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 problem@pushkin.fm
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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 problem@pushkin.fm
• Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
• Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
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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 problem@pushkin.fm
• 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.