That Tech Pod

This week on the pod, we're continuing our conversation with content creator Lindsay Perrin. If you missed Part 1, go back and give it a listen before jumping into this episode. Trust us, there's more to this conversation.We pick up with a bigger question: Is content creation a real career path worth investing in, or will we look back in 10 years and wonder why we all thought posting our lives online was a business plan? With Arizona State University now offering a degree in content creation, we debate whether you can really teach someone to become an influencer or whether you just have to figure it out in the wild.We also get into Lindsay's very public clash with Nikki Glaser, what happens when your online persona collides with someone else's, and the unpredictable consequences of putting yourself out there for millions of strangers. Plus, we get into the absolutely crazy IUD story, because apparently no conversation about the internet is complete without at least one moment that makes you question everything you've just heard.Finally, Lindsay shares her advice for anyone hoping to make a career out of creating content, and our college intern, Emily, weighs in on whether today's younger generation actually trusts influencers, sees them as celebrities, or just sees another ad coming.We're all for creativity and entrepreneurship. But does every hobby, opinion, and personal experience need to become a revenue stream? We're still not entirely convinced.Lindsay Perrin is a content creator, storyteller and LGBTQ+ community organizer based in Indianapolis, Indiana. A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, she has built an online community of more than 100,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram through her authentic storytelling, infectious enthusiasm and passion for bringing people together. Her content has generated more than 20 million views across TikTok, Instagram and Threads. She was hired by Rolling Stone to cover the closing night of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour and has been featured twice in PEOPLE, with both stories originating from viral social media content. Known for her viral “Are You Gay?” videos and for creating Scissor Slam at Lollapalooza, which attracted hundreds and received national media attention, Lindsay has turned online connections into real-world community. She also uses her platform for independent storytelling and commentary, including extensive coverage of the Lindsay Clancy case and her “Live from the Living Room” series. Despite her viral success, Lindsay has experienced firsthand the challenges of social media monetization, platform algorithms and creator compensation. Her approach to content creation is rooted in authenticity, curiosity and the belief that social media’s greatest value is its ability to connect people and amplify voices. You can find Lindsay on Instagram and TikTok at @laperrin10.

This week on That Tech Pod, we're doing something a little different. We don't usually talk to influencers, but we wanted to find out what really goes into turning your life, personality, and opinions into a career online. So we sat down with Lindsay Perrin, a content creator with more than 100,000 followers and millions of views, to get the inside scoop on the business behind the posts.How much of being an influencer is talent, and how much is figuring out what the algorithm wants? Is it really a job, or just posting videos and hoping the internet likes you? Lindsay shares what it takes to build an audience, make money, and keep creating when the algorithm seems to have a mind of its own.We also bring in our college intern, Emily, a Marketing major, to get the perspective of someone from the generation these platforms are built around. Does she see influencer as a legitimate career, or does the whole thing sound a little ridiculous to her?Because there's a lot more to being a creator than getting free stuff and hoping you go viral. Or at least, that's what they want us to believe.Lindsay Perrin is a content creator, storyteller and LGBTQ+ community organizer based in Indianapolis, Indiana. A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, she has built an online community of more than 100,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram through her authentic storytelling, infectious enthusiasm and passion for bringing people together. Her content has generated more than 20 million views across TikTok, Instagram and Threads. She was hired by Rolling Stone to cover the closing night of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour and has been featured twice in PEOPLE, with both stories originating from viral social media content. Known for her viral “Are You Gay?” videos and for creating Scissor Slam at Lollapalooza, which attracted hundreds and received national media attention, Lindsay has turned online connections into real-world community. She also uses her platform for independent storytelling and commentary, including extensive coverage of the Lindsay Clancy case and her “Live from the Living Room” series. Despite her viral success, Lindsay has experienced firsthand the challenges of social media monetization, platform algorithms and creator compensation. Her approach to content creation is rooted in authenticity, curiosity and the belief that social media’s greatest value is its ability to connect people and amplify voices. You can find Lindsay on Instagram and TikTok at @laperrin10.

This week on the pod, we’re talking about whether the little guys can actually compete with Big Tech in the AI race. Harry Godfrey, Executive Director of the Little Tech Association, joins us to talk about the advantages smaller AI companies have, whether smaller language models can level the playing field, and whether AI is really lowering the barriers to entry or just shifting where the barriers exist. We also get into a bigger question: if the platforms hosting these startups can see what’s succeeding, should they be allowed to build competing products? Plus, we talk AI startup acquisitions, Chinese open-weight models, national security, and what Harry would do with $10 million to build an AI company from scratch.Harry Godfrey, Executive Director of the Little Tech Association. He is a Washington veteran who previously served in the office of the Majority Whip, James Clyburn, and the White House Office of Legislative Affairs during the Obama Administration. He spent over a decade working on state and federal policy with disruptive clean tech firms, most recently as Managing Director for Federal Affairs at the trade association Advanced Energy United. He is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and Princeton University.

This week on the pod, we talk with investor, entrepreneur and longtime market strategist Frank Holmes about gold, Bitcoin, geopolitics and one of the oldest forces in economics: scarcity. After more than four decades investing in gold and commodities, Frank was an early investor in Bitcoin and saw it as a digital store of value with some of the same characteristics that made gold valuable for centuries. We dig into what traditional investors missed about Bitcoin, whether gold and Bitcoin are really competitors, and what geopolitical conflict, sanctions, inflation and currency uncertainty can tell us about both assets. We also get into Frank’s bigger thesis: in an increasingly digital economy, the things that become scarce, whether they are gold, Bitcoin, energy or computing power, can become increasingly valuable.Frank Holmes is an investor, entrepreneur and longtime market strategist with more than four decades of experience in gold, commodities and global markets. He is CEO and Chief Investment Officer of U.S. Global Investors, which he has led since acquiring a controlling interest in 1989. Frank was also an early investor in Bitcoin, recognizing its potential as a digital store of value alongside gold. His involvement later expanded into Bitcoin mining and digital infrastructure. Today, as Executive Chairman of HIVE Digital Technologies, he focuses on the intersection of Bitcoin, high-performance computing and AI, and the growing demand for the power and compute behind them. His career gives him a unique perspective on the evolution from traditional hard assets like gold to digital assets like Bitcoin, and what may become scarce in an increasingly digital economy.

This week on the pod, we talk with Olivier Roth, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of The Swarm, about what happens when AI starts mapping the human relationships behind business.Companies have mountains of relationship data sitting inside their employees, customers, investors, partners, advisors, CRMs, and inboxes. But knowing that two people have exchanged emails or worked at the same company doesn't necessarily mean one of them would actually pick up the phone. So how do you teach AI the difference between a connection and a real relationship?Olivier explains how The Swarm uses AI and relationship intelligence to help companies find the people who can actually open doors, rather than relying on LinkedIn searches, cold emails, and endless asking around. We also get into the uncomfortable questions: When does relationship intelligence become creepy? Who actually owns the relationships inside a company? And can AI really understand trust, credibility, and willingness to make an introduction?If AI can eventually understand not just what we know, but who we know and how those relationships actually work, cold outreach may start to look very different.Olivier Roth is the Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of The Swarm, a technology company helping businesses find smarter ways to grow through the people and connections they already have. Olivier works at the intersection of AI, relationship intelligence, and business development, helping companies uncover warm introductions, move away from cold outreach, and get more value from tools they already use, including CRMs and Clay. 

On this episode we talk with Eliza Jacobs, VP of Safety Product Policy at Roblox, about what it actually takes to keep one of the world’s biggest online platforms safe for kids.Eliza takes us behind the scenes of Roblox’s approach to safety, from building safety into the product from the start to moderating millions of user-created experiences, handling reports, and dealing with the unique challenges of real-time voice chat. We also dig into the growing debate around age verification, privacy, and how platforms can protect younger users without creating an entirely new set of problems.And because Roblox is a huge part of how millions of kids spend their time online, we ask the questions parents actually want answered: What happens when a child reports someone? How does Roblox detect inappropriate interactions? What can parents realistically expect from the platform? And, most importantly, is there any secret way to get your kid some free Robux?Your kids are on Roblox so this is a conversation worth hearing.Eliza Jacobs is the VP of Safety Product Policy at Roblox, where she is responsible for our external Community Standards and the internal interpretation and enforcement of those policies. Prior to joining Roblox, she was the Head of Product Policy at Airbnb, joining in 2016 as the third member of the broader Community Policy team and helping it grow to 18 people in five offices across the globe. Eliza started her tech journey at Etsy, where she worked in a wide variety of Trust and Safety roles and learned the ropes of product, policy, and operations. She began her career as a lawyer, practicing as a securities litigator in New York before making the switch to Trust and Safety.

On this episode, Laura and Kevin are joined by filmmaker, actor, technologist and entrepreneur Collin Pelton, whose unconventional career has taken him from theater and acting to the U.S. Air Force, IT, Hollywood and post-production at Marvel Studios. After earning more than 33 credits across Marvel and Disney productions, Collin went on to co-found Collaborative Entity, a multimedia production company focused on film, digital content and helping creators build their businesses.We talk about AI’s growing impact on film and television and whether generative AI is really just the next step in a long line of filmmaking technologies, or something fundamentally different. We get into the questions around digital likenesses, who owns an actor’s face, voice or performance, and what happens when a digital version of an actor can be reused across movies, games and advertising.We also look at what AI could mean for Hollywood’s economics, from digital background actors and de-aging to potentially generating entire performances. And ultimately, will audiences care how much of what they’re watching was created by a human? Collin also tells us about his directorial debut, Recession of a Hollywood Princess, a long-lost 2009 film he recovered and released in an experimental format, played entirely in reverse. It’s a pretty great example of how technology can give creators new ways to bring old ideas back to life.Collin Pelton is a filmmaker, actor, technologist and entrepreneur whose unconventional career has taken him from theater and acting to the U.S. Air Force, IT, Hollywood and post-production at Marvel Studios. During his time at Marvel, he earned more than 33 credits across films and streaming productions under the Disney umbrella, while bringing together his technical and production experience. He has also worked with actors, celebrities and showrunners on social media and fandom engagement. In 2023, Collin co-founded Collaborative Entity, a multimedia production company focused on film, digital content and helping creators build their businesses. He recently made his directorial debut with Recession of a Hollywood Princess, a long-lost film from 2009 that he recovered and released in an experimental format, played entirely in reverse. Check out CollinPelton.com.

On this episode of That Tech Pod, Kevin Albert talks with Yvette Renteria, Chief Program Officer at Common Sense Media, about how AI is changing the classroom and forcing parents, teachers and students to rethink what it actually means to learn.As kids head back to school, the question is no longer whether technology belongs in education. It’s what education should look like when AI can explain concepts, quiz students, provide feedback and even help write the answers.Kevin and Yvette dig into the growing AI arms race between students and teachers, including whether tactics designed to catch AI-assisted cheating are actually solving the problem or just creating a technological cat-and-mouse game. They also tackle a bigger question: What should students actually be required to do themselves? The conversation goes beyond the classroom, exploring what happens when algorithms compete for kids’ attention, influence what they see and believe, and collect enormous amounts of personal data. Yvette also offers practical advice for parents trying to navigate phones, social media and AI with their kids as the new school year begins. It’s a conversation about AI, education, attention, privacy and raising kids in a world where technology is no longer something they simply “go online” to use.Yvette Renteria is the Chief Program Officer for Common Sense Media. She leads the education, research, family and community engagement teams that help our kids thrive in a digital world. Yvette brings 20 years of experience working in schools and non-profit organizations. Within her years in education, she served as Deputy Chief of Innovation on the district level, school principal and elementary school teacher. Yvette has also worked in nonprofits as a Program Director for a workforce development organization and Chief Strategy Officer for an early childhood development organization. The focus of her career has always been about access, opportunity and growth for people. 

Identity theft used to require a scammer to get your information. Today, they may only need a few pieces of it. On this episode of That Tech Pod, we sit down with James Lee, President of the Identity Theft Resource Center, and Eva Velasquez, CEO of the ITRC, to look at how identity theft, scams and fraud are evolving in the age of AI.We talk about why scams are getting harder to recognize, how AI is making fraud more convincing and scalable, and how seemingly harmless activities, from social media posts to online purchases, can give criminals pieces of the puzzle they need to impersonate you. We also dig into the enormous amount of personal information exposed through data breaches and ask a bigger question: How much responsibility should really fall on individuals when so much of our data is collected and stored by businesses?James and Eva also share what they think identity theft will look like five years from now, what businesses need to rethink about authentication and security, and what they personally do differently because they assume the threat is already here. If you've ever wondered what a scammer could actually do with the information you've casually shared online, this episode is worth a listen.Learn more about the Identity Theft Resource Center and get free resources for preventing and recovering from identity crime. And check out Frozen Pii, a free resource from the ITRC that helps consumers protect themselves with credit freezes and other identity-protection tools.James Lee is the President of the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) , the nation’s premier non-profit dedicated to providing free support and education to victims of identity crimes. A nationally recognized expert on data breaches, cybercrime, and fraud, James is a sought-after speaker who translates complex security topics into actionable advice for consumers and businesses alike. He frequently provides expert commentary to top media outlets and contributes to public policy discussions on privacy and security before state legislatures, regulatory agencies, and the U.S Congress.Eva Velasquez is CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center  (ITRC) and a nationally recognized expert on identity theft, cybercrime and fraud. She spent 21 years with the San Diego District Attorney’s Office before serving as VP of Operations for the San Diego Better Business Bureau. Eva is a frequent media commentator and speaker, appearing in outlets including CBS Mornings, NBC Nightly News, CNBC, The New York Times and NPR. She has briefed federal agencies and policymakers on identity crime and privacy and serves on industry advisory boards and working groups. Eva is also a recipient of the U.S. Department of Justice National Crime Victim Service Award and is committed to helping victims, educating the public and driving meaningful change around identity crime. 

What if you could search your own life the way you search the internet?On this episode, we explore what happens when AI turns years of your digital history into a searchable record of your life. From Spotify and Instagram to Google, Facebook and Uber, our data captures pieces of who we were, often in ways we don't remember and may never have seen.Clinton Hazel Jr. is building Ori, a personal AI memory app that helps users rediscover those forgotten moments and uncover patterns in their own history. But the technology raises a much bigger question: what happens when our digital footprints become a more complete record of who we were than our own memories? We talk about the future of personal memory, why owning and controlling your own data matters, where AI should draw the line when interpreting our past, and whether technology could eventually become an external memory that knows our lives better than we do.Because we forget. Our data doesn't.Clinton Hazel Jr. is a solo founder and software developer originally from New York City, now based in Melbourne, Australia. He's the creator of Ori, a personal AI memory app that turns your own data exports into a daily feed of rediscovered moments. Clinton has been building digital products for more than a decade, including an earlier social platform that taught him a hard lesson about owning your own data. Ori is the product that came from that lesson.