Timothy Chen’s story isn’t your typical Silicon Valley success arc. He didn’t start as a hotshot coder - Microsoft once slotted him into the IT track, nothing more. Yet he went on to become a member of the Apache Software Foundation, contribute to open-source projects like Kafka and Mesos (the one-time rival to Kubernetes), and now runs Essence VC, where he backs infrastructure founders with a hands-on approach. In this episode, we talk about: The underdog mindset that turne...

In this episode, we sit down with Julia Morton - a writer, art curator, fashion designer, early YouTuber, and author of a Substack chronicling how artists are experimenting with AI (https://aiplusart.substack.com). We chatted how Julia views art as a time capsule for a species going from analog to cyber, why AI-aided films can feel more personal (smaller crews, fewer gatekeepers), and how new tools surface new voices the way photography once did. We also wade into the thorny stuff...

In this episode, we are joined by Joshua Pulsifer - narrative designer and co-director at Zipit! Games, an indie studio in New York. Joshua and his partner Ben are building The Wide Open Sky is Running Out of Catfish, a story-driven photography game set on the back of a giant flying catfish. Beneath its playful exterior lies a meditation on memory, friendship, and the impermanence of life. We dive into a super fun journey exploring: whether video games are a good storytelling medium, wh...

Data breaks. AI models go crazy. Downstream teams scramble to put out the fire. In this episode, I talk with Chad Sanderson, CEO and co-founder of Gable - a startup rebuilding data quality and governance from the ground up. We dive into the “shift left” philosophy: why upstream engineers must own their data outputs, how data contracts create accountability in AI systems, and what it takes to drive real cultural change across an organization. We also zoom out into Chad’s journey - from marti...

How do you measure whether an education policy is actually working? In this episode, I talk with Stephanie Franklin, Deputy Associate Commissioner of Strategy and Analytics at one of the largest education agencies in the U.S. We dive into the grounding yet complex role data plays in education - how student outcomes are tracked, how metrics are built to drive accountability, and the delicate balance between actionable insight and student privacy, in a world of emerging tech. From evaluating...

In this episode, we sit down with Sean Chen - a former data scientist at Google and one of the first AI product managers at Walmart/Sam’s Club - to unpack his whirlwind journey through tech and startups. Sean reveals how VC pressure can steer or stall your vision, and how he and his co-founder built “Shelfer,” a voice-driven inventory app for SMB retailers, in just two days on London’s shop floors. We also break down the most realistic agent-AI use cases (of course, how could we miss th...

From a hacker's perspective, what are some of the most overlooked - yet critical - problems in tech? In this episode, Clarence Chio shares his journey from giving DEFCON talks on adversarial AI before it was cool, to building two startups at the intersection of risk management and AI. We dive into his experiences hacking alongside white, red, and black hats in an abandoned warehouse near the Kremlin, to the quiet evolution of vendor management, and how the meaning of "work" is evolving as te...

Floating Questions welcomes Ashish Ranjan Jha - former AI lead at Revolut, author of Fight Fraud with Machine Learning, and now founder of Nativ. In this episode, we trace Ashish’s journey across three continents and a range of roles - from customizing LSTMs for interpretability before it was cool, to scaling fraud and identity verification AI systems at Revolut, to founding Nativ, a startup helping businesses go global through seamless localization. You’ll also hear some unexpected gems - ...

Floating Questions welcomes Matt LeMay, a product leader, musician, and author of two books: Impact First Product Teams and Product Management in Practice. With experience at Spotify, Mailchimp, Bitly, and beyond, Matt shares his thoughts on navigating ethical dilemmas in big tech, driving real impact in product teams, and the essential traits of a great product manager. Beyond work, we dive into his love for music, how therapy shaped his leadership, and the experiences that have shaped his a...

Floating Questions welcomes Nivedita Gaur, whose extraordinary journey spans from India's Space Applications Centre to shaping the future of augmented reality (AR) as a Silicon Architect at Meta, where she contributed to the cutting-edge Orion AR glasses. In this episode, we delve into not only her remarkable achievements but also her passion for empowering women to forge their own paths. Nivedita also shares moving stories of her family's support, the generational friction she navigated, a...

What is even fairness in AI? Is there such a thing as too much diversity in AI output? Should AI reflect the world as it is, or the world we wish it to be? In this episode of Floating Questions, Brian Hsu, a Senior Responsible AI Engineer at LinkedIn, takes us into the heart of responsible AI, sharing his journey from grad school stardom to the trenches of building fair and impactful machine learning systems with interesting tales. We also delve into why Brian chose to forgo a PhD at top-t...

In this episode of Floating Questions, we sit down with Amine Bennouna, a postdoctoral researcher at MIT and soon-to-be professor at the Kellogg School of Management. We explore his childhood in Morocco and how competing in the International Mathematical Olympiad inspired him to co-found Math&Maroc, an NGO dedicated to unlocking the scientific potential of Moroccan youth, one equation at a time. Amine also delves into his research focus area in artificial intelligence (AI), discussing th...

In this episode of Floating Questions, we sit down with Daniel Kofman, a serial entrepreneur who co-founded a solar panel company and started a defense technology startup recently, with a lifelong fascination for defense technology - rooted in his mother’s passion for martial arts. Daniel shares insights on the largest challenges in solar deployment, his ethical approach to choosing the defense technology he works on, tales from securing funding, and methods for identifying trustworthy inves...

In this episode of Floating Questions, we sit down with Shane Weisberg, an MIT graduate, hiking in the woods and dabbling in creative writing. Our conversation delves into Shane’s passion for sci-fi and fantasy, his thoughts on emotional vulnerability in sharing his work. We also touch on the classic debate of separating the art from the artist. On a different note, Shane shares why he initially joined Major League Baseball (MLB) and what ultimately led him to leave the world of sports analyt...

Dive into our debut episode of "Floating Questions" where we explore the intersections of data science, social enterprise, and personal history with Tristan Aubert. From his early years moving across continents to spearheading data initiatives in Kenya’s largest forestry social enterprise, Tristan shares how his diverse background and passion for mission-oriented work shape his approach to technology and environmentalism. Discover the challenges and triumphs of integrating data science with ...