Keen On

EPISODE 1414: In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to Rajiv Vinnakota, the President of the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, about how to transform Americans into better citizensA pioneering social entrepreneur, Rajiv Vinnakota serves as President of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, leading its mission to cultivate the talent, ideas, and networks that develop lifelong, effective citizens. To that end, he works tirelessly to build relationships with the partners and sponsors without whom Citizens & Scholars could not succeed, while at the same time fostering a strong organizational culture focused on American civic values. Raj has dedicated his life to initiatives that help American citizens from all walks of life to become productive and engaged members of society. Early in his career, Raj co-founded the SEED Foundation, the nation’s first network of public, college-preparatory boarding schools for underserved children. The SEED schools were featured in both television and film, and Raj won

EPISODE 1413: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to BIG TREE author Brian Selznick about trees, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep and how he made a hopeful children's book about our environmental crisisBrian Selznick is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including The Invention of Hugo Cabret, winner of the Caldecott medal and the basis for the Oscar-winning movie Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese. Kaleidoscope, a novel in short stories, was called a "lockdown masterpiece" by the New York Times, and his newest book “Big Tree,” inspired by an idea from Steven Spielberg, was published on April 4th.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. A

EPISODE 1412: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of A MAN OF UNDERSTANDING, Diana Janney, on how the great philosophers - from Aristotle to Hume to Kant - have informed her novelsDiana Janney read Philosophy at University College, London, where she was awarded a First for her Masters thesis on Kant and Hume. She qualified as a solicitor at a leading City of London international law firm and then practised as a barrister. She has received international acclaim for her writing, which combines her philosophical knowledge with her wit, poetry and keen observation of human nature. Diana is also the author of the novels The Choice and The Infinite Wisdom of Harriet Rose. Her latest novel is A MAN OF UNDERSTANDING.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 digita

EPISODE 1411: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of GETTING OUT OF SAIGON, Ralph White, about how he - as a 27-year old American working for Chase Manhattan bank - saved 113 Vietnamese civilians from the North Vietnamese in 1975In 1973, Ralph White joined the Chase Manhattan Bank and worked as a business development officer in Thailand and Hong Kong; during his tenure in Thailand, he was temporarily assigned to Vietnam to close the bank’s Saigon branch as the city fell. Upon return to Chase’s New York headquarters in 1981, he worked in the International Strategic Planning Division and was a Vice President when he left. Over the next twenty years, White worked as a business development officer with three foreign banks and earned an MBA at Columbia University. In 2009, he founded the Columbia Fiction Foundry, a writing workshop for alumni of Columbia University, as a shared interest group under the Office of Alumni and Development. Having served as the organization’s president for its first decade

EPISODE 1410: In this Keen On show, Andrew talks to the author of THE AGE OF SCIENTIFIC WELLNESS, Nathan Price, PhD, about why the future of medicine will be personalized, predictive, data-rich, and in all of our handsDr. Nathan Price currently serves Chief Science Officer of Thorne HealthTech. Previously, Dr. Nathan Price has served as Co-Chief Executive Officer for Onegevity Health, LLC, from November 2020 until its merger with our Company in March 2021. Dr. Price has also served on the Board of Directors of Health and Environmental Sciences, a non-profit, since 2018. Since 2017, Dr. Price has co-led the Hood-Price Integrated Lab for Systems Biomedicine with biotechnology pioneer Lee Hood. Prior to his current roles, Dr. Price served as co-founder and Director of Arivale Inc. from 2014 to 2019. He has also served on many advisory boards, including Roche (Personalized Healthcare Division), Providence St. Joseph Health, Sera Prognostics, Navican, Basepaws, Trelys and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Bio

EPISODE 1409: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the Cornell historian and author of STAY COOL, Aaron Sachs, about why dark comedy matters so much in the fight against climate changeAaron Sachs is a professor of history and American studies at Cornell University and an award-winning environmental journalist. “STAY COOL: Why Dark Comedy Matters in the Fight Against Climate Change” (2023) is his latest book.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.

EPISODE 1408: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of GEORGE VI AND ELIZABETH, Sally Bedell Smith, about the 20th century royal marriage that , she believes, saved the British monarchySally Bedell Smith is the New York Times best-selling author of eight biographies. Her latest, George VI and Elizabeth: The Marriage That Saved the Monarchy (Random House 2023) is the definitive biography of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s mother and father, based for the first time on special access to their letters and diaries in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle that was granted to the author by the Queen. Ms. Smith has also written best-selling biographies of King Charles III, Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales, John and Jacqueline Kennedy, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Pamela Harriman, and William S. Paley. Translations of her books have been published in more than a dozen countries. An on-air contributor to CNN since 2017 offering analysis and commentary on the British royal family, Ms. Smith was a contr

EPISODE 1407: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of I CAN'T SAVE YOU, the Harvard and Emory university trained Dr Anthony Chin-Quee, about why he gave up his successful career in medicine and how this "saved" himAnthony Chin-Quee, M.D., is a board-certified otolaryngologist with degrees from Harvard University and Emory University School of Medicine. An award-winning storyteller with The Moth, he has been on the writing staff of FOX’s The Resident and a medical adviser for ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. His latest book is I CAN’T SAVE YOU: A MEMOIR (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

EPISODE 1406: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of UNWIRED, Gaia Bernstein about how society has an addictive technology problem and how we can grain control over this techGaia Bernstein is the Technology, Privacy and Policy Professor of Law, Co-Director of the Institute for Privacy Protection, and Co-Director of the Gibbons Institute of Law Science and Technology at Seton Hall University School of Law. She is author of the new book, Unwired, and writes, teaches, and lectures on subjects at the intersections of law, technology, health, and privacy. Her latest book is UNWIRED: Gaining Control over Addictive Technologies (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

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 a

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 N

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 abou

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

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

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 In

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 dig

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 Ass

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 Sa

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 i

EPISODE 1395: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the author of HER LOST WORDS, Stephanie Marie Thornton, about her new novel which reimagines the lives of the 18th century English feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and her 19th century daughter, Mary Shelley, the author of "Frankenstein"Stephanie Marie Thornton is a USA Today bestselling author and a high school history teacher. She lives in Alaska with her husband and daughter. Her latest novel is Her Lost Words (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.