202 episodes

The Next Big Idea is a weekly series of in-depth interviews with the world’s leading thinkers. Join our host, Rufus Griscom — along with our curators, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — for conversations that might just change the way you see the world. New episodes every Thursday.

The Next Big Idea LinkedIn

    • Education
    • 4.5 • 1.2K Ratings

The Next Big Idea is a weekly series of in-depth interviews with the world’s leading thinkers. Join our host, Rufus Griscom — along with our curators, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — for conversations that might just change the way you see the world. New episodes every Thursday.

    GENEROSITY: How Simple Acts of Kindness Can Change the World

    GENEROSITY: How Simple Acts of Kindness Can Change the World

    Lots of things go viral on the internet: dumb memes, cat videos, one-pan meals, and celebrity gossip. Why not kindness? That’s the delightful question Chris Anderson, the head of TED, asks in his new book, “Infectious Generosity: The Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading.” He joins Rufus to talk about what he’s learned running the world’s most famous conference, why we’re hardwired to give back, and the small actions we can all take to be a little more generous.

    Host: Rufus Griscom
    Guest: Chris Anderson
    *THE NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB*
    We all know that reading is the best investment we can make in ourselves, but figuring out what to read — well, that’s another matter. Which is why we started the Next Big Idea Club. We get the best new books — as chosen by our friends Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — into the hands of curious people … like you! Join us today at nextbigideaclub.com

    • 1 hr 6 min
    BURN BOOK: Kara Swisher Takes on Big Tech

    BURN BOOK: Kara Swisher Takes on Big Tech

    Kara Swisher has been called “pioneering” (the New York Times), “Silicon Valley’s top pundit” (Wired), and “so shrill at this point that only dogs can hear her” (Elon Musk). Thanks to the bad-cop interviews she conducts on her hit podcasts — and, before that, at the can’t-miss tech conferences she co-founded — the world’s most powerful people revere and fear her in equal measure. Now she’s out with a memoir called “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story.” It’s a smart, dishy, acerbically funny page-turner about how a young reporter with a cellphone the size of a briefcase became one of the most influential tech critics of the day.

    Host: Caleb Bissinger
    Guest: Kara Swisher
    *THE NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB*
    We all know that reading is the best investment we can make in ourselves, but figuring out what to read — well, that’s another matter. Which is why we started the Next Big Idea Club. We get the best new books — as chosen by our friends Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — into the hands of curious people … like you! Join us today at nextbigideaclub.com

    • 50 min
    SUPERCOMMUNICATORS: How to Connect With Anyone

    SUPERCOMMUNICATORS: How to Connect With Anyone

    According to Merriam-Webster, the word “conversation” has 36 synonyms, ranging from the alliterative (”confabulation”) to the arcane (”persiflage”). Why the linguistic profusion? Because conversing is a fundamental part — maybe the fundamental part — of being human.
    We chat with our families, friends, strangers, and co-workers, and we communicate in phone calls, text messages, emails, and, occasionally, postcards. When these tête-à-têtes go well, it is oddly thrilling; we become better versions of ourselves — warmer and wiser, funnier, and consistently insightful. Best of all, a good dialogue is a direct route to connection. “The bond of all companionship,” wrote Oscar Wilde, “whether in marriage or in friendship, is conversation.”
    But when a conversation goes poorly, when it stays on the surface (”what do you do for a living?”) or devolves into a sputtering mess of misunderstanding (”you’re overreacting!”), we don’t feel the invigorating pulse of connection. What we feel, instead, is the emotional equivalent of a busy signal.
    So, this hour, we’re asking: how can we have better conversations? And to help answer that question, we’re joined by Charles Duhigg, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and the bestselling author of “The Power of Habit” and now “Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection.” Charles, as you’ll hear, is something of supercommunicator himself, a lithe storyteller who’s as well-versed in evolutionary biology as he is in the latest psychology, and after studying the art and science of communication for the last few years, he’s concluded that anyone can become a great conversationalist. You just have to master a few simple skills. Tune in to find out what they are.

    Host: Rufus Griscom
    Guest: Charles Duhigg
    Book: “Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection”
    *THE NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB*
    We all know that reading is the best investment we can make in ourselves, but figuring out what to read … well, that’s another matter. Which is why we started the Next Big Idea Club. We get the best new books — as chosen by our curators (Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink) — into the hands of curious people. Like you! Join us today at nextbigideaclub.com

    • 1 hr 6 min
    MIDLIFE: Once a Crisis, Now an Opportunity

    MIDLIFE: Once a Crisis, Now an Opportunity

    Growing old gets a bad rap, and it's not hard to see why. Your hair thins and your waist thickens. The shot clock ticks down on your career, and you realize, much to your dismay, that your youthful dreams of greatness — patents, prizes, and periodicals with your face on the cover — are unlikely to come true before the buzzer. And what do you see up ahead? A road sign. "Highway Ends. Last Exit: Retirement. One Mile." Retirement. Just a polite word for purposelessness. That's the cynic's view of aging, anyway. But does it have to be that way? Not according to Chip Conley ("Learning to Love Midlife"). He says midlife can be a period of renewal, hope, joy, and connection. If you're open to it. Are you?

    • 1 hr 3 min
    RADICAL CANDOR: Why Compassionate Honesty Is a Gift

    RADICAL CANDOR: Why Compassionate Honesty Is a Gift

    Honesty may be the best policy, but that doesn’t make giving honest feedback any easier. That’s why Kim Scott, a veteran of Google and Apple, wrote “Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity.” It’s a life-saving guide for anyone who’s ever had to dole out difficult but important feedback. Which means all of us.

    • 1 hr 9 min
    BLOCKCHAIN: Why Chris Dixon Still Thinks It Matters

    BLOCKCHAIN: Why Chris Dixon Still Thinks It Matters

    Seventy-two billion dollars. That, according to the Grifter Counter™, is the amount of money that's been swallowed up by crypto and blockchain scams and crashes. It's an enormous sum — but one that may not surprise you if you've kept up with the news. Bitcoin lost more than 60% of its value in 2022. FTX, once the world's third-largest crypto exchange, collapsed, and its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, was later found guilty on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy. And it's not just crypto that has seen dark days. Remember NFTs? They were once touted as a revolutionary new form of digital ownership made possible by the blockchain. Today, however, 95% of them have lost all of their value. That's right. All of it.
    So it would seem like a suboptimal time to publish a book arguing that "blockchains and the software movement around them — typically called crypto or web3 — provide the only plausible path to sustaining the original vision of the internet as an open platform that incentivizes creativity and entrepreneurship." But that's precisely what Chris Dixon, founder of a16z crypto, has done with "Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet." Chris, who spoke with Rufus in a live taping of this show last week, says that while blockchains have been "maligned and associated with grift, casino culture, and fraud," they are tools that can be used for good. Today on the show, he makes that case.

    • 1 hr 5 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
1.2K Ratings

1.2K Ratings

Lddssruikmn ,

Thank You

I’m just writing to thank you Rufus, Caleb, and everyone else at the next big idea for the sharing so many powerful ideas in such a concise digestible format.

This podcast has changed my thinking and my life for the better over and over again. I was listening to the episode about generosity. I realized now might be a good time to write a review. I love thinking about all the possibility in this world as we embrace generosity, becoming super communicators, think about drugs differently, and create atomic habits to name just a few topics.

It does indeed feel good to share and write a review. Thank you for spreading such powerful positive ideas to shape our future!

Shauna NI ,

Big dish;small bites

Thanks for tackling a huge wuestiob in such a way that I could folloe the logic. Blockchain id complicated for me - but you managed ti educate me ob it. THANKS

migomama ,

My favorite podcast

I get so much knowledge from each episode and I love how Rufus hosts and talks. Not like most podcasts that are more or less opinion shows where the hosts love to mainly hear themselves, in this podcast it this is all about diving deep into one book per episode with the author. The books discussed are non-fictional and science driven , so there is plenty that can be learned from . 👍

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