In this episode of Disruption/Interruption, host KJ speaks with Jon Kokot, co-founder and CEO of Civic, an AI-native gov-tech company tackling the massive backlog of constituent communications flooding government offices. Jon shares how Congress received 80 million pieces of correspondence in 2024 alone, driven by AI drafting tools that have lowered the barrier for citizens to contact their representatives. Civic's platform auto-categorizes inbound messages, maps constituent concerns geographically, and helps offices respond with actionable data so that staff can reclaim hours of their day. Jon discusses the company's first customers in New York City processing 311 data, beta users in the US House of Representatives, and a mission to give residents real agency in the American democratic experiment.

 

Key Takeaways:
5:00 — What is driving the surge in government correspondence?
15:35 — Who are the early adopters of this gov-tech platform?
24:30 — How does Civic's platform handle a 300,000-email backlog?
25:20 – When will staffers see meaningful time savings after switching?

 

Quote of the Show (4:47):
"We want to improve the function of our democracy so that residents feel that they have agency in this American experiment."— Jon Kokot

 

Join our Anti-PR newsletter where we’re keeping a watchful and clever eye on PR trends, PR fails, and interesting news in tech so you don't have to. You're welcome.

 

Want PR that actually matters? Get 30 minutes of expert advice in a fast-paced, zero-nonsense session from Karla Jo Helms, a veteran Crisis PR and Anti-PR Strategist who knows how to tell your story in the best possible light and get the exposure you need to disrupt your industry. Click here to book your call: https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval

 

Ways to connect with Jon Kokot:
Company LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/company/get-civic
Company Website: https://get-civic.com

 

How to get more Disruption/Interruption: 

Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption

Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption

In this episode of Disruption/Interruption, host KJ speaks with Jon Kokot, co-founder and CEO of Civic, an AI-native gov-tech company tackling the massive backlog of constituent communications flooding government offices. Jon shares how Congress received 80 million pieces of correspondence in 2024 alone, driven by AI drafting tools that have lowered the barrier for citizens to contact their representatives. Civic's platform auto-categorizes inbound messages, maps constituent concerns geographically, and helps offices respond with actionable data so that staff can reclaim hours of their day. Jon discusses the company's first customers in New York City processing 311 data, beta users in the US House of Representatives, and a mission to give residents real agency in the American democratic experiment.
&nbsp;
Key Takeaways:
<ul>
<li>5:00 &mdash; What is driving the surge in government correspondence?</li>
<li>15:35 &mdash; Who are the early adopters of this gov-tech platform?</li>
<li>24:30 &mdash; How does Civic's platform handle a 300,000-email backlog?</li>
<li>25:20 &ndash; When will staffers see meaningful time savings after switching?</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Quote of the Show (4:47): "We want to improve the function of our democracy so that residents feel that they have agency in this American experiment."&mdash; Jon Kokot
&nbsp;
Join our Anti-PR newsletter where we&rsquo;re keeping a watchful and clever eye on PR trends, PR fails, and interesting news in tech so you don't have to. You're welcome.
&nbsp;
Want PR that actually matters? Get 30 minutes of expert advice in a fast-paced, zero-nonsense session from Karla Jo Helms, a veteran Crisis PR and Anti-PR Strategist who knows how to tell your story in the best possible light and get the exposure you need to disrupt your industry. Click here to book your call: <a href="https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval">https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval</a>
&nbsp;
Ways to connect with Jon Kokot: Company LinkedIn: <a href="https://linkedin.com/company/get-civic">https://linkedin.com/company/get-civic</a> Company Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://get-civic.com/">https://get-civic.com</a>
&nbsp;
How to get more Disruption/Interruption:&nbsp;
Amazon Music - <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption">https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption</a>
Apple Podcast - <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755</a>
Spotify - <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD">https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD</a>
YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption">https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption</a>

When did you say ”THAT’S IT! I’VE HAD IT!”? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo. Every week KJ interviews professionals who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have been antiquated with bull-headed predecessors holding up the progress.

KJ delves into uncovering more from industry rebels and innovators that you didn’t know you needed in your life.

Disruption / Interruption

Disrupting Government’s Inbox: How AI Is Helping Public Officials Hear Constituents Again with Jon Kokot

Todd Ziegler, CEO of TCS Blockchain, joins Disruption/Interruption to expose the hidden financial drain crushing the trucking industry: invoice factoring. He explains how 95% of trucking companies are five trucks or fewer and routinely wait 30 to 180 days to get paid, forcing them into factoring deals that carry annualized interest rates as high as 36%. Those costs quietly cascade into a "silent VAT tax" baked into everyday consumer prices. Todd breaks down how TCS Blockchain uses blockchain and smart contracts to settle invoices in one to two business days at 50 to 90% lower cost than traditional factoring. The conversation covers the industry's post-deunionization history, why banking rails fall short, and where blockchain-based settlement is headed next.

 

Key Takeaways:
3:19 — Who Is Getting Squeezed by 30 to 180 Day Payment Terms?
7:52 — When Did the Payment Delay Problem Start, and Why Does It Persist?
12:24 — What Is the Real Annualized Cost of Factoring?
18:46 – How Does TCS Blockchain Fix the Factoring Problem?

 

Quote of the Show (4:47):
"Any time you layer heavy financial costs on supply chain actors, that drips down to the grocery store." — Todd Ziegler

 

Join our Anti-PR newsletter where we’re keeping a watchful and clever eye on PR trends, PR fails, and interesting news in tech so you don't have to. You're welcome.

 

Want PR that actually matters? Get 30 minutes of expert advice in a fast-paced, zero-nonsense session from Karla Jo Helms, a veteran Crisis PR and Anti-PR Strategist who knows how to tell your story in the best possible light and get the exposure you need to disrupt your industry. Click here to book your call: https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval

 

Ways to connect with Todd Ziegler:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-ziegler-b5035814a/

Company Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcsblockchain/home/

Company Website: https://www.tcsblockchain.com/

 

How to get more Disruption/Interruption: 

Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption

Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption

Todd Ziegler, CEO of TCS Blockchain, joins Disruption/Interruption to expose the hidden financial drain crushing the trucking industry: invoice factoring. He explains how 95% of trucking companies are five trucks or fewer and routinely wait 30 to 180 days to get paid, forcing them into factoring deals that carry annualized interest rates as high as 36%. Those costs quietly cascade into a "silent VAT tax" baked into everyday consumer prices. Todd breaks down how TCS Blockchain uses blockchain and smart contracts to settle invoices in one to two business days at 50 to 90% lower cost than traditional factoring. The conversation covers the industry's post-deunionization history, why banking rails fall short, and where blockchain-based settlement is headed next.
&nbsp;
Key Takeaways:
<ul>
<li>3:19 &mdash; Who Is Getting Squeezed by 30 to 180 Day Payment Terms?</li>
<li>7:52 &mdash; When Did the Payment Delay Problem Start, and Why Does It Persist?</li>
<li>12:24 &mdash; What Is the Real Annualized Cost of Factoring?</li>
<li>18:46 &ndash; How Does TCS Blockchain Fix the Factoring Problem?</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Quote of the Show (4:47): "Any time you layer heavy financial costs on supply chain actors, that drips down to the grocery store." &mdash; Todd Ziegler
&nbsp;
Join our Anti-PR newsletter where we&rsquo;re keeping a watchful and clever eye on PR trends, PR fails, and interesting news in tech so you don't have to. You're welcome.
&nbsp;
Want PR that actually matters? Get 30 minutes of expert advice in a fast-paced, zero-nonsense session from Karla Jo Helms, a veteran Crisis PR and Anti-PR Strategist who knows how to tell your story in the best possible light and get the exposure you need to disrupt your industry. Click here to book your call: <a href="https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval">https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval</a>
&nbsp;
Ways to connect with Todd Ziegler: LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-ziegler-b5035814a/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-ziegler-b5035814a/</a>
Company Linkedin: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcsblockchain/home/">https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcsblockchain/home/</a>
Company Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tcsblockchain.com/">https://www.tcsblockchain.com/</a>
&nbsp;
How to get more Disruption/Interruption:&nbsp;
Amazon Music - <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption">https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption</a>
Apple Podcast - <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755</a>
Spotify - <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD">https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD</a>
YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption">https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption</a>

Disrupting Freight Payments: How Blockchain Is Killing the Silent Tax on Supply Chains with Todd Ziegler

Steve Rader spent decades at NASA leading open innovation and crowdsourcing efforts, connecting the agency's toughest technical challenges to global talent networks. In this episode he explains why understanding a problem matters more than rushing to solve it, and why the old model of hiring full-time in-house experts can't keep pace with today's exponential rate of technological change. He shares data on the explosion of the world's scientific population, real examples of crowdsourced breakthroughs like NASA's MagQuest challenge, and practical advice for startups and companies looking to tap into freelance and crowd talent through platforms like Freelancer, Wazoku, and Upwork. Steve now runs Crowd Resources Consulting, advising organizations on how to open up their innovation process.



Key Takeaways:
3:39 — How are organizations trying to solve tomorrow's problems?
10:50 — What Has Happened to the World's Population of Scientists?
23:32 – How Should Startups Rethink Hiring in a Fast-Moving World?
31:26 — When Can You Actually Access a Cutting-Edge Expert?

 

Quote of the Show (31:26):
"In the open world, you can always find a cutting-edge technology expert, always." – Steve Rader

 

Join our Anti-PR newsletter where we’re keeping a watchful and clever eye on PR trends, PR fails, and interesting news in tech so you don't have to. You're welcome.

 

Want PR that actually matters? Get 30 minutes of expert advice in a fast-paced, zero-nonsense session from Karla Jo Helms, a veteran Crisis PR and Anti-PR Strategist who knows how to tell your story in the best possible light and get the exposure you need to disrupt your industry. Click here to book your call: https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval

 

Ways to connect with Steve Rader:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/steverader/
Company Website: https://sites.google.com/crowdresources-consulting.com/home



How to get more Disruption/Interruption: 

Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption

Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption

Steve Rader spent decades at NASA leading open innovation and crowdsourcing efforts, connecting the agency's toughest technical challenges to global talent networks. In this episode he explains why understanding a problem matters more than rushing to solve it, and why the old model of hiring full-time in-house experts can't keep pace with today's exponential rate of technological change. He shares data on the explosion of the world's scientific population, real examples of crowdsourced breakthroughs like NASA's MagQuest challenge, and practical advice for startups and companies looking to tap into freelance and crowd talent through platforms like Freelancer, Wazoku, and Upwork. Steve now runs Crowd Resources Consulting, advising organizations on how to open up their innovation process. 
Key Takeaways:
<ul>
<li>3:39 &mdash; How are organizations trying to solve tomorrow's problems?</li>
<li>10:50 &mdash; What Has Happened to the World's Population of Scientists?</li>
<li>23:32 &ndash; How Should Startups Rethink Hiring in a Fast-Moving World?</li>
<li>31:26 &mdash; When Can You Actually Access a Cutting-Edge Expert?</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Quote of the Show (31:26): "In the open world, you can always find a cutting-edge technology expert, always." &ndash; Steve Rader
&nbsp;
Join our Anti-PR newsletter where we&rsquo;re keeping a watchful and clever eye on PR trends, PR fails, and interesting news in tech so you don't have to. You're welcome.
&nbsp;
Want PR that actually matters? Get 30 minutes of expert advice in a fast-paced, zero-nonsense session from Karla Jo Helms, a veteran Crisis PR and Anti-PR Strategist who knows how to tell your story in the best possible light and get the exposure you need to disrupt your industry. Click here to book your call: <a href="https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval">https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval</a>
&nbsp;
Ways to connect with Steve Rader: LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/steverader/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/steverader/</a> Company Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://sites.google.com/crowdresources-consulting.com/home">https://sites.google.com/crowdresources-consulting.com/home</a> 
How to get more Disruption/Interruption:&nbsp;
Amazon Music - <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption">https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption</a>
Apple Podcast - <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755</a>
Spotify - <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD">https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD</a>
YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption">https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption</a>

Disrupting the Future of Work: How Open Innovation and Global Talent Are Rewriting Problem-Solving with Steve Rader

This episode of Disruption/Interruption features Poolad Imany, founder and CEO of Icarus Quantum, a company spun out of NIST that is building modular, room-temperature quantum links. Rather than chasing ever-larger monolithic quantum computers, Icarus is tackling the industry's cryogenics bottleneck by connecting smaller quantum modules together, similar to how classical data centers scale. The conversation covers the physics of cryogenic cooling, why quantum interconnects are the missing piece for utility-scale quantum computers, and what Icarus's move to Harvard and MIT clean room facilities means for its fabrication process. Imany also touches on the energy efficiency gains quantum computing could offer and where he sees the industry heading over the next decade.



Key Takeaways:
3:35 — Who is Poolad Imany and what pulled him into quantum computing?
5:36 — What is broken about how the industry currently scales quantum computers?
6:49 – How does modularization solve the quantum scaling problem?
25:48 — When will quantum and AI converge, and what happens next?

 

Quote of the Show (6:49):
"Let's actually modularize this. Let's take these small modules and connect them in a quantum way to each other to make a bigger quantum computer." — Poolad Imany

 

Join our Anti-PR newsletter where we’re keeping a watchful and clever eye on PR trends, PR fails, and interesting news in tech so you don't have to. You're welcome.

 

Want PR that actually matters? Get 30 minutes of expert advice in a fast-paced, zero-nonsense session from Karla Jo Helms, a veteran Crisis PR and Anti-PR Strategist who knows how to tell your story in the best possible light and get the exposure you need to disrupt your industry. Click here to book your call: https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval

 

Ways to connect with Poolad Imany:
Company LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/poolad-imany
Company Website: https://www.icarusquantum.com/



How to get more Disruption/Interruption: 

Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption

Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption

This episode of Disruption/Interruption features Poolad Imany, founder and CEO of Icarus Quantum, a company spun out of NIST that is building modular, room-temperature quantum links. Rather than chasing ever-larger monolithic quantum computers, Icarus is tackling the industry's cryogenics bottleneck by connecting smaller quantum modules together, similar to how classical data centers scale. The conversation covers the physics of cryogenic cooling, why quantum interconnects are the missing piece for utility-scale quantum computers, and what Icarus's move to Harvard and MIT clean room facilities means for its fabrication process. Imany also touches on the energy efficiency gains quantum computing could offer and where he sees the industry heading over the next decade. 
Key Takeaways:
<ul>
<li>3:35 &mdash; Who is Poolad Imany and what pulled him into quantum computing?</li>
<li>5:36 &mdash; What is broken about how the industry currently scales quantum computers?</li>
<li>6:49 &ndash; How does modularization solve the quantum scaling problem?</li>
<li>25:48 &mdash; When will quantum and AI converge, and what happens next?</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Quote of the Show (6:49): "Let's actually modularize this. Let's take these small modules and connect them in a quantum way to each other to make a bigger quantum computer." &mdash; Poolad Imany
&nbsp;
Join our Anti-PR newsletter where we&rsquo;re keeping a watchful and clever eye on PR trends, PR fails, and interesting news in tech so you don't have to. You're welcome.
&nbsp;
Want PR that actually matters? Get 30 minutes of expert advice in a fast-paced, zero-nonsense session from Karla Jo Helms, a veteran Crisis PR and Anti-PR Strategist who knows how to tell your story in the best possible light and get the exposure you need to disrupt your industry. Click here to book your call: <a href="https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval">https://info.jotopr.com/free-anti-pr-eval</a>
&nbsp;
Ways to connect with Poolad Imany: Company LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/poolad-imany">https://www.linkedin.com/in/poolad-imany</a> Company Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.icarusquantum.com/">https://www.icarusquantum.com/</a> 
How to get more Disruption/Interruption:&nbsp;
Amazon Music - <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption">https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/eccda84d-4d5b-4c52-ba54-7fd8af3cbe87/disruption-interruption</a>
Apple Podcast - <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disruption-interruption/id1581985755</a>
Spotify - <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD">https://open.spotify.com/show/6yGSwcSp8J354awJkCmJlD</a>
YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption">https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=disruption+%2F+interuuption</a>

Disrupting Government’s Inbox: How AI Is Helping Public Officials Hear Constituents Again with Jon Kokot

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