The Anonymous Professor

Bryan Hong
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Business school professor Bryan Hong chats with his guests about the challenges of finding a fulfilling career, investing, and what they wish they learned in school. His university's policy forbids him from mentioning where he works, so his institution must remain secret—hence the need to remain "anonymous."

  1. 10/06/2025

    AI, The Hero's Journey, Meditation - Davis Fattedad (NYU Stern MBA)

    This is the second part of my chat with Davis Fattedad (originally from Episode 1). We continue our conversation and discuss AI, our meditation experiences, and the problem with education today.

    1h 29m

  2. 10/06/2025

    Letting go of your old identity - Davis Fattedad (NYU Stern MBA)

    Davis Fattedad (Episode 1) returns again to the podcast. Because our discussion was so long, I cut our conversation into two episodes, where this is the first part of our chat. We talk about his process so far in shedding his old identity, and what he's learned so far.

    43 min

  3. 09/05/2025

    Risk Makes All the Difference - Samantha Wu (Ivey HBA)

    Recorded August 24, 2025 I chat with Samantha Wu (Ivey HBA) a former student of mine. Samantha talks about her transitions from investment banking on Wall Street, to private equity, and ultimately to her becoming the founder of her own startup. Each transition was a step in her path to find more career fulfillment. ---Amazon link to my book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5N6F1FV ---

    1h 34m

  4. 07/15/2025

    Meeting your true self - Jane Jiang (Ivey HBA)

    Recorded July 9, 2025 I chat with Jane Jiang (Ivey HBA) about her path after graduation. I haven't spoken to Jane since she was an undergraduate at Ivey, and learn about her journey to find career fulfillment. ---Amazon link to my book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5N6F1FV --- 03:02 -- Jane's big decision 05:49 -- Did Jane have any doubts as a student? 16:02 -- Did Jane need to be pushed? 18:06 -- Dealing with the discomfort and fear 19:32 -- What exploration looks like 22:32 -- Most guides aren't real guides 26:17 -- How Jane knew something was off 30:15 -- Immigrant kids feel bad for complaining 33:13 -- Asia is behind on this 38:22 -- Jane drank the Kool-Aid at Ivey 46:52 -- The discovery process 53:02 -- Lessons learned 58:32 -- A world of few pioneers 01:00:47 -- How people around us react 01:08:47 -- How Jane does introspection

    1h 14m

  5. 07/12/2025

    Ivey, and the future of AI - Jeremy DeMello (Ivey HBA)

    Recorded July 5, 2025 I chat with Jeremy DeMello (Ivey HBA) about his thoughts on the the positive aspects of the Ivey experience, as well as whether he would attend Ivey again. We also discuss the implications of AI. This is the second of two separate episodes. ---Amazon link to my book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5N6F1FV --- 06:50 -- Where elite B-schools go wrong 11:42 -- Is our education system becoming obsolete? 21:22 -- How AI is making B-schools even less relevant 30:32 -- ChatGPT is an incompetent employee 34:42 -- AI will not decrease working hours 39:42 -- AI companionship 41:42 -- AI as a motivating coach 46:42 -- Relational AIs will replace advertising 50:17 -- What will organizations look like with AI? 53:32 -- Will AI reinforce good or evil?

    1h 2m

  6. 07/11/2025

    The Dark Side of Ivey - Jeremy DeMello (Ivey HBA)

    Recorded July 5, 2025 --- I chat with Jeremy DeMello (Ivey HBA) about his experience dealing with a toxic colleague, as well as his thoughts on the the negative aspects of the Ivey experience. This is the first of two separate episodes. --- Amazon link to my book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5N6F1FV --- 10:15 -- Organizations are terrible at dealing with toxic colleagues 12:56 -- The real cost of toxic colleagues 17:56 -- Does a culture of radical transparency solve this? 22:46 -- Bridgewater might not really be a cult 25:32 -- Most firms don't compete on culture 31:22 -- Do we teach students how to deal with toxic workplaces? 34:56 -- The challenge of explaining why you left a toxic environment 36:56 -- The people who won't leave toxic places 41:26 -- HR management awards don't mean what you think 42:56 -- Organizations never ask about your values 47:56 -- Is Ivey a toxic place? 54:16 -- Jeremy's attempt to give feedback 01:03:56 -- Are NYU and Wharton different?

    1h 10m

  7. 07/09/2025

    The MBA is Not For Exploring - - Rob (NYU Stern MBA)

    Recorded May 1, 2025 ---I chat with Rob, a former MBA student of mine when I taught at NYU Stern. We talk about whether getting the MBA degree was worth it, the challenges of balancing fulfillment with the need for pragmatism, and where intellectuals can thrive in society. --- Amazon link to my book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5N6F1FV --- 00:50 -- Was the MBA degree worth it? 03:59 -- Rob reflecting on the road not taken 08:14 -- What percentage of Rob's class would say the MBA was worth it 10:35 -- Why isn't there there more honest conversation from B-school graduates? 12:01 -- Rob: I came to the MBA to explore 12:51 -- B-school isn't Dead Poets Society 14:28 -- Global demand for MBAs is declining 15:40 -- Full-time MBAs: Not the most profitable part of a B-school 17:40 -- B-school don't publicize their satisfaction rate 19:53 -- Satisfaction rates are a better metric to measure B-schools 23:54 -- Rob's framework to finding happiness at work 29:10 -- A lot of organizations aren't intellectually satisfying 30:07 -- Where do intellectuals get to be free in society? 00:47 -- The newest wave of intellectual leadership doesn't come from academia 08:47 -- How far beyond survival can we go? 39:20 -- When we lose our job, how limited are our options? 41:40 -- Why the ability to take on risk matters 46:40 -- Rob's practices to figure out the right next step 50:47 -- Could the education system have helped more? 56:28 -- Things could be worse, but can they also be better? 58:19 -- The voice of the pragmatist vs. another voice 01:00:39 -- Advice Rob would give his younger self

    1h 3m

  8. 07/07/2025

    Pivoting into the unknown - - Dave Tang (Ivey HBA)

    Recorded June 22, 2025 ----I chat with Dave Tang (former Ivey HBA) about how he managed two major life and career pivots in his 20s after graduation. The last time I spoke to Dave was over a decade ago, and at the time it was already clear the path he was on wasn't the right one. In this episode, he discusses what unfolded next.----Amazon link to my book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5N6F1FV --- 05:10 -- Overview of Dave's path 07:50 -- Dave's big decision 13:10 -- How Ivey defined success 22:15 -- ...and then the pandemic came 27:30 -- Dave learning about himself 32:10 -- Challenges relating 35:10 -- On finding a new community 45:00 -- What would the other path have looked like? 53:10 -- London to Barcelona 55:45 -- Finding a new home that feels more like home 1:01:20 -- Did Dave know things would turn out this way? 1:06:45 -- How Ivey's rat race distorts students' goals 1:10:13 -- Dave discovers Bryan's book 1:15:30 --The declining appeal of universities

    1h 31m
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About

Business school professor Bryan Hong chats with his guests about the challenges of finding a fulfilling career, investing, and what they wish they learned in school. His university's policy forbids him from mentioning where he works, so his institution must remain secret—hence the need to remain "anonymous."

Information

  • Creator
    Bryan Hong
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Bryan Hong
  • Show Website
    The Anonymous Professor