Bob Kocher speaks with Brad Stulberg, on the many lessons in his newly-published book The Way of Excellence, including why we find excellence on the side of the mountain, not at its peak. Drawing on the ancient Greek concept of Arete, Brad argues that you find true success in pursuit itself: the bidirectional process where chasing a goal, whether writing a book, building a company, or competing in sport, shapes your character as much as you shape the outcome. They go deeper on the optimistic lessons from his book, including why joy is life's true renewable energy source.

Leading AI researcher and Professor at the Santa Fe Institute Melanie Mitchell joins Ethan Batraski for a conversation on how our current generation of AI is powerful, promising, and still badly in need of transparency about how it actually "thinks." She gives advice on how to redesign our benchmarks as true measures instead of targets, and how we can incorporate dynamic testing and deeper interpretability to close the gap between today's AI systems and true intelligence.

Siobhan Nolan Mangini sat down with author and UCSF physician Bob Wachter for a fireside chat about his new book on AI in healthcare, A Giant Leap. In this special live-recorded episode, he reflects on what he learned from interviewing top leaders across healthcare and technology about the coming wave of AI in healthcare. The discussion unpacks how AI could ease clinician burnout and expand access to care, while raising deeper questions about incentives, cost, and what role humans should ultimately play in the delivery of healthcare.