Calling Bullsh!t

Whistleblowers: A very special kind of bs detector

We all like to think that if we saw wrongdoing, we’d do the right thing - that when confronted with a problem that goes against our ethics or morals, we’d speak up or take action. But what if calling bullshit meant damaging or ending your career, your family relationships, or even compromising your personal safety?  Show Notes: Learn about Mary Inman’s incredible work at Constantine Cannon here.  Read about Kyle Welch and Stephen Stubben’s research on whistleblowing.  Check out Dana Gold’s Newsweek article about keeping whistleblowers safe.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

McKinsey: Something to hide?

The notoriously tight-lipped global consulting firm McKinsey claims to be values-driven and purpose-led. But do their deeds back up their words? Or does their value of “serving the client first” mean every other value comes second? Can we really trust any company to be purpose-led when they operate in almost total secrecy? Show Notes: Buy a copy of When McKinsey Comes to Town: The Hidden Influence of the World’s Most Powerful Consulting Firm by Mike Forsythe and Walt Bogdanich.  Learn more about Erik Edstrom and his work here. Connect with Rizwan Naveed and read about his current role at Google.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Web3: A more humane, egalitarian, and decentralized internet?

Web3 combines the ideals of the original internet with the most exciting aspects of new technology.  And the reason this tech currently embodies Web3 is that the architecture of this technology - the very fabric of it - is open source, anti-authority, and decentralized.  It could be a version of the internet where everyone has custody over their data. But it could also be a place where fraud runs rampant, where people hack each other’s data, and a place that promises something that will never exist.  Show Notes: Buy a copy of Glen Weyl’s book Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society here.  Read Molly White’s blog ‘Web 3 is Going Just Great’. Vlad Ginzburg created blockparty.co to allow creators and brands to create unique, connected NFTs.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spotify: Starving Artists?

Little known fact: only 3% of artists on Spotify make more than one thousand dollars. And the people who work on albums who aren’t top-billed artists, like backup singers and songwriters, make even less. In fact, most artists make fractions of a penny per stream. So where does all that cash go?  Show Notes Read Blake Morgan’s article about his meeting with Spotify execs: Spotify’s Fatal Flaw Exposed: How My Closed-Door Meeting with Execs Ended in a Shouting Match Learn more about Kaydence and her impactful work with the 100 Percenters here. David Turner writes a weekly blog called Penny Fractions ‘as a way to think through various record industry topics’. This episode uses the following tracks from FMA under a Creative Commons Attribution License: "What Dreams Become" by Audiobinger, "Moonlove Funk" by Cullah, "Ugly Truth" by HoliznaCC0, "Leave The Country (Instrumental)" by Anthem of Rain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Samunnati: Collective Growth & Collective Prosperity

Farming is a notoriously difficult profession, high risk, and often low reward.  In India, agriculture supports roughly two-thirds of the population. And the majority of families who grow and sell crops do so on a small scale at great personal financial risk.  But one company is working to change this system from the inside: India’s largest agri-tech enterprise, Samunnati.  For this positive case study, we speak with Samunnati Founder and CEO Anil Kumar about how they are creating better markets for smallholder farmers across every state in India. Show Notes Learn more about how farmer collectives help entail competitive and holistic engagement beyond finance. Read about Anil Kumar’s journey from bank clerk to founder and CEO of Samunnati. Samunnati recently partnered with GROWiT to promote protective farming techniques to benefit the planet.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.