The Brave Technologist

Brave Software

Technology is reshaping society—but how are users included in the conversation? The Brave Technologist explores how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Web3 are influencing our lives, our choices, and our collective future. Unlike many tech podcasts that focus on hype and disruption, this show puts users at the center of the conversation. Each episode features thoughtful discussions with technologists working to ensure that innovation serves the public interest. How are these tools impacting users? And how can we ensure that technology is developed with transparency, accountability, and the public good in mind? We're going deep with founders, builders, policy makers and researchers to explore the worlds of privacy, AI, crypto, digital rights, algorithmic accountability, and everywhere else where cutting edge technology impacts our daily lives.

  1. 1D AGO

    The CHRO Is the New CTO: Leading in the AI Era

    Elise Neel, Global Head of Strategy & Strategic Partnerships at Panasonic Go, shares lessons from leading innovation within large legacy companies and the cultural challenges of driving transformation. She explains how organizations should rethink AI governance and talent, and why roles like the CHRO may become central in the AI era. Key Takeaways: Why leaders must move from simply using AI tools to actively collaborating with them to drive meaningful transformation How access to AI is leveling the playing field, making critical thinking the key differentiator for talent Ways that non-technical professionals can quickly become powerful contributors with the right AI tools and training Why the CHRO role may become one of the most influential positions as organizations integrate AI agents into their workforce How AI could transform product ownership and customer support through intelligent systems that predict maintenance, optimize usage, and improve the overall customer experience Guest Bio: Elise Neel is the Global Head of Strategy & Strategic Partnerships for Panasonic Go, driving business transformation through AI to expand AI-enabled software, hardware, and solutions to 30% of Panasonic's sales by 2035. Previously, Elise was SVP of New Business Innovation at Verizon, where she built a portfolio of nine investment ventures spanning location technology, drones, robotics, and energy transformation while ushering in the 5G era. She also served as CEO of MapQuest and held leadership roles at PlaceIQ, comScore, and InsightExpress. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte

    19 min
  2. MAR 4

    Bri Teresi: Digital Sovereignty and Protecting Creator Freedom

    Bri Teresi, host of 'Free The Money' and a prominent crypto influencer, shares the biggest misunderstandings about cryptocurrency in mainstream media and consumer behavior, along with the biggest challenges faced by content creators today. Topics include: the risks of platform dependency and censorship; the importance of self-custody and owning one's own crypto keys; financial sovereignty and freedom from banks; and the need for better education in crypto to reduce scams and speculative investments. Key Takeaways:  Emerging laws in California, and how they'll affect crypto asset custody Why we can't have a free society without cash and distributed systems The role of privacy coins and privacy tech in empowering users Creator horror stories: shadow banning, censorship, and deleted accounts How AI is transforming content creation, and the risks involved Gender dynamics and increasing female participation in crypto The potential of decentralized social media networks Guest Bio: Bri Teresi is the host of Free The Money, a show focused on finance, cryptocurrency, and personal liberties. As a model and golf influencer, Bri bridges lifestyle and financial education, making complex topics accessible to a wider audience. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte

    36 min
  3. FEB 25

    How SheFi is Onboarding More Women into Web3

    Maggie Love, Founder and CEO of SheFi, discusses the critical role of the community in managing decentralized spaces and making crypto accessible and relatable for all. She delves into the importance of building technology that works for everyone (not just early insiders), and details the urgent mission she's on with SheFi: to ensure women aren't left behind in the next era of the Internet. Key Takeaways:  SheFi's collaboration with Brave, including scholarships offered for their next cohort What real crypto onboarding should look like: education beyond buzzwords Why community is the missing layer in crypto adoption, and current friction points holding Web3 back How AI and crypto may collide at both the application and infrastructure layers What the future of the internet could look like for women+ builders if their mission succeeds What it takes to build technology that works for everyone (not just the early insiders) Guest Bio: Maggie Love is an educator, entrepreneur, and the founder of SheFi, a platform where women+ learn to navigate and shape the next era of the Internet, including crypto, AI, and digital ownership. She's passionate about turning buzzwords into real-world access and opportunity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte

    31 min
  4. FEB 18

    AI That Acts: How Autonomous Agents Are Rewriting Org Charts

    Manoj Saxena, Founder and CEO of Trustwise, explains why agentic AI represents a major shift inside organizations: from AI as a tool to AI as an active participant. He addresses the operational challenges that organizations face today, including AI-to-AI interactions, opaque decision-making, regulatory pressure, and the growing need for continuous oversight as AI systems gain autonomy. Key Takeaways: The ways AI agents are already taking on roles once owned by humans How leaders should prepare for AI systems that negotiate, decide, and act independently The emerging risks of AI acting without visibility, guardrails, or accountability Why trust, safety, and governance must operate in real time, not retroactively The organizational and cultural implications of humans managing AI agents Guest Bio: Manoj Saxena is the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Trustwise—an award-winning AI safety company focused on securing and governing agentic AI systems—and the Founder and Chairman of the Responsible AI Institute. Widely regarded as the "father of IBM Watson," Manoj is a pioneer of Trusted Artificial Intelligence (TAI) and a leading voice for ethical and responsible AI. He previously served as General Manager of IBM Watson and as Chairman of the Board at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. A serial entrepreneur with over $1.8B in exit value across multiple startups, Manoj is also a lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin and a fellow contributor at University of Cambridge, where he teaches and advises on ethical AI and responsible leadership. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte

    34 min
  5. FEB 11

    When AI and Enterprise Tech Feel Like Magic [Live from AI Summit]

    Kapil Gupta, former Enterprise AI Product & Platform Leader at Cigna, shares insights from more than two decades of turning cutting-edge technology into enterprise-ready products. He unpacks the difference between generative AI and agentic AI, and why governance, user choice, and thoughtful design matter just as much as innovation. Learn how enterprises can scale responsibly and why the best technology often feels invisible to the people using it. Key Takeaways:  The tangible difference between generative AI and agent-based workflows Why adoption depends on fitting into existing workflows, rather than forcing behavior change The challenge of legacy systems and disconnected data How companies can innovate quickly without introducing unnecessary risk How pushing back, probing, and questioning AI can unlock more value Why listening to users matters more than building flashy features Guest Bio: Kapil Gupta is an executive product leader specializing in leveraging emerging technologies to solve complex business problems at scale. As a leader of AI product and platform teams at Cigna and previously at industry leaders like Capital One, Deloitte, and IBM, he has turned breakthrough innovations like Generative AI into practical enterprise solutions.  Kapil is driven by a focus on crafting AI-driven product experiences that solve real problems and ensure high adoption, bridging the gap between sophisticated technology and business value. He balances high-level strategic vision with a passion for staying hands-on, often vibe coding prototypes to prove out new concepts. Kapil holds an MS in Computer Science and an MBA from NYU Stern. He shares his work at kapilgupta.me and lives in New York. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte

    22 min
  6. FEB 4

    Is Digital Money Becoming a Surveillance Tool? [LIVE From AI Summit]

    Chastity Murphy, former Senior Advisor at the U.S.Treasury and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, shares her experiences working on digital money legislation, including the Stable Act. She reflects on the transition from cash to digital payments along with her current research developing offline, anonymous public interest payment systems. Key Takeaways: How early stablecoin legislation shaped our understanding of digital money, privacy, and consumer protection The gap between technologists and policymakers in understanding digital money Real-world risks of surveillance and data visibility in financial transactions The potential for new cryptographic capabilities like selective disclosure and zero-knowledge proofs Practical approaches for creating offline, anonymous, and interoperable digital payment systems that don't sacrifice usability Guest Bio:  Chastity Murphy is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Manchester's Law & Technology Initiative, and one of the leading architects of privacy-preserving digital public money. A former Senior Advisor at the U.S. Treasury Department, she helped shape federal policy on central bank digital currency (CBDC) and digital payments, building on her earlier work as the first congressional staffer (under Rep. Rashida Tlaib) to draft stablecoin legislation. Her current research at Manchester's Digital Public Money Infrastructure (DPMI) project explores how cryptography and shield-law protections can make digital money safe for people—not platforms. The work prototypes use cases such as anonymous public-interest payments and privacy-secure disbursement systems for reproductive-health providers, disaster aid, and humanitarian relief. This work focuses on ensuring that the right to transact safely endures across political climates, crises, medical emergencies, and everyday use. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte

    25 min
  7. JAN 28

    Accountability Requires Identity: AI Agents & the Future of Digital Trust

    Evin McMullen, co-founder and CEO of Billions Network, explores how identity for agents is going to unlock the next era of the Internet. She shares outcomes from collaborations with regulatory bodies and major companies (like HSBC and TikTok), along with their use of Zero Knowledge Proofs in proving you're human without giving up privacy. Key Takeaways: How Billions Network plans to save the Internet, starting first with scaling trust (while balancing convenience and privacy) The critical importance of identity verification in an increasingly AI-dominated digital landscape, and the biggest challenges to solving for this The risks for humanity if we don't achieve decentralized identity before AI and agents becomes ubiquitous Guest Bio: Evin McMullen is the CEO and co-founder of Billions Network, the first universal human and AI network. Billions Network is pioneering a mobile-first identity layer that verifies both humans and AI agents—proving uniqueness, KYC/AML status, location, age, or even machine reputation, all while preserving user privacy. Evin's previous work includes early blockchain development for retail and enterprise, and serving as CEO and founder of the verifiable data platform Disco.xy. She is a cofounder of DAO Jones and inkDAO, and an advisor to Boys Club. She is a graduate of Yale University. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte

    26 min
  8. JAN 21

    Charles Hoskinson: Re-Architecting Money and Extending Human Life

    Charles Hoskinson is a co-founder of Ethereum, and the CEO and Founder of Input | Output (the company behind the Cardano blockchain). In this episode he shares his journey into the world of cryptocurrencies and his early influences. He also explains the conception and operational details of the Midnight Network (a privacy-focused, layer-two solution), and discusses his ambitious efforts in anti-aging and regenerative medicine. Key Takeaways:  Trillion dollar disruption ideas and a vision for how users will interact with the Internet in 2035 Why regulation is the single most exciting opportunity for DeFi Ways we can bring the world together in 2026 by working more cooperatively and combatting polarization How regenerative species force us to rethink how humans should approach longevity Cutting-edge research involving exosomes, electrical fields and hyperbarics Guest Bio: Charles Hoskinson is a co-founder of Ethereum, and the CEO & Founder of Input | Output (the company behind the Cardano blockchain). He also owns and operates a state-of-the-art healthcare clinic in rural Wyoming focused on anti-aging; is part of the group that de-extincted the dire wolf; and co-founded a lab that is genetically engineering bioluminescent plants. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte

    54 min

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4.8
out of 5
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Technology is reshaping society—but how are users included in the conversation? The Brave Technologist explores how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Web3 are influencing our lives, our choices, and our collective future. Unlike many tech podcasts that focus on hype and disruption, this show puts users at the center of the conversation. Each episode features thoughtful discussions with technologists working to ensure that innovation serves the public interest. How are these tools impacting users? And how can we ensure that technology is developed with transparency, accountability, and the public good in mind? We're going deep with founders, builders, policy makers and researchers to explore the worlds of privacy, AI, crypto, digital rights, algorithmic accountability, and everywhere else where cutting edge technology impacts our daily lives.

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