Podcast · 47 episodes
Great Chat
by Mackenzie Bohannon, Angela Du, Ashley Mayer, Helen Min, & Sally Shin · English
A podcast mostly about tech.
Latest episodes
Doomers at DreamforceThe episode connects “AI doomer” messaging to influencer/ideology campaigns, using Dario Amodei’s “We Must Pace the Frontier” as a focal point, then broadens into Dreamforce, “corgi girl”/hot-girl…23 Sep 2026 · 40 min
Tech's short-term eraWhether tech/venture is suffering from short-termism, and how AI discourse (especially open-weight models) and faster narrative cycles on X are reshaping incentives, liquidity expectations, and…30 Jul 2026 · 42 min
Too big to laugh: how tech lost its sense of humorTech’s humor has declined because of performative online discourse, fear/surveillance, and tech’s growth into a mainstream “main character” industry where self-deprecation and vulnerability are…22 Jul 2026 · 41 min
All episodes
Doomers at DreamforceThe episode connects “AI doomer” messaging to influencer/ideology campaigns, using Dario Amodei’s “We Must Pace the Frontier” as a focal point, then broadens into Dreamforce, “corgi girl”/hot-girl…23 Sep 2026 · 40 min · 14 chapters
Tech's short-term eraWhether tech/venture is suffering from short-termism, and how AI discourse (especially open-weight models) and faster narrative cycles on X are reshaping incentives, liquidity expectations, and…30 Jul 2026 · 42 min · 14 chapters
Too big to laugh: how tech lost its sense of humorTech’s humor has declined because of performative online discourse, fear/surveillance, and tech’s growth into a mainstream “main character” industry where self-deprecation and vulnerability are…22 Jul 2026 · 41 min · 15 chapters
Never follow your heroes (on X)The episode debates modern tech marketing and personal branding—arguing that “never follow your heroes” applies to how AI leaders trade mystique for constant X/Twitter engagement.17 Jul 2026 · 43 min · 19 chapters
SPVs have a brand problemSPV “brand problem” driven by access and liquidity pressures in private markets; focuses on a Twitter/“SpaceX” controversy involving USVC (USV Capital/AngelList-affiliated private index fund)…8 Jul 2026 · 42 min · 16 chapters
Maybe Twitter isn't real lifeThe episode of Great Chat is a mix of tech-and-city commentary and a tribute to Om Malik after his death at age 59.2 Jul 2026 · 39 min · 11 chapters
How much data do we actually want about our bodies?The episode debates how much personal health/body data people actually want, using recent controversies and “life maxing” tech as examples.24 Jun 2026 · 36 min · 14 chapters
After you ring the bellThe episode discusses the “trillionaire era” sparked by SpaceX’s IPO, the wealth and identity effects of major liquidity events, and how AI companies’ “good guy” narratives collide with…17 Jun 2026 · 39 min · 13 chapters
Founders dish on VC bad behavior (and bring receipts)Founders trade “VC pitch horror stories” publicly, sparked by Twitter posts, including examples of investor meddling, disrespect, and opaque decision-making; they also discuss current AI IPO chatter…10 Jun 2026 · 43 min · 16 chapters
Who are the billboards for?Tech marketing stunts and “billboards for” (who they target, when they work, and why they’re increasingly common), plus IPO/compute news: Anthropic’s filing, Google’s equity raise, and SpaceX’s IPO.4 Jun 2026 · 34 min · 19 chapters
AI services, so hot right nowEnterprise AI adoption and the “deployment/services” bottleneck. The episode argues that the bottleneck isn’t selling AI, but getting it adopted inside large organizations, which requires iterative…27 May 2026 · 43 min · 18 chapters
Dear Graduates: we’re sorry about the Schmidt speechThe episode dissects why commencement speeches feel worse in the “clipping”/AI era, using Eric Schmidt’s University of Arizona speech (booed) as the main case, then contrasts it with stronger…20 May 2026 · 41 min · 13 chapters
What does it mean to be mission-driven in 2026?What it means for startups to be mission-driven in 2026, and how “mission” has shifted from earlier tech eras (e.g., Facebook/Dropbox/Quora/Plaid) toward AI-era goals like winning to AGI, capital…14 May 2026 · 39 min · 12 chapters
The hills we’ll die onThe “hills we’ll die on” debate, sparked by Coachella and then pivoting to tech/AI leadership, narrative warfare, and business models (especially ads), ending with personal decision-making principles.22 Apr 2026 · 36 min · 17 chapters
Developer marketing when everyone is a developerDeveloper marketing and DevRel in the AI “vibe coding” era, where the audience of “developers” expands beyond traditional engineers; includes how to message to novice builders vs classically trained…15 Apr 2026 · 39 min · 14 chapters
OpenAI's new media M&A and old media exposéThe episode discusses OpenAI’s acquisition of TVPN and what it signals about “new media” buying, trust, and the gap between mainstream reporting and online fact-checking.8 Apr 2026 · 38 min · 14 chapters
Go touch some grass (but don’t tweet about it)The episode mixes “touch some grass” sanity talk with a deep dive into building physical factories, staying sane while online, and whether AI is pulling people toward the “Goldilocks” middle instead…2 Apr 2026 · 41 min · 20 chapters
Bubble talkWhether the AI/VC market is in a “bubble” (valuation peak vs still ahead), plus recent tech/media dramas (OpenAI Sora shutdown, Ramp “lemons” comment, Delve SOC 2 controversy, and X’s political…26 Mar 2026 · 35 min · 15 chapters
Are startup HR teams okay?How AI-driven tools and rumored layoffs are reshaping startup “people ops” (recruiting, retention, HR workload, and internal communications), plus what this means for entry-level career paths and…18 Mar 2026 · 39 min · 14 chapters
What comes after the Girl Boss?International Women’s Day discussion on what comes after the “Girl Boss” era—moving from individual, performative empowerment toward quieter, pragmatic support and more diverse, less pedestalized…12 Mar 2026 · 35 min · 14 chapters
Will empathy make a comeback?Leading through rapid, uncertain change—especially in AI—while debating whether empathy can “make a comeback” in tech leadership and communications.4 Mar 2026 · 40 min · 13 chapters
The best career decisions come from the gutCareer decisions in the AI era, contrasting “portfolio” careers (consulting/investing across multiple projects) vs “operating” roles (all-in at one company).25 Feb 2026 · 45 min · 20 chapters
Venture is in its growthmaxxing eraThe episode mixes “looks maxing”/“growth maxing” internet culture with a deep dive into venture’s current “growthmaxxing era”: concentrated VC fundraising, mega-round dynamics, and how growth…19 Feb 2026 · 39 min · 12 chapters
No one won the AI BowlPost–Super Bowl discussion on whether startups should buy Super Bowl ads, especially AI companies; also broader debate about SaaS “software is dead” narratives and how AI is reshaping jobs and…11 Feb 2026 · 41 min · 24 chapters