative AI can bring to American medicine and healthcare. We initially heard a poignant personal story from Dr. Pearl about how he went from studying cardiac surgery to becoming a plastic surgeon as a result of watching surgical repairs of cleft palates in Mexico. From there he went on to his bullish views on the future role of his book's co-author, Chat GPT, though all depends, he made clear, on clinicians taking the lead and the next generation of them being committed to change. Still, he made clear that the present antiquated system can be changed by technology and transformation can and will occur. He addressed concerns such as security, privacy, data breaches and bias, but spoke overall with abundant optimism, despite touching as well on the unsustainability of medical costs. He spoke, also, of achievements of the Kaiser Permanente model and the necessity for humanity to keep pace with technology. An enlightening, inspiring call to action hour.

Astronomer Andrew Fraknoi joined us to dispense his usual passionate and illuminating clarity on the April 8 total solar eclipse and eclipses per se and more. He spoke of best places to view, optimal weather conditions, proper eyeglasses and what not to wear, as well as how to observe with a colander and why we cannot see a total solar eclipse from any other planet in our solar system. We were able to touch, too, on some eclipse myths and include sidebars about a bright sight twelve billion light years away, astrology and what may have been here before the big bang. Andrew spoke of Harvard Professor Avi Loeb's searches for extra terrestrial life and provided answers for educators on how best to deal with the total eclipse and prepare for and experience it, including why to use a snap device in photographing it and what to do if one is visually impaired. A truly fascinating hour with a bevy of good questions from listeners deftly answered by one of America's leading astronomers.

Former UC Berkeley Chancellor and President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences Nicholas Dirks joined us to discuss his latest book, City of Intellect. We began with an assessment of the free speech movement and the trajectory to more recent efforts by protestors to shut speakers down. The dialogue proceeded from there to questions about hate speech and so-called safe spaces and trigger warnings as well as broader questions of what a university is for, who it serves and what it can and cannot do. We discussed access and costs and the economics of universities as well as questions of diversity and differences between public and private universities and we then turned to a consideration of leadership and the example of former UC Berkeley President Clark Kerr. Our expansive dialogue took up the importance of a liberal arts education, AI and online education, job training in higher ed and the role of community and junior colleges, which Dirks called "the real workhorses," and the apparent revival of admissions tests. Dirks concluded with wise and thoughtful reflections on how universities need to look toward the future and emphasize the transformation of lives, exposure to the world of possibilities and what it means to be human.