Stayin' Alive in Tech

Melinda Byerley

The tech industry is great at talking about the future, especially on podcasts. What we're not so great at is taking the time to understand our past. And that's what this podcast is all about. From the Noyce and Fairchild Semiconductor generation through the founding of social media, the history of Silicon Valley has many lessons for us. And we'll be interviewing the people who lived through these experiences to bring their knowledge to you. You'll get explanations for how we got where we are, which can also suggest where the future might be; along with a few laughs and inside stories from those who lived through it. So pull up a seat and listen to the tales of the past, in which may lie seeds for our future. New Episodes twice a month on Thursdays.

  1. Tom Peters: "If Today Was Your Last Day"

    02/09/2023

    Tom Peters: "If Today Was Your Last Day"

    Tom Peters first burst onto the management and thought leadership scene way back in 1982 with the groundbreaking and massively influential management book he co-authored, In Search of Excellence. His prolific output hasn't slowed since, and now he's back with yet another book: Tom Peters' Compact Guide to Excellence, a collection of quotes he developed in collaboration with iconic designer Nancye Green. Albeit different from his previous releases, this book upholds Tom's inherent and core belief that treating one another humanely is the best path forward.   In this episode, Tom explains the story behind the book, his reasons for creating it, and one particular quote he wishes he had included. And, as always, we veer off into plenty of other avenues, covering everything from why Tom is so apprehensive of "managing by text," a famous football coach who was once his neighbor, and what he means when he says, "if you piss away your work life, you piss away your entire life."

    43 min

  2. 10/21/2021

    Wagner James Au: "Virtual Reality"

    Second Life is widely credited for mainstreaming the concept of the metaverse as a virtual social platform—and today's guest, James Au, invites us in to hear the inside scoop on how this platform foreshadowed today's social media and virtual worlds, both in promise and in pitfalls.   A freelance tech journalist at the time, James was hired to report on the Second Life metaverse shortly after its launch in 2003. He created an avatar and focused on the real-life stories that could get both inspiring and wild, ranging from users who were homeless in real life building virtual mansions to real-life private detectives hired to determine if someone was virtually cheating on their virtual significant other.  Author of "The Making of Second Life," James describes what the platform was originally conceived to be like and explains what he means when he calls Second Life "the biggest mystery in Silicon Valley." And you don't even need an avatar to listen. Links Mentioned in This Episode: Second Life and Linden Lab ​​James's HarperCollins Author Page James's stories for Wired New World Notes - James's long-running blog devoted to all things Second Life and VR  James's book - The Making of Second Life James's book - Game Design Secrets How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan Oculus Quest Sine Wave Entertainment NetHack - an open-source single-player game Salon once described as "one of the finest gaming experiences the computing world has to offer."

    58 min

  3. 08/05/2021

    Rachel Chalmers: "Three Horses"

    This podcast typically focuses on the history of tech and where it is today, so what better guest to have on than a woman who learned to code when floppy discs were still a thing, became one of the first tech industry analysts to write about companies like VMware and Cloudera, and has since served as an advisor to some of the most innovative tech platforms in the world? These all describe Rachel Chalmers, a tech industry analyst, investor, and advisor for well over 20 years.  A native Australian whose love for tech was cultivated at an early age, Rachel left her home country to earn a master's degree from a university in Ireland before eventually making her way to Silicon Valley, where she's now been for the past 25+ years. And she's learned some things.  In our ninth episode of season four, you'll enjoy some truly brilliant metaphors and unique anecdotes, followed by an honest assessment of the ingrained cultural problems that are far from being rectified in an industry that has always struggled with inclusion and discrimination.  Rachel also talks about the need for "human-centered innovation," how to address burnout when it inevitably arises, what tech CEO she refers to as a "monster" (but in an endearing way), and why life is not really about trying to fit in where you are, but more about finding others who are like you.    LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Feminist Survival Project—hosted by Emily and Amelia Nagoski, authors of BURNOUT: the Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. Faces of COVID—NPR piece about the Twitter account that tells the stories of those who have died of COVID-19 Project Include—Non-profit devoted to giving everyone a fair chance to succeed in tech by using data and advocacy to accelerate diversity and inclusion solutions in the tech industry. Usenet—A worldwide distributed discussion system used via dial-up modems in the 1980s Osborne 1—Article on the history of the Osborne 1, the first commercially successful portable computer. AWA Building—The famous Sydney building Rachel's father worked in, now included in the New South Wales State Heritage Register Keep Calm and Log On—Book by Gus Andrews "She was demoted, doubted and rejected. Now, her work is the basis of the Covid-19 vaccine"—Leah Asmelash and AJ Willingham, CNN AlchemistX: Innovators Inside—Rachel's podcast featuring interviews with thought leaders and high achievers in Corporate Innovation. MUSICAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS EPISODE ON SPOTIFY: "Three Horses," by Joan Baez ABOUT THIS PODCAST Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Fiddlehead, a digital marketing intelligence firm based in San Francisco. We really appreciate your reviews, shares on social media, and your recommendations for future guests. And check out our Spotify playlist for all the songs we refer to on our show.

    50 min
  4. Shireen Mitchell: "You Can't Stop the Girl" Part 2 of 2

    07/21/2021

    Shireen Mitchell: "You Can't Stop the Girl" Part 2 of 2

    During part one of our conversation with Shireen Mitchell, you heard what it was like for a young Black girl from the projects of New York to get into computers, gaming, and coding during the 1980s. Shireen recounted her time attending an HBCU and her career experiences in Washington D.C. that gave her eye-opening looks into the issues minority women were (and still are) facing within the tech realm.  If you missed part one,  please make sure to give that one a listen first. In part two with Shireen, she tells us about founding Stop Online Violence Against Women, and we have a candid talk about the constant slew of threats, harassment, and sexism women of color face in online spaces—and how social media platforms tend to have it backward in their approach to policing abuse directed at minorities.  Very fitting for right now, we also discuss what it really means when conversations about racism and sexism are labeled as "getting political"—and how this has led social media platforms to enact special protections for politicians that typically don't extend to ordinary citizens. Towards the end, you'll hear Shireen's thoughts on the problems with hiring practices regarding diversity and inclusivity and why so many still can't seem to find the right approach. You'll also hear her views on what true allyship looks like in practice and some closing thoughts on voter suppression and the weaponized disinformation. Don't miss this episode!  LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Stop Online Violence Against Women - A nonprofit that addresses inadequate laws and policies that lack protections for women, in particular women of color An explainer on Donglegate, widely viewed as the precursor to Gamergate Gamergate—An online harassment campaign that centered on issues of sexism and anti-progressivism in video game culture ​​Kansas Cop Fired After Threatening 5-Year-Old Girl On Facebook—Huffington Post Twitter Blocks 'Uncle Tim' From Trends After Racist Phrase Goes Viral in Response to Tim Scott's Speech—Newsweek The Central Park Five (referred to in the episode by Shireen as the "Exonerated Five")—Five black and Latino youths wrongly convicted of assaulting a NY woman in 1989 Amadou Diallo—The unarmed 23-year-old Guinean immigrant killed by plainclothes NY policemen in 1999 after reaching for his ID Stop Digital Voter Suppression—Shireen's grassroots reporting movement that supplements existing data collection efforts with real-life experiences The First Amendment—(at Shireen's request—we could all use a brushing up from time to time) SOVAW Reports—Shireen's reports on Russian disinformation targeting black voters Russian Influence Operation - Targeted specifically Black users across social media in 2016

    59 min
  5. Shireen Mitchell: "You Can't Stop the Girl) Part 1 of 2

    06/30/2021

    Shireen Mitchell: "You Can't Stop the Girl) Part 1 of 2

    As a proud product of 1980s Harlem, Shireen Mitchell is an award-winning woman of color in tech with many talents: founder, author, speaker, social entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, advocate, diversity analyst, and strategist in the political, digital, and social realms.  Growing up, Shireen developed a love for computers while beating the neighborhood boys at games like Frogger and Galaga. Her mother responded by buying her an Atari and Commodore 64. She saw it as an investment—and she was right.  Shireen quickly learned as she got older that the world of tech was mainly reserved for men. This moment of truth became even more clear when she went to college. By the time she was building some of the first BBS boards and experimenting with the Gopher protocol, Shireen knew she needed to help other women learn to code. And this was about 30 years ago.  Shireen's motivation to bring women (especially women of color) into the tech and computer realm quickly shifted to a different form of advocacy: she realized these same women needed protection from the vileness, sexism, racism, and threats that were already taking shape in the early days of the consumerized internet.  Our candid talk with Shireen is a profound teaching moment. And it's so good we couldn't cut too much of it, so we've broken it up into two episodes. In our seventh episode of season four, Shireen outlines the ongoing struggles Black women have in tech while offering up some blunt and insightful advice to young Black women looking to get a foot in the door. You'll also hear why it was a problem for Shireen to have a high reading level at a young age, how Pac-man was actually made to attract women gamers, her surprising experiences attending an HBCU, and why men were begging to attend her women's coding classes in D.C. in the early 90s.  LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Stop Online Violence Against Women - A nonprofit that addresses inadequate laws and policies that lack protections for women in particular women of color The History of Pac-Man - The clip Shireen mentioned that discusses how Pac-Man was created to appeal to girls Facebook cracked down ahead of the Chauvin verdict. Why not always? - LA TImes article featuring thoughts from Shireen Timnit Gebru - A widely respected leader in AI ethics research known for co-authoring a groundbreaking paper that showed facial recognition to be less accurate at identifying women and people of color MUSICAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS EPISODE ON SPOTIFY: "You Can't Stop the Girl" by Bebe Rexha ABOUT THIS PODCAST Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Fiddlehead, a digital marketing intelligence firm based in San Francisco. We really appreciate your reviews, shares on social media, and your recommendations for future guests. And check out our Spotify playlist for all the songs we refer to on our show.

    1h 14m

  6. 05/13/2021

    Kara Goldin: "I Won't Back Down"

    Hint Water founder and CEO Kara Goldin certainly knows a thing or two about entrepreneurship at this point, but that's not where she got her start. During the 1990s, Kara was immersed in the world of Silicon Valley, working on products like Steve Job's 2Market and AOL when it was at its peak. However, by the time the 2000s rolled around, Kara decided it was time to focus on raising her kids.  But her next (and biggest) chapter was just around the corner. After initially noticing a personal need for healthy beverages that weren't bogged down by sugars and artificial sweeteners, Kara launched Hint Water from her home just a few years later, despite having absolutely zero beverage industry experience.  In our sixth episode of season four, Kara explains what drives her to take the same risks that many others simply choose to avoid. You'll hear how a simple reply to a letter she sent just out of college emboldened her to move halfway across the country to NYC and will herself into her first position on a whim. You'll also hear Kara expound on the virtues of remaining curious and how she used the hard lessons learned during the 2008-09 financial crisis to raise additional capital for her company to survive the economic climate triggered by the pandemic. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Hint Water Kara's book Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters The Kara Goldin Show "It's important to bring your personal story into the brand identity."—a profile on Kara from Forbes Sliding Doors, the 1998 film with Gwenyth Paltrow MUSICAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS EPISODE ON SPOTIFY: "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty  ABOUT THIS PODCAST Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Fiddlehead, a digital marketing intelligence firm based in San Francisco. We really appreciate your reviews, shares on social media, and your recommendations for future guests. And check out our Spotify playlist for all the songs we refer to on our show.

    51 min

  7. 04/08/2021

    Heidi Williams: "History Repeating"

    In the mid-1990s, when Heidi Williams got her first job in Silicon Valley coding and developing software, she was not unlike most anyone else starting their career: she simply wanted to put her skills to work. But this is the world of tech, where evolution is rapid and industry-shifting changes can occur in the middle of your lunch hour. As you'll hear, Heidi would end up "riding the wave from CD-ROMs to the web, to mobile, and to live video streaming" while working at some of the biggest and most prolific tech companies in the world.  This journey has given Heidi a profound experience with shifting sands after years of stability—whether it's your company being acquired by a competitor, foundational technology behind most of your company's products suddenly rendered obsolete, or dealing with the complexities of a company going from 500 employees to over 5,000 practically overnight.  LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:   MUSICAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS EPISODE ON SPOTIFY: "History Repeating" by Shirley Bassey  ABOUT THIS PODCAST Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Fiddlehead, a digital marketing intelligence firm based in San Francisco. We really appreciate your reviews, shares on social media, and your recommendations for future guests. And check out our Spotify playlist for all the songs we refer to on our show.

    56 min

  8. 02/25/2021

    Bob Alberti: Go Your Own Way (Pt. 2)

    In our first episode with Bob Alberti, we heard what it was like to be at the forefront of the new world of computers and early internet of the 1970s, along with all the innovations he had a key role in during the decades that followed. Do you play games like World of Warcraft? Thank Bob for that. Ever search for something on the internet? He helped develop that, too. (If you missed the first episode, give it a listen, too.)  While Bob was certainly excited to see the primitive internet of the 1970s and 80s develop into what we use now, the rapid advances in speed, usage, and capabilities presented a whole new set of problems—many of which he was already sounding the alarm on in the mid-90s. What do we do about data security and the massive potential disinformation that practically anyone can put out there? There wasn't an easy answer then, and there definitely isn't one now.  In this second of two episodes with Bob, you'll hear him discuss why the creation of the internet is just as significant as the invention of the first printing press, and the unintended consequences that come with being able to send information from one corner of the world to the next in a matter of seconds. He also reflects on the new world we find ourselves in since the pandemic began and how, if it weren't for the newfound need to work from home, many of us may have been unnecessarily bound to cubicles for the next few decades.  Ultimately, Bob closes his time with us by offering some simple advice on determining what your life and career path should be—advice that comes from a man who's tried his hand at more than a few things in life, including his more newfound passion: improv.  LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: GamBit Multisystems—Bob's company credited with developing the world's first MMORPG, along with other commercial email, chat, and interactive games. Sdf.org—A real, living, working example of a Gopher server you can still use today "After 32 years, dad is now grad," article featuring Bob in the Minneapolis Star Tribune "Sorting through electronic keepsakes: Sentimentality has turned many of our computers into 'the new attic.'" from the Star Tribune ABOUT THIS PODCAST Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Fiddlehead™, a digital marketing intelligence firm, based in San Francisco. We really appreciate your reviews, shares on social media, and your recommendations for future guests. And check out our Spotify playlist for all the songs we refer to on our show.

    38 min
See All (53)

3.7
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

The tech industry is great at talking about the future, especially on podcasts. What we're not so great at is taking the time to understand our past. And that's what this podcast is all about. From the Noyce and Fairchild Semiconductor generation through the founding of social media, the history of Silicon Valley has many lessons for us. And we'll be interviewing the people who lived through these experiences to bring their knowledge to you. You'll get explanations for how we got where we are, which can also suggest where the future might be; along with a few laughs and inside stories from those who lived through it. So pull up a seat and listen to the tales of the past, in which may lie seeds for our future. New Episodes twice a month on Thursdays.

Information

  • Creator
    Melinda Byerley
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2023
  • Episodes
    53
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2018, by Melinda Byerley, all rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Stayin' Alive in Tech