1.
What It’s Like to Be…a Software Engineer
Tracing mysterious errors to their source, jousting with product managers, and rolling out new features (without breaking the old ones) with Taylor Hughes, a software engineer.
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2.
What It’s Like to Be…a City Manager
Mediating pickleball noise disputes, shepherding communities through thorny decisions, and practicing radical pragmatism with Martha Bennett, city manager of Lake Oswego, Oregon.
3.
What It’s Like to Be…a Barman
Pouring pints for thirsty tourists, defusing situations with drunk patrons, and finding flow in the Friday night rush with Brian Wynne, a barman in Dublin.
4.
What It’s Like to Be…a Brain Surgeon
Zapping parts of the brain to know where to cut, operating a mouth-controlled microscope that’s worth more than a house, and carrying the weight of life-or-death decisions with Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, a brain surgeon at the Mayo Clinic.
5.
What It’s Like to Be…an Aircraft Carrier Commander
Commanding a floating city of 5,000 sailors, intercepting Houthi missiles in the Red Sea, and stripping rank from sailors who cross the line with Captain Chris “Chowdah” Hill, commanding officer of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier.
6.
What It’s Like to Be…a Daycare Owner
Singing cleanup songs, tiring out kids before naptime, and battling the “babysitter” stereotype with Brenda Hawkins, a daycare owner in Maryland.
7.
What It’s Like to Be…an Audiobook Narrator
Fine-tuning the perfect accent for a character, recording for hours in a sound-insulated booth, and tracking down obscure pronunciations with Sean Pratt, an audiobook narrator.
8.
What’s the Goal of the Goal?
When we lock into a particular goal too quickly, we blind ourselves to alternate routes forward that might have been better and easier. We can avoid this trap by asking ourselves one simple question.
9.
How Zero-Sum Beliefs Get in the Way of Fairness
The more we are stuck in the fixed-pie mentality, the harder it is to spot the opportunities to expand the pie.
10.
Vibe Check: AI and Behavioral Science in Silicon Valley
Kristen Berman has worked at the intersection of behavioral science and technology in Silicon Valley for the past decade and a half. What’s her on-the-ground view of where AI is headed?
