As the acclaimed documentarian releases a new two-part PBS series about Ben Franklin, he describes how the U.S. founding father transformed himself from teen runaway to newspaperman, then inventor, then political elder. He explains what current leaders can learn from how Franklin approached business, scientific discovery, and his fellow nation-builders. Ken ... Show More
Oct 7
The Trouble with Tech Companies (and Their Strategies)
Cory Doctorow, author and digital rights advocate, argues that big tech companies from Facebook to Google and beyond have evolved - or devolved - in a disappointing way. He says that many large tech companies begin with a good product, but that over time they prioritize first bus ... Show More
26m 30s
Sep 30
How to Lead with Courage in Chaotic Times
Courage involves taking bold action despite uncertainty and fear. In a volatile business environment, it's hard to be brave. But Ranjay Gulati, a professor at Harvard Business School, says that there are strategies any of us can use to get improve our ability to make smart bets o ... Show More
32m 9s
Sep 23
Steven Pinker on Speculation Bubbles, Super Bowl Ads, and What Leaders Need to Know About Group Psychology
As a leader, psychology is fundamental to your success - whether that means understanding consumer behavior, team dynamics, or even your own biases and blind spots. Harvard professor Steven Pinker says that an important phenomena to understand is that of common knowledge and its ... Show More
27m 29s
Apr 2022
Florentine Films: Ken Burns
As a boy, Ken Burns was captivated by the power of film and dreamed of being the next Alfred Hitchcock or John Ford. But in college, he discovered that stories about American history could be just as dramatic as any he could make up. Eventually, he set out to make a new kind of d ... Show More
1h 17m
Mar 2022
Benjamin Franklin with Ken Burns
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a scientist, inventor, writer and diplomat. As one of the leading figures of early American history, Franklin helped to draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776, worked to negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War in 178 ... Show More
33m 26s
Apr 2022
The Genius Episode: Ben Franklin & Elon Musk 4/06/22
Filmmaker Ken Burns’ new two-part documentary on PBS documents the life and complicated legacy of Benjamin Franklin. The documentarian joins Franklin biographer Walter Isaacson to discuss how the founding father shaped not only our country, but America’s everyday life, language, ... Show More
28m 30s
Oct 2022
Ben Franklin: Founding Father of Microfinance and Open-Source Tech
If you want someone to manage your money then you better pay them. That’s just one lesson from Ben Franklin’s complicated financial life. Robert Brokamp talks with Michael Meyer, author of “Benjamin Franklin's Last Bet: The Favorite Founder's Divisive Death, Enduring Afterlife, a ... Show More
27m 53s
Jan 2022
Who is Benjamin Franklin?
Join Gen-Z Media producer, Claire McClanahan, for the first of four conversations with Ben Franklin expert, Dr George Boudreau. In this episode we learn a little bit more about who Ben Franklin was, in his younger years, before he was an elder statesman on the hundred dollar bill ... Show More
9m 6s