Episodes

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Jonathan Taplin, the author of "The Magic Years: Scenes from a Rock-and-Roll Life", to discuss the influence that rock-and-roll music had on shaping generations in the golden age of the artform, that was the second half of the 20th century. Jonathan Taplin is an author and director emeritus of the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab. Taplin’s book Move Fast and Break Things: How Facebook, Google, and Amazon Cornered Culture and Undermined Democracy, pu...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Niall Ferguson, the author of "Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe", to discuss where we're currently falling short in reacting to and preventing disasters, as well as how to handle the next crisis better. Niall Ferguson, MA, D.Phil., is the Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a senior faculty fellow of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard. He is also a visiting professor a...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Seth Goldenberg, the author of "Radical Curiosity: Questioning Commonly Held Beliefs to Imagine Better Futures", to discuss why questioning the status quo is a necessary precondition for progress. Seth Goldenberg is an entrepreneur and thought-leader working at the intersection of design, business, and culture. Since founding Epic Decade, Goldenberg has led a series of high-profile projects to help organizations build their capacity for ambitiou...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Ali Tamaseb, the author of "Super Founders", to discuss what really differentiates billion-dollar startups from the rest, as well as to reveal why nearly everything we thought was true about them is false! Ali brings the perspective of an entrepreneur and previous startup founder, as well as a highly technical academic researcher to DCVC, a company that backs entrepreneurs solving trillion-dollar problems to multiply the benefits of capitalism f...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Sarah Kendzior, the author of "Hiding in Plain Sight", to discuss the truth about the calculated rise to power of Donald Trump since the 1980s and how the erosion of our liberties made an American dema­gogue possible. Sarah Kendzior is a writer who lives in St Louis, Missouri. Sarah is best known for her best-selling essay collection The View From Flyover Country, reporting on political and economic problems in the US, prescient coverage of the ...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Ron Brownstein, the author of "Rock Me on the Water: 1974-The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television, and Politics", to discuss the story of one monumental year that marked the city of Los Angeles’ creative peak, as well as to explore the glittering moment when popular culture was ahead of politics in predicting what America would become. Part journalist, part historian, and all shrewd political observer, Ron Brownstein explains ...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Suneel Gupta, the author of "Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You", to discuss why the key to success is not talent, connections, or ideas, but the ability to persuade people to take a chance on your potential. Suneel Gupta earned a B.S. in computer programming from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, an M.B.A. from the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, and a J.D. from Northwestern Law School. Su...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Phoebe S.K. Young, the author of "Camping Grounds", to discuss the connection between camping as a familiar recreational pastime and sleeping outside for functional needs and political purposes. Young is a historian of the 19th and 20th-century U.S. with interests in culture, the environment, public memory, and the American West. Her current work concerns the history of camping and sleeping outside and examines the shifting understandings of nat...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Cameron Blevins, the author of "Paper Trails: The US Post and the Making of the American West", to discuss how the US Post wove together two of the era of supposedly limited federal government's defining projects: western expansion and the growth of state power. Cameron Blevins teaches United States history and digital humanities at the University of Colorado Denver. Prior to this, Blevins was an assistant professor of history at Northeastern Un...

Andrew Keen talks with David Stasavage about his new book, The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today (Princeton University Press). David Stasavage is dean for the social sciences and Julius Silver Professor of Politics at New York University. His books include Taxing the Rich and States of Credit (both Princeton).

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Vanessa O'Brien, author of "To the Greatest Heights: Facing Danger, Finding Humility, and Climbing a Mountain of Truth", to discuss her journey from suburban Detroit to Everest’s Death Zone to the summit of K2 and beyond. Vanessa O’Brien is an American mountaineer and a British mountaineer (as a result of her dual nationality), explorer, public speaker and former business executive. Vanessa was named Explorer of the Year in 2018 by the Scientifi...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Matt Feeney, the author of "Little Platoons", to discuss the true roots of over-parenting, as well as the vital importance of family life. Matt Feeney is a writer and the author of “Little Platoons: A defense of family in a competitive age” (Basic Books: March 2021). He has written essays on culture and politics for The New Yorker online, Slate, and other publications. He holds a Ph.D. in political philosophy from Duke University and a B.S. in E...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Fern Schumer Chapman, author of "Brothers, Sisters, Strangers" to discuss understanding, coping with, and healing from the unique pain of sibling estrangement. Critically acclaimed Chicago-based writer Fern Schumer Chapman has written several award-winning books. Her memoir, Motherland — a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, and a BookSense76 pick — is a popular choice for book club...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Blake Smith to discuss his recent essay in Tablet magazine. Blake Smith, a contributing writer at Tablet, is a Harper Schmidt Fellow at the University of Chicago, where he works on cultural ties between France and India. He has written articles for journals such as History of European Ideas and History of the Economic and Social History of the Orient as well as popular media such as The Wire and The Appendix. He has served as a teaching assistan...

On today's episode, Andrew Keen talks with Paul Greenberg about his new book, The Climate Diet. Paul Greenberg writes at the intersection of the environment and technology, seeking to help his readers escape screens and find emotional and ecological balance with their planet. He is the author of six books including the New York Times bestseller and Notable Book Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food. His other books are The Climate Diet, Goodbye Phone, Hello World, The Omega Principle, Ame...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Mustafa Akyol, the author of "Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance". Mustafa Akyol is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, where he focuses on the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. Since 2013, he has also been a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, covering politics and religion in the Muslim world. He is the author of Reopening Muslim Mi...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Nichole Perloth, the author of "This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends", to discuss the potential fate of our species amidst growing concerns of a digitally triggered nuclear Armageddon in the not too distant future. Nicole Perlroth covers cybersecurity and digital espionage for The New York Times. She has covered Russian hacks of nuclear plants, airports, and elections, North Korea's cyberattacks against movie studios, banks and hospitals, Ira...

Ximena Vengoechea is a user researcher, writer, and illustrator whose work on personal and professional development has been published in Inc., The Washington Post, Newsweek, Fast Company, and on The Muse. An experienced manager, she previously workedat Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter. She currently lives in San Francisco with her family. Find out more at ximenavengoechea.com.

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Chris Bail, the author of "Breaking the Social Media Prism", to discuss the ironic dynamics of social media platforms, which on the surface flatter to provide information and facilitate human connection but rather serve to distort individuals' perspectives on reality. Chris Bail is Professor of Sociology and Public Policy at Duke University, where he directs the Polarization Lab. He studies political tribalism, extremism, and social psychology u...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Sara Kamali, the author of "Homegrown Hate", to discuss the organizations and beliefs of domestic terrorists in the United States , as well as how to counter their attacks on American democracy. Sara Kamali, PhD is a holistic justice activist and a scholar of systemic inequities, White nationalism, and militant Islamism. Her writings and activism address how interlocking institutions of power oppress the many while maintaining systems of privile...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Judy Batalion, the author of "The Light of Days", to discuss a largely untold story of the holocaust, the story of the young Jewish women who formed a resistance movement and fought back against the Nazis. Judy was born and raised in Montreal, where she grew up speaking English, French, Yiddish and Hebrew, and trying to stay warm. She studied the history of science at Harvard then moved to London to pursue a PhD in art history. All the while, sh...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Nancy Giordano, the author of "Leadering", to discuss a new and more appropriate template for leadership in today's technologically driven society. Described as endlessly optimistic, Nancy is a strategic futurist with a drive to help enterprise organizations and visionary leaders transform to meet the escalating expectations ahead. Recognized as one of the world’s top female futurists, she has spent her career building, shaping and evolving a po...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Davarian L. Baldwin, the author of "In The Shadow of the Ivory Tower", to discuss morally questionable symbiosis that exists between universities, the government and the economy. Davarian L. Baldwin is a historian, cultural critic, and social theorist of urban America. His work largely examines the landscape of global cities through the lens of the African Diasporic experience. Baldwin’s related interests include intellectual and mass culture, u...

In this episode of "Keen On", Andrew is joined by Ty McCormick, the author of "Beyond the Sand and Sea", to share the story of one family of Somali refugees' 30 year odyssey to reach the United States. From escaping an impoverished life in Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp, to winning a scholarship to study literature at Princeton, protagonist Asad Hussein embodies the strength of a family of Somali refugees who never lost faith in America. Ty McCormick is an editor at Foreign Affairs. A...