The Future of Everything

How power, status, hierarchy, and workplace relationships shape our sense of autonomy, respect, and wellbeing, and what leaders can do to create healthier organizations.

Hi everyone, we had big news out of Stanford this week: Karl Deisseroth has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries leading to optogenetics, a technique that makes it possible to switch individual nerve cells on or off in the living brain. To celebrate, we're re-releasing a live conversation Russ had with Karl a few years ago. He's both a bioengineer and a practicing psychiatrist, and he tells me how he built a way to control brain cells with light, why the odds were stacked against it, and how it could open the door to better treatments for psychiatric disorders. We also talk about his book Projections and what it takes to turn a long-shot idea into a tool that changes neuroscience. Congratulations, Karl, on an honor so well deserved. Whether this is your first listen or your second, it's one worth hearing. Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to [email protected]. Episode Reference Links: Stanford Profile: Karl Deisseroth Learn more about Karl's Nobel Prize win Learn more about Optogenetics Reactions to Karl's Nobel Win Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction Russ Altman introduces Karl Deisseroth, a professor of bioengineering, psychiatry, and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. (00:04:49) Technology and Discovery Why Deisseroth sees technology development and basic neuroscience as inseparable. (00:06:36) What Is Optogenetics? How light can be used to precisely turn specific cells in the brain on or off. (00:08:27) Turning an Idea into a Tool The process that led to optogenetics (00:10:57) Microbial Opsins How light-sensitive proteins from microorganisms became the foundation for controlling neurons with light. (00:14:11) Optogenetics in Humans How optogenetics has already been used to restore limited vision, and what that suggests for future therapies. (00:17:37) Psychiatry and the Lab How Deisseroth’s work with patients shapes the scientific questions his lab pursues. (00:21:48) The Most Pressing Questions in Neuroscience Today Why identifying the brain’s many cell types became a central goal of the BRAIN Initiative. (00:24:28) Correlation vs. Causality Why understanding which neurons actually drive behavior requires more than simply observing brain activity. (00:26:52) Controlling Brain Networks How researchers are beginning to study and manipulate multiple brain regions with precise timing. (00:28:19) The Need for Neuroscience Theory Why better technology creates a growing need for theories that can guide which neural circuits to study. (00:29:38) Writing Projections Why Deisseroth wrote about the inner worlds of psychiatric patients alongside the science of the brain. (00:32:59) Capturing Patients’ Inner Worlds How feedback from people with psychiatric disorders shaped Deisseroth’s view of the book’s impact. (00:34:26) Conclusion Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How understanding where our emotions come from and learning when and how to regulate them can help us navigate stress, improve wellbeing, and respond more effectively to life’s challenges.

About a year ago, the Future of Everything team was in New York taping a special episode on the innovation economy in front of a live audience, and today we're re-releasing it. We sat down with computer scientist Fei-Fei Li and economists Susan Athey and Neale Mahoney to dig into how AI is reshaping creativity, jobs, education, and public policy, and where it might take us next. It's a wide-ranging, energetic conversation. Whether you're thinking about how AI might reshape your own work, or you're just curious where some of the smartest people in tech and economics think this is all headed, this one's a great listen. Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to [email protected]. Episode Reference Links: Stanford Profiles: Fei-Fei Li | Neale Mahoney | Susan Athey Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction Russ Altman introduces this re-release of a live episode featuring Fei-Fei Li, Susan Athey, and Neale Mahoney on the future of the innovation economy. (00:00:45) Defining the Innovation Economy How new ideas, technologies, and commercialization are reshaping economic growth. (00:02:13) AI as a General-Purpose Technology What past technologies like electricity and personal computing can teach us about AI adoption. (00:03:23) The Bottlenecks to Adoption Why digitization, software costs, training, and organizational change can slow the spread of new technology. (00:06:05) AI and the Labor Market Why uncertainty about which jobs AI will disrupt makes social safety nets especially important. (00:08:04) Augmenting Human Work Why Fei-Fei Li sees AI as a tool for enhancing human capabilities rather than simply replacing jobs. (00:11:17) Shaping Human-Centered Innovation How innovation can be designed to complement human skills, creativity, and purpose. (00:12:21) Universities and AI Innovation How universities can help develop human-centered technologies and lower barriers to adoption. (00:13:45) Government and the AI Transition How public investment and policy could help workers adapt while expanding services like healthcare and childcare. (00:15:50) Rethinking Education Why AI may force a fundamental rethink of what and how students learn. (00:17:18) Jobs, Adaptation, and Safety Nets What history suggests about how economies adjust to technological disruption—and when policy intervention matters. (00:18:33) AI Regulation and Innovation How policymakers might balance technological progress with appropriate guardrails. (00:21:57) Competition and Market Power Why competition, open models, and the cost of AI access matter for innovation and economic opportunity. (00:24:57) Economic Optimism Why confidence in the American economy has declined and what might help restore it. (00:26:40) Future In a Minute Rapid-fire Q&A: hope for the future, education, robotics, AI accessibility, and the skills the panelists would learn next. (00:30:24) Conclusion Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A Special Episode of Think Fast Talk Smart featuring Russ Altman as the Guest, exploring the future of communication in the AI era.