The Great Tech Game Podcast: Geopolitics, Technology, Business and Global Affairs, with Anirudh Suri

Anirudh Suri
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Interested in geopolitics, technology, business, entrepreneurship and global affairs? The Great Tech Game Podcast is the perfect podcast for you. Host Anirudh Suri, a tech venture capitalist, policy advisor, and bestselling author of The Great Tech Game, brings you smart, insightful conversations at the intersection of tech and geopolitics. Listen to the carefully curated line up of the world's best thinkers on these themes. They will help you see the big picture, and in the process, understand how to get ahead in a world thats constantly being upended by technology and geopolitics.

  1. FEB 12

    Ep. 46 (AI Futures) - The Global South Needs to Step Up To The AI Challenge | Yoshua Bengio, Turing Award Winner

    In this episode of *AI Futures* , host Anirudh Suri sits down with Professor Yoshua Bengio — Turing Award winner and one of the world’s most influential AI researchers, and chair of the International AI Safety Report (2025 and 2026) — for a wide-ranging conversation on what the next phase of AI progress could mean for global power, economic inequality, and human control.As AI systems grow more capable and increasingly autonomous the stakes are no longer theoretical. From AI agents that can plan, deceive, and evade oversight to an intensifying US–China AI arms race, this episode explores whether the world is heading toward shared prosperity or a second great divergence.In this conversation, we explore:• Why is the US–China competition blocking effective global regulation?• What can “middle powers” like India and Canada do to avoid being left out?• What “deceptive alignment” means—and why AI models' deception tendencies is worrying leading researchers• How AI could be misused for cyberattacks or biological threats• Will AI will displace more white-collar jobs than it creates?• Can AI be built as a global public good, rather than a winner-takes-all race?🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now.-----Follow the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/*About Yoshua Bengio*Recognized worldwide as one of the leading experts in artificial intelligence, Yoshua Bengio is most known for his pioneering work in deep learning, earning him the 2018 A.M. Turing Award, “the Nobel Prize of Computing,” with Geoffrey Hinton and Yann LeCun, and making him the computer scientist with the largest number of citations and h-index. He is Full Professor at Université de Montréal. Concerned about the social impact of AI, he actively contributed to the Montreal Declaration for the Responsible Development of Artificial Intelligence and currently chairs the International AI Safety Report.Read the AI International Safety Report, chaired by Prof. Yoshua Bengio: https://internationalaisafetyreport.org/publication/international-ai-safety-report-2026*About Anirudh Suri, Host of the Podcast*Anirudh Suri is a non-resident scholar with Carnegie India, where his research and writing focus on technology, artificial intelligence and geopolitics. He is the author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, and host of The Great Tech Game Podcast. He is also the Managing Partner at India Internet Fund, a US and India based technology-focused venture capital fund. Previously, Anirudh has worked with the Government of India in New Delhi, McKinsey and Co in New York, Goldman Sachs in London, the Carnegie Endowment in Washington DC, and China Institute of International Studies in Beijing. He completed his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader, Anirudh has also served on the Board of the Harvard Alumni Association. He tweets @AnirudhSuri.The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here:X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuriLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suriFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.inWebsite: (http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: (http://www.greattechgame.com/)#IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AIFuturesPodcast #AISummit #GlobalGovernance #anirudhsuri #YoshuaBengio #thegreattechgame #TGTGpodcast #AIAgents #AIRisks #uschina #aimisuse #InternationalAISafetyReport #CyberAttacks #AI #MiddlePowers #Canada #India #Japan #DeceptiveAlignment #TechAlliances #podcast

    1 hr

  2. FEB 8

    Ep. 45 (AI Futures) - The 'Looming AI Divide': How Global Cooperation Can Help | UN Tech Envoy Amandeep Gill

    In this episode of the *AI Futures* podcast, Anirudh Suri sits down with UN Under-Secretary General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, Amandeep Gill. USG Gill offers a glimpse into the global governance of AI, the "looming AI divide," and the urgent need for international cooperation to prevent a "second great divergence" between the Global North and South. The conversation dives deep into the high-stakes risks of concentration of power, the sustainability crisis facing AI infrastructure, and the human impact on children’s mental health and cognitive development.Questions unpacked in this episode:- What new mechanisms is the UN building to ensure all countries can shape the AI future?- Will AI trigger a “second great divergence”?- Why does a single Chinese university have more compute power than the entire continent of Africa?- Are we facing a “cognitive decline” due to the increasing use of AI?- How do we ensure global AI standards are tech-neutral and inclusive, rather than set by dominant powers?- How can countries like India and Nigeria move from “market bystanders” to active players in the AI ecosystem?- Will AI create new productive opportunities—or displace the entry-level coders and data analysts of tomorrow?🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now.------Follow the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/*About USG Amandeep Gill*United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 10 June 2022 the appointment of Amandeep Singh Gill of India as his Envoy on Technology. Mr. Gill is the Chief Executive Officer of the International Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Research Collaborative (I-DAIR) project, based at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. *About Anirudh Suri, Host of the Podcast*Anirudh Suri is a non-resident scholar with Carnegie India, where his research and writing focus on technology, artificial intelligence and geopolitics. He is the author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, and host of The Great Tech Game Podcast. He is also the Managing Partner at India Internet Fund, a US and India based technology-focused venture capital fund. Previously, Anirudh has worked with the Government of India in New Delhi, McKinsey and Co in New York, Goldman Sachs in London, the Carnegie Endowment in Washington DC, and China Institute of International Studies in Beijing. He completed his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader, Anirudh has also served on the Board of the Harvard Alumni Association. He tweets @AnirudhSuri.The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here:X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuriLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suriFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.inWebsite: (http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: (http://www.greattechgame.com/)#IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AIFuturesPodcast #AISummit #globalgovernance #aiguardrails #anirudhsuri #amandeepgill #unsecretarygeneral #unitednations #ai #aiimpact #standards #digitaldivide #AIDivide #digitalsovereignty #Techsovereignty #nigeria #africa #india #aifutures #tgtgpodcast #thegreattechgame #podcast

    57 min

  3. FEB 5

    Ep. 44 (AI Futures) - Beyond the AI Hype: The Real Breakthroughs AI Needs | Prof. Stuart Russell, UC Berkeley

    In this episode of the *AI Futures* podcast, we speak with Professor Stuart Russell, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, one of the world’s leading experts on artificial intelligence, and the author of the field’s standard textbook, _AI: A Modern Approach_ .The *AI Futures* podcast series is hosted by Anirudh Suri, in collaboration with the *Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India* This podcast serves as the intellectual prelude to the *India AI Impact Summit 2026* , which is taking place from February 16–20, 2026, in New Delhi, India.In this conversation, Professor Russell and Anirudh discuss how fast AI is changing, the limits of today’s dominant ways of building AI systems, and why there is a growing need for global rules to keep AI safe. They explore key questions such as:- How close are we really to Artificial General Intelligence?- Does today’s 'brute force' approach of using more data and computing power risk creating an economic bubble?- Where is AI making the biggest real-world impact right now, in areas like healthcare, education, or science?- Which countries have the strongest AI strategies, and why is the U.S. approach of resisting regulation surprising?- Could the “Age of AI” weaken our mental skills, much like the Industrial Revolution reduced the need for physical labor?This conversation looks at what it will take to move AI debates beyond theory and into real-world outcomes, especially for the Global South.🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now.-----Follow the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/*About Prof. Stuart Russell*Stuart J. Russell is professor (and formerly chair) of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California at Berkeley. He is holder of the Smith-Zadeh Chair in Engineering and director of the Centre for Human-Compatible AI. His book *Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach* is the standard text in AI; it has been translated into 14 languages and is used in over 1,400 universities in 128 countries.*About Anirudh Suri, Host of the Podcast*Anirudh Suri is a non-resident scholar with Carnegie India, where his research and writing focus on technology, artificial intelligence and geopolitics. He is the author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, and host of The Great Tech Game Podcast. He is also the Managing Partner at India Internet Fund, a US and India based technology-focused venture capital fund. Previously, Anirudh has worked with the Government of India in New Delhi, McKinsey and Co in New York, Goldman Sachs in London, the Carnegie Endowment in Washington DC, and China Institute of International Studies in Beijing. He completed his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader, Anirudh has also served on the Board of the Harvard Alumni Association. He tweets @AnirudhSuri.The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here:X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuriLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suriFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.inWebsite: (http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: (http://www.greattechgame.com/)#AIFuturesPodcast #IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AISummit #AIFutures #ArtificialIntelligence #AGI #Computing #GlobalSouth #DataCenters #AIInfrastructure #AnirudhSuri #StuartRussell #UCBerkeley #AIEthics #TheGreatTechGame #TGTGpodcast #podcast #IndiaAIMission

    52 min

  4. JAN 28

    Ep. 43 (AI Futures) - Passing the AI Summit Baton: From France to India | Anne Bouverot, French AI Envoy

    *As France passes the Global AI Summit baton to India, what can we expect from the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026?* In the first episode of our podcast series *AI Futures: The Road to the India AI Impact Summit 2026* , we speak with Anne Bouverot, Special AI Envoy of the French President Emmanuel Macron. Bouverot organized the previous global AI summit - The AI Action Summit - in Paris in 2025. The AI Futures Podcast series, hosted by Anirudh Suri, is organized in collaboration with the *Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India* in the run up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026 being held from Feb 16 - 20, 2026 in New Delhi, India. Bouverot and Suri unpack how the global AI race is shifting beyond a US–China race, and why countries like India and France want to be actors, not just customers, in the AI economy. They deep dive into questions like: - Why is “Impact” the core focus of the upcoming AI summit being hosted by India? - Can AI leadership be multi-polar, or will it remain a US - China race? - What are the energy and climate cost implications of large-scale AI? - What are the most exciting use cases of AI that we can expect in 2026? - Will AI simply reshape work—or quietly hollow out human skills? 🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now. Follow the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/ *About Anne Bouverot* Anne Bouverot is Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS-PSL), and the French President's special envoy for the AI Action Summit. She has spent most of her career in the technology sector and now advises a number of public and private technology companies and scale ups. With economist Philippe Aghion, in 2024 she co-chaired the Commission that published the report ‘AI: our ambition for France’. She spent the first 20 years of her career at Orange, then became Director General of GSMA, the global mobile operators’ association, and later CEO of digital security and identity solutions company Morpho. She is a graduate of Ecole Normale Supérieure in mathematics and holds a PhD in artificial intelligence. *About Anirudh Suri, Host of the Podcast* Anirudh Suri is a non-resident scholar with Carnegie India, where his research and writing focus on technology, artificial intelligence and geopolitics. He is the author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, and host of The Great Tech Game Podcast. He is also the Managing Partner at India Internet Fund, a US and India based technology-focused venture capital fund. Previously, Anirudh has worked with the Government of India in New Delhi, McKinsey and Co in New York, Goldman Sachs in London, the Carnegie Endowment in Washington DC, and China Institute of International Studies in Beijing. He completed his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader, Anirudh has also served on the Board of the Harvard Alumni Association. The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here: X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuri Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suri Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.in Website: (http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: (http://www.greattechgame.com/) #IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AISummit #franceai #indiafrance #globalsouth #indiafrancerelations #geopolitics #anirudhsuri #aifutures #thegreattechgame #tgtgpodcast

    49 min

  5. JAN 11

    Ep.42 - Is the Middle East Ready for the AI Wave? ft. Yousuf Al-Bulushi, Muscat Policy Council

    Can the Middle East build an AI-powered future while the region remains unstable?In this episode of The Great Tech Game, we sit down with Dr. Yusuf Al-Bulushi, Chairman of the Muscat Policy Council, for a deep dive on the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East, the diversification strategies of the GCC countries and India-Oman ties. From regional conflict and reconciliation to AI, digital sovereignty, and energy security, this episode unpacks how Gulf states are positioning themselves in AI wave.🎯 In this conversation, we explore: The new AI Great Game: data centers, subsea cables, and the hidden infrastructure shaping powerThe positive competition within the GCC—and how cities like Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, and Muscat are attempting to diversify beyond oilWhat digital sovereignty really means—and why it’s something to be managed, not “solved”The strategic importance of the India–Oman partnership, maritime security, and the blue economyWhat are Oman's greatest strengths and weaknesses?Dr. Al-Bulushi also shares insights from his personal journey building Oman’s first “think-and-do tank,” and why ideas, institutions, and infrastructure matter as much as capital. Tune in soon for this episode.🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now—only on The Great Tech Game Podcast.-----Host of the Podcast, Anirudh Suri:The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here:X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuriLinkedin:   / anirudhsuri  Instagram:   / anirudh_suri  Facebook:   / anirudhsuri.in  Website: [www.anirudhsuri.com](http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: [www.greattechgame.com](http://www.greattechgame.com/)#tgtgpodcast #thegreattechgame #anirudhsuri #middleeastcrisis #ai #aiimpact #indiaoman #indiaomanrelations #geopolitics #techgeopolitics

    1h 10m

  6. 12/04/2025

    Ep. 41 - In a Post-China Era, Can India Take the Lead? | Amb. Kurt Tong, Asia Group

    In the latest episode of The Great Tech Game Podcast, Ambassador Kurt Tong argues that by 2070, 'all roads lead to Mumbai and New Delhi' as India is set to become the world's biggest and most powerful economy. We explore:- Why the intensive global focus on China might soon be viewed as merely a 'first half of the 21st century thing'- The surprising weaknesses displayed by both the US and China in their geopolitical dynamic - How today's technological rivalry differs from the US-Japan competition of the 1980s - Why Hong Kong remains a critical financial centre for greater China for the foreseeable future- What could stop India from becoming the world's biggest economy by 2070?- ...and more.🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now—only on The Great Tech Game Podcast.--------------------------Amb. Kurt TongAmbassador Tong is the Managing Partner at the Asia Group, where his work focuses on Japan, China, Korea, and broader Asia-Pacific policy. He provides strategic council to multinational corporations navigating the complex policy and market challenges across Asia. A career US diplomat for three decades, his past roles include serving as the Consul General in Hong Kong and Macau, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs, and the US Ambassador for APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation)🌐 More about Amb. Tong: https://theasiagroup.com/talent/amb-kurt-tong/#:~:text=Managing%20Partner&text=Prior%20to%20joining%20The%20Asia,with%20that%20important%20financial%20center.Host of the Podcast, Anirudh Suri:The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here:X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuriLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suriFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.inWebsite: [www.anirudhsuri.com](http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: [www.greattechgame.com](http://www.greattechgame.com/)#India #India2070 #AsiaGeopolitics #KurtTong #AnirudhSuri #TheGreatTechGame #USChinaRivalry #NewDelhi #Mumbai #Japan #GlobalEconomy #WolfWarrior #TechCompetition #HongKong #AsiaGroup #TGTGPodcast #Podcast

    58 min

  7. 11/18/2025

    Ep. 40 - The China vs India Conundrum: Inside Apple's Race to Exit China | Patrick McGee, FT

    Can Apple Pivot Away from China to India? An Inside Look at the Complexities of Apple's Choices: In this episode of The Great Tech Game podcast, host Anirudh Suri sits down with Patrick McGee, Financial Times San Francisco correspondent and author of Apple in China, to unpack the deeper story behind one of the most important corporate–state relationships of the 21st century. Through Apple’s journey, McGee explores how Apple became central to the US–China tech rivalry, and how its search for scale and perfection created ripple effects that reshaped global geopolitics, technology, and industry. And now, as the Apple - China relationship has become so convoluted, how Apple is trying to navigate away from China to other countries such as India. This episode tackles questions such as: - Why is Apple’s relationship with China so consequential — and what does it reveal about the future of US–China tech competition? - How did Apple’s investments, training programs, and suppliers fuel the rise of Chinese tech giants like Huawei and Xiaomi? - What changed under Xi Jinping, and how did Apple learn to “play politics” in a new era of state power and surveillance? - Can India or Mexico realistically serve as the next major manufacturing hubs as companies seek to decouple from China? - What lessons can Indian states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana learn from Chinese provinces such as Shenzhen? Tune in for an in-depth conversation on how Apple’s pursuit of efficiency and growth supercharged China’s rise, but how its deep dependence now leaves it with few exits, if at all.🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now—only on The Great Tech Game Podcast. 00:00 Introduction 09:12 Apple's Dependence on China: Why is it a Cautionary Tale? 12:16 The Rise of Chinese Tech Companies 16:40 Apple's Political Challenges in China38:46 Lessons for India and Other Nations49:42 Challenges in Scaling Up American Industry53:38 Comparing Production in India and China55:32 Advice for Indian Leaders on Attracting Apple01:02:29 Apple's AI Strategy and Future Prospects01:08:51 Rapid Fire: Advice for Global Leaders01:22:50 Book Recommendations and Final ThoughtsAbout Patrick McGee:Patrick McGee has written for the Financial Times since 2013, reporting from Hong Kong, Germany, and California. He led the FT’s Apple coverage (2019–2023) and won a San Francisco Press Club Award in 2023 for best tech article in a newspaper. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Times of London, and more. Patrick's focus over the past decade has been on Apple, digital advertising, robotaxis, electric vehicles, the Volkswagen diesel scandal, and connected fitness. His debut book, Apple in China, is considered both an insider’s historical account and a cautionary tale.📘 Link to Apple in China: https://www.amazon.in/Apple-China-Capture-Greatest-Company/dp/1668053373🌐 More about Patrick McGee: https://patrick-mcgee.com/Host of the Podcast, Anirudh Suri:The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here:X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuriLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suriFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.inWebsite: [www.anirudhsuri.com](http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: [www.greattechgame.com](http://www.greattechgame.com/)#tgtgpodcast #thegreattechgame #appleinchina #patrickmcgee #anirudhsuri #apple #china #appleinindia #indiachina #bigtech #supplychain

    1h 27m

  8. 10/14/2025

    Ep.39 - Drones, Rockets and Satellites: The New Power Asymmetry? | Ft. Chris Kemp, CEO of Astra & Ex CTO, NASA

    In this episode of The Great Tech Game, host Anirudh Suri sits down with Chris Kemp — Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Astra, and former CTO of NASA — to unpack how the commercial space race is reshaping technology, defense, and geopolitics.From drones and rockets to optical space internet, Kemp explains how a new generation of private space companies are breaking into this domain that was initially dominated by states, especially during the Cold War when the first Space Race was between the United States and the Soviet Union.🔑 Highlights from the episode:- Why space is becoming the ultimate geopolitical high ground.- Which companies and countries are leading in this space- How cheap, mobile rocket systems are redefining military deterrence.- The shift from billion-dollar satellites to swarms of small ones.- What Astra’s Rocket 4 and propulsion business reveal about the future of scalable space manufacturing.- Why optical communication (light-based data transfer) could spark a new, unjammable internet in space.Kemp also discusses his time at NASA, founding OpenStack, and how commercial satellite networks like Starlink and Planet Labs are already influencing modern conflicts — from Ukraine to beyond. The conversation traces how space tech is moving from elite national programs to a mass-produced, distributed ecosystem that could reshape both global security and the everyday internet.

    1h 30m
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Interested in geopolitics, technology, business, entrepreneurship and global affairs? The Great Tech Game Podcast is the perfect podcast for you. Host Anirudh Suri, a tech venture capitalist, policy advisor, and bestselling author of The Great Tech Game, brings you smart, insightful conversations at the intersection of tech and geopolitics. Listen to the carefully curated line up of the world's best thinkers on these themes. They will help you see the big picture, and in the process, understand how to get ahead in a world thats constantly being upended by technology and geopolitics.

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