This is Your Life in Silicon Valley

Jan 18/2021

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  Keith Wasserman is a bona fide real estate mogul. He runs a billion dollar real estate portfolio for Gelt, and is a serial entrepreneur. We asked Keith a number of questions about the current real estate environment - and we ultimately ask whether real estate will ever be affordable again. If you are in the[...]
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  Crypto is having its moment (again) in 2021. But why does it matter to the average person, what is it, and how will it affect your life? We spend time talking to Matt Taylor - the Head of Growth at Solana (one of the hottest crypto projects on the planet right now) to discuss these[...]
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  Eilot Brown is a Wall Street Journal Reporter who covers startups and venture capital. For the past year, much of his focus has been on completing his book on WeWork. We interviewed Eliot pre-pandemic, and invited him back for our first in-person interview in over 16 months. It was epic. We talked to Eliot about the[...]
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  Sarah Frier is a technology journalist for Bloomberg News, and an author. Her book - 'No Filter' - released late last year highlighted the 'insider story' of Instagram. We spoke to Frier about the book, about social media in general, and covered a number of other topics for this wide-ranging interview. The episode was recorded late[...]
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  SPECIAL EDITION: We recorded several conversations with people from around the world at the start of the pandemic. They were originally released as part of a separate podcast called 'Distanced', but we are releasing those conversations as part of 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley' over the next few weeks. Sumit Shah is a[...]
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  SPECIAL EDITION: We recorded several conversations with people from around the world at the start of the pandemic. They were originally released as part of a separate podcast called 'Distanced', but we are releasing those conversations as part of 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley' over the next few weeks. Rohan Rangaraj is a[...]
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  SPECIAL EDITION: We recorded several conversations with people from around the world at the start of the pandemic. They were originally released as part of a separate podcast called 'Distanced', but we are releasing those conversations as part of 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley' over the next few weeks. Americans are just getting[...]
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  SPECIAL EDITION: We recorded several conversations with people from around the world at the start of the pandemic. They were originally released as part of a separate podcast called 'Distanced', but we are releasing those conversations as part of 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley' over the next few weeks. Ryan Panchadsaram was Deputy[...]
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  The pandemic has closed schools and massively affected the way we think of traditional education. How will future generations be affected by the sudden change in how we learn? We asked the CEO of Primer, Ryan Delk about this and more. Many parents are struggling with how to cope with the sudden changes surrounding the pandemic.[...]
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  Jessica Alter is the Founder/CEO of Tech For Campaigns. She was also one fo the first guests we hosted on 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley'. A lot has changed in the three years since we interviewed Jessica - the organization she built grew massively. We ask Jessica why democrats are still way behind[...]
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  Rishi Kumar is a successful technology executive turned politician. Kumar has been in the local political scene for a long time now and is running for Congress. We ask Kumar about what he wants to bring from Silicon Valley to DC. Is Silicon Valley ultimately the template the rest of the country will emulate? We ask[...]
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  'Indian Matchmaking' has captured the attention of America. It's one of the top-ten most popular shows on Netflix in the month of July. How did 'Indian Matchmaking' turn into such a cultural phenomenon? We talked to Srinivas Rao - one of the shows 'contestants' about the show and what it tell us about Indian culture. Srinivas[...]
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  Charles Hudson is a Silicon Valley-based investor. He is part of a small percentage of Black Managing Partners of Venture funds here in the Bay Area. In this incredibly insightful interview, we talk to Charles about investing in Underrepresented Founders, Media, and his take on the fate of social media. We talk to Charles about his[...]
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  Kobie Fuller is a General Partner at Upfront Ventures in Los Angeles. He also started Valence Community - a Los Angeles-based online professional network for Black talent. Kobie might have the *actual* answers as to how to fix tech's long standing diversity problem. Kobie talks about his journey into Venture Capital and his perspectives and feelings[...]
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  Dave Pell is the Founder of NextDraft - one of the most popular newsletters on the Internet. He also has an opinion or two on tech, politics, and the current state of our country. We deep-dive with Dave on numerous subjects, including BLM, the state of media, and what we can be optimistic about at[...]
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  Semil Shah is the Founder of Haystack - an early-stage venture fund. He's also one of Silicon Valley's most interesting personalities - he's been a chef, a media maven, and just about everything in-between. In a wide-ranging interview, we ask Semil about the future of media and the future of tech. We talk about quarantine life[...]
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  Amelia Lin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Saga. She's a career technologist and is solving a very timely problem during the age of COVID - how - during a time we can't interact with our loved ones - can we share and preserve their memories? We talk to Amelia about her journey through the tech[...]
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  Dawoon Kang is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Coffee Meets Bagel. She knows a thing or two about building a successful business, and finding love during the age of COVID. So how have relationships changed as a result of the pandemic? We dig into this and much more during this Zoom-edition of the podcast. We learn[...]
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  Jenn Takahashi is a San Francisco-based PR and Comms professional. She also started a viral social media account entitled 'Best of Next Door'. We talk to Jenn about how she started Best of Next Door, the future of online dating, and much much more. Jenn starts off the interview talking a bit about dating during the[...]
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  Gina Fromer is the CEO of the Children's Council of San Francisco. She is also a 6th generation San Franciscan. She has seen a lot of change over the years to the city and its surrounding environment. What keeps her 'addicted' to San Francisco, and what is the *true* cost of living here these days?[...]
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  Austen Allred is the Founder/CEO of Lambda School - a company pioneering the ISA model (Income Share Agreement) wherein students only pay for their education after they successfully land employment. Austen is also a prolific Tweeter and thought leader in Silicon Valley. We discuss the future of Lambda, the future of journalism and more in[...]
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  David Pierce is the Editor-at-Large of Protocol - a new publication covering technology in a similar way Politico covers politics (with the same owner). We recorded this episode in January pre-COVID-19 - and asked David at the time - why was there increasing tension between technologists and journalists? David was clearly highly concerned about COVID-19 a[...]
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  Tony Hale is a world-famous actor known for his roles in Arrested Development (Buster Bluth) and Veep (Gary Walsh). You would think someone who has won numerous awards and performs in front of people for a living would feel comfortable in crowds. You might be wrong. We talk to Tony about his struggles with anxiety,[...]
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  Cory Weinberg is a reporter for The Information, covering the intersection of tech and cities.  We wanted to bring Cory on the show to talk about San Franicsco housing policy, Coronavirus, and of course AirBnb. You won't want to miss this one if you're thinking about the housing crisis, or the looming AirBnb IPO. We learn[...]
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  Justin Forsett is a former NFL Running Back who hailed from a small town in Florida. Justin's NFL career hit its pinnacle when he made the Pro Bowl. Prior to the NFL, Justin shared the backfield at Cal with Marshawn 'Beast Mode' Lynch. But what is life like after hitting the absolute pinnacle of professional[...]
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  Prakash Janakiraman is the Co-Founder and CTO of Nextdoor - the 'other' social network that we all use, but rarely discuss publicly. Nextdoor has quietly amassed a huge userbase across multiple countries and is growing in influence. But are people using Nextdoor for more than just crime alerts? We explore this and more on today's[...]
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  Kate Clark is a technology reporter for The Information - a well-reputed publication read by tech industry insiders. In our first solo episode in a while - Sunil sits down with Kate to ask her about the state of journalism and tech. Are reporters inherently biased against tech companies? We talk to Kate about her transition[...]
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  Adam Mosseri is the CEO of Instagram - which is arguably the most important social network on the planet at the moment. Adam also ran Facebook's News Feed product. In short, Adam has been influential in your life without you even knowing it - the decisions he's made have influenced how you've viewed your social[...]
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  How will the 2010s be remembered in Silicon Valley? So much happened - between the rise of Instagram, Facebook's dominance, Teslas everywhere, tech going from beloved to reviled... And the 2020s should bring even more fun. We have the return of two previous podcast guests - Molly Wood and Antonio Garcia Martinez - to discuss[...]
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  When you look back on the decade in tech, one of the biggest stories will be the rise and fall of WeWork. And while the company is still around, it has shed around $40B in valuation in the past few months. At the forefront of the story is the mercurial Founder of WeWork - Adam[...]
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  Tiffani Bell is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur working on a not-for-profit funded by Y Combinator. Tiffani's mission? Help people pay their water bills. The consequences are direr, and the stakes are much higher than you'd think. Tiffani is helping families in Detroit pay their water bills. You will walk away absolutely shocked with what the[...]
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  We hosted our second live show in San Francisco featuring Amanda Bradford - the Founder/CEO of The League. We asked Amanda about why online dating is broken, what she thinks of all the major dating websites, and how The League's approach differs. We invite audience members to share crazy online dating stories at the end[...]
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  Lisa Fetterman is here to tell it like it is. She's a gifted entrepreneur and inventor, and she cannot understand why Silicon Valley doesn't care about female founders. This is a must-listen edition of the show featuring some great insight on how to fix the diversity problem in tech. Fetterman started her current company with[...]
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  Tim Kendall is a Silicon Valley OG. Tim ran monetization at Facebook, and later became Head of Product At Pinterest (and eventually President). Tim is responsible for thinking through products that impact our lives on a daily basis. His latest mission is to get people to use their smartphones less through an app called Moment.[...]
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  Susan MacTavish Best is a San Francisco cultural icon. Originally from Scotland and Canada, MacTavish worked in the PR business and got to know some of technology's top executives since the 90s. MacTavish now splits time between San Francisco, New York and London, and has a starkly unique perspective on how life in the Bay[...]
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  Special episode alert! Techcrunch reporter Kate Clark sent a tweet out about how she hates Philz Coffee. We decided to bring her on the show with Philz CEO Jacob Jaber to convince her otherwise. Hilarity ensued. Kate's tweet said she 'hated Philz more than Starbucks'. Co-host Sunil decided to reach out on the thread since[...]
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  The podcast is growing. So we decided to take it to the next level by hosting our first ever live event - in San Francisco - where we hosted Oakland's charismatic mayor Libby Schaaf. We were nervous that we'd screw up somehow and forget to hit the 'record' button, but thankfully the conversation is intact.[...]
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  Pam MacKinnon is a Tony Award-winning Director. She's spent decades atop the theater world, directing shows on and off-Broadway. Andy Donald is a west-coast native but has spent recent years on the East Coast as an artistic director. Both are now part of the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco (as Artistic Director and Associate[...]
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  Jessica Powell ran communications at Google. She's now a bestselling author. We asked Jessica - who has seen her fair share of PR crises over the years - how she would handle communications issues facing some of the top tech companies in the world. You might be surprised where she stands on various issues plaguing[...]
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  Mike Isaac is in charge of covering Uber for the New York Times. He’s covered the company extensively for the past several years and is publishing what will be considered the definitive book on the company. He’s also hilarious on Twitter. We host Mike and ask him how press leaks occur - what the anatomy[...]
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  Kara Swisher needs no introduction. She is one of the top business journalists, and covers technology for various outlets. More recently, Swisher became a contributor for the New York Times Opinion section - and she has a lot to say about Facebook. In this episode, we learn a lot about Swisher's background, where she grew[...]
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  Christina Stembel is from a small town in Indiana. She's now the CEO and Founder of Farmgirl Flowers - a popular flower company that gained notoriety as part of the 'Instagram generation' of brands. But Christina's story isn't very typical of Silicon Valley - she completely debunks typical Founder mythology. We talk to Christina about[...]
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  Dennis Herrera is the elected City Attorney of San Francisco. He's also a straight shooter. In this can't-miss episode, we talk to Dennis about which company is the most harmful to San Francisco (we get a surprisingly candid answer). We also ask him about the growing divide between tech and government. Herrera spends some time[...]
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  David White is a San Francisco legend. He is the CEO of Ne Timeas Restaurant Group, which owns Flour + Water, Central Kitchen and Trick Dog. He also has a knack for telling it how it is. In the latest episode of 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley', we sat down with David to[...]
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  Suhas Patil is a Silicon Valley legend, and an immigrant. He is a multiple-time successful Founder, and created the largest networking organization in the Valley - The Indus Entrepreneurs. Like father, like son - DJ - Suhas' son, is one of the most influential figures in technology today. We learn a bit more about Suhas'[...]
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  Veronica Belmont is an Internet superstar and San Francisco resident. She also just got a tattoo. We talk to Veronica about everything San Francisco - from scooters to philanthropy to who our benevolent dictator should be. Veronica is a true Internet native. She was podcasting before it was a thing, and she was one of[...]
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  Molly Wood is one of the top journalists in the Bay Area. We talk to Molly about her journey here from Montana, who it's absolutely impossible to cover, and whether tech billionaires are just like 'regular people'. Molly has covered some of the top personalities, and the top companies in technology. She knows just about[...]
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  Patti Stanger is internationally famous - she is Bravo's 'Millionaire Matchmaker'. In part 2 of our series on 'matchmaking' in Silicon Valley, Patti explains why it's so hard to find love in the Bay Area. Patti didn't just turn into The Millionaire Matchmaker overnight. She talks about her background, her roots, and what caused her[...]
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  Sam Lessin is one of the top minds in the technology world. He was VP of Product at Facebook, where he was instrumental in building the Facebook timeline. He's now working on a new company called Fin. But Sam is also a San Francisco resident, and has given a lot of thought as to whether[...]
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  Amy Andersen is the Founder of Linx dating and a legend in Silicon Valley lore. Amy was profiled in Vanity Fair Magazine in a now-famous article about 'Cougar Night' at The Rosewood Hotel. What you don't know about Amy is that she is one of the smartest entrepreneurs you will ever meet. In this episode,[...]
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  Antonio García Martínez is no stranger to controversy. He sold a company, was a key architect of Facebook's advertising products, wrote a bestselling book (which was critical of some of his old colleagues), and now lives in a yurt in Washington. Put lightly, he has some strong opinions. García Martínez eloquently explains some of his[...]
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  Keith Spencer is a cover editor, and Nicole Karlis is a news writer at Salon. They took vastly different paths to get to San Francisco, and have some strong perspectives on how the city can be saved. Nicole arrived in San Francisco from the midwest where she studied journalism. She began her career in the[...]
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  Rick Marini moved to San Francisco from the East Coast and is living the Silicon Valley dream. He's a successful entrepreneur who has built a great life in a beautiful city. But the City is far from perfect. Rick talks about his views on San Francisco politics, what it's like to be a homeowner in[...]
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  James Currier is a serial entrepreneur in the Silicon Valley. When you hear words like 'virality' and 'network effects' thrown around my tech companies and employees - keep in mind that James pioneered many of these concepts. So how in James' eyes has the Valley changed with the onset of celebrity culture? What has he[...]
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  Jessica Alter woke up on Wednesday Morning, the 9th of November 2016, and did not take a 'mental health day'. She got to work. What started as a Google Doc to organize like-minded individuals ended up becoming a large scale progressive movement called Tech For Campaigns. Alter, a multiple time technology founder and executive, began[...]
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  Aarti Shahani has one of the most famous voices in Silicon Valley. She joins us for this week's edition to talk about her experience moving from New York to San Francisco, and some of the ins and outs of covering the tech scene here. Shahani covers some of the biggest, most powerful companies in the[...]
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  Broke Ass Stuart is a famous San Franciscan from San Diego. How did he make his way here, and why did he end up running for mayor against Ed Lee? BAS runs a popular website in San Francisco and thinks often about the divide between tech and non tech. He discusses the notion of civic[...]
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  Hunter Walk is a Venture Capitalist and successful operator. He's perhaps best known for being the Head of Product at a little company called Youtube. So is everything Youtube accomplished good? We talk to Hunter about that and more. We ask Hunter about tech culture, his experience moving to San Francisco, and his perspective on[...]
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  Alexia Tsotsis fell out of love with San Francisco, but fell back in love while preparing for this interview. We talk about Alexia's journey to San Francisco, and how she had a major part in the technology boom of the past decade. Alexia even has some choice catch phrases around bro culture in the city,[...]
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  Chris Michel is a world famous photographer, whose work has been featured in National Geographic amongst others. Michel talks about how San Francisco has changed over time, including one major change that happened in 2007. And about that homeless problem - what are the solutions and what should the city be doing about it? Michel[...]
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  Eileen Rinaldi sits down with hosts Sunil Rajaraman and Jascha Kaykas-Wolff to talk about her journey into San Francisco. Rinaldi recounts how she ended up here, how hard she's had to battle to stay independent, and her view of so-called 3rd-wave coffee. Rinaldi shares some of her thoughts on her favorite 'local' San Francisco businesses,[...]

Do you love HBO’s Silicon Valley? Do you like reading about the latest technology trends? Then you’ll love this show. Think of us as the real world/explain-it-how-it-is podcast for anyone with a Silicon Valley fetish. The Bay Area, San Francisco, and California in general are undergoing massive political and social change. We tackle issues like homelessness, the housing crisis, dating in the age of technology, startups, and other things you care about. How will it affect your life? It doesn’t matter whether you live in New York, Texas, Arkansas, Bulgaria or Latvia – you will find something applicable to your day-to-day life from this show. And love it, or hate it the Silicon Valley/The Bay Area/California are the center of the technology universe right now. Insiders, and Valley apologists liken the Silicon Valley to Rome during the Renaissance. Others are more skeptical of the people in the Valley and their intentions. We examine life in the Valley by interviewing some of its most prominent insiders – both apologists and skeptics. We discuss the cultural quirks of living here, what to legitimately fear, what to feel excited about, and what is just plain weird. (Image credit: Irina Blok, Producer: Max Savage (noisysavage.com).