Episodes

Dec. 16, 2022

Orville Schell on China in 2022: A Crack in Xi Jinping's Leninist Authoritarianism?

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Orville Schell, author of My Old Home: A Novel of Exile. Orville Schell is the director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society. From 1996 to 2007 he was the dean of the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He has written ten nonfiction...
Dec. 14, 2022

Ewan Morrison on Against Nihilism: Why Belief in Anything is Better Than Nothing

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Ewan Morrison, author of How to Survive Everything. Ewan Morrison is a multiaward-winning novelist, screenwriter, and essayist. His novel Nina X won the Saltire Society Scottish Fiction Book of the Year and is being made into a feature film.
Dec. 13, 2022

Keith Teare on a Crypto Winter and the Dawn of the AI Age: How Silicon Valley Will Remember 2022

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Keith Teare, CEO & Founder at Signal Rank. Keith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd – A UK based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. He was ...
Dec. 13, 2022

Weili Dai: How AI and the Metaverse Will Combine to Create a More "Efficient" Future

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Weili Dai, co-founder, former director, and former president of Marvell Technology Group. One of the most successful women entrepreneurs in the world, Weili Dai is the only woman co-founder of a global semi-conductor company. Born in Shanghai, she emigrated...
Dec. 11, 2022

Maurice Saatchi: Finally Revealed… Why Some of Us Go to Heaven and Why Some of Us End Up in Hell

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Maurice Saatchi, author of Do Not Resuscitate: The Life and Afterlife of Maurice Saatchi. Maurice Saatchi is a British-Iraqi businessman, and with his brother, Charles, co-founder of the advertising agencies Saatchi & Saatchi and M&C Saatchi.
Dec. 11, 2022

Stephen Bezruchka: Why America Needs a "Sputnik Moment" To Reform Its Radically Inegalitarian Healthcare System

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Stephen Bezruchka, author of Inequality Kills Us All: Covid-19’s Health Lessons for the World. Stephen Bezruchka is Associate Teaching Professor in the Departments of Health Systems & Population Health and of Global Health at the School of Public Health, Un...
Dec. 10, 2022

Keith Teare: Are We on the Brink of a Magical AI Age in Which Talking With a Smart Machine Will Be Considered Both Normal and Essential?

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Keith Teare, CEO & Founder at Signal Rank. Keith Teare is a Founder and CEO at SignalRank Corporation. Previously he was Executive Chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd – A UK based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. He was ...
Dec. 9, 2022

Countress of Carnarvon on the Earl and the Pharaoh: From the Real Downton Abbey to the Discovery of Tutankhamun

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Countress of Carnarvon, author of The Earl and the Pharaoh: From the Real Downton Abbey to the Discovery of Tutankhamun. Fiona, The Countess of Carnarvon, lives at Highclere Castle, best-known to millions worldwide as the setting for the popular television ...
Dec. 9, 2022

Ahmed White: What the Early 20th Century War on Radical Workers Tells Us About the Struggle Between Labor and Capital in America Today

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Ahmed White, author of Under the Iron Heel: The Wobblies and the Capitalist War on Radical Workers. Ahmed White teaches labor and criminal law at the University of Colorado Boulder and is author of The Last Great Strike: Little Steel, the CIO, and the Strug...
Dec. 8, 2022

Allegra Goodman : What Happens When a Novelist "Overparents" Their Characters? How a Fictional Creation Can Fight Back Against Their Helicopter Author`

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Allegra Goodman, author of Sam. Allegra Goodman is the author of five novels, two short story collections, and a novel for young readers. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker and elsewhere, and has been anthologized in The O. Henry Awards and Best Ame...
Dec. 8, 2022

Aaron De Smet: Why, In Our Age of Permanent Volatility, We Need to Foster a Zen-Like "Deliberate Calm"

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Aaron De Smet, co-author of Deliberate Calm: How to Learn and Lead in a Volatile World. Aaron De Smet is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company. For twenty-five years, he has helped institutions transform to improve performance and organizational health. Af...
Dec. 7, 2022

Daniel Akst: Why World War II's Greatest Generation Should Be Celebrated As Much For Its Heroic Pacifism As For Its Selfless Sacrifice in Battle

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Daniel Akst, author of War by Other Means: The Pacifists of the Greatest Generation Who Revolutionized Resistance. A native New Yorker, Daniel Akst is a writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Boston Glo...
Dec. 7, 2022

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: Why All Writers, Especially Novelists, Are Political: Which Is Why Novels Can Change the World

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of The Last Queen: A Novel of Courage and Resistance. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni‘s first book in the Brotherhood of the Conch series, The Conch Bearer, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, and a Booklist Editors’...
Dec. 6, 2022

Esther Woolfson: The Most Disturbing of All Human Sins? How We Live With Other Creatures

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Esther Woolfson, author of Between Light and Storm: How We Live with Other Species. Esther Woolfson is the author of Corvus: A Life With Birds and Field Notes From a Hidden City: An Urban Nature Diary, which was short­ listed for the Wainwright Prize and th...
Dec. 6, 2022

Chloe Sorvino: How the Multi-Trillion Dollar Industrial Meat Complex is Bad For Our Species and Our Planet

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Chloe Sorvino, author of Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Fight for the Future of Meat. Chloe Sorvino leads coverage of food, drink, and agriculture at Forbes. Her work has been featured by NPR, Women’s Wear Daily, and the Financial Tim...
Dec. 6, 2022

Michael Kimmelman: Why New York Should Be Savored on Foot Rather Than From an Automobile

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Michael Kimmelman, author of The Intimate City: Walking New York. Michael Kimmelman is the architecture critic of The New York Times. He was the paper’s chief art critic and, from Berlin, created the Abroad column, covering politics and culture across Europ...
Dec. 5, 2022

David Marchick: What Do FDR, Trump, and Lincoln Have in Common? The Worst Transitions of Presidential Power in American History

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by David Marchick, author of The Peaceful Transfer of Power: An Oral History of America’s Presidential Transitions. David Marchick is the former director of the Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition and was the host of its Transit...
Dec. 5, 2022

Samantha Vérant: How to Live in France and Write Novels About Fine Food and Wine

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Samantha Vérant, author of The Spice Master at Bistro Exotique. Samantha Vérant is a travel addict, a self-professed oenophile, and a determined, if occasionally unconventional, at-home French chef. She lives in southwestern France, where she’s married to a...
Dec. 4, 2022

Bob Blaisdell on When Chekhov Became Chekhov: How the Son of a Serf Became a Literary Genius

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Bob Blaisdell, author of Chekhov Becomes Chekhov: The Emergence of a Literary Genius. Bob Blaisdell is Professor of English at the City University of New York’s Kingsborough College and the author of Creating Anna Karenina. He is a reviewer for the San Fran...
Dec. 3, 2022

Lynne Twist: What Gandhi, Mandela, and Martin Luther King Can Teach Us About Living a Committed Life

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Lynne Twist, author of Living a Committed Life: Finding Freedom and Fulfillment in a Purpose Larger Than Yourself. Lynne Twist has been a recognized global visionary committed to alleviating poverty, ending world hunger, and supporting social justice and su...
Dec. 2, 2022

Max Bazerman: Crypto, #MeToo, Theranos, and January 6: How We Enable the Unethical

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Max Bazerman, author of Complicit: How We Enable the Unethical and How to Stop. Max H. Bazerman is the Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He is the author of many books, including Blind Spots: Why We Fail to...
Dec. 2, 2022

Martin Lund on How to Fight Racism? We Need More Books and Conversations About Whiteness

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Martin Lund, author of Whiteness. Martin Lund is Senior Lecturer, Department of Society, Culture, and Identity at Malmö University. He is the author of Re-Constructing the Man of Steel: Superman 1938-1941, Jewish American History, and the Invention of the J...
Dec. 1, 2022

Paul Boross: How Humor is the Best Antidote to Theocracy In Both Politics and the Workplace

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Paul Boross, author of Pitch Up!. Paul Boross is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, authority on communication, performance and pitching skills. He has helped countless business leaders, politicians, entrepreneurs and professionals learn the art ...
Dec. 1, 2022

MinaLima on The Art of Designing the Graphics For the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beast Films

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by MinaLima, authors of The Magic of Minalima: Celebrating the Graphic Design Studio Behind the Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts Films. MinaLima is an award-winning graphic design studio founded by Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, renowned for establishing the ...