“We need some sort of framework to say what is okay and what is not okay — and we need to revisit this when the technology changes..”

The more we read, the clearer it gets — it’s just another AI-pocalypse in the making. First its replacing the means of production, then its hallucinations no one can explain. People keep saying we’ll get it under control… but we all know how that story ends. Inevitably the giant machines show up, humanity freaks out, and Judgment Day arrives — right on schedule.

But what about what comes after? The silence, the guilt, the unfinished reparations. That’s the world of DESCENDER, Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’s haunting watercolor sci-fi graphic novel epic about creation, empathy, and fear — and its sequel ASCENDER, where the age of machines gives way to something older, stranger, and far more magical. Longtime FrieMMds of the Pod Paresh and Jieun — two bastions of humanity (and comics nerdery) — rejoin to unpack this meditation on the robot apocalypse and magical redemption of love, loss, and what it really means to be human. Also we solve the current AI problem. You’re welcome.

LEARN MORE

• DESCENDER ⁠goodreads.com/series/150905-descender⁠
• ASCENDER: ⁠goodreads.com/series/258771-ascender⁠
• ⁠variety.com/2020/tv/news/descender-ascender-jeff-lemire-dustin-nguyen-nbcuniversal-1234635716/⁠

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

" Whatever bad situation you're in, it is really your will to want to change. Your predicament, your situation and life will try to break you — it was really just that determination that I didn't want to have myself or my family ever in a bad situation like that ever again.”

Everette Taylor is the CEO of Kickstarter, a leader whose journey from adversity to influence is all about creativity, resilience, purpose, and impact. Since Kickstarter's launch, they’ve funded more than $8.5 Billion in creative projects worldwide. This is the debut episode of IN COMMUNITY - a new show by Fahad Khawaja — longtime FrieMMd of the Pod and Founder of Hue, the community-powered platform bringing marginalized voices to the center. Fahad explores the stories, values, and lived experiences that connect us — IN COMMUNITY is thoughtful, energizing, and the exact kind of conversation we need more of right now. This conversation is for anyone ready to build anything - spanning ambition and adversity, to shape culture and power progress. And most importantly? what it really takes to build community at scale.

LEARN MORE

youtube.com/@fahad.future

wearehue.org

Everette Taylor, Kickstarter CEO - instagram.com/everette

Fahad on MM (Sept 2023): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fahad-khawajas-hue-is-amplifying-voices/id1507595726?i=1000627418554

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Zohran Mamdani - NYC's mayoral candidate - delivers a tearful speech on his Muslim faith — "the dream of every Muslim is simply to be treated the same as every New Yorker."

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, we started a podcast...

300 episodes later, instead of a self-congratulatory retrospective, we asked our MANY longtime FrieMMds of the Pod to “ask us anything” — from how ideas of being a minority have changed, surprises and lessons hidden from 300 conversations, fond unexpected memories, what our kids continue to teach us, and all the conversations we somehow still haven’t had. Big thanks to FrieMMds of the Pod - Nina Pearl, Jay Veraldi, Rajiv Satyal, Jieun Kirtley, Steven Wakabayashi, Melissa Haughton, Joe Medved, Bob Gilbreath, Lisa Angulo Reid, Maurice Cherry, Sudha Ranganathan, Sarah Poritt, and one very special secret (and very curious) surprise guest. Messy, meaningful, and maybe even memorable — just how we like it...

Ask us anything, featuring...

• 04:11 - Nina Pearl (Austin)
• 08:08 - Jay Veraldi (Portland)
• 16:15 - Rajiv Satyal #1 (LAm rajivsatyal.com)
• 13:09 - Rajiv Satyal #2
• 21:45 - Jieun Kirtley (Cincinnati)
• 25:26 - Steven Wakabayashi (NYC, Yellow Glitter podcast)
• 29:04 - Melissa Haughton (Toronto, Canadian Correspondant =)
• 33:08 - Joe Medved (NYC - Lerer Hippeau Ventures)
• 38:36 - Bob Gilbreath (Cincinnati, behearty.substack.com)
• 43:34 - Lisa Angulo Reid (NYC, dearflor.com)
• 48:26 - Maurice Cherry (Atlanta, mauricecherry.com)
• 52:38 - Jay Veraldi #2 (Portland)
• 58:51 - Sudha Ranganathan (SF)
• 64:03 - Sarah Poritt (NJ via NY)
• 69:10 - Surprise Guest (NY)
• 65:19 - Mom Dishes (!)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“ Build your own identity and understand what drives you — I just wanna be as authentically me as possible and let others know that this world is better when you can embrace what is unique to you, and not try to dim it.”

Priti Ohri is an award-winning adtech executive and entrepreneur. She’s Co-founder & CEO of Advertible, and one of the founders of DesiUs - a group for South Asians in adtech. Priti’s been recognized as one of the top women in media and technology by all the places that matter. But more importantly, Priti’s an authentic leader, comfortable in her own skin and a believer in setting her own path for others to see that they don’t always have to do things the way they’ve always been done. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on how Priti navigates change - in business, life, and the world.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“ None of us know how to be bored anymore. Some of the best things in my life have come from those moments where I'm not connected” — “...can you poop without your phone?

We're going to solve our social media's problem — but first, you have to accept we ALL have a problem. Nearly every challenge we face as a society becomes infinitely harder if we stay on our current path. Division, misinformation, a slow erosion of critical thinking — we’re all feeling the effects. And we haven't even thrown AI into the mix. Yet at the same time, social media has undeniable upsides: connection, creativity, even community. So what do we keep? What do we change? What role should incentives, business models, regulation, and culture play in reshaping these platforms?

Recently longtime FrieMMd of the Pod Jay Veraldi put together a small workgroup — including entrepreneurs Loren Appin (Fishbowl co-founder) + Maggie Silver (Mother of Invention) — to meet, share perspectives, and figure out — how do we fix our social media problem?That’s the conversation our particular workgroup had. and it was with two fantastic, interesting, and intelligent people I'd never met - Loren and Maggie. Loren’s a product leader and community builder who’s spent the last 15 years building social platforms, including founding Fishbowl and leading product at Glassdoor. These days, he’s just as focused on inner growth — through meditation, music, and even the occasional quantum physics rabbit hole. Maggie’s an actor-turned-startup veteran with two kids, a handful of exits, and a new consumer products company called Mother of Invention in the works. She’s lived the arc of being all-in on social, then going dark, and now re-emerging with a mindful, founder’s presence. It was a fascinating conversation about how we navigate the mess of social media today — where things broke, how we might fix it, and why it matters right now — and for the future

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.