Jennifer Holmgren is the CEO of LanzaTech. Her problem is this: How do you capture pollution from factories, feed it to bacteria, and get the bacteria to produce ethanol, which can become everything from polyester to jet fuel?

Jennifer Holmgren is the CEO of LanzaTech. Her problem is this: How do you capture pollution from factories, feed it to bacteria, and get the bacteria to produce ethanol, which can become everything from polyester to jet fuel?

Every week on What's Your Problem?, former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein talks with entrepreneurs and engineers tackling the biggest challenges at the forefront of technology. How do you make a trip to space as routine as a plane flight? How do you turn solar energy into clean fuel? How do you use AI to stop deadly infections before they spread? We hear a lot these days about how the world is getting worse. What's Your Problem? learns from the thinkers and doers trying to make our future better.

iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.

Every week on What's Your Problem?, former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein talks with&nbsp;entrepreneurs and engineers&nbsp;tackling the biggest challenges at the forefront of technology. How do you make a trip to space as routine as a plane flight? How do you turn solar energy into clean fuel? How do you use AI to stop deadly infections before they spread? We hear a lot these days about how the world is getting worse. What's Your Problem? learns from the thinkers and doers trying to make our future better.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.

What's Your Problem?

Every week on What’s Your Problem, entrepreneurs and engineers talk about the future they’re trying to build – and the problems they have to solve to get there.

How do you take a drone delivery service you’ve built in Rwanda and make it work in North Carolina? How do you convince people to buy a house on the Internet? How do you sell thousands of dog ramps to weiner dogs all across America when a pandemic breaks the global supply chain? 

Hosted by former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein, What’s Your Problem helps listeners understand the problems really smart people are trying to solve right now.

iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.

Turning Pollution into Jet Fuel

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3a4656a6-37ad-4c5e-b152-b1e80157a150/transcript

After spending decades as marginal players in the global auto industry, Chinese carmakers have become the world’s biggest exporters of cars. Chinese cars are some of the best cars on the planet, and they’re available almost everywhere – except in the US.

Michael Dunne is the CEO of Dunne Insights, a company that consults on the future of cars. Michael has been working with the Chinese auto industry since 1990. I talked with Michael about how China did it. The problem we discussed was: How can the United States catch up with the Chinese auto industry?

In this episode, Michael explains: 
How China went from making terrible cars in 1990 to dominating global exports today
Why China bet big on electric vehicles when nobody wanted them
How Tesla's arrival in China revolutionized their EV industry 
Why losing the car industry would be a national security problem for the US
Why the future of a successful American auto industry is on the West Coast

Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram 
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm 
Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X 
Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History 
To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+

After spending decades as marginal players in the global auto industry, Chinese carmakers have become the world&rsquo;s biggest exporters of cars. Chinese cars are some of the best cars on the planet, and they&rsquo;re available almost everywhere &ndash; except in the US.
Michael Dunne is the CEO of Dunne Insights, a company that consults on the future of cars. Michael has been working with the Chinese auto industry since 1990. I talked with Michael about how China did it. The problem we discussed was: How can the United States catch up with the Chinese auto industry?
In this episode, Michael explains:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>How China went from making terrible cars in 1990 to dominating global exports today</li>
<li>Why China bet big on electric vehicles when nobody wanted them</li>
<li>How Tesla's arrival in China revolutionized their EV industry&nbsp;</li>
<li>Why losing the car industry would be a national security problem for the US</li>
<li>Why the future of a successful American auto industry is on the West Coast</li>
</ul>
Connect with us:
<ul>
<li>Follow Jacob Goldstein on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-goldstein-888a2441/" data-airgap-id="10">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://x.com/jacobgoldstein?lang=en" data-airgap-id="11">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jacobjgoldstein/" data-airgap-id="12">Instagram&nbsp;</a></li>
<li>Email us at <a href="mailto:problem@pushkin.fm" data-airgap-id="13">problem@pushkin.fm</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Follow Pushkin on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pushkinpods/" data-airgap-id="14">Instagram</a>,<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/pushkin-industries/posts/?feedView=all" data-airgap-id="15"> LinkedIn</a> or <a href="https://x.com/pushkinpods?lang=en" data-airgap-id="16">X</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Listen to Jacob&rsquo;s other show, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-history/id1844409167" data-airgap-id="17">Business History&nbsp;</a></li>
<li>To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for <a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/join-pushkin" data-airgap-id="18">Pushkin+</a></li>
</ul>

How China Won the Car Industry

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/43b853ca-24f9-43bf-b508-b48900fd8ce7/transcript

Phages are viruses that attack bacteria. People have been using phages to treat infections for over a hundred years, but in most cases they just don't work as well as antibiotics. 

Paul Garofolo is the co-founder and CEO of Locus Biosciences. His problem is this: How do you genetically engineer phages to be more effective at curing disease? 

In this episode, Paul explains: 
Why wild phages never completely wipe out a bacterial infection
How to engineer phages with CRISPR to kill bacteria more effectively
The clinical trial testing phage therapy for chronic, recurrent UTIs
Why persistent bacteria may contribute to autoimmune conditions like Crohn's disease
How to use robots and AI to create phage cocktails from wastewater

Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram 
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm 
Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X 
Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History 
To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+

Phages are viruses that attack bacteria. People have been using phages to treat infections for over a hundred years, but in most cases they just don't work as well as antibiotics.&nbsp;
Paul Garofolo is the co-founder and CEO of Locus Biosciences. His problem is this: How do you genetically engineer phages to be more effective at curing disease?&nbsp;
In this episode, Paul explains:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Why wild phages never completely wipe out a bacterial infection</li>
<li>How to engineer phages with CRISPR to kill bacteria more effectively</li>
<li>The clinical trial testing phage therapy for chronic, recurrent UTIs</li>
<li>Why persistent bacteria may contribute to autoimmune conditions like Crohn's disease</li>
<li>How to use robots and AI to create phage cocktails from wastewater</li>
</ul>
Connect with us:
<ul>
<li>Follow Jacob Goldstein on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-goldstein-888a2441/" data-airgap-id="10">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://x.com/jacobgoldstein?lang=en" data-airgap-id="11">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jacobjgoldstein/" data-airgap-id="12">Instagram&nbsp;</a></li>
<li>Email us at <a href="mailto:problem@pushkin.fm" data-airgap-id="13">problem@pushkin.fm</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Follow Pushkin on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pushkinpods/" data-airgap-id="14">Instagram</a>,<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/pushkin-industries/posts/?feedView=all" data-airgap-id="15"> LinkedIn</a> or <a href="https://x.com/pushkinpods?lang=en" data-airgap-id="16">X</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Listen to Jacob&rsquo;s other show, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-history/id1844409167" data-airgap-id="17">Business History&nbsp;</a></li>
<li>To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for <a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/join-pushkin" data-airgap-id="18">Pushkin+</a></li>
</ul>

Using Viruses to Fight Disease

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9f599782-8645-43fd-befb-b481016d7571/transcript

David Autor is a labor economist at MIT. He has written about how the arrival of personal computers increased inequality among American workers. But when it comes to AI, David thinks there could be a different outcome. 

Read David’s article about AI in Noema Magazine. 

In this episode, David explains: 
How computers increased the wage gap between college and non-college educated workers
Why AI’s ability to supplement expertise may open up expert fields to more people 
How AI could make healthcare and legal services cheaper
What fields will still experience rapid devaluation of skills due to AI 
The “no regrets” policies that the US could enact to help ease the impact of AI  

Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm 
Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X 
Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History 
To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+

David Autor is a labor economist at MIT. He has written about how the arrival of personal computers increased inequality among American workers. But when it comes to AI, David thinks there could be a different outcome.&nbsp;
Read David&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.noemamag.com/how-ai-could-help-rebuild-the-middle-class/">article about AI in Noema Magazine</a>.&nbsp;
In this episode, David explains:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>How computers increased the wage gap between college and non-college educated workers</li>
<li>Why AI&rsquo;s ability to supplement expertise may open up expert fields to more people&nbsp;</li>
<li>How AI could make healthcare and legal services cheaper</li>
<li>What fields will still experience rapid devaluation of skills due to AI&nbsp;</li>
<li>The &ldquo;no regrets&rdquo; policies that the US could enact to help ease the impact of AI&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Connect with us:
<ul>
<li>Follow Jacob Goldstein on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-goldstein-888a2441/">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="https://x.com/jacobgoldstein?lang=en">X</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jacobjgoldstein/">Instagram</a></li>
<li>Email us at <a href="mailto:problem@pushkin.fm">problem@pushkin.fm</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Follow Pushkin on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pushkinpods/">Instagram</a>,<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/pushkin-industries/posts/?feedView=all"> LinkedIn</a> or <a href="https://x.com/pushkinpods?lang=en">X</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Listen to Jacob&rsquo;s other show, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-history/id1844409167">Business History&nbsp;</a></li>
<li>To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for <a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/join-pushkin">Pushkin+</a></li>
</ul>

How AI Could Reduce Inequality

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/75648537-b67d-4779-8032-b47a01652ba9/transcript

Turning Pollution into Jet Fuel

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