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Every week on What's Your Problem?, former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein talks with entrepreneurs and engineers tackling the biggest challenges at the forefront of technology. How do you make a trip to space as routine as a plane flight? How do you turn solar energy into clean fuel? How do you use AI to stop deadly infections before they spread? We hear a lot these days about how the world is ... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes172Founded4 years ago
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BusinessEntrepreneurshipTechnology

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Artwork for What's Your Problem?

Latest Episodes

Boris Sofman is the co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Robotics.

Boris' problem is this: How do you teach machines not just to drive, but also to work: to grade roads, move heavy objects and dig big holes at construction sites.

 On today’s show, Boris... more

Justin Kolbeck is the co-founder and CEO of Wildtype, a company making seafood without killing fish.

Their first product is cultivated salmon, which is made from real salmon cells that are grown in a stainless steel vat.

Justin's problem is this: ... more

Ed Conway is an economics journalist and author of the book “Material World: The Six Raw Materials that Shape Modern Civilization.”

On today’s show, Ed reveals how three of those often-overlooked materials—iron, copper, and sand—shaped human advanc... more

Shashank Samala is the CEO and co-founder of Heirloom, a carbon capture start-up.

His problem is this: Can you use crushed up rocks to permanently suck carbon out of the atmosphere? And can you do it cheaply enough to have a global impact?

On toda... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Boris Soffman
Co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Robotics
Bedrock Robotics
Episode: Could Autonomous Diggers Unleash a Building Boom?
Justin Kolbeck
Co-founder and CEO of Wild Type, focused on cultivating lab-grown seafood.
Wild Type
Episode: Growing Meat from Cells
Ed Conway
Economics journalist and author of Material World, The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization.
Episode: The Ordinary Stuff Behind Technological Breakthroughs
Shashank Samala
Co-founder and CEO of Airloom, focused on carbon capture technology using limestone.
Airloom
Episode: Carbon Capture at Rock-Bottom Prices
Aaron Parness
Director of Applied Science at Amazon Robotics
Amazon Robotics
Episode: Why Amazon Built a Spatula-Wielding Robot
Carl Hoiland
Co-founder and CEO of Zanskar
Zanskar
Episode: Drilling Smarter Wells to Unleash Geothermal Energy
Stephen Waxman
Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience and Pharmacology at Yale
Yale University
Episode: Inventing a Better Pain Pill
Philipp Kandal
Chief Product Officer at Grab, with extensive experience in mapping and navigation technologies.
Grab
Episode: Mapping the Unmappable
Alan Doctor
Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Kalasite.
Kalasite
Episode: Reinventing Blood

Host

Jacob Goldstein
Host of What's Your Problem?, with experience as a journalist focusing on economic issues. Provides engaging interviews that bridge complex topics with accessible dialogue.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 576 ratings
  • Love the podcast...... Jacob covers lots of interesting topics and the length of the episodes are perfect for when I'm out walking. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is the amount of commercials. I get it, you have to generate income to finance the podcast, but a recent episode i listened to had almost 10 minutes of commercials in the 28 minute length.

    Podcast Addict
    4
    kathyaj
    12 days ago
  • Fantastic

    Jacob, come on, Nan kept explaining that their climate capture strategy is the opposite of a marginal investor (they are a first mover investor at much higher than marginal cost ) and you kept repeating marginal several times!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Charly358
    United Kingdom2 months ago
  • Knowledge and Hope

    This might be my favorite podcast. So many interesting solutions to important current problems. It gives me hope for the future. Jacob has become a great interface between the science, scientist and the listener.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    🌻Jocelyn🌻
    United States2 months ago
  • A profoundly interesting and hopeful podcast

    I had to take a moment to drop a review because I really enjoy this podcast and hope more people give it a shot! The interviews are interesting, personal, and entertaining! I’ve been listening for a long time, and I’m sure I’ve listened to many people who are going to have a huge impact on making the world a much better place. The episodes on solar were particularly fascinating and a great place to start I think! Thank you so much Jacob and team!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    This really matters
    Canada3 months ago
  • Just rename to What’s you AI problem

    Agree with other reviews that the host stomps all over the guests answer leading to inaudible cross talk. Over the last year+ the focus seems to be solely about AI.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    1861 int.
    United States4 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Positive feedback on the entertaining and hopeful nature of the content, with many noting the inspiring guests and their solutions to pressing issues.
Listeners appreciate the engagement with innovative thinkers tackling real-world problems, often highlighting the depth and relevance of the topics discussed.
Some critiques mentioned issues with the host's interviewing style, particularly interruptions that could detract from guest contributions.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#187
United States/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#152
United Kingdom/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#159
Australia/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#98
Indonesia/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#117
South Korea/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#161
Israel/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Could Autonomous Diggers Unleash a Building Boom?
Q: Why did you start with excavators?
Excavators are the most highly utilized machine in construction, usually comprising twenty to twenty-five percent of fleets, and are also complex to operate, creating a large demand for operators.
Growing Meat from Cells
Q: What was your first thought when you saw the beating heart cells in your friend's lab?
It made the prospect of creating lab-grown meat seem more possible, as if human cells could be grown successfully, then growing meat could be feasible as well.
Growing Meat from Cells
Q: Why do you feel so strongly that the world needs cultivated salmon?
Because many wild fish stocks are declining, and cultivated salmon could provide a sustainable alternative while reducing the risk of overfishing.
The Ordinary Stuff Behind Technological Breakthroughs
Q: What is the history of the bet between Paul Erlich and Julian Simon concerning resources?
Simon bet Erlich on the future price of metals, including copper, asserting that human ingenuity would prevent scarcity, and he won as prices did not skyrocket as anticipated.
The Ordinary Stuff Behind Technological Breakthroughs
Q: So, tell me about copper as the secret story behind electrification of the world?
Copper is essential for electricity, and with increased demand for electrification, we need more copper to support this transition.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About What's Your Problem?

What is What's Your Problem? about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The focus is on entrepreneurs and engineers who are addressing significant technological challenges facing society today. Episodes often highlight innovations ranging from carbon capture and renewable energy to advancements in AI and robotics. The engaging discussions aim to provide insights into how these innovators are redesigning industries, tackling environmental issues, and creating pioneering solutions that may significantly improve our world. Notably, the show's unique approach lies in its blend of technical detail with personal narratives from guests who share their journeys and motivations, making complex issues accessible and relatable to a broad audience.

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Which podcasts are similar to What's Your Problem??

These podcasts share a similar audience with What's Your Problem?:

1. The Economics of Everyday Things
2. The Indicator from Planet Money
3. Planet Money
4. Freakonomics Radio
5. People I (Mostly) Admire

How many episodes of What's Your Problem? are there?

What's Your Problem? launched 4 years ago and published 172 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on What's Your Problem??

Recent guests on What's Your Problem? include:

1. Boris Soffman
2. Justin Kolbeck
3. Ed Conway
4. Shashank Samala
5. Aaron Parness
6. Carl Hoiland
7. Stephen Waxman
8. Philipp Kandal

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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