How Peter Thiel and the PayPal Mafia went from Zero to One (Part 2)
For a second week, with the help of Andrea Solomonides, co-founder of Black Lemon TV and partner at Giraffes in the Kitchen, we unravel the complex legacy of Peter Thiel and the PayPal Mafia in Silicon Valley. We explore their rise from PayPal pioneers to tech titans, dissecting how their libertarian ideals and strategies have sculpted today’s tech culture, often at the expense of diversity and inclusion. With Andrea we explore Thiel's controversial actions and ideologies—from his involvement in the Gawker lawsuit to his political machinations—offering a compelling narrative on the power dynamics that shape the digital age.
In the concluding installment of this dual-part series, we delve deep into the narrative surrounding PayPal, tracing its inception, the tumultuous internal conflicts among its founders, and the ensuing cultural impact the company had throughout Silicon Valley. Furthermore, we scrutinize the notorious Gawker lawsuit and the intricate political maneuvers orchestrated by Peter Thiel.
How Peter Thiel and the PayPal Mafia went from Zero to One (Part 1)
This week, with the help of Andrea Solomonides, co-founder of Black Lemon TV and partner at Giraffes in the Kitchen, we unravel the complex legacy of Peter Thiel and the PayPal Mafia in Silicon Valley.
In the opening segment of this two-part series, we introduce you to the legendary Paypal Mafia. Coined in a 2007 article, they are depicted as a "hyperintelligent, superconnected pack of serial entrepreneurs" who emerged from the ranks of the pioneering payment service, PayPal, and after leaving Paypal they founded, funded, and led some of the most influential tech companies of our time, cementing their status as icons of entrepreneurial prowess. In the process, they reshaped the landscape of Silicon Valley forever. We then focus on the "Don" of this group, Peter Thiel, tracing his upbringing and his early years as a conservative libertarian student at the liberal Stanford University.
Confronting the Profiling Out of Women in Tech
In this episode, I'm joined by Josie Christodoulou, the Commissioner for Gender Equality, for a deep dive into the shifting role of women in the technology sector. We journey from a time when women were the programmers, through a pivotal moment when two men's profiling methods pushed women aside, to a contemporary debate sparked by an engineer's claim about the biological unsuitability of women to work in tech. Join us as we explore the roots of the current disparities and discuss Cyprus's National Strategy for Gender Equality.
Google’s Ideological Eco Chamber (Greek/Ελληνικά)
Μαζί με την Αναστασία εξερευνούμε τη γέννηση του άντρα αντικοινωνικού σπασίκλα άλλα ιδιοφυή προγραμματιστή και την ιδέα πως ο προγραμματισμός είναι ένα ταλέντο με το οποίο γεννιέσαι. Για να αποδομήσουμε το μύθο αναλύουμε από μια μελέτη που απέδειξε πως τελικά οι γυναίκες μπορεί να είναι καλύτερες προγραμματίστριες μέχρι το περίφημο σημείωμα του James Damore, Google’s Ideological Eco Chamber.
The brilliant asshole (Greek/Ελληνικά)
Μαζί με τον Αντρέα και το Βαλεντίνο μιλάμε για το πιο ιδιοφυή από τους ιδιοφυείς μαλάκες. Είναι το πρότυπο του προγραμματιστή ροκ σταρ, του μυθικού προγραμματιστή 10x που όλες οι αγγελίες εργασίας αναζητούν. Είναι ό,τι δεν πάει καλά με τον κόσμο της τεχνολογίας και ο κόσμος της τεχνολογίας τον λατρεύει.
1984 - Οι γυναικες φευγουν (Greek/Ελληνικά)
Μαζί με τη Μαρία μιλάμε για το marketing των προσωπικών υπολογιστών στη δεκαετία του 1980, μια "επιστημονική" μελέτη με σκοπό να καθορίσει τα χαρακτηριστικά του ιδανικού προγραμματιστή και εξερευνούμε πως και γιατί οι γυναίκες έφυγαν και τους λόγους της γέννησης του σπασίκλα, αντικοινωνικού προγραμματιστή.