Keen On America

Andrew Keen
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Apr 1, 2023 • 33min

Don't Be King Canute: Keith Teare's Open Letter against pausing generative AI

EPISODE 1405: In this regular KEEN ON show with Keith Teare, the author of the THAT WAS THE WEEK tech newsletter, Andrew talks to Keith about the absurdity of trying to put generative artificial intelligence on pause and why we should be optimistic about an AI future in which none of us will have to workKeith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd - A UK based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. He was also previously founder at the Palo Alto incubator, Archimedes Labs. Archimedes was the original incubator for TechCrunch and since 2011has invested, accelerated or incubated many Silicon valley startups including InFarm, Miles, Quixey; M.dot (sold to GoDaddy); chat.center; Loop Surveys; DownTown and Sunshine. Teare has a track record as a serial entrepreneur with big ideas and has achieved significant returns for investors.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Apr 1, 2023 • 36min

Retracing the Iron Curtain: Timothy Phillips on his 3,000 mile journey through the end and afterlife of the Cold War

EPISODE 1404: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of RETRACING THE IRON CURTAIN, Timothy Phillips, about his 3,000-mile journey through the end and afterlife of the Cold WarTimothy Phillips is the author of The Secret Twenties: British Intelligence, the Russians, and the Jazz Age (Granta, 2017) and Beslan: The Tragedy of School No. 1 (Granta, 2008). He grew up in Northern Ireland and now lives in London. He holds a doctorate in Russian from Oxford University and has written and spoken widely on British and Russian history. His latest book is Retracing the Iron Curtain: A 3,000-Mile Journey Through the End and Afterlife of the Cold War (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Mar 30, 2023 • 41min

The Problem to End All Problems: Michael Scott-Baumann on the tragically parallel histories of Israel and Palestine

EPISODE 1403: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of THE SHORTEST HISTORY OF ISRAEL AND PALESTINE, Michael Scott-Baumann, about the world's most intractable political problem - the Middle Eastern conflict between Israel and Palestine.Michael Scott-Baumann is a graduate of Cambridge University and has an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He lives in Cheltenham and has thirty-five years’ experience as a teacher and lecturer in history. He has traveled widely in the Middle East and worked as a volunteer under the auspices of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, with whom he has conducted field work on the West Bank. His latest book is THE SHORTEST HISTORY OF ISRAEL & PALESTINENamed as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Mar 29, 2023 • 38min

A Memoir about Hardship and Tragedy: Nicole Chung personal story of class, anger and grief in an increasingly unequal America

EPISODE 1402: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of A LIVING REMEDY: A MEMOIR, Nicole Chung about her experience of family, class and grief in an increasingly unequal AmericaNicole Chung is the author of the forthcoming memoir A Living Remedy (April 4, 2023) and the national bestseller All You Can Ever Know (2018). Named a Best Book of the Year by over twenty outlets, including NPR, The Washington Post, Time, and Library Journal, All You Can Ever Know was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and NAIBA Book of the Year, a semifinalist for the PEN Open Book Award, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and an Indies Choice Honor Book. Nicole is currently a contributing writer at The Atlantic, a Time contributor, and a Slate columnist. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, GQ, The Cut, and Vulture. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in the Washington, DC area.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Mar 29, 2023 • 29min

The Last Catastrophe: Allegra Hyde offers an existential pitch for saving the planet

EPISODE 1401: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of THE LAST CATASTROPHE, Allegra Hyde, about her new story collection that focuses on how humanity grapples in a world transformed by climate changeAllegra Hyde is the author of ELEUTHERIA, which was named a "Best Book of 2022" by The New Yorker. She is also the author of the story collection, OF THIS NEW WORLD, which won the John Simmons Short Fiction Award. Her second story collection, THE LAST CATASTROPHE, will be published in March 2023 by Vintage. A recipient of three Pushcart Prizes, Hyde's writing has also been anthologized in Best American Travel Writing, Best of the Net, and Best Small Fictions. Her stories, essays, and humor pieces have appeared in The New Yorker, American Short Fiction, BOMB, and many other venues. Hyde has received fellowships and grants from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, The Elizabeth George Foundation, the Lucas Artist Residency Program, the Jentel Foundation, the U.S. Fulbright Commission, and elsewhere. She currently teaches at Oberlin College.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Mar 28, 2023 • 30min

Is the Web3 Dead? Edward Lee on Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and the seductive promise of creators taking control of their digital work

EPISODE 1400: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of CREATORS TAKE CONTROL, Edward Lee, about the health of the Web3 digital economy, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and the seductive promise of creators taking control of their workA leading legal expert on NFTs, Edward Lee is a professor of Law and co-director of Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Center for Design, Law, and Technology, the first U.S. institution devoted to research of creativity, technology, design, and the law. He is also the founder of the nonprofit The Free Internet Project, which analyzes developments related to Internet freedoms and preserving the free and open Internet. His popular website, Nou NFT (nouNFT.com), analyzes the latest news, controversies, and developments in NFTs. He is a sought-after speaker on NFTs. He spoke about his theory of NFTs as decentralized intellectual property at NFT.NYC 2022, the largest conference on NFTs in the world. A former contributor to the Huffington Post, Lee’s writing on topic related to the Internet, copyright, and pop culture has also been featured in outlets such as The Washington Post and Billboard. For more on Ed Lee, visit: https://nounft.com/, Twitter: @nounft; https://www.youtube.com/user/theutubeblog; and his book website https://creatorstakecontrol.com/.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Mar 27, 2023 • 31min

Why the Ideal of the "Self" is a Social Construction: Brian Lowery on the myth of rugged individualism and what this should mean for the America of the 2020s

EPISODE 1399: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the Stanford Business School professor and author of SELFLESS, Brian Lowery, about the American mythology of rugged individualism and how we should be recognize the social dimensions of our selvesBRIAN LOWERY, PhD, is the Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Lowery’s research has been published in major scholarly journals and has been covered by media outlets such as the Washington Post, GQ, Psychology Today, Pacific Standard, Quartz, the Huffington Post, and NPR’s All Things Considered. He also hosts the podcast Know What You See. His latest book is Selfless: The Social Creation of “You” (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Mar 27, 2023 • 33min

How to Save Democracy? Eli Merritt offers advice and inspiration from 95 (mostly) democratic world leaders on how to save our democracy from demagogue like Donald Trump

EPISODE 1398: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the editor of HOW TO SAVE DEMOCRACY, Eli Merritt, who offers advice and inspiration from 95 (mostly) democratic world leaders on how to save our democracyEli Merritt is a political historian at Vanderbilt University where he researches the ethics of democracy, the interface of demagogues and democracy, and the founding principles of the United States. He is the editor of How to Save Democracy: Inspiration and Advice From 95 World Leaders as well as of The Curse of Demagogues: Lessons Learned from the Presidency of Donald J. Trump. His book Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution was published in June of 2022. He writes the Substack newsletter American Commonwealth. Dr. Merritt has written for the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, New York Times, New York Daily News, USA Today, International Herald Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Nashville Tennessean, San Francisco Medicine Magazine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, The American Journal of Legal History, and numerous other publications.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Mar 27, 2023 • 31min

An Archeology of the Soviet Century: Karl Schlogel offers an encyclopedic and richly detailed history of everyday life in the Soviet Union

EPISODE 1397: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the distinguished German historian and author of THE SOVIET HISTORY Karl Schlogel about his new encyclopedic and richly detailed history of everyday life in the Soviet UnionKarl Schlögel is a historian, essayist, and professor emeritus at Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Germany. His many books include histories of Moscow, Berlin, and Petersburg, and he won the European Charles Veillon essay prize in 1990 and the prize of the Historisches Kolleg Munich in 2016. His latest book is THE SOVIET CENTURY: Archeology of a Lost World (2023)Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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Mar 26, 2023 • 38min

How To Fix Democracy: Samuel Issacharoff searches for glimmers of hope to strengthen democracies around the world

EPISODE 1396: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to NYU law professor and author of DEMOCRACY UNMOORED, Samuel Issacharoff, about the crisis of democracy around the world and why he is cautiously optimistic about countering the crisis of authoritarian populismSamuel Issacharoff is the Reiss Professor of Constitutional Law. His wide-ranging research deals with issues in civil procedure (especially complex litigation and class actions), law and economics, constitutional law, particularly with regard to voting rights and electoral systems, and employment law. He is one of the pioneers in the law of the political process, where his Law of Democracy casebook (co-authored with Stanford’s Pam Karlan and NYU’s Rick Pildes) and dozens of articles have helped to create a vibrant new area of constitutional law. He is also a leading figure in the field of procedure, both in the academy and outside. He served as the reporter for the Principles of the Law of Aggregate Litigation of the American Law Institute. Issacharoff is a 1983 graduate of the Yale Law School. After clerking, he spent the early part of his career as a voting rights lawyer. He then began his teaching career at the University of Texas in 1989, where he held the Joseph D. Jamail Centennial Chair in Law. In 1999, he moved to Columbia Law School, where he was the Harold R. Medina Professor of Procedural Jurisprudence. His published articles appear in every leading law review, as well as in leading journals in other fields. Issacharoff is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

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