From creating an award-winning agency, to recognizing a clear opportunity in sex tech (including naming it) and creating Make Love, Not Porn, Cindy has been at the cutting edge of culture for more than a few decades now, and she's here to share that experience with us.
With the close of Season 1, we have learned some surprising take-aways that come from listening without judgement, hearing people’s stories, and looking at the history of tech and Silicon Valley. Here’s what we’ve discovered.
Ellen Petry Leanse joins Melinda Byerley to talk about her experiences in the early days of Apple when she served as Apple’s first User Evangelist. Proclaimed the “nerd queen,” she led the company’s first online debut in 1985 with one of the first BBSs. Her career is a parable of what happens when you are willing to take risks, work hard, and don’t worry about looking back.
Ron Lichty joins Melinda Byerley to share stories about his time in Silicon Valley as a programmer, then a team and product manager. Hear about his instrumental role in the development of Apple’s game changing personal computer, the Macintosh. This is only one highlight of his distinguished career that also includes three patents, several books, and recognition as a thought leader in Agile methodology. Even if you aren’t a techie you will enjoy listening to Ron because, if you use a computer, he has probably influenced your life.
Linda Popky, one of Silicon Valley’s top 100 women of influence, stops in to talk to Melinda Byerley about her lifetime of marketing experiences and specifically her time at Sun Microsystems in the heady days of the genesis of Silicon Valley. In this insightfully fun episode, she talks about how she came to work for Sun and her eventual move from Boston to the West Coast. You will enjoy Linda’s engaging stories about her marketing philosophy, some Silicon Valley history, and the tech marketing ecosystem she has navigated for over 30 years.
Owen Thomas joins Melinda Byerley to talk about the history of his controversial blog post about Peter Thiel’s sexuality and the ethos of narrative control that pervades Silicon Valley. His story includes how and why Nick Denton founded Valleywag, it discusses how journalists can incite grudges, and it explores the destruction that money and power can unleash.
Kumar Garg shares his experiences from the White House Office of Science and Technology during the Obama administration and how the content of a simple whiteboard filled with great ideas went viral. Sprinkled in are stories about Kumar as a young migrant from India and how he came to be involved in and inspired by education policy. A fast-paced and entertaining listen.
From Berkeley engineering to Harvard MBA, from engineer to founder to venture capitalist and back again, Jim Long’s seen a lot in his 40 years in Silicon Valley. He’s got a lot to share with us, including stories of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, and his perspective on how we got where we are today.
A whole generation of us Gen Xers and Baby Boomers build multi-decade careers in tech through sheer interest, determination, and in some cases, being in the right place at the right time, before tech-based degrees even existing. Deirdre examines how this grit applies to today’s careers in tech.
How has the concept of identity evolved on the internet, and what can today’s tech companies learn from the past to better serve their customers today?
Some say investing in Silicon Valley is “over.” What’s it really like to invest in tech companies in a small market? Shane Johnson tells us the surprising truth about how investing in Lane County, Oregon isn’t what you’d expect.
Larry Friedberg was one of eBay’s first Trust and Safety employees, and came to define the profession. He’s here to help us understand what good Trust and Safety looks like, to share stories about the unsung heroes of the internet. We’ll ask ourselves "What might Facebook learn from eBay? What might have been different had Facebook learned from the past?"
Digital Media technology is evolving just as technology does. How does the medium affect the message? How has the style of technology coverage changed? Why do we really snark so much online?
What is Stayin’ Alive in Tech all about? Why are we doing it? What’s in it for you? In just 12 short minutes you’ll get the scoop.
