New Books in Business, Management, and Marketing
This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network, an academic audio library dedicated to public education. Each episode features scholars discussing their recently published research with another expert in their field. The podcast covers topics in business, management, and marketing. Listeners can explore over 150 channels and thousands of episodes on the network's website.
Episodes
Joseph Turow, "The Problem with Personalization: How Advertisers Learned to Make and Break Us from Ancient Times to the AI Age" (U Chicago Press, 2026)
A respected voice on technology shows how seemingly simple ads help dismantle democracy and public discourse.
Whether
you’re intentionally shopping or casually browsing social media,
something is following you: ads. Their creators seem to know your income
bracket, politics, age, location, medical conditions, and tastes in
clothing, food, and romantic partners. As advertising firms use
predic
Mark Rukman: Translating History Into Advertising
I chatted with brand planner Mark Rukman about his quest to translate historical ways of thinking into advertising. Mark likes to joke that, as a historically obsessed, private-sector strategist, he thinks of himself as a nineteenth-century gentleman scholar working in the "Department of Analogies." We discuss Mark's journey from a childhood in the USSR to the lifeblood of capitalism: the advertis
The Tin Man Model of Running a Company Is Rusty
Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner are enterprise strategists at Amazon Web Services, based in London. Phil was previously a corporate VP and international CIO at McDonalds. Jana was formerly at DHL and studied uncertainty dynamics in academia. They are authors of The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation published by Harvard Business Review Press.
Octopu
Alan Brender, "Pink Tsunami: The Hello Kitty Kawaii Wave that has Swept the World" (Headpress, 2026)
In his latest book, Pink Tsunami: The Hello Kitty Kawaii Wave that has Swept the World (Headpress 2026), Alan Brender delves into Hello Kitty the marketing wonder and cultural phenomenon, who has been around for 50 years. There are theme parks, restaurants, cafes and hotels dedicated to her. There are millions worldwide who buy Hello Kitty products, superfans who don’t know when to stop and amass
Juxuan Zhang and Pierre-Yves Donzé, "Entrepreneurs and the Structural Transformation of the Chinese Apparel Industry, 1980–2020" (Journal of Evolutionary Studies in Business, 2026)
In this interview I met with Dr. Juxuan Zhang (Osaka University) to discuss her research on the history of the Chinese apparel industry since 1979. Her paper with Prof Pierre-Yves Donzé (Osaka University) investigates the structural transformation of the Chinese apparel industry from 1980 to 2020. Following an approach of industry studies and classic business history, it focuses on the 10 largest
Dallas Liddle, "News Machines: The Systems of Daily Journalism in Britain, 1785–1885" (Oxford UP, 2026)
British
daily newspapers transformed rapidly at the turn of the nineteenth
century, ballooning in size and radically reorganizing staffing and
production decade by decade. By mid-century, newspapers had grown from
the folded single sheets of the previous century to large multi-page
broadsheets, so impressive in the quantity of print they held and their
speed of production that one of their n
Andrew J. Hoffman, "Business School and the Noble Purpose of the Market: Correcting the Systemic Failures of Shareholder Capitalism" (Stanford Business Books, 2025)
Today's business schools were designed for a world that no longer exists. Capitalism raised the standard of living for billions of people over the past 150 years, but is now causing systemic challenges it is unable to address. Business School and the Noble Purpose of the Market: Correcting the Systemic Failures of Shareholder Capitalism (Stanford Business Books, 2025) explains the intellectual fou
What Running Your Own Imprint for 15 Years Teaches You about Books, Readers, and Risk with Sarah Crichton
Great books don't happen by accident. Sarah Crichton, one of publishing's most respected voices and the founder of Sarah Crichton Books at FSG, joins host Sarah Russo for an unfiltered conversation about what it takes to acquire, edit, and launch books that last. They cover everything: crashing books in secret, fighting for the right jacket design, discovering A Long Way Gone by child soldier, Ism
Anna Calori, "Engineering Global Socialism: Ownership, Non-Alignment, and Corporate Culture in a Bosnian Company" (Indiana UP, 2026)
Engineering Global Socialism: Ownership, Non-Alignment, and Corporate Culture in a Bosnian Company (Indiana UP, 2026) chronicles the journey of the Bosnian global corporation Energoinvest and its workers from its Yugoslav socialist ideals through decades of dissolution, reconstruction, and post-socialist transformation.
Author Anna Calori provides a company-centric window into the business histor
Reinvention in an Era of Volatility
Caroline Stokes is a strategist who works with C-Suites and Boards to lead their organizations through AI disruption, climate risk, and geopolitical instability. Her new book Aftershock to 2030: A CEO's Guide to Reinvention in the Age of AI, Climate, and Societal Collapse is published by Broad Book Press and serves as a roadmap for leaders navigating the tidal wave of change going on today. The
How Does the Second-Hand Book Business Really Work? with WeBuyBooks Co-Founder Mike Lane
Today I’m speaking with Mike Lane, Managing Director and co-founder of WeBuyBooks about the economics of the second-hand book business. WeBuyBooks is one of the UK’s largest second-hand book dealers. Mike talks about how he got his start in the book industry, which books sell and which don't, and what the future holds for the book industry more broadly. Mike also discusses other second-hand busine
Can I Say That: Your Go-To Guide for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Can I Say That: Your Go-To Guide for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is your safe space to learn more about diversity, equity and inclusion, and how you can be a force for change. Most DEI books focus on gender, race or the intersection of those two dimensions. This book adopts a broader intersectional lens while also providing concrete tools for allyship.This book is for you if: you want to know
Helping Companies Foster Agility
Born and raised in San Diego, Charles Snow held a variety of jobs early in life, including: paperboy, grocery store cashier, accounting clerk, chauffeur, and sports director at a private school; each of which taught him important lessons about how organizations worked and were managed. Chuck earned his PhD in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, and spent his entire
Ben Brabyn: Entrepreneur and Community Builder
This episode of the New Books Network’s Entrepreneurship and Leadership channel features Richard Lucas in conversation with entrepreneur and community builder Ben Brabyn about Walkabout, a global movement that brings people together for monthly walks and open conversations. Walkabout began in Green Park, London, in June 2023 as a low‑friction alternative to venue‑based events and now runs in about
Eileen Otis, "Walmart: Made in China" (Stanford UP, 2026)
Walmart: Made in China
(Stanford University Press, 2026) by Dr. Eileen Otis tells the story of
Walmart's expansion in China, making the case that it is the story of a
major shift in the structure of global capitalism. Walmart, argues Dr.
Otis, is a leading actor in the rise of merchant capitalism, wherein the
role of the merchant has changed from operating at the whim of industrialists, to le
Witold J. Henisz, "Geostrategy by Design: How to Manage Geopolitical Risk in The New Era of Globalization" (Disruption Books, 2024)
How should executives position a company for growth when the
geopolitical future is so uncertain? Recent events in Ukraine and the
Middle East and tightening restrictions on international trade and
investment are reshaping the global business environment. History shows
that any such era of change presents both challenges and opportunities. The authors of Geostrategy by Design: How to Manage Ge
In Search of Trustworthy AI
Craig Hatkoff has spent four decades at the intersection of innovation, culture-building, and institutional transformation. He pioneered commercial mortgage securitization at Chemical Bank, co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival alongside Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal after 9/11, and .in 2010 co-founded the Disruptor Awards with Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen and Irwin Kula. His latest in
Navigating Landmines at Work: Differences Can Create Value
Susan MacKenty Brady is a leadership educator, executive coach, bestselling author, and the founding CEO of the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership. At Simmons she holds the Deloitte Elen Garbriel Chair for Women and Leadership and has advised executives at over 500 organizations worldwide. She is co-author of All the Difference: Six Leadership Actions to Bridge Perspectives, Str
Turning IBM's Culture Massively Around
Phil Gilbert is best known for leading IBM’s transformation as their General Manager of Design, a project that updated the work of 400,000 IBM employees across 180 countries. The transformation became the subject of a Harvard Business School case study, the documentary film The Loop, and feature articles in the New York Times and Fortune magazine. Phil was inducted into the New York Foundation for
What Is Real Transformations’ Mission?
Transformation is hard. To be successful, it has to be human. That’s what Julie Anixter and Dan Hill mean by Business Change that Works from the Inside Out. The guests they bring forward have one thing in common - a level of mastery and a passion for making a difference.
As cohosts of this new program, Julie and Dan bring a wealth of experience and credentials. Julie comes from a lineage of Chic
Timothy Fort and Suneal Bedi, "The Vision of the Firm" (West Academic Publishing, 2025)
The Vision of the Firm (West Academic Publishing, 2025) provides a complete summary of the leading theories of business ethics today. It aims to clarify values, create ethical awareness, provide a decision-making model, show how to apply the model to cutting edge business dilemmas, and address how to build ethical business cultures. It draws on dilemmas from marketing, management, operations, fi
Pedro Domingos, "The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World" (Basic Books, 2018)
In the world's top research labs and universities, the race is on to invent the ultimate learning algorithm: one capable of discovering any knowledge from data, and doing anything we want, before we even ask. In The Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World (Basic Books, 2018), Pedro Domingos lifts the veil to give us a peek inside the learning machi
Turn Your LinkedIn Profile into a Book Marketing Machine with Louise Brogan
What if in the age of AI generated content, the most important part of being visible online is just being a human? In this episode of The Publishing Playbook, host Sarah Russo sits down with Louise Brogan to talk about how the most powerful book marketing tool accessible to authors isn't Instagram or TikTok — it's LinkedIn. Louise is a LinkedIn expert, digital marketing strategist, author of "Rais
Billionaire Backlash: Can It Help Save Democracy?
This week on Democracy Dialogues, host Maya Tudor speaks with her colleague and fellow political scientist Pepper Culpepper about his new book Billionaire Backlash: The Age of Corporate Scandal and How It Could Save Democracy, co-authored with Taeku Lee. They explore how corporate scandals—from industry exposes to data privacy breaches—can become moments of democratic reckoning, mobilizing public
Jason S. Spicer, "Co-Operative Enterprise in Comparative Perspective: Exceptionally Un-American?" (Oxford UP, 2024)
Co-operative enterprises, which are democratically owned and governed by their workers, customers, or suppliers, have long captured the imagination of activists and social scientists alike. In centering economic democracy and a collectivist-democratic logic, and in embodying a "third way" alternative to profit-maximizing corporations and state-owned enterprises, co-operatives offer the promise of
Nayantara Srinivasan, "The Brick-and-Mortar Bookstore in Contemporary India" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
The Brick-and-Mortar Bookstore in Contemporary India (Cambridge UP, 2025) explores the landscape of anglophone trade bookselling in India, aiming to identify some key factors that have influenced the changing place of the brick-and-mortar bookstore over the last decade. The discussion focuses on a specific time period identified as a significant turning point, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gerald F. Davis, "Taming Corporate Power in the 21st Century" (Cambridge UP, 2022)
Information and communication technologies have fundamentally altered the markets for capital, labor, supplies, and distribution in ways that undermine the basic categories we use to understand the economy. Nationality, industry, firm, size, employee, and other fundamental terms are increasingly detached from the operations of the economy. If we want to understand and tame the new sources of econo
Stephan Meier, "The Employee Advantage: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive" (PublicAffairs, 2024)
In an ever-shifting work landscape, leaders can no longer ignore their most overlooked stakeholders—their employees. In The Employee Advantage: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive (PublicAffairs, 2024), behavioral economist Stephan Meier explains why organizations must value their employees as much as—if not more than—their customers: those that pivot toward an employee-centric model
Are Libraries the Hidden Book Market? with Erin Cox of Words & Money
What if the most powerful tool in your book marketing strategy isn't social media — it's your local library? In the debut episode of The Publishing Playbook, host Sarah Russo of Page One Media sits down with publishing veteran Erin Cox to unpack one of the industry's most overlooked opportunities: libraries. With a career spanning publicity at Scribner and HarperCollins, agenting, and her current
William R. Brody, "Uncommon Sense: Rethinking Ordinary Problems in Extraordinary Ways" (Johns Hopkins UP, 2026)
Today I’m speaking with William R. Brody about his book, Uncommon Sense: Rethinking Ordinary Problems in Extraordinary Ways (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2026). Bill is an interventional radiologist who served as the President of Johns Hopkins University, from 1996 to 2009, and President of the Salk Institute from 2009 to 2015. When he became president of Johns Hopkins University, Bill set out
Mary Lisa Gavenas, "Selling Opportunity: The Story of Mary Kay" (Penguin, 2026)
As detailed in Selling Opportunity: The Story of Mary Kay (Penguin, 2026) by Mary Lisa Gavenas, as the only woman in Forbes’ Greatest Business Stories of All Time and the first woman to chair a company on the New York Stock Exchange, Mary Kay Ash has a life story that reads like a Barbara Taylor Bradford novel.
Growing up in Depression-era Texas, Mary Kathlyn Wagner is a dutiful daughter and dili
Sunita Sah, "Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes" (Random House, 2025)
How many times have you wanted to object, disagree, or opt out of something but ended up swallowing your words, shaking your head, and just going along? Featuring groundbreaking research, gripping stories, and easy everyday strategies, Defy reveals how to show up for yourself and others personally, professionally, and beyond. Sah’s data-driven approach shows why everyone needs the power of defianc
Miranda Banks and Kate Fortmueller, "Boom to Bust: How Streaming Broke Hollywood Workers" (U California Press, 2026)
Boom to Bust is a timely investigation into the rise of Peak TV and the perfect storm that caused a rapid decline in Hollywood work.
When Hollywood writers and actors went on strike in 2023, they drew attention to the rapidly changing nature of film and television production. In Boom to Bust, media industry experts Miranda Banks and Kate Fortmueller combine economic and cultural analysis and inte
Security and Risk: Challenges for Economy and Business in the Global 20th Century: A Conversation with Marie Huber, Nina Kleinöder, and Christian Kleinschmidt
The volume addresses issues of security and risk in economic and business history. A focus lies on the study of security in order to highlight the central role of preventive measures, corresponding corporate strategies, (public) demands for measures to promote security, and the conscious avoidance of actions considered risky. It is less on questions of risk avoidance and more on the analysis of de
The Case for Career Services
What exactly is career services? If you don’t know, you aren’t alone. Most of us operate from a limited or outdated idea of what career services offers, why it’s necessary, and how soon you should start consulting with a career advisor [hint: as soon as possible]. Dr. Rebekah Paré joins us to demystify the how, what, where and why of college to career pathways.
This episode explores: career servi
David Kirsch on the Dot Com Bubble and Bust
We chat with historian David Kirsch, Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School, about how to understand the Dot Com bubble and bust of the late 1990s and early 2000s. David both lived through the Dot Com moment as a California resident and is a scholar of technology bubbles, including through his coauthored book, Bubbles and Crashes:
Alberto Galasso, "The Management of Innovation: Managing and Creating Technology Capital" (Rotman-UTP Publishing, 2024)
Despite the importance of innovation for the growth of firms, industries, and the national economy, the strategic tools available to effectively manage and create new technologies are often neglected by entrepreneurs and corporate managers. The Management of Innovation: Managing and Creating Technology Capital (Rotman-UTP Publishing, 2024) examines how firms can leverage and create technology capi
Annahid Dashtgard, "Fire and Silence: A Roadmap for BIPOC Leaders" (Dundurn Press, 2026)
In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery speaks with Annahid Dashtgard about her new book, Fire and Silence: A Roadmap for BIPOC Leaders (Dundurn Press, 2026).
Necessary tactics for BIPOC leaders to navigate from survive to thrive.In these politically fraught times, organizations need strong leadership to help navigate uncertainty and complexity. A crucial yet overlookedgroup of leaders are also
Tim Connor et al., "Global Business and Local Struggle: Reimagining Non-Judicial Remedy for Human Rights" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
In the quest for human rights justice for communities and workers whose rights are breached by transnational businesses, non-judicial mechanisms (NJMs) are often deployed, but how effective are they? Global Business and Local Struggle: Reimagining Non-Judicial Remedy for Human Rights (Cambridge UP, 2025) creates a blueprint for reforming transnational human rights NJMs and for helping communities
Jordan Treske, "Building the Milwaukee Bucks: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and the Rapid Rise of an NBA Franchise, 1968-1975" (McFarland, 2025)
In three short years, the Milwaukee Bucks went from merely an idea to NBA champions. What started as a quest by Marvin Fishman and eventually Wesley Pavalon to get Milwaukee back in the big leagues became something bigger than they could have imagined. They attracted a hard-working coach in Larry Costello, a pioneer in Wayne Embry and some of the biggest talents in the game of basketball with Kare
Guy Pinsent: Banker, Diplomat, Entrepreneur & CEO, Founder of Poland/Czech Republic's Largest Self-Storage Business
In this engaging conversation, Guy Pinsent shares his entrepreneurial journey from Cambridge economics student, being a banker in the City, to the Foreign Office and on to real estate and finally, on his own account, as a successful self storage business owner in Central Europe. Guy discusses the founding and growth of Less Mess Storage, which now operates 18 locations across Poland and Czech Repu
Fighting Social Isolation And Loneliness: The Importance Of Good Processes And Hosting In Community Leadership
NBN host Richard Lucas being interviewed by Alexander Goldman.
Normally on this channel, you hear Richard Lucas interviewing interesting guests. In this one, you'll hear Richard being interviewed on another podcast about community management and leadership, a topic close to his heart. Many thanks to Alexander Goldman for giving permission to share his podcast here on the NBN
Find his podcast, Co
What's Global about Sven Beckert's Capitalism (Paul Kramer, JP)
John is joined by the brilliant and affable Paul Kramer of Vanderbilt (The Blood of Government) to discuss Capitalism: A Global History (Penguin, 2025) by Sven Beckert, Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard University. With Christine A. Desan (Recall This Book adores her) he is the co-director of the Program on the Study of Capitalism at Harvard University. This builds on his marvelous previo
Robert Hall, "Building Resilient Futures" (Austin Macauley, 2023)
Explore resilience from personal, organizational, and national perspectives with expert Robert Hall in this discussion of his book Building Resilient Futures (Austin Macauley, 2023). Discover case studies from COVID-19, the Winter War, and more, highlighting how resilience can be cultivated and applied.
Types of resilience: personal, social, urban, national
Case studies: COVID-19, Winter W
Eric Ries, "Incorruptible" (Authors Equity, 2026)
Eric Ries shares how financial 'gravity' pulls great companies away from their founders' purpose, and his solutions in his new book Incorruptible (Authors Equity, 2026)
Join us for a uniquely provocative conversation between our host, Richard Lucas, and renowned entrepreneur and "Lean Startup" author Eric Ries on his new book, Incorruptible. Moving beyond the surface-level summary, Richard inte
Zheng Liu, "Cultural Mavericks: The Business and Politics of Independent Bookselling in China" (Columbia UP, 2026)
In recent decades, self-proclaimed “independent bookstores” have arisen across China. In the West, such retailers represent an alternative to corporations and chains. In China, by contrast, they differentiate themselves from not only the state-owned Xinhua Bookstore but also other privately owned shops through an emphasis on intellectual independence and the free exchange of ideas.
Cultural Maver
Dovev Lavie, "The Cooperative Economy: A Solution to Societal Grand Challenges" (Routledge, 2023)
Societal grand challenges have taken a toll on humanity, which finds itself at a crossroads. The concentration of wealth and economic inequality, the dominance of Big Tech firms, the loss of privacy and free choice, and the overconsumption and abuse of natural resources have been reinforced by globalization. Regulation, legislation, international treaties, and government and corporate policies hav
The Criminal Record Complex: Risk, Race, and the Struggle for Work in America
Most employers in the United States routinely conduct criminal background checks on job applicants, weeding out those with criminal convictions—and thus denying opportunities to those who need them most. In The Criminal Record Complex: Risk, Race, and the Struggle for Work in America (Princeton UP, 2025), Melissa Burch sheds light on one of the most significant forces of social and economic ma
Sarah Jaffe, "Work Won't Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone" (Bold Type Books, 2021)
In Work Won’t Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone (Bold Type Books, 2021), Sarah Jaffe argues that modern culture encourages workers to see their jobs as a “labor of love.” This idea tells people that passion and dedication should motivate them more than pay or working conditions. Jaffe shows that this belief often allows employers to justify low wages
J. S. Nelson, "Business Ethics: What Everyone Needs to Know" (Oxford UP, 2021)
The book places special emphasis on the relationship between corporations, managers, and shareholders. Drawing on Lynn Stout’s influential work on corporate governance, the authors challenge the common belief that corporate law requires managers to maximize shareholder value at all times. In reality, corporate directors and managers are expected to exercise business judgment that balances long-ter
Doug Crandell, "Twenty-Two Cents an Hour: Disability Rights and the Fight to End Subminimum Wages" (Cornell UP, 2022)
In Twenty-Two Cents an Hour: Disability Rights and the Fight to End Subminimum Wages (Cornell UP, 2022), Doug Crandell uncovers the harsh reality of people with disabilities in the United States who are forced to work in unethical conditions for subminimum wages with little or no opportunity to advocate for themselves, while wealthy CEOs grow even wealthier as a direct result. As recently as 20
Helmut Schuster and David Oxley, "Artificial Death of a Career: A Tale of Professional Obsolescence and How to Avoid It" (Practical Inspiration Publishing, 2025)
How do you advance your career when AI is rewriting the rules of success?
As AI and automation revolutionize the global workforce, professionals everywhere are asking the same urgent question: How can I stay relevant in the age of AI?
Artificial Death of a Career: A Tale of Professional Obsolescence and Reinvention (Practical Inspiration Publishing, 2025) blends storytelling and strategy to exp
Entrepreneurial Work Ethic
In this episode of High Theory, Saronik talks with Erik Baker about the Entrepreneurial Work Ethic. The dominant work ethic of our current moment, it asks us to constantly create new work for ourselves. Eric contrasts the entrepreneurial work ethic with the industrious work ethic, which valued hard work and drudgery in one’s allotted task. Over the course of the 20th century industriousness was r
César A. Hidalgo, "The Infinite Alphabet: And the Laws of Knowledge" (Allen Lane, 2026)
We all understand that knowledge shapes the fate of business and the growth of nations, but few of us are aware of the principles that govern its motion. The Infinite Alphabet: And the Laws of Knowledge (Allen Lane, 2026) unravels the laws describing the growth and diffusion of knowledge by taking you from a failed attempt to build a city of knowledge in Ecuador to the growth of China's innovation
Pepper Culpepper and Taeku Lee, "Billionaire Backlash: The Age of Corporate Scandal and How it Could Save Democracy" (Bloomsbury, 2026)
Giant companies, launch rockets into space, control satellite communication and develop era-defining AI technologies. But they are also seen as promoting misinformation, undermining democracy and violating privacy. Big banks, reeling since the financial crisis of 2008, continue to be racked with major scandals. Drawing on examples such as the VW scandal in Germany, Cambridge Analytica and Samsung
Geoffrey Jones and Sabine Pitteloud eds., "The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society" (Cambridge UP, 2026)
Geoffrey Jones and Sabine Pitteloud present the latest research on the global history of multinationals and their impact on society and the environment. The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society (Cambridge UP, 2026) brings together leading international scholars, these essays survey key themes in our relationship with multinationals, from taxation and corruption to gende
Nick Coutts - Portugal’s Leading Fitness/Health Centre Entrepreneur
In this episode of Richard Lucas on Entrepreneurship and Leadership, Richard speaks with Nick Coutts — a visionary entrepreneur who reshaped Portugal’s fitness landscape and continues to push the boundaries of innovation and excellence.
With over 27 years in the industry, from expanding Holmes Place across Europe to founding Fitness Hut — Portugal’s largest low‑cost gym chain — Nick brings a deep
Bryan Caplan's Case Against Education
Today I’m speaking with economist Bryan Caplan about education and bullshit, with a particular focus on his book, The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money (Princeton University Press, 2018).
In our modern economy, possessing a college degree feels like a necessity for professional advancement. The age of good jobs for college dropouts is largely gone as mo
Jeremy Sosabowski: Community Leader and Entrepreneur
In this episode, Jeremy Sosabowski, CEO and co‑founder of AlgoDynamix, reveals how his company is reinventing market forecasting through behavioral analytics rather than traditional fundamentals or news. By decoding real‑time transactional order flow, AlgoDynamix predicts price movements (hours or days in advance) based on what traders are actually doing — a fresh, practical edge for smaller hedge
Ilana Gershon, "The Pandemic Workplace: How We Learned to Be Citizens in the Office" (U Chicago Press, 2024)
A provocative book arguing that the workplace is where we learn to live democratically. In The Pandemic Workplace: How We Learned to Be Citizens in the Office (U Chicago Press, 2024) anthropologist Ilana Gershon turns her attention to the US workplace and how it changed—and changed us—during the pandemic. She argues that the unprecedented organizational challenges of the pandemic forced us to radi
Paolo Zannoni, "Money and Promises: Seven Deals That Changed the World" (Columbia Business School, 2024)
In Money and Promises: Seven Deals That Changed the World, the distinguished banker, executive, and historian Paolo Zannoni examines the complex relationship between states and banks that has changed the world. Drawing on in-depth archival research, he explores seven case studies: the republic of Pisa, seventeenth-century Venice, the early years of the Bank of England, imperial Spain, the Kingd
Raiford Guins, "King PONG: How Atari Bounced Across Markets to Make Millions" (MIT Press, 2026)
PONG is one of the longest- and most consistently circulating video games. Released in 1972, it remains at our fingertips as Android or iOS app, hosted at freepong.org and the Internet Archive, and even released as A Tiny Game of Pong for the Apple Watch. Despite its simplicity and ubiquity, Atari’s PONG encapsulates far more than the history of a video game and an iconic game company. King PONG:
Robert E. Siegel, "The Systems Leader: Mastering the Cross-Pressures That Make or Break Today's Companies" (Random House, 2025)
Since the start of this century, businesses have confronted a series of extreme and constant disruptions, including technological upheavals, a pandemic, and a global financial crisis. As a result, today’s leaders, from startup founders to the managers of global giants, face unprecedented pressures from their bosses, investors, customers, peers, suppliers, and employees. For many, it’s a recipe for
Edward Amoroso, "Reaching the Chasm: How to Drive Your Early-Stage Start-Up to Scale" (Columbia Business School Publishing, 2025)
One of the greatest challenges facing any start-up is “crossing the chasm”: bridging the gap between early adopters and mass-market buyers. Yet many promising businesses struggle even to reach the chasm. Often, founders leap in with money and a dream, only to hit a wall. How can start-up founders diagnose and fix problems in order to arrive at this critical point?
In Reaching the Chasm: How to D
David Cleevely on Engineering Serendipity and Entrepreneurial Success
Richard Lucas hosts a compelling discussion with celebrated British entrepreneur and author David Cleevely.
In this insightful podcast, Richard and David dive into Cleevely’s book, 'Serendipity: It Doesn't Happen by Accident,' exploring how environments can be engineered to foster luck. Richard guides the conversation as David explains the puzzle that inspired the book: why significant entreprene
Matteo Gatti, "Corporate Power and the Politics of Change" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
In Corporate Power and the Politics of Change (Cambridge UP, 2025), Matteo Gatti examines how corporations have taken on roles traditionally reserved for governments - advocating on social issues, setting internal norms, and stepping in where public institutions fall short. This phenomenon, called corporate governing, takes two forms: socioeconomic advocacy, when companies take public stances, and
Emily Hund, "The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media" (Princeton UP, 2023)
Before there were Instagram likes, Twitter hashtags, or TikTok trends, there were bloggers who seemed to have the passion and authenticity that traditional media lacked. The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media (Princeton UP, 2023) tells the story of how early digital creators scrambling for work amid the Great Recession gave rise to the multibillion-dollar industry that
Zeke Hernandez, "The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers" (St. Martin's Press, 2024)
Immigration is one of the most controversial topics in the United States―and everywhere else. Pundits, politicians, and the public usually depict immigrants either as villains who pose a threat to our economy, culture, and safety, or as victims―needy outsiders whom we must help, at our own cost if necessary. But the data clearly debunk both narratives. From jobs, investment, and innovation to cult
Aija Leiponen, "Digital Innovation Strategy" (Cambridge UP, 2023)
Based on applied economics and from the perspective of an innovator seeking to develop a new digital business, Digital Innovation Strategy (Cambridge UP, 2023) is aimed at audiences interested in innovation strategy and competition in digital industries. Step-by-step, the book guides innovators through a dynamic market analysis and business model design, leading to an assessment of the future ev
Judd B. Kessler, "Lucky by Design: The Hidden Economics of Getting More of What You Want" (Little, Brown Spark, 2025)
What's the secret to scoring a reservation at a hot new restaurant? When should you enter a lottery to increase your odds of winning? Why did your neighbor's kid get into a nearby preschool while yours didn't? Who gets priority for a life-saving organ donation?
These outcomes are not a matter of luck. Instead, they depend on how we navigate hidden markets that arise to decide who gets what when m
Jamila Cupid and Myescha Joell, "Who's in the Room? A Guide to Public Relations from the Black Professional Perspective" (Kendall Hunt, 2025)
Who’s in the Room?: A Guide to Public Relations from the Black Professional Perspective (Kendall Hunt, 2025) has been created to serve as a resource that is both an academic and industry text in public relations practice. The book focuses on growth and empowerment in public relations through the implementation of inclusionary practices. It is centered in the voice of the Black public relations pro
Tina Seelig on Making Your Own Luck and Other Critical Life and Entrepreneurship Skills
Stanford educator and renowned creativity expert Tina Seelig joins Richard Lucas on the New Books Network’s Entrepreneurship & Leadership channel to discuss her new book What I Wish I Knew About Luck (coming April 2026).
As the host found himself agreeing with everything Tina said, he asked for examples of people who disagreed with her. First, they discussed the value of respectful disagreement,
Thomas Haigh on the History of “AI” as a Brand
Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Thomas Haigh, Professor and Chair of History and affiliate of the Department of Computer Science at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, about his forthcoming book on the history of artificial intelligence. The book, which has had the working title _Artificial Intelligence: The History of a Brand_ with the final title to be determined, examines how and w
Wendy Smith and Marianne Lewis, "Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems" (Harvard Business Review Press, 2022)
Life is full of paradoxes. How can we each express our individuality while also being a team player? How do we balance work and life? How can we improve diversity while promoting opportunities for all? How can we manage the core business while innovating for the future? For many of us, these competing and interwoven demands are a source of conflict. Since our brains love to make either-or choices,
Reading the Bible with AI?: A Conversation with John Kaag, Philosopher and Co-Founder of Rebind AI
Rebind combines reading with AI-chat to deepen learning and simulate the experience of conversing with some of the greatest scholars and thinkers. With Rebind, you can read A Tale of Two Cities with Margaret Atwood, Huck Finn with Marlon James, and Candide with Salman Rushdie. John and his team have recently launched the Rebind Study Bible, an interactive way to read, listen, and interpret the Bib
Elizabeth Chika Tippett, "The Master-Servant Doctrine: How Old Legal Rules Haunt the Modern Workplace" (U California Press, 2025)
The field of employment law used to be called "master-servant law." Even if this term has fallen out of favor, a central truth has not changed: modern employment law still draws on centuries-old ideas about the rights and obligations of workers.
In The Master-Servant Doctrine: How Old Legal Rules Haunt the Modern Workplace (U California Press, 2025), Elizabeth Chika Tippett combines historical co
Jimmy Wales with Dan Gardner, "The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last" (Crown Currency, 2025)
In my interview with Jimmy Wales, father of Wikipedia, we celebrate his new book, The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last (Crown Currency Publishing, 2025). We talk about how the book came about, how Wikipedia took flight, and how the challenges of maintaining trust and preserving neutrality shape the key to Wikipedia's future.
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Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff, "HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business: Think Big, Buy Small, Own Your Own Company" (HBR Press, 2017)
Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own start-up seem too risky? There is a radical third path open to you: You can buy a small business and run it as CEO. Purchasing a small company offers significant financial rewards--as well as personal and professional fulfillment. Leading a firm means you can be your own boss, put your executive skills to wor
John A. Camacho and Zack Hamilton, "Sports Chaos: Exploring the Reasons Behind Expert Business, Legal, and Moral Decisions" (2025)
What happens when sports decision-making collides with business interests, legal battles, and moral dilemmas? Sports Chaos dives into the unpredictable world where experts, executives, and athletes must navigate high-stakes choices that shape the future of sports. From billion-dollar deals to ethical debates over owner and athlete behavior, this book unpacks The Colliding Reasons Problem, real-lif
Mark Kaplan and Mason Donovan, "The Parenthood Advantage: Building Corporate Cultures That Value Working Parents" (Dg Press, 2025)
Traditionally, parenthood has been seen as a career disruption-especially for mothers. But what if becoming a parent could be one of the greatest leadership incubators of all? The Parenthood Advantage: Building Corporate Cultures That Value Working Parents (Dg Press, 2025) challenges the outdated narrative that working parents are a burden to manage and instead shows how they're an untapped asset
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