What I See: Conversations with Visionaries, Innovators and Entrepreneurs with Mark O’Donnell and Lewis Schiff

The hosts of What I See take on the strikes — auto workers and Hollywood writers — that are threatening to halt two of America's most beloved industries. Why are these strikes happening now? What's really going on in American business that has led to such discord between workers, managers and customers? Find out on this episode of What I See.

Akhil Patel's family suffered economically in the 1990s and 2008-9. That got this Oxford-educated thinker to wonder, how can we predict economic cycles better? The result of that is his book, Secret Wealth Advantage, which outlines a historical economic cycle argument that allows its followers to predict booms and busts.

Every summer has a hit song. In 2023, it's Rich Men North of Richmond by Oliver Anthony, a previously unknown artist who's song about the forgotten American has managed to put words and music to the politics of the moment. We came across this song when Sam Klemens, the writer wrote about it in his newsletter, the Unhedged Capitalist back when the song was just introduced. We wanted to understand Sam how this song had become such a viral sensation in such a short period of time and what it tells us about America today.

In 2023, the United States Supreme Court ended the affirmative action protections in place for nearly 50 years in a case against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. We asked Dr. Ephraim Isaac, a civil rights pioneer and a global conflict resolution expert, who was at Harvard University when affirmative action was enacted, for his take on this landmark rule and its demise.

For years, augmented + virtual reality promised use cases beyond gaming. But no one--not Facebook, Microsoft or Google--has been able to turn AR/VR into mainstream tools for the workplace. Now, after 7 years and billions of dollars, Apple is getting into the game. They're no strangers to the "changing everything" game, having changed how we live our lives through iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches. Will they do it again?

Technology is supposed to make our lives better. But does it make us happier? The pandemic accelerated the development of virtual meeting technology but most people report feeling lonelier than ever. Our special guest, Father John Merz, will help us understand if the modern age is making us more connected or more disconnected. Reverend John Merz is an Episcopal Minister and currently serves as Pastor of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He has previously served as Chaplain at NYU and various Manhattan congregations. Alongside his ministry, Rev. Merz is also a co-founder of the North Brooklyn Angels, a local non-profit organization dedicated to addressing pressing issues such as hunger, poverty, homelessness, and inequitable access to resources through volunteer-driven direct action projects.

Discussing the leaks of Ukrainian military papers on discord. Cybersecurity. How do we protect our secrets?

Join Mark and Lewis as they speak with Stacia Nelson, of Pivot Strategies, about layoffs and how to successfully engage teams. 

Join Mark and Lewis as they speak with Alex Rodriguez, of Azulle, about doing business with China and the potential banning of TikTok in America. 

Join Mark and Lewis as they speak with Jim Tierney of Gengras Motors about the future of electric vehicles.