“Most organizations aren’t failing because people are incompetent—they’re failing because the system makes it impossible to succeed.”
In this conversation, Laksh Raghavan and I explore how cybernetics, systems thinking, and multidisciplinary insight help us make sense of organizational failure, innovation, and the messy reality of human behavior. From mimetic desire to randomness, we unpack what it really takes to build resilient, human-centric systems—in tech, business, and life.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Cybersecurity and Multidisciplinary Thinking
03:15 Understanding Cybernetics: First and Second Order
06:21 The Importance of Multidisciplinary Thinking
09:24 Applying Cybernetics in Everyday Life
12:23 The Role of Epistemology in Knowledge Construction
15:16 Organizational Dynamics and Bureaucracy
18:13 Innovation and the Startup Ecosystem
21:27 Human-Centric Business Models
24:14 The Complexity of Organizational Structures
27:16 Rethinking Management and Systems Thinking
33:16 The Unaccountability Machine
34:17 Exploring Cybernetics and Psycho-Cybernetics
35:12 Self-Exploration and Understanding Desires
36:14 Mimetic Desires and Human Nature
39:22 The Role of Anti-Role Models
40:10 The Complexity of Success
43:19 Randomness and Luck in Success
46:04 The Importance of Lifelong Learning
50:28 Balancing Optimism and Pessimism
51:19 Status Games vs. Value Creation
54:04 Trade-offs in Business and Sustainability
57:02 The Future of Manufacturing and Outsourcing
59:25 Recommended Reading and Closing Thoughts