What's Your Problem?

Aaron Edsinger left his job as director of robotics at Google to start a company called Hello Robot. Aaron’s problem is this: How do you build an affordable robot that people can use to solve real problems at home? The result is a robot that looks nothing like a person. In fact, it’s closer to a Roomba with an arm.
In this episode, Aaron explains:
 Why home robots have barely progressed since the Roomba
Why simpler robots can be more useful than complex humanoids
 Why the physical world is so much harder for AI than language
How robot safety is fundamentally a physics problem
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at [email protected]
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Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
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Ben Christensen is the co-founder and CEO of Cambium, the largest seller of salvaged wood in America. Ben's problem is this: How can we turn the trees that are falling to the ground all around us, into usable wood?
In this episode, Ben explains:
Why so much wood goes unused
Why Cambium created demand before building the supply chain
How building a data layer across the fragmented lumber industry reduces waste
Why salvaged wood can compete on price with conventional lumber
The best mantra to use 80 miles into an ultramarathon
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at [email protected]
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+
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investors are pouring billions of dollars into nuclear fusion companies. The dream: transform human civilization (and power AI data centers) by providing cheap, abundant energy. But nobody’s figured out how to make it work yet.
What will it take to make fusion work at scale – and how will the world be different if it does? To answer this question, Jacob recently hosted a conversation at SXSW between Greg Piefer of SHINE Technologies, Melanie Windridge of Fusion Energy Insights, and Luke Ward of investment firm Baillie Gifford.
In this episode, the guests explain:
The incredible promise of fusion
What it will take to realize that promise
How the AI boom and the demand for power is shaping the fusion industry
Why having a ton of money flowing into the field is not necessarily a good thing
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at [email protected]
Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn and X
Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Barrocas is the CEO of SharkNinja, a company that sells everything from vacuums, to blenders, to beauty products. Mark’s problem is this: How do you invent new products that people want to rave about on social media?
In this episode, Mark explains:
How SharkNinja finds product ideas
The tradeoffs at the heart of product development
How the Ninja Creami became a viral hit
Why some products fail and others succeed.
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at [email protected]
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+
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello What's Your Problem? listeners! We'd like to introduce you to a show we think you might like. Here We Go Again is a brand-new podcast, where actor, author, comedian, and former White House staffer Kal Penn takes today’s trends and headlines and asks: Why does history keep repeating itself?
In this episode: A.I. is automating thousands of jobs. But humanity's fear of technology replacing us is nothing new. Journalist and podcaster Jacob Goldstein tells Kal the story of the original Luddites during the early 1800s Industrial Revolution. They talk about how technology changes, how those changes reshape our work, and who historically gets protected and who gets left behind.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.