Episodes

  • Could Amazon’s Zoox Beat Tesla and Waymo in the Robotaxi Race?

    Could Amazon’s Zoox Beat Tesla and Waymo in the Robotaxi Race?
    Mar 14 2025
    When Aicha Evans took over robotaxi startup Zoox from its founders in 2019, she made two big moves: selling the company to Amazon for over $1.2 billion, and keeping Zoox’s radical design for a driverless car that looks like a lounge on wheels, with no steering wheel or brake pedal. Now, as the robotaxi industry drives toward a pivotal moment in public acceptance, Zoox is preparing to launch its commercial service later this year. How does the company fit in alongside rivals like Google’s Waymo and Elon Musk ’s Tesla? And why does Evans take inspiration from the early days of aviation? She speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in the latest episode of our interview series Bold Names. Check Out Past Episodes: Palmer Luckey's 'I Told You So' Tour: AI Weapons and Vindication Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype. Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • Palmer Luckey's 'I Told You So' Tour: AI Weapons and Vindication

    Palmer Luckey's 'I Told You So' Tour: AI Weapons and Vindication
    Mar 7 2025
    Palmer Luckey, the founder of weapons manufacturer Anduril, was part of a minority in the tech sector that supported President Trump during his first run at the White House. Now, Luckey wields influence in both Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.–and he’s using it to secure U.S. military contracts while trying to remake the government’s approach to national security. Luckey speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in the latest episode of our interview series Bold Names. Check Out Past Episodes: Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype. Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card The CEO Who Says Cheaper AI Could Actually Mean More Jobs Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 mins
  • Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype.

    Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype.
    Feb 28 2025
    Ayanna Howard is dean of The Ohio State University’s College of Engineering, an IEEE Senior Member, and a top expert on two of the most hyped fields in tech: humanoid robots and artificial intelligence. Combining these technologies could allow advanced bots to take on all sorts of tasks, from helping pack boxes at warehouses, to taking care of the elderly, or even doing the dishes. But what will it take to get there, and how close are we to getting everyday robot helpers? Howard speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast. Check Out Past Episodes: Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ But America Needs to Win Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks' Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’ Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 mins
  • Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win

    Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win
    Feb 21 2025
    LinkedIn co-founder and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Reid Hoffman is cautiously optimistic about the future of artificial intelligence. In his new book, “Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right With Our AI Future,” he argues that the current state of AI is similar to the automobile at the start of the 20th century. What does that mean for what Hoffman calls the “cognitive Industrial Revolution” and its potential to create positive change, and who is best suited to regulate it? And what does he think of his old friend Elon Musk’s influence in the Trump administration? Hoffman speaks to WSJ’s Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast. Check Out Past Episodes: Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks' Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’ Why Elon Musk’s Battery Guy Is Betting Big on Recycling Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card

    Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card
    Feb 14 2025
    Bilt Rewards founder and CEO Ankur Jain took inspiration from American Express’s rewards programs when his company began offering people loyalty points for paying monthly rent. Now, he wants to add homeowners to his customer base by allowing them to get rewards points for their mortgage payments. What does that mean for Bilt’s business, and for its relationship with Wells Fargo over their co-branded credit card? And how could it affect the customers who’ve flocked to the card to earn points? Jain spea ks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast. Check Out Past Episodes: Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks' Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’ Why Elon Musk’s Battery Guy Is Betting Big on Recycling The CEO Who Says Cheaper AI Could Actually Mean More Jobs Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • Introducing: Bold Names

    Introducing: Bold Names
    Feb 11 2025
    Every day, Wall Street Journal reporters talk with the most powerful, influential and interesting people. Now, we’re bringing some of those conversations directly to you. Introducing Bold Names, a new interview series where we hear directly from the leaders behind bold name companies. Hosted by WSJ columnists Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims. The new season starts Friday, February 14. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    3 mins
  • The CEO Who Says Cheaper AI Could Actually Mean More Jobs

    The CEO Who Says Cheaper AI Could Actually Mean More Jobs
    Feb 11 2025
    Cloud storage used to be a sleepy part of the computing world but, with artificial intelligence becoming cheaper than ever, the companies collecting and protecting that data are now a hot investment. That includes cloud storage company Box, which has seen its stock climb nearly 40% this year. Its customers include most of the Fortune 500, including movie studios, automakers, consumer electronics giants, marketing firms and the Pentagon. Box CEO Aaron Levie says AI is getting better at piecing through 90% of companies’ data that previously was an intractable mess, and is doing some tasks better than humans – from processing invoices and parsing contracts to building marketing campaigns. So why does he think that could actually lead to more jobs for humans? Plus, why his company plans to stay “model agnostic” and continue to work with all the major artificial intelligence models, including OpenAI ’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. He speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in episode four of our interview series Bold Names. Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Further Reading Amazon Invests an Additional $4 Billion in Anthropic, an OpenAI Rival How to Make AI Less of a Power Guzzler What Is AI Best at Now? Improving Products You Already Own Elon Musk vs. Everyone: The New Fight in AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • Why Elon Musk’s Battery Guy Is Betting Big on Recycling

    Why Elon Musk’s Battery Guy Is Betting Big on Recycling
    Feb 11 2025
    JB Straubel was Elon Musk’s battery guy. Now he’s trying to turn what some see as trash into power for the electric vehicle revolution. Straubel was there at the earliest days of Tesla, and in his 15 years with the electric vehicle company, he played an integral role: he developed the battery pack used in the first Tesla vehicle, was the company’s Chief Technology Officer, and now sits on the board of directors. But his day job is running the battery-recycling startup Redwood Materials, and he envisions a future where recycled batteries power our cars, cell phones and power tools. So could companies like his one day replace the oil giants who fueled the last century? Why does he think humans have room to work harder? And can the Tesla board manage Musk as he takes on a growing role in U.S. politics, including advising the Trump administration? Straubel speaks to WSJ’s Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims in episode three of our interview series Bold Names. Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Further Reading In the Desert With an EV Entrepreneur Who Insists Trump Will Be Good for Business The Boom in Battery Metals for EVs Is Turning to Bust Cost-Cutting Lessons From Musk World for DOGE What Americans Get Wrong About Electric Cars One of the Brains Behind Tesla May Have a New Way to Make Electric Cars Cheaper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    28 mins