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Artificial Intelligence
Climate Change
Mental Health
Robotics
Renewable Energy
Machine Learning
Energy Transition
Solar Energy
Nvidia
Solar Power
Gene Therapy
Cancer Treatment
Psychedelics
Clinical Trials
China
Drone Delivery
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Transportation Technology
AI Revolution
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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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes202Founded5 years ago
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EntrepreneurshipBusinessTechnology

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Artwork for What's Your Problem?

Latest Episodes

David Autor is a labor economist at MIT. He has written about how the arrival of personal computers increased inequality among American workers. But when it comes to AI, David thinks there could be a different outcome.

Read David’s article about A... more

John Mills is the CEO and co-founder of a nonprofit called Watch Duty. His problem is this: How do you build an app to warn people when they are in immediate danger from a natural disaster? Watch Duty has millions of users and played a key role in th... more

Josh Tyrangiel is the author of “AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter.” On today’s show, Josh talks about some of these real people and the problems they’re working on: a professor trying to underst... more

Betsey Stevenson is a labor economist at the University of Michigan, and she was an economic adviser to President Obama. Betsey’s problem is this: How can we create a world where the benefits of AI are broadly shared?

Betsey draws on history – incl... more

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Recent Guests

Josh Tyrangiel
Staff writer at The Atlantic and author of AI for Good
The Atlantic
Episode: How AI Could Actually Make the World Better
Betsey Stevenson
Labor economist, University of Michigan
University of Michigan
Episode: Finding Meaning (and Money) in the AI Age
Brian McClendon
Chief Technology Officer at Niantic Spatial
Niantic Spatial
Episode: Using Pokémon Go to Map the World
Dan Shipper
Co-founder and CEO of Every
Every
Episode: The Company Where Everyone Has Their Own AI Agent
Kate Evans
Professor in the Department of Horticulture at Washington State University
Washington State University
Episode: Inventing a Better Apple
Rob Meyerson
Co-founder and CEO of Interlune
Interlune
Episode: Building a Business on the Moon
Aaron Edsinger
Co-founder and CEO of Hello Robot
Hello Robot
Episode: Building a Robot People Actually Want
Ben Christensen
Co-founder and CEO of Cambium
Cambium
Episode: Turning Waste Wood Into Buildings
Melanie Windridge
Founder of Fusion Energy Insights; co-founder of Fusion X Invest Conferences; founder of Fusion Advisory Services
Fusion Energy Insights / Fusion X Invest / Fusion Advisory Services
Episode: The Great Fusion Debate: How Far Away Are We Really?

Host

Jacob Goldstein
Host of What's Your Problem?, Pushkin Industries / What's Your Problem?

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 595 ratings
  • Delete the Process, Crash the Car

    The advertisements are annoying, frequent and blaring.

    Interesting topic but turned off when it was revealed the guest was an Elon Musk fan. Sure it’s possible to work faster but when it comes to public safety this can result in cars that crash and kill people, rockets that crash land in areas where rockets shouldn’t crash. Then there is what was done to Twitter and to democracy and government. Very broken and toxic. Delete the process, demolish the rose garden.

    Musk is also a liar who said he ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    acuteangle
    Australia8 months ago
  • Good, but...

    You have really good content. BUT, you like, can't speak an entire like sentence without like using really distracting like language. Like grow up and learn how to like speak. Your language is like way too like distracting

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    disappointed 206
    United States9 months ago
  • 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
    9 months 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 Kingdom10 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 Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

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

Listeners value the mix of deep tech topics with practical business insight, and appreciate the guest diversity.
Some reviews note improved interview style over time and praise the host's curiosity.
A recurring critique mentions ads and occasional interruptions impacting listening experience.
Positive feedback often highlights inspiring conversations and broad coverage of innovative solutions.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#98
United States/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#98
Canada/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#195
United Kingdom/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#66
Australia/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#58
Indonesia/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#108
Singapore/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Finding Meaning (and Money) in the AI Age
Q: What is the data dividend and why should people care?
The data dividend proposes that since AI systems are trained on human knowledge, ordinary people should receive a share of the benefits, funded by an institutional framework that treats cognition as a public good.
Finding Meaning (and Money) in the AI Age
Q: What does Engels Pause mean for workers today in the AI era?
It serves as a warning that productivity gains can outpace wage growth, especially when capital incentives align with replacing labor, underscoring the need for policies that ensure shared benefits.
Finding Meaning (and Money) in the AI Age
Q: Did you have a moment yourself when you realized that AI, generative AI is a big deal?
Betsey explains that the moment came with CHatGPT and the realization that we've seen transformative tech before, where human labor could become redundant as machine capabilities expanded.
How AI Could Actually Make the World Better
Q: What did the Cleveland Clinic example show about AI in healthcare?
AI can flag sepsis and, when paired with human-centered workflows like a dedicated command center and interpretable explanations, reduce mortality. The key is aligning AI recommendations with clinicians' actual work processes and providing clear rationales, not just alerts.
How AI Could Actually Make the World Better
Q: How did AI help in Operation Warp Speed?
AI and machine learning were used to create a data-driven, end-to-end view of the vaccine supply chain: from vials and refrigeration to trucks and distribution hubs. Palantir's data integration and real-time dashboards allowed administrators to see bottlenecks, allocate resources, and hold parties accountable, turning a complex logistics problem into a manageable 'video game' that could be acted upon quickly.

Audience Metrics

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

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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?

A tech-leaning interview show where a seasoned journalist speaks with founders, engineers, and researchers about high-impact problems at the intersection of technology, policy, and society. Guests range from AI practitioners and space entrepreneurs to agricultural biotechnologists and consumer hardware leaders, yielding conversations that mix practical product insights with broader implications for work, safety, and public policy. Notable throughlines include how AI augments work and creativity, practical near-term applications of advanced tech, and the social and economic dynamics surrounding emerging technologies. The host's style has evolved to feature more attentive, topic-driven dialogue with a diverse slate of guests, making the serie... more

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1. Business History
2. Freakonomics Radio
3. Planet Money
4. Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
5. The Economics of Everyday Things

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

What's Your Problem? launched 5 years ago and published 202 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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What guests have appeared on What's Your Problem??

Recent guests on What's Your Problem? include:

1. Josh Tyrangiel
2. Betsey Stevenson
3. Brian McClendon
4. Dan Shipper
5. Kate Evans
6. Rob Meyerson
7. Aaron Edsinger
8. Ben Christensen

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