The Next Big Idea

When ChatGPT launched less than four years ago, it couldn’t count the r’s in “strawberry.” Today, AI is solving fabled math problems, writing software, accelerating scientific discovery, and transforming medicine. But if machines can do the hard work for us, what happens to our ability to think, learn, and create?

Today on the show, Wharton professor and AI expert Ethan Mollick returns to The Next Big Idea to discuss his new book, Co-Existence. He and Rufus explore what happens as AI takes on more of our work, and how we can keep growing alongside it. They talk about using AI to sharpen our thinking without eroding our skills and why this could be a golden age for entrepreneurs. They also take on a bigger question: How much control are we willing to give up?

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⏪ Check out Ethan's previous appearance on the show here.

🎥 The Next Big Idea is on YouTube! You can find our episodes ⁠here⁠.

📱 Follow Rufus on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, subscribe to our ⁠Substack⁠, or send us an email at ⁠podcast@nextbigideaclub.com⁠.

🤝 Support us by supporting our sponsors:

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Life at the Speed of Play — Purchase one copy at getmarksbook.com/next and author Mark Pincus will send you two

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In his new book, The American Way of Killing, Malcolm Gladwell asks: Why does the United States have so many more gun homicides than its peers? It's a simple question. The answers are anything but.

“Americans,” he writes, “don’t see their problem clearly. They think they have a problem with crime. They don’t. They have a problem with violence. They think they are overpoliced. They aren’t. They are underpoliced. … They think their Constitution enshrines a basic right to own guns. It doesn’t. The founding fathers were just trying to cut a deal with slave owners.”

Today: Malcolm on what it would take to see the problem clearly — and to fix it.

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📖 Get yourself a copy of The American Way of Killing in hardcover or audiobook.

💿 This is Malcolm’s eighth appearance on the show! You can check out our past conversations with him here.

📚 Join the Next Big Idea Club today and we'll send you copies of new books by Adam Grant and Danny Meyer, along with invitations to join both authors on a private Zoom call later this month. Learn more at nextbigideaclub.com, and use code PODCAST to save 20% on your membership.

🎥 The Next Big Idea is on YouTube! You can find our episodes here.

📱 Follow Rufus on LinkedIn, subscribe to our Substack, or send us an email at podcast@nextbigideaclub.com.

🤝 Support us by supporting our sponsors:

Granola — If meetings are eating up your day, Granola is a no-brainer. You can try it totally free for three months. Just head to granola.ai/idea

Hostinger — Describe the website you want and Hostinger’s AI agent builds it in minutes, with plans starting at $3/month. Go to hostinger.com/nbi and use code NBI for 10% off

Life at the Speed of Play — Purchase one copy at getmarksbook.com/next and author Mark Pincus will send you two

Northwest Registered Agent — Helping small business owners and entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses for nearly 30 years. Learn more at northwestregisteredagent.com/nbifree

Sequencing — Go to sequencing.com and use promo code IDEA for 10% off

Talkiatry — A 100% online psychiatry practice that's in-network with major insurers. Complete a short assessment and get matched with a psychiatrist in minutes at talkiatry.com/idea

What does it take to turn a money-losing hot dog cart into a global empire? Surprisingly, it starts with how you treat your employees.

Danny Meyer, the legendary restaurateur behind Shake Shack, Union Square Cafe, and Gramercy Tavern, has built an empire on a deceptively simple idea: take care of your people, and they'll take care of everyone else. In his new book, ⁠What Could Possibly Go Right?⁠, he shares the philosophy that transformed his approach to business and leadership.

📚 Danny's new book is the current selection of The Next Big Idea Club. Join today and we'll send you a copy, along with Adam Grant's new book, Vibe, and invitations to private Q&As with both authors. Learn more at nextbigideaclub.com

🎥 The Next Big Idea is on YouTube! You can find our episodes ⁠here⁠.

📱 Follow Rufus on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, subscribe to our ⁠Substack⁠, or send us an email at ⁠podcast@nextbigideaclub.com⁠

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Granola — The AI notepad with notes, actions, and memory, and no annoying meeting bots. Try it totally free for three months at granola.ai/idea

Hostinger — Describe the website you want and Hostinger’s AI agent builds it in minutes, with plans starting at $3/month. Go to hostinger.com/nbi and use code NBI for 10% off

Life at the Speed of Play — Purchase one copy at getmarksbook.com/next and author Mark Pincus will send you two

Sequencing — Go to sequencing.com and use promo code IDEA for 10% off

Storyblocks — The 100% human-made stock media library built for creators. Get 15% off any annual plan, available only at storyblocks.com/nbi

What if everything we've been told about having a successful career is wrong? ⁠Rutger Bregman⁠ thinks most of us are wasting our working lives and argues we should stop trying to get rich and start trying to solve the world's problems instead.

This episode first aired in May 2025.

🎥 The Next Big Idea is on YouTube! You can find our episodes ⁠here⁠.

📱 Follow Rufus on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, subscribe to our ⁠Substack⁠, or send us an email at ⁠podcast@nextbigideaclub.com⁠

Today's episode is sponsored by:

⁠Granola⁠ — The AI notepad with notes, actions, and memory, and no annoying meeting bots. Try it totally free for three months at ⁠granola.ai/idea⁠

⁠Hostinger⁠ — Describe the website you want and Hostinger’s AI agent builds it in minutes, with plans starting at $3/month. Go to ⁠hostinger.com/nbi⁠ and use code NBI for 10% off

⁠Life at the Speed of Play⁠ — Purchase one copy at ⁠getmarksbook.com/next⁠ and author Mark Pincus will send you two

⁠Sequencing⁠ — Go to ⁠sequencing.com⁠ and use promo code IDEA for 10% off

⁠Storyblocks⁠ — The 100% human-made stock media library built for creators. Get 15% off any annual plan, available only at ⁠storyblocks.com/nbi⁠

For the last few years, the global space race has been dominated by two billionaires: Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. They’ve launched thousands of satellites, designed lunar landing modules, and drawn up ambitious plans to build AI data centers in space. We wanted to understand why these two are so obsessed with galaxies far, far away. And, more importantly, what their efforts to conquer the cosmos mean for the rest of us down here on Earth. So we called up Josh Tyrangiel. He wrote the cover story for the latest issue of The Atlantic. It’s called “Choose Your Overlord: Musk vs. Bezos.”

🎥 The Next Big Idea is on YouTube! You can find our episodes here.

📱 Follow Rufus on LinkedIn, subscribe to our Substack, or send us an email at podcast@nextbigideaclub.com

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Granola — The AI notepad with notes, actions, and memory, and no annoying meeting bots. Try it totally free for three months at granola.ai/idea

Hostinger — Describe the website you want and Hostinger’s AI agent builds it in minutes, with plans starting at $3/month. Go to hostinger.com/nbi and use code NBI for 10% off

Life at the Speed of Play — Purchase one copy at getmarksbook.com/next and author Mark Pincus will send you two

Sequencing — Go to sequencing.com and use promo code IDEA for 10% off

Storyblocks — The 100% human-made stock media library built for creators. Get 15% off any annual plan, available only at storyblocks.com/nbi