Bold Names

4.3 (1.4K)
TECHNOLOGY
UPDATED BIWEEKLY

WSJ’s Bold Names brings you conversations with the leaders of the bold-named companies featured in the pages of The Wall Street Journal. Hosts Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims speak to CEOs and business leaders in interviews that challenge conventional wisdom and take you inside the decisions being made in the C-suite and beyond.

5D AGO

‘Businesses Don’t Like Uncertainty’: How Cisco Is Navigating AI and Trump 2.0

Few people sit at the nexus of business and politics like Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. As head of a company that makes much of the infrastructure underlying the internet and artificial intelligence systems, and as chairman of the lobbying group Business Roundtable, Robbins has a unique perspective on the rapid changes facing both Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. How is he navigating this moment? And what lessons did he learn from playing basketball with an all-time legend? Robbins speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast. Check Out Past Episodes: Could Amazon’s Zoox Beat Tesla and Waymo in the Robotaxi Race? Palmer Luckey's 'I Told You So' Tour: AI Weapons and Vindication Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype. Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31 min
MAR 14

Could Amazon’s Zoox Beat Tesla and Waymo in the Robotaxi Race?

When Aicha Evans took over robotaxi startup Zoox from its founders in 2019, she made two big moves: selling the company to Amazon for over $1.2 billion, and keeping Zoox’s radical design for a driverless car that looks like a lounge on wheels, with no steering wheel or brake pedal. Now, as the robotaxi industry drives toward a pivotal moment in public acceptance, Zoox is preparing to launch its commercial service later this year. How does the company fit in alongside rivals like Google’s Waymo and Elon Musk ’s Tesla? And why does Evans take inspiration from the early days of aviation? She speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in the latest episode of our interview series Bold Names. Check Out Past Episodes: Palmer Luckey's 'I Told You So' Tour: AI Weapons and Vindication Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype. Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

33 min
MAR 7

Palmer Luckey's 'I Told You So' Tour: AI Weapons and Vindication

Palmer Luckey, the founder of weapons manufacturer Anduril, was part of a minority in the tech sector that supported President Trump during his first run at the White House. Now, Luckey wields influence in both Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.–and he’s using it to secure U.S. military contracts while trying to remake the government’s approach to national security. Luckey speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in the latest episode of our interview series Bold Names. Check Out Past Episodes: Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype. Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card The CEO Who Says Cheaper AI Could Actually Mean More Jobs Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31 min
FEB 28

Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype.

Ayanna Howard is dean of The Ohio State University’s College of Engineering, an IEEE Senior Member, and a top expert on two of the most hyped fields in tech: humanoid robots and artificial intelligence. Combining these technologies could allow advanced bots to take on all sorts of tasks, from helping pack boxes at warehouses, to taking care of the elderly, or even doing the dishes. But what will it take to get there, and how close are we to getting everyday robot helpers? Howard speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast. Check Out Past Episodes: Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ But America Needs to Win Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks' Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’ Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31 min
FEB 21

Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win

LinkedIn co-founder and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Reid Hoffman is cautiously optimistic about the future of artificial intelligence. In his new book, “Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right With Our AI Future,” he argues that the current state of AI is similar to the automobile at the start of the 20th century. What does that mean for what Hoffman calls the “cognitive Industrial Revolution” and its potential to create positive change, and who is best suited to regulate it? And what does he think of his old friend Elon Musk’s influence in the Trump administration? Hoffman speaks to WSJ’s Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast. Check Out Past Episodes: Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks' Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’ Why Elon Musk’s Battery Guy Is Betting Big on Recycling Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 min
FEB 14

Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card

Bilt Rewards founder and CEO Ankur Jain took inspiration from American Express’s rewards programs when his company began offering people loyalty points for paying monthly rent. Now, he wants to add homeowners to his customer base by allowing them to get rewards points for their mortgage payments. What does that mean for Bilt’s business, and for its relationship with Wells Fargo over their co-branded credit card? And how could it affect the customers who’ve flocked to the card to earn points? Jain spea ks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast. Check Out Past Episodes: Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks' Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’ Why Elon Musk’s Battery Guy Is Betting Big on Recycling The CEO Who Says Cheaper AI Could Actually Mean More Jobs Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 min
FEB 11

Introducing: Bold Names

Every day, Wall Street Journal reporters talk with the most powerful, influential and interesting people. Now, we’re bringing some of those conversations directly to you. Introducing Bold Names, a new interview series where we hear directly from the leaders behind bold name companies. Hosted by WSJ columnists Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims. The new season starts Friday, February 14. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 min
FEB 11

The CEO Who Says Cheaper AI Could Actually Mean More Jobs

Cloud storage used to be a sleepy part of the computing world but, with artificial intelligence becoming cheaper than ever, the companies collecting and protecting that data are now a hot investment. That includes cloud storage company Box, which has seen its stock climb nearly 40% this year. Its customers include most of the Fortune 500, including movie studios, automakers, consumer electronics giants, marketing firms and the Pentagon. Box CEO Aaron Levie says AI is getting better at piecing through 90% of companies’ data that previously was an intractable mess, and is doing some tasks better than humans – from processing invoices and parsing contracts to building marketing campaigns. So why does he think that could actually lead to more jobs for humans? Plus, why his company plans to stay “model agnostic” and continue to work with all the major artificial intelligence models, including OpenAI ’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. He speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in episode four of our interview series Bold Names. Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Further Reading Amazon Invests an Additional $4 Billion in Anthropic, an OpenAI Rival How to Make AI Less of a Power Guzzler What Is AI Best at Now? Improving Products You Already Own Elon Musk vs. Everyone: The New Fight in AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 min

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WSJ Special Access is a curated selection of interviews and conversations with top business leaders and newsmakers from The Wall Street Journal’s exclusive live events. Plus, go inside the C-suite with Executive Insights from WSJ Pro, a series that gives you essential context about industry news and trends. Special Access is available for WSJ subscribers only. To gain access as a subscriber, connect your account.

4.7 (23)

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4.3

out of 5

1,398 Ratings

The only time

Mar 19

Asdwqdasdwef23

The only way
Information and fun listen

08/25/2024

Ainge1983

Great show that inform on a variety of technical and business subjects. Even and unbiased, there is no proselytizing to a particular political viewpoint.
More Politics than technology

11/04/2024

Chad_Hburg

If you like lots of politics thrown into your podcasts about technology, this one’s for you. I prefer my technology podcasts to be about technology, thus the one star rating. I get enough politics from other sources. This podcast is just another piece of the biased media machine.
Interview Style Seems Fake; Good Content Tho

08/30/2024

ewh410

For all episodes, Alex Ossala asks questions, and the guests answer, but the two don’t seem to be in the same one-on-one conversation - it sounds like they’re not together. The guest’s tone always sounds legit, like they were “live” with someone asking questions, but it appears by Ossala’s flat and non-conversational tone that she’s sitting alone in front of a microphone, asking questions of nobody, and the guest “answers” were spliced in later. It’s super-awkward to listen to - not a professional product IMO.