It’s the question of our times: How is technology impacting our humanity? On Should This Exist? we invite creators of radical new technologies to set aside their business plan, and think through the human side: What is the technology’s fullest potential? And what could possibly go wrong?

 

Our host Caterina Fake (the founder of Flickr, and a partner at Yes VC) drops listeners into the minds of today’s edgiest entrepreneurs and guides them through the journey of foreseeing what technology might do to us, and for us. Should This Exist? is a WaitWhat original series.

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What went wrong with the world wide web – and how we can fix it

The utopia and the dystopia.

A question that will determine the future of our lives online … and off.
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How to hack your way out of aging

What if you could live to 200?

Postponing death: The technology that prompts us to ask some of the biggest questions of all.
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The next gen of meat will be grown in a lab

A future where animal products come from cell cultures.

A nonprofit is working toward a post-animal bioeconomy. But does meat grown in a lab really take animals out of the picture?
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What if you could Photoshop your voice?

A new tech can change your voice – to anything you want.

Modulate could help people use a voice that represents who they truly are – but what’s real if you can’t trust what you hear?
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We can change the DNA of an entire species — in the wild

What would you do to end a disease?

With new tech, you can change the DNA of an entire species – but can anyone ever fully understand the risks?
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When your invention becomes

a weapon

What is the inventor’s responsibility?

3DR and DIY Drones want to share open-source drone technology with everyone – but troubling use cases have emerged.
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Boom: The return of supersonic flight

What if you could travel faster than the speed of sound?

This supersonic plane could be the biggest disruption to air travel since the Jet Age. But progress always has a price.
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Software that detects how you feel

What if your computer could read your face?

Affectiva is an AI tool that can detect universal emotions. It could make tech more “human” – but could it also invade our inner lives?
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Woebot, the virtual therapist 

What happens when we remove the human therapist from therapy?

Woebot uses AI to guide users through a therapy session anytime, anywhere. It could increase access to mental health and reduce the stigma – no human therapist required.
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Halo: A headset that helps you learn faster 

If you could learn as fast as a kid again, would you?

The Halo headset stimulates your brain as you learn. Right now its use is limited to physical learning (athletes and musicians use it), but someday it could help anyone master anything. Would that be fair?
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EPISODE 1

Handcrafted

Brian Chesky
Co-founder & CEO of Airbnb

With cameo appearances by Patrick Collison (Stripe)

Photography By Jacqui Ipp

“In order to scale you have to do things that don’t scale.”

Reid’s theory:
If you want your company to truly scale, you first have to do things that don’t scale. Hand-craft the core experience. Serve your customers one-by-one. Then figure out how and what to scale.
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