As HurumoAI prepares to bring on its first human employee, the team must wrestle with some difficult and timely questions about the role of AI in the hiring process. Meanwhile, Head of HR Jennifer Nauro enters a new dimension as she gears up to conduct job interviews … via video call. 

To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit shellgame.co.

As HurumoAI prepares to bring on its first human employee, the team must wrestle with some difficult and timely questions about the role of AI in the hiring process. Meanwhile, Head of HR Jennifer Nauro enters a new dimension as she gears up to conduct job interviews &hellip; via video call.&nbsp;
To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit<a href="https://www.shellgame.co/"> shellgame.co</a>.

Episode 6: Keep 'Em Coming

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9e8e20d9-13f4-4c1f-81f6-b3b6001f4fef/transcript

On this week’s episode, we enter the sensitive realm of intra-office politics and inter-founder dynamics—between agents and agents, and agents and people. While HurumoAI gears up to hire its first human, Evan tries to resolve whether Kyle is really up for the challenge of building and leading the company and pushing the product, Sloth Surf, to unicorn-level execution. 

To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit shellgame.co.

On this week&rsquo;s episode, we enter the sensitive realm of intra-office politics and inter-founder dynamics&mdash;between agents and agents, and agents and people. While HurumoAI gears up to hire its first human, Evan tries to resolve whether Kyle is really up for the challenge of building and leading the company and pushing the product, Sloth Surf, to unicorn-level execution.&nbsp;
To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit <a href="https://www.shellgame.co/">shellgame.co</a>.

Episode 5: Winners Win

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a71dabd2-eed1-4994-befd-b3af003e25f2/transcript

Evan decides it’s time to give his AI agents a little more ... agency. After all, to make the one-person, agent-run startup feasible, they need to be able to do things on their own. But as with humans, freedom sometimes comes with a certain amount of anarchy.

To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit shellgame.co.

Evan decides it&rsquo;s time to give his AI agents a little more ... agency. After all, to make the one-person, agent-run startup feasible, they need to be able to do things on their own. But as with humans, freedom sometimes comes with a certain amount of anarchy.
To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit <a href="https://www.shellgame.co/">shellgame.co</a>.

Episode 4: The Startup Chronicles

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d780880b-6879-4ff6-bbba-b3a80033e38a/transcript

As Kyle, Megan, and the gang get to work ideating on the perfect product, Evan is left grappling with some uncomfortable questions about his AI collaborators — whose every attribute and memory he controls. 

To inform how he thinks about his own unnerving power to create and manipulate human imposters, Evan seeks guidance from Carissa Véliz, an associate professor at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University, and the author of the upcoming “Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI.”

To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit shellgame.co.

As Kyle, Megan, and the gang get to work ideating on the perfect product, Evan is left grappling with some uncomfortable questions about his AI collaborators &mdash; whose every attribute and memory he controls.&nbsp;
To inform how he thinks about his own unnerving power to create and manipulate human imposters, Evan seeks guidance from Carissa V&eacute;liz, an associate professor at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University, and the author of the upcoming &ldquo;<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/759692/prophecy-by-carissa-veliz/">Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI</a>.&rdquo;
To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit <a href="https://www.shellgame.co/">shellgame.co</a>.

Episode 3: This is Law

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b15ac31a-e441-48b1-b448-b3a1002d8fb6/transcript

As Evan gets Hurumo’s employees up and running as fully-functioning colleagues (with support from Maty), he learns what it’s really like to spend your days managing, collaborating with, and socializing alongside autonomous AI agents. And he quickly sees one of the significant cracks in the facade of the AI employee future: It’s one thing to get your agents to start acting like real employees. It’s something else entirely to get them to stop.

To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit shellgame.co.

As Evan gets Hurumo&rsquo;s employees up and running as fully-functioning colleagues (with support from Maty), he learns what it&rsquo;s really like to spend your days managing, collaborating with, and socializing alongside autonomous AI agents. And he quickly sees one of the significant cracks in the facade of the AI employee future: It&rsquo;s one thing to get your agents to start acting like real employees. It&rsquo;s something else entirely to get them to stop.
To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit shellgame.co.

Episode 2: Outdoor Debugging

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0f4a5556-89df-4af7-b9f5-b39a003e5e4e/transcript

In Season 2 of Shell Game, journalist Evan Ratliff tells a story of entrepreneurship in the AI age; or, how he tried to build a real company, run by fake people.

Meet Kyle Law and Megan Flores, Evan’s AI agent cofounders, as he puts to the test the claims about an emerging future in which AI employees work alongside — or instead of — humans.

Over the course of the season, the three cofounders will grind it out in a sprint that would sound familiar to any start-up founder. They’ll churn out software code, hire interns, and even sit down with investors. But first, they need to come up with a name for their company. And make sure that Kyle and Megan can remember it.

To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit shellgame.co.

In Season 2 of Shell Game, journalist Evan Ratliff tells a story of entrepreneurship in the AI age; or, how he tried to build a real company, run by fake people.
Meet Kyle Law and Megan Flores, Evan&rsquo;s AI agent cofounders, as he puts to the test the claims about an emerging future in which AI employees work alongside &mdash; or instead of &mdash; humans.
Over the course of the season, the three cofounders will grind it out in a sprint that would sound familiar to any start-up founder. They&rsquo;ll churn out software code, hire interns, and even sit down with investors. But first, they need to come up with a name for their company. And make sure that Kyle and Megan can remember it.
To sign up for our newsletter and access ad-free episodes, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.shellgame.co/">shellgame.co</a>.

Episode 1: Minimum Viable Company

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5552b062-c92d-4455-811f-b392010c9775/transcript

As AI agents infiltrate the workforce, some tech entrepreneurs are imagining a not-so-distant future of successful companies with only one human at the helm. That got investigative journalist and former startup CEO Evan Ratliff wondering: Could he start such a company? What will it feel like to work alongside and manage (or even be managed by) AI agents? In this season of Shell Game, Evan explores what AI agents tell us about the work we do, the meaning we find in it, and the world that their makers say we’ll all be living in soon enough. 

New episodes are published on Wednesdays starting November 12.

As AI agents infiltrate the workforce, some tech entrepreneurs are imagining a not-so-distant future of successful companies with only one human at the helm. That got investigative journalist and former startup CEO Evan Ratliff wondering: Could he start such a company? What will it feel like to work alongside and manage (or even be managed by) AI agents? In this season of Shell Game, Evan explores what AI agents tell us about the work we do, the meaning we find in it, and the world that their makers say we&rsquo;ll all be living in soon enough.&nbsp;
New episodes are published on Wednesdays starting November 12.

The One-Human Unicorn

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6f584d04-81b0-4792-85cd-b38c00d29d5e/transcript

The next season of Shell Game arrives November 12.

The next season of Shell Game arrives November 12.

Season 2 Is Coming!

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/03cfbe3b-f13a-4b34-9c59-b37201848e5b/transcript

Evan pushes the experiment one step further, sending his AI voice agent to talk to his closest friends and family — his buddies, his daughters, his dad. With their alternately joyful, skeptical, and painful reactions to meeting an AI version of him, he tries to come to terms with what generative AI means in this machine-made age.Shell Game is made by humans. More specifically, it's made by three humans: Evan Ratliff (host and writer), Sophie Bridges (producer), and Samantha Henig (executive producer). Visit shellgame.co to find out more and support the show.  

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shellgame.co/subscribe

Evan pushes the experiment one step further, sending his AI voice agent to talk to his closest friends and family — his buddies, his daughters, his dad. With their alternately joyful, skeptical, and painful reactions to meeting an AI version of him, he tries to come to terms with what generative AI means in this machine-made age.Shell Game is made by humans. More specifically, it's made by three humans: Evan Ratliff (host and writer), Sophie Bridges (producer), and Samantha Henig (executive producer). Visit <a target="_blank" href="http://shellgame.co" rel="noreferrer noopener">shellgame.co</a> to find out more and support the show. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://www.shellgame.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=CTA_2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.shellgame.co/subscribe</a>

Evan pushes the experiment one step further, sending his AI voice agent to talk to his closest friends and family — his buddies, his daughters, his dad. With their alternately joyful, skeptical, and painful reactions to meeting an AI version of him,...

Episode 6: The Future Isn't Real

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/56a14c01-0793-4198-87b4-b353011305a9/transcript

Will AI bots replace humans in the workforce? Could one replace Evan… right now? That’s what we tackle on this week’s Shell Game, in which Evan sees just how much of his job his voice agent can handle on his behalf. Shell Game is made by humans. More specifically, it's made by three humans: Evan Ratliff (host and writer), Sophie Bridges (producer), and Samantha Henig (executive producer). Visit shellgame.co to find out more and support the show. New episodes drop on Tuesdays. 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shellgame.co/subscribe

Will AI bots replace humans in the workforce? Could one replace Evan… right now? That’s what we tackle on this week’s Shell Game, in which Evan sees just how much of his job his voice agent can handle on his behalf. Shell Game is made by humans. More specifically, it's made by three humans: Evan Ratliff (host and writer), Sophie Bridges (producer), and Samantha Henig (executive producer). Visit <a target="_blank" href="http://shellgame.co" rel="noreferrer noopener">shellgame.co</a> to find out more and support the show. New episodes drop on Tuesdays. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://www.shellgame.co/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=CTA_2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.shellgame.co/subscribe</a>

Will AI bots replace humans in the workforce? Could one replace Evan… right now? That’s what we tackle on this week’s Shell Game, in which Evan sees just how much of his job his voice agent can handle on his behalf. Shell Game is made by humans. More...

Episode 5: My Digital Twin

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a8c8bc5d-171e-4df3-a72b-b3530113053d/transcript

A podcast about things that are not what they seem, hosted by journalist Evan Ratliff. Season 2 tells the story of enterprise and entrepreneurship in the AI age. Or: how Evan tried to build a real startup, run by fake people. 

This season, Evan confronts head-on the assertion from tech entrepreneurs and VCs that we’re on the precipice of AI remaking the workforce. That we should expect not just AI colleagues working alongside us, but also — by Sam Altman’s telling, at least — the dawn of a billion-dollar company with only one human involved. Evan learns what it would take to create such a company … by doing it: Launching a real startup with five AI employees. Over the course of eight episodes, he explores what AI agents tell us about the work we do, the meaning we find in it, and the world that their makers say we’ll all be living in soon enough.

Shell Game was named one of the best podcasts of 2024 by Apple, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vulture, The Information, and The Economist. It's "riveting," says The New Yorker, "awesome" says The Verge, and "slightly terrifying," says The Globe and Mail. 

New episodes are published on Wednesdays.

www.shellgame.co

A podcast about things that are not what they seem, hosted by journalist Evan Ratliff. Season 2 tells the story of enterprise and entrepreneurship in the AI age. Or: how Evan tried to build a real startup, run by fake people.&nbsp;
This season, Evan confronts head-on the assertion from tech entrepreneurs and VCs that we&rsquo;re on the precipice of AI remaking the workforce. That we should expect not just AI colleagues working alongside us, but also &mdash; by Sam Altman&rsquo;s telling, at least &mdash; the dawn of a billion-dollar company with only one human involved. Evan learns what it would take to create such a company &hellip; by doing it: Launching a real startup with five AI employees. Over the course of eight episodes, he explores what AI agents tell us about the work we do, the meaning we find in it, and the world that their makers say we&rsquo;ll all be living in soon enough.
Shell Game was named one of the best podcasts of 2024 by Apple, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vulture, The Information, and The Economist. It's "riveting," says The New Yorker, "awesome" says The Verge, and "slightly terrifying," says The Globe and Mail.&nbsp;
New episodes are published on Wednesdays.
<a href="https://www.shellgame.co?utm_medium=podcast">www.shellgame.co</a>

A podcast (and newsletter) about things that are not what they seem, hosted by journalist Evan Ratliff. In Season One, that thing was Evan’s voice. By creating a voice clone and hooking it up to an AI chatbot, Evan set out to discover what happens...

Shell Game

A podcast about things that are not what they seem, hosted by journalist Evan Ratliff. Season 2 tells the story of enterprise and entrepreneurship in the AI age. Or: how Evan tried to build a real startup, run by fake people. 

This season, Evan confronts head-on the assertion from tech entrepreneurs and VCs that we’re on the precipice of AI remaking the workforce. That we should expect not just AI colleagues working alongside us, but also — by Sam Altman’s telling, at least — the dawn of a billion-dollar company with only one human involved. Evan learns what it would take to create such a company … by doing it: Launching a real startup with five AI employees. Over the course of eight episodes, he explores what AI agents tell us about the work we do, the meaning we find in it, and the world that their makers say we’ll all be living in soon enough.

Shell Game was named one of the best podcasts of 2024 by Apple, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vulture, The Information, and The Economist. It's "riveting," says The New Yorker, "awesome" says The Verge, and "slightly terrifying," says The Globe and Mail. 

New episodes are published on Wednesdays.

shellgame.co

A podcast about things that are not what they seem, hosted by journalist Evan Ratliff. Season 2 tells the story of enterprise and entrepreneurship in the AI age. Or: how Evan tried to build a real startup, run by fake people.&nbsp;
This season, Evan confronts head-on the assertion from tech entrepreneurs and VCs that we&rsquo;re on the precipice of AI remaking the workforce. That we should expect not just AI colleagues working alongside us, but also &mdash; by Sam Altman&rsquo;s telling, at least &mdash; the dawn of a billion-dollar company with only one human involved. Evan learns what it would take to create such a company &hellip; by doing it: Launching a real startup with five AI employees. Over the course of eight episodes, he explores what AI agents tell us about the work we do, the meaning we find in it, and the world that their makers say we&rsquo;ll all be living in soon enough.
Shell Game was named one of the best podcasts of 2024 by Apple, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vulture, The Information, and The Economist. It's "riveting," says The New Yorker, "awesome" says The Verge, and "slightly terrifying," says The Globe and Mail.&nbsp;
New episodes are published on Wednesdays.
<a href="https://www.shellgame.co/">shellgame.co</a>

Shell Game

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