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Articles by Heidi Hackford
Humanity + AI
By Heidi Hackford Is AI a threat to humanity or a partner with the power to unlock our full potential? Over 70% of the CHM Live audience polled at a recent event is excited about the potential of AI. So is Reid Hoffman, cofounder of Inflection AI and former board member of OpenAI. He shared his insights and hopes for the future at CHM in a wide-ranging conversation with Anne Dwane of Village Global.
Making The Great Tech Story
Adults Learn Building a Game For Kids The creation process for this game and working with game designers to make it come to life has been an incredible learning experience. I can't thank the team enough for all they did to make our crazy vision become reality! — Kate McGregor, CHM Team Lead CHM now has a virtual presence in Minecraft: Education Edition.
Idealists, Big Tech, and AI
Meet the Geniuses Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and the World On March 31, 2021, CHM hosted New York Times reporter Cade Metz in a virtual event to discuss his new book, Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and the World, with Wall Street Journal science reporter Daniela Hernandez.
Building the Future Together with 2021 CHM Fellow Ray Ozzie
Honoring New CHM Fellow Raymond Ozzie Take the time to master your tools, build a team, and build something that will change the world. — Ray Ozzie On March 18, 2021, in a dynamic virtual experience presented by headline sponsor Accenture, CHM celebrated Raymond Ozzie for a lifetime of work in collaborative software and software entrepreneurship.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
Building a more inclusive Silicon Valley “Tech has failed in its efforts on diversity,” says Freada Kapor Klein, entrepreneur, diversity activist, cochair of the Kapor Center, and founding partner of Kapor Capital. That direct, no-nonsense approach to a seemingly intransigent problem in Silicon Valley set the tone for an enlightening discussion between Kapor Klein and veteran tech CEO and Fortune 500 board member and author Shellye Archambeau.
Should We Fear AI?
Experts Weigh In Is there more to fear or to hope from artificial intelligence (AI) today and into the future? On February 18, 2021, CHM gathered together a panel of leading experts with a variety of perspectives to answer questions and address concerns about AI technologies and robotics. A first-ever virtual town hall provided information and context to help us all become better informed digital citizens as AI innovations become ever more intertwined with daily life.
Be Good, Do Well
“Do you have integrity?” With that provocative question, Rob Chesnut, Airbnb’s former chief ethics officer, opened a recent CHM virtual workshop event. Viewers responded to the survey with 93% saying "yes," but Chesnut pointed out that everyone thinks they have integrity and yet people don't trust the media, government, corporations, or even their fellow citizens.
z3r0trust Privacy Newsletter #4
This article is also available in Spanish here. Christian Slater & Rami Malek “Mr. Robot” mash-up; Image courtesy of USA Network The year is 2018 and technology has revolutionized life as we know it for those fortunate enough to live in developed countries. With the rapid evolution of technological capability has come an insatiable thirst for information with governments, Internet tech companies, and corporations being the primary consumers.
Living Boldly: The Innovative and Inclusive Career of Andrea Goldsmith
It’s not every day that someone gives away $100,000, but that’s what Andrea Goldsmith did when she became the first woman to win the Marconi Prize, the top honor in information and communications research. The Stanford engineering professor’s work has enabled billions of people around the world to enjoy fast, reliable cell phone and WiFi networks, as well as applications for video streaming and autonomous vehicles that require stable network performance.
The Creativity of Maintainability: Astronaut Kathryn Sullivan Decodes the Hubble Space Telescope
Kathryn Sullivan has spent her life exploring at the extreme edges of humanity’s frontiers. She’s the only person to have orbited above the Earth and also traveled into the deepest sea trench in the ocean floor. To do so, she’s trusted her life to the world’s most advanced technology, and she has an intimate understanding of what it takes to push the boundaries of engineering to make those feats of exploration possible.
The Creativity of Maintainability
By Heidi Hackford Kathryn Sullivan has spent her life exploring at the extreme edges of humanity’s frontiers. She’s the only person to have orbited above the Earth and also traveled into the deepest sea trench in the ocean floor. To do so, she’s trusted her life to the world’s most advanced technology, and she has an intimate understanding of what it takes to push the boundaries of engineering to make those feats of exploration possible.
Get Out of the Building: Steve Blank, Entrepreneurship, and Making the World a Better Place
There’s a persistent notion that Silicon Valley and the federal government are not compatible, leading some historians to argue that this very conflict was the cause of the Valley’s early success (read more). Today, workers at the world’s largest technology companies such as Apple and Google have protested against federal contracts while private and public organizations continue to fall victim to sophisticated cyber attacks.
Reading Your Face: How To Humanize Technology With Emotion AI
By Heidi Hackford “When it comes to the digital world, our computers have trained us to behave as if we lived in a world where none of us can read one another’s emotional cues.” - Rana el Kaliouby, Girl Decoded Like emotion AI itself, el Kaliouby’s book is an attempt to bridge the divide between hard science and humanistic perspectives: it intertwines her personal journey with her professional career in AI research and as a tech entrepreneur.
Keeping the Dream Alive: Kevin Scott Imagines the Future of AI
“Reprogramming the American Dream,” Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott in Conversation with Journalist John Markoff, April 27, 2020.
A Greater Good: Lessons For the Post-Pandemic Future
By Heidi Hackford and Emily Parsons No one alive today remembers the last global pandemic in 1918–19. Some of us remember a war or two-or more. Many of us remember 9/11, and so that anxious, helpless feeling is unfortunately familiar. We cast around looking for answers and hope that science and tech will hurry up and save us. Maybe they will.
A Facebook Story: Mark Zuckerberg’s Hero’s Journey
The “hero's journey” is a classic story structure. Coined by literature professor Joseph Campbell in 1949, it refers to a tale in which a character ventures out to get what he or she needs or desires, faces conflict and adversity, and ultimately triumphs.
AI Is Already Here, For Good Or Bad
Editor’s Note: This excerpt is the first in a four-part series from Pamela McCorduck’s 2019 book, This Could Be Important: My Life and Times with the Artificial Intelligentsia . All excerpts are shared with permission from the author. “AI is us,” writes Pamela McCorduck in her 2019 book, This Could Be Important: My Life and Times with the Artificial Intelligentsia.
Dystopia or Utopia? The Autonomous Revolution
“Our Brave New Social Networking world looks less open and connected everyday-and more and more like the dystopian surveillance states of Orwell and Huxley.” — The Autonomous Revolution “It can be a world with a universally high standard of living, longer lifespans, robots that will free us from drudgery, safer communities, and access to a fascinating and exciting virtual universe.” — The Autonomous Revolution Stanford history professor David Kennedy moderates a conversation with venture...
What You Do Is Who You Are: Exploring Culture With Ben Horowitz
What exactly is company culture and how do you create it? Ben Horowitz, veteran entrepreneur and cofounder of Silicon Valley powerhouse venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz mined history for some answers. He shared them on stage at CHM on November 21, 2019, with anecdotes and practical takeaways from his new book, What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture . The title says it all: culture is about action, not words. It is not the mission statement.
The Great Hack: Do You Know Where Your Data Is?
Can Democracy Survive the Internet? Who controls our personal data? That question was at the heart of a panel discussion at CHM on November 4, 2019 about Netflix’s documentary The Great Hack, which exposes the underbelly of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and Facebook’s role in the security breach.
The Great Hack: Do You Know Where Your Data Is?
Moderator John Markoff in a CHM Live conversation with Marietje Schaake, Karim Amer, Carole Cadwalladr, and Pedro Kos, November 4, 2019. Who controls our personal data? That question was at the heart of a panel discussion at CHM on November 4, 2019 about Netflix’s documentary The Great Hack , which exposes the underbelly of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and Facebook’s role in the security breach.
The Valley and the “Swamp”
Big Government in the History of Silicon Valley Author Margaret O’Mara (center) in conversation with tech policy expert Tom Kalil (right) and moderator John Markoff (left). Silicon Valley tech workers benefit every day from multigenerational networks linking them with companies, funders, coworkers, mentors, and world-class research institutions that foster outstanding success.
Play Like A Girl: How Women Investors Succeed in Silicon Valley
What can women who thrive in the competitive, male-dominated world of Silicon Valley venture capital teach us in the meantime? Plenty. That became clear in recent back-to-back events sponsored by the Exponential Center at the Computer History Museum.
West Meets West: West Virginia Comes to Silicon Valley
West Virginia students and instructors explore lessons from Silicon Valley with the Exponential Center @CHM and Intuit sponsors—Executive Chairman Brad Smith, Corporate Responsibility VP & CHM Trustee Eileen Fagan, VP of Education Dave Zasada, and Economic Development Consultant Murphy Poindexter. âPassionâ was the first word of advice from Silicon Valley presented to West Virginia student entrepreneurs and their faculty advisors.
Venturing Forth: The Exponential Center Launches a Venture Capital Initiative
This post is private, be mindful when sharing! I've always said that our job was seeing around corners. And if you want to see around a corner, you have to stand on the corner.” Dick Kramlich, Cofounder, NEA When legendary venture capitalist Arthur Rock first met the young Steve Jobs, he was turned off by his beard, long hair, and cut-off jeans. But Rock recognized that Jobs was bright, and perhaps more importantly he trusted the judgment of Mike Markkula, the chairman of Apple’s board.
Blazing a Trail: Venture Capital Pioneers Reflect on the Industry
By Heidi Hackford On March 28, 2019, in an event jointly sponsored by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and the Computer History Museum (CHM), venture capital trailblazers William Draper III, C. Richard Kramlich, and Franklin “Pitch” Johnson discussed the highlights and challenges of their long careers and legendary firms. Held in CHM’s brand new Learning Lab, the audience included venture capital colleagues from USVP and IVP to Lux Capital and B Capital.
Blitzscaling: How Silicon Valley Learned to Grow – Core+ – Medium
“Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies — Reid Hoffman in Conversation with CHM CEO Dan’l Lewin,” December 4, 2018. This event is produced by the Exponential Center at the Computer History Museum. By Heidi Hackford LinkedIn cofounder and Greylock partner Reid Hoffman in conversation with CHM CEO Dan’l Lewin. Silicon Valley is home to a disproportionate number of companies that have grown from garage startups into global giants.
Innovating Prosperity – Core+ – Medium
Innovating Prosperity By Heidi Hackford Innovation expert Clayton Christensen in conversation with Scott Cook, cofounder and chair of Intuit. When Clayton Christensen’s book The Innovator’s Dilemma came out in 1997, it disrupted the business world and became an instant classic, named by the Economist as one of the six most important business books ever written.
Hacking Our Security: Digital Resilience for the Next Cyber Threat
Hacking Our Security: Digital Resilience for the Next Cyber Threat By Heidi Hackford Chairman and CEO of RedSeal Ray Rothrock in conversation with national security expert and Brunswick Partner Siobhan Gorman. In a world where the question is not “if” a system can be hacked but rather “when,” what can we do to minimize the damage? On October 23, the Computer History Museum (CHM) hosted an event to address that question head-on.
Leading Man: Inspired Stories From a Silicon Valley Icon
Storytelling can “engage the heart” and inspire people to follow your vision, according to John Hennessy, Alphabet chairman and former president of Stanford University. He and moderator Marissa Mayer, cofounder of Lumi Labs and former president and CEO of Yahoo, recently discussed some of the leadership stories and advice that Hennessy shares in his new book Leading Matters: Lessons From My Journey.
Invested in China: Venture Capitalists on Growing Chinese Tech Companies
Remember when “Made in China” was synonymous with a cheap toy or electronic knockoff? Those days are long over. Chinese tech firms, once seen as quaint or copycats, can now count Alibaba, Tencent, and Ant Financial in the world’s top 10 most valuable internet companies, alongside Alphabet, Facebook, and Amazon. And the country’s tech economy is taking on, and beating, global rivals. Chinese founders are pushing the edge with new business models and disruptive innovations . . .
Task Rabbits and Thunder Lizards: A Founder and Funder Story
When a founder’s vision sparks a funder’s interest, an idea can become an enterprise with the potential to reimagine the whole idea of community. That’s what happened when TaskRabbit founder Leah Busque and Floodgate venture capitalist Ann Miura-Ko joined forces. The two discussed their partnership growing one of the earliest companies of the sharing economy during a panel produced by the Exponential Center at the Computer History Museum (CHM) on May 16, 2018. It all started with a dog.
Task Rabbits and Thunder Lizards: A Founder and Funder Story
When a founder’s vision sparks a funder’s interest, an idea can become an enterprise with the potential to reimagine the whole idea of community. That’s what happened when TaskRabbit founder Leah Busque and Floodgate venture capitalist Ann Miura-Ko joined forces. The two discussed their partnership growing one of the earliest companies of the sharing economy during a panel produced by the Exponential Center at the Computer History Museum (CHM) on May 16, 2018. It all started with a dog.
#WeToo: Insights from Silicon Valley Women in Tech
In 1962, Evelyn Berezin designed a reservation system for United Airlines that served 60 cities throughout the United States with a one-second response time. It had no central system failures in 11 years of operation.
#WeToo: Insights from Silicon Valley Women in Tech – Code Like A Girl
In 1962, Evelyn Berezin designed a reservation system for United Airlines that served 60 cities throughout the United States with a one-second response time. It had no central system failures in 11 years of operation.
#WeToo: Insights from Silicon Valley Women in Tech – Core+ – Medium
In 1962, Evelyn Berezin designed a reservation system for United Airlines that served 60 cities throughout the United States with a one-second response time. It had no central system failures in 11 years of operation.
Not Just for Calling Anymore: The Social Impact of the iPhone Revolution
It will ruin your eyes, turn your brain to mush, and kids will see things they shouldn’t. The content is all just designed to sell stuff. It will destroy relationships—people won’t interact with family and friends in person anymore. What innovation prompted these dire predictions? The television when it came on the scene in the 1950s. And we’re raising the same questions and concerns about the smartphone today.
Not Just for Calling Anymore: The Social Impact of the iPhone Revolution
It will ruin your eyes, turn your brain to mush, and kids will see things they shouldn’t. The content is all just designed to sell stuff. It will destroy relationships?—?people won’t interact with family and friends in person anymore. What innovation prompted these dire predictions? The television when it came on the scene in the 1950s. And we’re raising the same questions and concerns about the smartphone today.
Making Trouble: Leslie Berlin Explores the People Who Built Silicon Valley
One of Silicon Valley’s great advantages, says author Leslie Berlin, is how accessible experienced founders and legendary CEOs are to the next generation of entrepreneurs. Steve Jobs counted David Packard of Hewlett-Packard and Robert Noyce of Intel among his mentors. Facebook’s young founder Mark Zuckerberg looked to Jobs for advice and also to Bob Taylor of Xerox PARC. Taylor is one of the seven pioneering individuals featured in Leslie Berlin’s book Troublemakers: Silicon Valley’s Coming of Age.
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