What's Working in Washington

Jan 16 2025 520 ep. 16 mins 193

What's Working in Washington Podcast artwork

A weekly podcast examining the relationship between entrepreneurship, innovation and policy in the Washington D.C. region. They are stories explaining why local innovation often influences the federal government and are told by a wide variety of voices across demographics and industries.

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What's Working in Washington - Ep 522 - Tech as a Religion, and Back-to-Work Drama - Greg Epstein

Jan 16 2025 43 mins

In this episode, hosts Jonathan Aberman and Mark Walsh, in Mark’s final episode as co-host, explore how technology, climate change, and Elon Musk’s influence are drastically altering the path ahead. Also, hear from Greg Epstein, American Humanist chaplain at Harvard University and MIT, as he discusses his new book "Tech Agnostic". Epstein argues that technology has become a new

What's Working in Washington - Ep 521 - Balancing Acts - Fraser Jackson and William Von Hippel

Dec 19 2024 43 mins

For our final episode of the year, hosts Jonathan Aberman and Mark Walsh look ahead, from a second Trump presidency to the rise of facial recognition. Jonathan sits down with Fraser Jackson, White House Correspondent for France24, to discuss how French leaders are preparing for Trump’s return to power. Plus, in his newest book The Social Paradox, social psychologist William Von H

What's Working in Washington - Ep 520 - Election Year & Asteroid Fears - Richard Latendresse and Robin George Andrews

Nov 14 2024 43 mins

Hosts Jonathan and Mark talk government regulation, social media, and the pulse in Washington, D.C., from Capitol Hill to outer space. Jonathan Aberman sits down with White House Correspondent Richard Latendresse — calling in from Mar-a-Lago — to discuss president-elect Trump’s new administration, and what his transition can tell us about the next four years. Also, Jonathan c

What's Working in Washington - Ep 519 - Visions of the Future - Richard Powers & Mineko Abe

Oct 24 2024 43 mins

This month, we're looking into our crystal ball to consider what our environmental, political, and technological futures might look like. Jonathan Aberman sits down with author Richard Powers to discuss innovation, ecology, and the art of storytelling in his new book Playground. Then, hear from Mineko Abe, producer for Yomiuri Shimbun, who joins us to discuss Japanese perspectives

What's Working in Washington - Ep 518 - Art amid Chaos and Compassion amid Crisis - Sebastian Smee & Nadia Bilbassy

Sep 26 2024 43 mins

This month’s episode explores how political expression takes shape. Introducing his new book “Paris in Ruins”, Sebastian Smee discusses how Impressionism emerged in a politically chaotic France, bringing democracy and authenticity to art. Then, Nadia Bilbassy, Bureau Chief at Al Arabiya News, describes what it's like to cover the Biden White House for a Middle Eastern audienc

What's Working in Washington - Ep 517 - Wall Street, Weight Loss, and Wealthy Universities

Aug 29 2024 43 mins

From AI hype to Dolly Parton releases, Jonathan Aberman and Mark Walsh explore this month’s trends in finance, culture, and politics. Also, Jonathan sits down with Paulina Bren, author of “She-Wolves”, to honor the women who defied the odds and left their mark on Wall Street in the 1960s and ‘70s. Drawing on Jonathan’s own experience on Ozempic, Jonathan and Mark then dis

What's Working in Washington - Ep 516 - Powered by the People - Corey Brettschneider

Aug 01 2024 43 mins

Longer episodes, deeper dives! In our new one hour format, hosts Jonathan Aberman and Mark Walsh explore new trends, share media recommendations, and interview author Corey Brettschneider. "The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It" examines how citizen movements have resisted presidential abuses of power by appea

What's Working in Washington - Ep 515 - Lessons on Earth and Life on Mars - Kelly Weinersmith

Apr 25 2024 28 mins

Exploring and settling outer space may seem like the ultimate form of entrepreneurship – but is it a realistic ambition? Drawing from her latest book "A City on Mars", Kelly Weinersmith sits down with Jonathan to discuss the hurdles we face in our journey to space, from human physiology to resource governance. So human life on Mars is still far-fetched, but we can learn a lot abo

What's Working in Washington - Ep 514 - Is Entrepreneurship Overrated? - Benjamin Waterhouse

Apr 18 2024 28 mins

"Being your own boss" isn't just about getting rich and being independent. In his latest book “One Day I’ll Work for Myself", author and historian Benjamin Waterhouse separates the allure from the illusions of self-employment. He takes a hard look at the mythology of entrepreneurship, from colonial America and the digital revolution of the 1980s to today. His advice? Look beyon

What's Working in Washington - Ep 513 - Privacy, Prejudice, and Policy in A.I.'s Future - Sean Perryman

Apr 11 2024 28 mins

Sean Perryman is the Head of Algorithmic Fairness Policy at Uber. He sits down with Jonathan Aberman to discuss the major questions about privacy and bias raised by artificial intelligence, and how policymakers need to respond. From facial recognition technology to Google's Gemini, Perryman calls for greater tech literacy among lawmakers. He lays out his vision for a more attractiv