Things Have Changed

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177 episodes · showing the newest 177

COVID-19 Exposes the Depth of Economic Inequality in the US

Jun 19, 2020 25 min

Send us Fan Mail How should we think about inequality? This pandemic really exposed the extreme amount of inequality in our society. In this episode, we’re going to discuss the depth of the economic inequality, why it matters, and how it is becoming dangerously unsustainable. Incomes for all but the highest-income Americans have been stagnant or falling for decades. Median household income in 2018 was only about 3% higher than in 2000 after adjusting for inflation, according to the Census. For the poorest 20%, Incomes had declined 2%. The richest bracket however saw their incomes gain 20%!We talk Pickety's inescapable book about Inequality "Capital in the 21st Century" which highlights the change of Capitals role and the problem of inequality in both income and wealth. Additionally, federal minimum wages have not increased in the last 10 years and still stuck at $7.25. To make things worse, debt of the poorest Americans more than doubled during the housing bubble of the 2000s, Fed data show. After the bubble burst, borrowers spent several years paying down those loans, which reduced their ability to save. The longer the economy remains shut down, the harder it will be for people to get back on their feet. Support the show Things Have Changed

A Sustainable Fashion Brand for Modern Women – with Zana Nanic

Jun 13, 2020 59 min

Send us Fan Mail Zana Nanic, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Reclaim a direct to consumer business casual clothing brand that offers working woman top quality and accessible business-casual clothes. Reclaim is an extension of her ethos, merging Italian elegance & quality with Silicon Valley functionality for the modern working woman. Throughout her career, Zana has been breaking the norm, with sheer willpower & her vision for success. Her journey has been nothing short of incredible & the resilience in her pursuit. Born in troubled Communist Yugoslavia, Zana’s family fled to Italy just prior the unrest resulted in her home country to be dissolved. In Milan, her family trying to make ends meet started an apparel business. At a very young age, she was involved hands on deck within the business, selling door to door with her mother. Today, she has come full circle as she runs her own company: Reclaim, a business casual fashion brand that is based on enclothed cognition. She started her career at the biggest consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, after which she launched products, grew & managed teams at Uber Italy after which she combined strategy and execution at Google. If that wasn’t enough of a rap sheet, she has a Masters in Economics from London School of Economics & did her MBA at Stanford Business School. It was here where a class pitch to Eric Schmidt, ex- Google CEO resulted in him writing a check to help her build her dreams, and that 20 slide deck has turned into Reclaim We also talk history of fashion, the role Italy has played in it, and how she's leveraging the varied experiences in consulting, tech & biz school to scale her very own D2C brand. Check out her incredible collection - This is Reclaim Support the show Things Have Changed

Freight Carriers Are Sailing Half Empty (feat. Martyn Verhaegen)

Jun 9, 2020 6 min

Send us Fan Mail Demand has caved and supply chains are in distress! In today’s episode we re-visit our discussion on oil going negative and have Martin Verhaegen, Founder & CEO of Qwyk, a digital logistics platform, opine on oil’s big moment, its impact on the freight & shipping industry, the complex optimization done to balance demand and supply and the high costs pertaining to storage of oil. We also learn about the concept of blank sailing where carriers are operating with half empty ships, thus balancing demand and keeping prices in check. As the coronavirus pandemic took hold and demand collapsed, ultra-large container vessels have been sailing half full or sitting in anchor by the dozens, waiting for the world to open up again. This crisis has impacted world economic flows and require new supply chain models to be developed, to adapt to sharp fluctuations between supply and demand. Support the show Things Have Changed

Why Corporate Debt and Reckless Actions Result in More Borrowing

Jun 6, 2020 10 min

Send us Fan Mail Today the Things Have Changed hosts discuss corporate debt, why there is so much of it, and the dangers of it in our economy. Corporate debt was already at historic highs even before the coronavirus crisis and now it's soaring at an unprecedented pace as companies scramble to ensure they have enough cash to weather the crisis. Despite warnings of widespread downgrades, defaults and bankruptcies from various ratings agencies, credit analysts and the Fed itself, bond spreads are narrowing. This indicates a dangerous bullishness from investors as more of the U.S. economy opens for business. What if you are a company that's healthy and have an abundance of assets to collateralize, well you take advantage of these record low rates and borrow even more money just like Apple. In May, Apple borrowed $8.5 B at a decade low rate of 3% even though they have $207B cash in the bank. Borrowing and yields have gotten to the point that if you're not borrowing, you're losing the opportunity cost of not borrowing cheap money. Even Disney, the darling of the stock market, entered into a $5 billion credit agreement as it scrambles to bolster its liquidity to weather the fallout from the coronavirus crisis. The reality is that most businesses are not in a a healthy position and are trying to stay alive with shutdowns being enforced and revenue flows freezing up. In the coming months companies will have to make tough decisions and be strategic in how they use debt to stay afloat while minimizing the risk of bankruptcy. Support the show Things Have Changed

Can AI Prevent an Over-Supply of Clothing? – with Nick Clayton

Jun 1, 2020 46 min

Send us Fan Mail Humans produce 13 million tons of textile waste annually! Today's guest aims to do something about it, by reimagining the creative process of creating clothing. Nick Clayton is the CTO & Co-founder of Savitude, a fashion tech company that aims to use its cutting edge artificial intelligence platform to bring your excess clothing inventory to zero. Savitude was created by industry stalwarts such as Camilla Olson & Jungah Lee, who with the technological backing of Nick Clayton realized they could create a solution to fix the fashion industry problem of designing clothes for one body shape. Currently, there is a huge problem linking fit, body shape, returns and excess inventory. Savitude solves this by changing the way clothes are designed and sold from the ground up. Their curation technology solution enables fashion designers to deliver the latest styles for all body shapes, with a quicker time to market, resulting in lesser returns and reducing inventory. Taking ideas and parsing data to automate the sketching process thereby allowing the designers to quickly iterating the design process and get to market faster Additionally, Savitude's intelligent software products augment the creative ability of a fashion designer, & refashions clothes with unique design details to resonate with a brand’s customer base. Support the show Things Have Changed

Deglobalization in Corporate Supply Chains? – with Jimmy Anklesaria

May 25, 2020 55 min

Send us Fan Mail Supply Chain has never been talked about more, as the pandemic strains the availability of goods and services & the ability of companies to secure raw materials and components. Today we have Jimmy Anklesaria, supply chain pioneer, tech founder, professor, author and philanthropist, joining us on Things Have Changed Podcast. We dive into his beginnings in the field, his varied larger than life consulting experiences during the heydays at HP, IBM and others, as well as his passion for giving back be it through teaching or through philanthropy. We dive into what the future of supply chains would look like, with trends such as de-globalization gathering steam, as multi national corporations aim to de-risk their supply lines. One of the biggest trends in the field has been big data, with Jimmy elucidating an incredible example of how Flex, is able to manage its supply chain using a sophisticated in-house intelligence platform, Pulse which provides deep insight and visibility into its supplier operations. Jimmy has also authored books such as "Supply Chain Cost Management: The AIM & DRIVE Process for Achieving Extraordinary Results" & "Zero Base Pricing: Achieving World-Class Competitiveness Through Reduced All-In-Costs." Over the past three decades, as an Adjunct Professor at UC San Diego & University of San Diego, Jimmy Anklesaria has taught graduate and undergraduate level courses in strategic cost management, finance, investments and supply chain management. Support the show Things Have Changed

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Impacted the Rideshare Industry

May 19, 2020 12 min

Send us Fan Mail The rideshare industry is bleeding. The Q1 conference calls were basically cost-cutting manifestos— a huge shift from an earlier focus on growth to now a more sustainability/ balance sheet game. Uber & Lyft have been swift to reduce their expenses at all costs, from dropping pool rides, coupons and other marketing expenses as well as cutting staff. Let's break down the quarter further: Uber Volumes were down BIG! Almost ~ 70% (Uber) Y/Y in AprilThey still managed a Revenue of $3.54 billion, but the Net Loss was $2.9 billion... For the Quarter!One positive was the lockdowns triggered a surge food delivery and Uber Eats was a big beneficiary of this, with gross bookings up more than 50% year-over-year. Uber has even made a move on Grubhub, as they focus on consolidating the food delivery biz. Whether they get the regulatory approval for this is yet to be seen, as Gruber Eats would effectively be a monopoly in the food delivery market. Lyft Rideshare volumes were down ~ 70% Y/Y in April Revenue came in at $955.7 million while the net loss widened to $400 million! Although with all this cash burning, Lyft and Uber still have significant cash sitting on the side to last a year or two, making it very possible that they outlast the pandemic in their search for profitability. Uber sees this as an opportunity to bottom hunt & consolidate even the last mile market, with a $170 million investment in scooter company Lime, almost 80% below its previous valuation! The deal also gives Uber the option to buy Lime between 2022 and 2024 at a pre determined price. Just goes to show.. Cash is king. Support the show Things Have Changed

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Impacted the Airline Industry

May 14, 2020 22 min

Send us Fan Mail Are you flying lately? It’s okay, you’re probably not. As governments all over the world try to slow the spread of COVID-19, there has been an overwhelming effort to discourage travel. Travel is down. ALL types of travel are being discouraged, including air travel. Air travel is down 96% and airline companies are struggling to cope with the changes. Take a seat, Q1 2020 is out As the close of the first quarter of the year, investors have carefully listened to the financial results coming out to see how bad it looks. Here we are! Q1 2020 results are out and oh boy… if you’ve poured money into the airline industry, you’re going to want to sit down for this one. Let's open up the hood of the airline industry Revenues are almost 90% down and it is already a low margin business. Across the board, companies reported pre-tax losses in the amounts of $2B. The leaders of the industry, Delta, American Airlines, United, all had investor relations calls that were similar to a horror story. It is a balance sheet game. Everyone’s checking to see if their B/S is just BS. CFO’s talked about each of their expected cash burn rates on Q2 2020. American Airlines reporting an expected $75M a day rate. Airlines have to decommission underutilized aircrafts by parking them in expensive parking lots. They talked about unencumbered assets (Assets that no credit has claim on - like a paid off car, or a house with no mortgages). They have mentioned how much they’ve received from the CARES act and plead that they will be able to optimize operational expenses. The Oracle divests The Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett divested his entire portfolio from the industry! Curious how much he owned? Here are some staggering numbers: Delta - 11%American - 10%Southwest - 10%United - 9%Buffett was pretty much THE AIRLINE GUY. That’s not a big vote of confidence at all. Some great links: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52518186https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/09/politics/airline-passenger...

Which Stocks Are Getting Hit Hardest By COVID-19?

May 11, 2020 8 min

Send us Fan Mail The leisure industry can be categorized into BEACH stocks: B - Bookings E - Entertainment & Live EventsA - Airlines C - Cruise & Casino H - Hotels & resorts Like FAANG stocks, but none of the upside. The BEACH stocks have cumulatively lost 45%, approximately $332B in value washed away since February due to the coronavirus pandemic. We talk Disney ($DIS), the golden child of the entertainment and the experiences industry, which has gotten bludgeoned by the coronavirus lockdowns in Q1 2020. The closure of its theme parks and hotels as well as movie theaters have been disastrous. Operating income fell nearly 40% year over year, from $3.8 billion to $2.4 billion. However, Disney+ is the lone bright spot in the Q1 earnings call, salvaging their top line - which is up more than 20%. But there's only so much Baby Yoda can do as the streaming business is proving very expensive to run. Operating loss more than doubled year over year, while content & licensing costs are huge, and this is without adding ESPN & Hulu! Also how much money did the NFL & Superbowl not lose by having the season end in early February? Support the show Things Have Changed

How Street Artists Are Spreading Their Message – with Jared Karp

May 4, 2020 50 min

Send us Fan Mail Kar_part (Jared Karp), is a rising LA street artist and ex-engineer who paints the streets of Los Angeles with elaborate timeless depictions of his understanding of the world. When Jared studied Mechanical Engineering in UC Berkeley, he discovered product design at the Stanford D-School. Berkeley, at the time, did not have an established discipline for product design engineering. In spite of this, the ever motivated Jared led the effort to bring a D-School to Berkeley & was instrumental in the fund raising for the soon to be known Jacobs Institute for Design. Before diving into the art world, Jared worked in Abbott Laboratories, with our co-host, Shikher. As a mechanical design engineer, Jared was constantly iterating and creating before venturing outside the corporate world to satiate his need for expressing his art & creativity. Jared has spent his time creating incredible street art like his depiction of Gretta Thunberg and Elon Musk. Things Have Changed has a casual and fun conversation with Jared about his story as a design engineer turned street artist. Here are a few places you can check out Jared's work: Jared Karp Design Kar_Part InstagramSupport the show Things Have Changed

Can Online Checkout Be Any Faster? – with Domm Holland

Apr 30, 2020 54 min

Send us Fan Mail Did you know that 1 out of 3 online transactions is abandoned because the user had forgotten their passwords? Domm Holland is the co-founder and CEO of Fast, a company that is building the worlds fastest login and checkout product. Fast wants to do this by taking out the need for passwords. Domm believes in a passwordless future in which we can all rely on Fast to make it easier for us to buy things online. Before Fast, the solutions we've had to passwords have been password managers like LastPass, 1Password, and Keeper. The issue is that these solutions are what if someone hacks that password manager? Well, that just means that they'll have access to all your passwords. Some companies have implemented solutions like FaceID from Apple, or other biometric authentication methods. The only problem is that you must create a digital signature for each of these eco-systems. Fast is platform-agnostic and can be used by multiple vendors as long as they are part of the eco-system. Fast has received some attention from some of the biggest Venture Capitalist firms in Silicon Valley. Jan Hammer, from Index Ventures (The same firm who led the round for Robinhood), has led the round for Fast's pre-seed round of $2.5 million. Included in the pre-seed round are Susa Ventures, Global Founders Capital, and some local Angels. On March 26, 2020, Fast announced a $20 million Series A funding round led by Stripe, with even more participation from Susa and Index. Stripe is a $35 billion online payments company, to say the least. Stripe's investment also signals the validity of Fasts mission. With access to Stripe's global market and brand, the future looks like a little black button with "Fast" on it on every login and checkout interface. Support the show Things Have Changed

Why Global Oil Demand Has Plunged During Lockdown

Apr 27, 2020 15 min

Send us Fan Mail Oil trynna go negative.. Drop it like it's hot.. Drop it like it's hot.. Global demand has plunged due to global lockdown, yet oil is still gushing out of the ground. How did we get to NEGATIVE OIL? Oil costs $ to store. Due to the economic collapse, oil isn't being used much in a time when oil historically is more expensive (summer season, more traveling)So all the storage facilities are filled up. And nobody who can store it will buy it from you. If you want to get rid of oil, you have to pay someone!More than two dozen oil tankers are anchored on the Southern Coast of California with nowhere to unload their oil supply What exactly was the oil contract? WTI Oil Futures contract which is settled physically. It means whoever is long the contract when it stops trading will have to take delivery of physical crude. Therefore, any speculators that can’t take physical delivery have to sell these expiring contracts on the last day i.e April 20th, no matter what. Hence even selling it for -$41. This is a very concerning development but it does not mean that oil is valueless, yet. The number of actual physical barrels being traded at this prices is very limited. That said, this a terrible sign of whats to come. Its entirely possible that we see sub -$10/barrel spot prices all of May. It could mean not so pleasant news for oil field workers and their infrastructure as well as the states who derive a large part of their income from oil revenue.Support the show Things Have Changed

How Goldman Sachs Is Modernizing From Within – with Matthew Turk

Apr 22, 2020 46 min

Send us Fan Mail Inside the technological changes taking place within Goldman Sachs, and our friend Matthew Turk who is dead center in the middle of this shift. Banks sit on huge amounts of data, & can deploy deep learning models to improve their financial edge & today's episode is an insight into this complex world. The top 100 global banks, including Goldman Sachs, are beginning to take artificial intelligence & machine learning strategies very seriously in order to generate a return on investment (ROI) in the increasingly technologically driven financial services industry. Disruptive startups are flooding the financial market. Stripe, Apple, Transferwise, and Square are changing how we pay for things, while digital currencies, peer-to-peer lending, ‘alternative-data’ providers, and pay-as-you-go insurance platforms are threatening the universal bank model. Matt's AI/ ML team at Goldman is at the center of this internal revolution aiming to apply automation to improve speed, access and reliability across a number of businesses, from a customer applying for a personal loan online to a client receiving automatic notifications when they might want to divest from a particular industry or stock. Matt Turk works at Goldman Sachs as a Machine Learning Quant Analyst to implement complex mathematical models that make decisions about risk management, investments and pricing. Matt studied at UC Berkeley with a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science graduating in 2018. Links: Goldman Sachs Machine Learning Careers Blog LinkedIn - Matt TurkSupport the show Things Have Changed

Neuroscience to Combat Mobility Impairments – with Juan Rodriguez

Apr 12, 2020 25 min

Send us Fan Mail Juan Rodriguez is the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Evolution Devices, a neuro-rehabilitation technology company. EvoWalk, is a wearable device that uses artificial intelligence to reliably track walking patterns and personalize your rehabilitation therapy to track your rehab progress & aims to improve walking speed & symmetry, reduce fatigue, and prevent trips and falls. The EvoWalk device has improved walking for mobility impairments caused by multiple sclerosis, ALS, stroke, and other neurological diseases. The device’s wearable sleeve tracks the user’s walking motions with an artificial intelligence algorithm that learns the user’s steps and walking patterns. We understand the motivations behind the company's medical device, and the personal challenges that Juan and his co-founders have had to face from where the they drew the inspiration for the EvoWalk device catered to neuro-rehab. The Evolution Devices team received a $50,000 grant from the Toyota Mobility Foundation’s Mobility Unlimited Challenge Discovery Award. The team placed as one of the five finalists in the foundation’s Mobility Unlimited Challenge, which gave them another $500,000 grant to develop their idea. The final winner of the challenge will be awarded $1 million in Tokyo later this year. Juan hails from El Salvador and aims to uplift the people & communities back home through technology. Also if anyone out there finds this super cool, and wants to contribute and help in any way, Juan and Evolution Devices are looking for more users to build out their database, please reach out at the link below & they would love to collaborate. Company Link - Evolution Devices Support the show Things Have Changed

Breaking Down the $2 Trillion CARES Act

Apr 9, 2020 35 min

Send us Fan Mail The US Economy is feeling the effects of nationwide shelter in place orders and forced store closures that are non-essential. In order to mitigate the economic slowdown the Senate passed the CARES ACT (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act), a record $2 Trillion Stimulus Package. From the middle class to the big airlines, the CARES Act is designed to provide a helping hand to various stakeholders in the overall economy. In this episode we critically break down the different parts of the CARES Act and how it's designed to provide economic stability to the businesses and individuals affected by the Coronavirus. Anatomy of the $2 Trillion CARES Act: 1. Individuals / Families - $603.7 billion (30%) 2. Big Business - $500.0 billion (25%) 3. Small Business - $377.0 billion (19%) 4. State and Local Government - $340.0 billion (17%) 5. Public Services - $179.5 billion (9%) https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-anatomy-of-the-2-trillion-covid-19-stimulus-bill/ Support the show Things Have Changed

Canada's Economic Response to the Coronavirus Outbreak

Apr 6, 2020 11 min

Send us Fan Mail The Canadian government’s fiscal stimulus package now totals ~C$200 billion ($145 billion) which aims to ensure firms survive the ongoing pandemic, and enable employees to have a job to go to once we get through this. The new measures, include A 75% subsidy on wages, to encourage companies to keep workers on the payrollCash Drop - Workers affected by the pandemic induced layoffs would be able to receive C$2,000 each month for four months.Small business owners will be able to apply for loans up to 40,000, which have some interest free optionsMortgage payments - Banks were notified to suspend mortgage payments for at least 6 months.Students loans have been deferred interest paymentsBank of Canada lowered its policy rate to 0.25% and said it would begin large-scale asset purchases for the first time.If there was only a way to for the government to send people the money fast and efficiently. Hint: We have something called Venmo and Cash App.... Although these companies want to be considered as a way for the federal government to distribute payments from the economic stimulus package to the public Sources : Trudeau Unleashes Cash Drop in Bid to Revive Canada’s EconomyHighlights of Canada's Stimulus Measures to Fight Coronavirus OutbreakSupport the show Things Have Changed

Self-Driving Cars Aren't Possible Without Tons of Data – with Krystian Gebis

Apr 3, 2020 17 min

Send us Fan Mail (Part 2) The trucking industry is the lifeblood of the world economy. Nearly 71% of all freight tonnage in North America moves on the back of trucks! Joined with us today is Krystian Gebis, CEO and founder of Autobon AI. Autobon is an artificial intelligence (AI) powered trucking assistance company that retrofits trucks to help drivers lessen accidents, improve efficiency, and make operating a truck less tedious. We dive into the complexities of the trucking industry and how the combination of novel hardware, software & powerful artificial intelligence aims to disrupt the $700 Billion freight market. Self-driving trucks will improve safety, enhance truck driver quality of life, increase efficiency, reduce congestion and emissions, and create jobs across the economy. We talk about the growing challenges in the trucking industry from bankruptcies to safety of the truck drivers & the cargo as well as how Autobon's intelligent sensing AI/ machine learning technology aids in alleviating these painsBenefits of Autonomous trucking including more highways, fewer corner cases, lesser complex turns, & less traffic (noise in data) Insurance industry in the age of self driving and monitoring. The premiums that can be generated by companies like Autobon that vastly improves safety of hauling cargoAutonomous cars won't happen without tons of data. Krystian provides his insight into the space and talks about Tesla and the staggering amount of data that their self- driving autopilot systems have generated across different parts of North America and the world including varying weather conditions, from snow, sleet, rain etc. This makes Tesla hard to beat in the race for data for automation & the much touted robotaxisDifferent levels of autonomy: Level 1 - Level 5 (full automation) & where Autobon aims to fitOur conversation with Krystian is one of our most detailed and novel episodes where we talk about cutting edge technology disrupting transportation as we kn...

How COVID-19 Impacted the Oil Price Collapse

Mar 30, 2020 11 min

Send us Fan Mail Its just another Manic Monday! The Bangles seem to have gotten the markets right these past few weeks... Coming to the markets, there have been a a few records that have been broken by the Coronavirus-led Economy. We aim to paint a picture of the gravity of economic effects through the current environment. Highest weekly Unemployment claim - Americans displaced by the coronavirus crisis filed unemployment claims in record numbers last week, a surge to 3.28 millionHistoric Stimulus Package of $2 Trillion to provide a jolt to an economy reeling from the coronavirus pandemic Fastest 30% market sell-off ever, exceeding the pace of declines during the Great Depression25 day Volatility on par with Great Depression (VIX)VIX new All-time high - new all-time highest VIX close on 16 March 2020 (82.69) and new all-time biggest close-to-close point increase (+24.86 from 57.83 to 82.69)Oil at Multi year lows of $20 - $1 today had the purchasing power of $0.70 in 2002, so the $20 per barrel oil today would equal $14 oil in 2002. New multi-year lows for crude oil. Fall in demand due to coronavirus creates surplus that risks overwhelming storage capacity. Add the OPEC Saudi - Russia Oil Price War if things weren't already historic.....Highest debt levels across the board but more notably, corporate debt closing at $13.5 Trillion at the end of 2019. In the past months, corporate debt levels are likely to see a spike. Even more interesting, the type of debt that is being issued. Over 51% of corporate debt is rated BBB, the lowest investment-grade type of debt there is. Also some funny ones - Coronavirus might be spiking Divorce Rates! - Chinese city of Xi'an has seen a record-high number of divorce requests in recent weeks, with some districts even maxing out the number of appointments available at local government offices!Coronavirus Baby Boom?? - We can call them QUARANTEENS.... Get it?? QuaranTEENS!! okay we'll stop now.....Support the show Things Have Changed

Autonomous Trucking: Benefits vs Growing Challenges – with Krystian Gebis

Mar 27, 2020 25 min

Send us Fan Mail (Part 1) The trucking industry is the lifeblood of the world economy. Nearly 71% of all freight tonnage in North America moves on the back of trucks! Joined with us today is Krystian Gebis, CEO and founder of Autobon AI. Autobon is an artificial intelligence (AI) powered trucking assistance company that retrofits trucks to help drivers lessen accidents, improve efficiency, and make operating a truck less tedious. We dive into the complexities of the trucking industry and how the combination of novel hardware, software & powerful artificial intelligence aims to disrupt the $700 Billion freight market. Self-driving trucks will improve safety, enhance truck driver quality of life, increase efficiency, reduce congestion and emissions, and create jobs across the economy. We talk about the growing challenges in the trucking industry from bankruptcies to safety of the truck drivers & the cargo as well as how Autobon's intelligent sensing AI/ machine learning technology aids in alleviating these painsBenefits of Autonomous trucking including more highways, fewer corner cases, lesser complex turns, & less traffic (noise in data) Insurance industry in the age of self driving and monitoring. The premiums that can be generated by companies like Autobon that vastly improves safety of hauling cargoAutonomous cars won't happen without tons of data. Krystian provides his insight into the space and talks about Tesla and the staggering amount of data that their self- driving autopilot systems have generated across different parts of North America and the world including varying weather conditions, from snow, sleet, rain etc. This makes Tesla hard to beat in the race for data for automation & the much touted robotaxisDifferent levels of autonomy: Level 1 - Level 5 (full automation) & where Autobon aims to fitOur conversation with Krystian is one of our most detailed and novel episodes where we talk about cutting edge technology disrupting transportation as we kn...

Stock Buybacks and Government Bailouts

Mar 23, 2020 13 min

Send us Fan Mail A new coronavirus relief bill was introduced recently that includes preventing corporations from using taxpayer money for stock buybacks! Why exactly? Well for example - Boeing has spent $44 billion on buybacks over the last six years - 74% of its free cash flow; it’s now seeking $60 billion in federal moneyOver 10 years, Airlines (American Airlines, Southwest, United, spent 96% of their cash flow on buybacks ($50 billion); they are now seeking $50 billion from the government.Just staggering numbers... So what is a stock buyback? Why do companies do buybacks, and why could it have adverse effects to the long term health of the company? In this episode we talk about the history of buybacks, companies practicing it, previous bailouts such as the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) which was a $700 billion government bailout, consequences of the bailouts and buybacks in aiding inequality and all time high C-suite/ executive salaries. Also where do employees and layoffs stand in such uncertain times? Although it boosts the share price in the short term, buybacks in many ways limits the company's ability to have a rainy day fund to be prepared for recessions & Black Swan events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s time to do the right thing! Like Mark Cuban says "No buybacks. Not now, not a year from now, not 20 years from now. Not ever!" Support the show Things Have Changed

Economic Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mar 17, 2020 7 min

Send us Fan Mail Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Economics The coronavirus is changing life as we know it. Here's our first episode of Blitz Talk - where we have short digestible conversations about the current state of the economy. Living in the COVID-19 WorldHow does the Government respond?Monetary Policy Fed cuts rate to 0 - 0.25%Fed buys $700B worth of securities to provide liquidity to repo marketsThe Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve, and the Swiss National Bank are today announcing a coordinated action to enhance the provision of liquidity via the standing U.S. dollar liquidity swap line arrangements. Reduce Fiscal Policy Previous measures such as the Bush Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. Tax rebates created by the law were paid to individual U.S. taxpayers during 2008. Most taxpayers below the income limit received a rebate of at least $300 per person ($600 for married couples filing jointly).This idea is not uncommon with Andrew Yang famously putting forward his Universal Basic Income (UBI) plan which includes a $1000/month stipend for low income families. The overwhelming virtue of UBI is its simplicity. It gets money to individuals in need, and out into the wider economy, more quickly than any other alternative.Paid leave / Tax Rebates / Small Business loans / Medical Insurance coverage Important links & trackers Why Social Distancing Matters John Hopkins University of Medicine - Coronavirus Live Mapping Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - How to Protect YourselfSupport the show Things Have Changed

How We're All Natural Born Entrepreneurs – with Kate Tyshchenko

Mar 7, 2020 40 min

Send us Fan Mail Success and failure are two facets of the same coin. And no one experiences the thrill of the highs and the anguish of the lows like startup founders do. In today’s episode we speak with Kate Tyshchenko, founder of Good Cup Project, who shares her riveting story immigrating from Russia to Canada, working within management consulting, and venturing out to impact change. Kate, graduated with a masters in economics from the University of Regina, & after gaining invaluable experience working for 3 years, she decided to take the leap into entrepreneurship focusing on problems that were present in her day to day life. Three business ventures in and Kate created The Good Cup Project, a reusable travel mug with built in utensils. The Good Cup aims to lessen plastic waste and for people to live a more conscientious and eco friendly lifestyle. Kate also reveals the ups and downs of being a solo entrepreneur, the challenges she faced, while rising above the naysayers and the critics. Follow her journey at www.goodcup.net/ Support the show Things Have Changed

Can Decarbonization Strategies Be Cost-Effective? – with Maria Fujihara

Feb 16, 2020 53 min

Send us Fan Mail Climate change is upon us and there is an increasing demand for sustainability. In this episode, we talk to one of the entrepreneurs leading the fight against greenhouse gas emissions. Maria Fujihara, is CEO & Founder of SINAI Technologies, a company that provides the technology to automate and consolidate Corporate Carbon Strategy. SINAI is a platform to help businesses not only become carbon neutral, but carbon negative using climate finance! Additionally, Maria was the only Brazilian female founder during the Y Combinator W20 Batch. A lifelong environmentalist, Maria has been a force within the sustainability space, she is also one of the main drivers of launching the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in Brazil, Chile, Peru, and other parts of Latin America. With the oversight of famed environmentalist, Paul Hawkin, Maria launched Project Drawdown, which maps, models, measures, and describes the 100 most sustainable solutions to global warming. Join us in this fun and informative conversation with one of the leading voices in sustainability & green businesses. Support the show Things Have Changed

How Tech Is Upending the Fashion Industry – with Trisha Bantigue

Feb 5, 2020 42 min

Send us Fan Mail Today we have a true hustle story. Our Guest, Trisha Bantigue is the CEO and Co-founder of Queenly, a marketplace for buying and selling formal gowns & dresses. But what’s more inspiring is Trisha’s journey to get to this point. She immigrated from the Philippines to the US at a very young age, and had to face quite a few challenges in her personal life. In spite of this she put herself through school at Berkeley and paid for it through many side gigs. One such side gig was modeling, which burgeoned into her participating & winning some serious pageants, including Miss California Earth in 2016, and Miss Asian Global in 2017. Trisha did all this, while working at tech companies like Google, Facebook & Uber. It was here, while modeling, she noticed a gap in the market to serve the large demand for pageant gowns & dresses & that became Queenly, a one stop shop for formalwear for women! High fashion made accessible to everyone! Support the show Things Have Changed

Rideshare Advertising Helps Local Businesses? – with Nader Khalil

Jan 29, 2020 38 min

Send us Fan Mail The gig economy is transforming the workforce. From Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, TaskRabbit & DoorDash, workers are signing up for individual gigs, delivering food and groceries, ferrying passengers from one place to another. However, there are auxiliary marketplaces being built on top of the sharing economy, & Paneau is one of them. Paneau is empowering drivers & local businesses, through its highly customizable ad platform that’s being built on top of the ridesharing ecosystem. Today we are thrilled to have Nader Khalil, CEO & Co-founder at Paneau, a company leveraging the gig economy to build a platform for hyperlocal rideshare advertising. Support the show Things Have Changed

Democratized Financial Services in Rural Uganda – with Dylan Terrill

Jan 19, 2020 47 min

Send us Fan Mail Dylan Terrill is the co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Asaak, a financial platform that combines the ease of mobile-interaction and extraordinary customer service to provide financial products. Asaak is funded by Silicon Valley’s biggest VC’s like 500 Start-ups, Catalyst, Resolute Ventures, and Social Capital. Unlike traditional lending institutions, Asaak doesn’t use credit to determine your eligibility but uses loan history and other data points. Asaak champions financial inclusion in Africa, starting out in Kampala, Uganda. According to the World Bank, over 65% of the population does not have access to formal credit lending institutions, which makes it hard for the economy to grow. Asaak is here to provide entrepreneurs with the tools to succeed like credit and financial technology. Dylan co-founded Asaak with some friends and is now based in San Francisco, where he helps bridge opportunities with lenders and borrowers across the World. Support the show Things Have Changed

Trailer - Things Have Changed Podcast

Dec 18, 2019 1 min

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Things Have Changed, a podcast aimed at bringing together like-minded professionals to share insight, challenge ideas, and expand our perspective on the world. We aim to break down complex yet important topics ranging from business, finance, to science and technology, industry and consumer behavior trends as well as explore how these issues shape and affect the society we live in. Join Jed and Shikher through this fun, and candid journey of learning & exploration. 😊 Support the show Things Have Changed