Career Principles with INSEAD Professor Dr. Linda Brimm

Linda Brimm is Emeritus Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD, teaching both in the MBA and executive programmes. Along with her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Brimm created and ran the psychological service for the MBA programme at INSEAD.

Trained as a clinical psychologist, she also works with both individuals and families at a centre she co-founded in Paris.

Career Principles with Nobel Laureate Dr. Robert Shiller

Sterling Professor Emeritus of Economics

Yale University

About this masterclass

• Mental models for expanding your thinking
• Advice for young graduates
• Universities of the future
• Careers in academics

Nobel Laureate Robert J. Shiller is Sterling Professor of Economics, Department of Economics and Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University, and Professor of Finance and Fellow at the International Center for Finance, Yale School of Management.

Some argue that the age of American dominance is beginning to fracture, as rival powers rise, global trust erodes, and the institutions that once upheld U.S. leadership lose their force. Others contend that talk of decline is overstated, and that America remains the world’s central economic, military, and cultural power, however contested its position may now be.

We explore whether the United States is witnessing a temporary crisis of legitimacy or the deeper unravelling of an empire. We debate the meaning of a more multipolar world: whether it promises a healthier diffusion of power, or a more unstable international order marked by uncertainty, conflict, and competing spheres of influence. Along the way, we examine the enduring power of the dollar, the challenge posed by China and other rising states, and the global systems that still bear the imprint of American primacy.

Our discussion also turns to the moral dimension of empire. Has America lost the authority to present itself as a force for freedom and stability, or was that claim always more myth than reality? We engage directly with difficult questions about war, soft power, and political legitimacy, and ask whether the end of American hegemony would mark the beginning of a fairer world, or simply the arrival of a more dangerous one.

Shownotes: Read Utkarsh’s article, “We are all birds of a distant land” here: https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2026/Mar/22/we-are-all-birds-of-a-distant-land

Santanu Bhattacharya is the author of two novels, One Small Voice and Deviants, and several works of short fiction. One Small Voice was an Observer Best Debut Novel for 2023, and was shortlisted for the Author’s Club Best First Novel Award and the Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize.

Deviants won the Rainbow Award and BLF-Atta Galata Prize 2025, and was longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize.

Santanu is the recipient of the Desmond Elliott Prize Residency, the Mo Siewcharran Prize, the Life Writing Prize, and a London Writers’ Award. He grew up in India, and now lives in London.

Dhruva and I explore both sides of the debate, starting with the case for fully remote organizations. Remote work expands the talent pool beyond geography, allowing companies to access exceptional people wherever they live. It can reduce bias linked to physical presence and office politics, and it often enables deeper focus without constant interruption. Asynchronous communication can sharpen thinking, improve documentation, and create clearer decision trails. Flexibility can also preserve energy and prevent burnout, which is critical for sustaining long term elite performance.

From there, we examine the counterargument. Elite performance cultures often rely on talent opportunity bridging, where proximity accelerates access to stretch roles, mentorship, and high visibility work. Informal trust networks can move faster than formal systems. Serendipity matters, and non work conversations frequently spark breakthrough ideas. When solving difficult problems, reduced lag time and rapid back and forth can compound into a meaningful advantage. Work has historically created strong social bonds as well, from industry towns to innovation hubs, where shared space reinforced shared ambition.

We unpack whether elite cultures are built on flexibility and design or on density and shared presence, and what fully remote companies must do if they want to maintain exceptional standards rather than drift toward average.

Some view religion as a vital source of moral guidance, community, and meaning, while others argue that secular ethics, reason, and shared human values are sufficient foundations for a meaningful life.

We explore whether religious institutions continue to provide social cohesion or whether, in an increasingly pluralistic world, they risk reinforcing division. We debate if and how faith offers forms of comfort and purpose that science and rational inquiry cannot address.

Our discussion also addresses the friction between religious tradition and contemporary values. Can ancient texts meaningfully inform modern ethical challenges, or do they impose constraints that no longer align with individual freedom? We engage directly with difficult questions around indoctrination and education, and whether raising children within a religious framework is best understood as a gift of identity or an unwelcome imposition.

This episode examines a fundamental tension in political philosophy: should we focus on leveling the playing field or on where people actually end up? Advocates of equal opportunity argue it preserves freedom and rewards merit while respecting individual choices. Critics contend that without addressing outcomes, opportunity remains illusory for those born into disadvantage. Dhruva and Utkarsh consider whether genuine equal opportunity is even possible when starting points differ so dramatically.

We also explore what the evidence on social mobility reveals about our current systems.

Tune in to join this wide-ranging conversation about fairness, freedom, and the practical implications of each approach for how we structure society.

Some argue that digital detox is the way to deepening the way we connect with ourselves and our loved ones. They say that being constantly connected can be much less liberating than one might think.

Others say that digital minimalism is fashionable but ineffective. If yes, how?

In this episode of Arguable, we explore what it means to pay attention instead of demanding it, to look within when distraction is the default mode, and to wander without feeling like you’ve lost the plot.