A snapshot into the future of life during COVID-19 (Guest, Austin Sheppard, Special Edition - 'Distanced')

Keith Wasserman is a bona fide real estate mogul. He runs a billion dollar real estate portfolio for Gelt, and is a serial entrepreneur. We asked Keith a number of questions about the current real estate environment - and we ultimately ask whether real estate will ever be affordable again. If you are in the market for a single family home in the Bay Area, or any other city for that matter, you won't want to miss this episode. We dig into Keith's beginnings in Fresno, where he purchased his first unit. And how things have changed since then both in California and the broader real estate market. We ask Keith about California politics and how they've affected real estate here. And whether San Francisco real estate is a good investment.We talk about Miami, Austin and other trendy areas of the country - and whether they are going to continue on a tear, or cool down at all in the future. Keith talks about tech and companies he's interested in following/investing in. And we ask Keith about his favorite social media follows.Ultimately, if you care at all about the real estate market, this episode is for you. Keith's a real estate OG and knows what he's talking about - we hope you enjoy! 

Crypto is having its moment (again) in 2021. But why does it matter to the average person, what is it, and how will it affect your life? We spend time talking to Matt Taylor - the Head of Growth at Solana (one of the hottest crypto projects on the planet right now) to discuss these subjects and more.  LISTENER NOTE  - we apologize for audio choppiness during this episode - nevertheless there is a ton of good content in here if you can bear with us. We will record all our episodes IRL going forward.Matt Taylor is the Head of Growth at Solana and a pioneer in the cryptocurrency space. We asked Matt what cryptocurrency is - he spent a good deal of time discussing the promise and its potential applications. But what about the differences between Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and others? Matt makes an attempt at explaining the complexity and nuances of the different ecosystems - including their different philosophies.We discuss NFTs, DeFi and some of the terms you've always wanted to learn about. This is such an expansive topic that we're likely to invite others on to discuss at some point. But you don't want to miss this episode with Matt - one of our best and most in depth yet. 

Eilot Brown is a Wall Street Journal Reporter who covers startups and venture capital. For the past year, much of his focus has been on completing his book on WeWork. We interviewed Eliot pre-pandemic, and invited him back for our first in-person interview in over 16 months. It was epic. We talked to Eliot about the book and the (possible?) resurgence of WeWork because of the pandemic/hybrid work in general. We dig into more of the details as to what went wrong at the company, and Eliot provides some juicy details. Eliot talks about his views on the current market environment and just how things have changed in the past 16 months of covering startups. We talk extensively about crypto, the market, and just how crazy and unpredictable things have been post pandemic. Eliot covers a bunch of ground here with us, and this is a great 'return' for us to in person podcasting post pandemic. If you're a longtime fan of the show, or new to 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley' - this is a great place to start. We hope you enjoy! 

Sarah Frier is a technology journalist for Bloomberg News, and an author. Her book - 'No Filter' - released late last year highlighted the 'insider story' of Instagram. We spoke to Frier about the book, about social media in general, and covered a number of other topics for this wide-ranging interview. The episode was recorded late last year, around the time of the California wildfires and near the actual release date of the book. We spoke to Frier about the role of Instagram in modern social media relative to the other platforms. And how Instagram plays its own unique roll in how we communicate to others.Frier, Jascha and I spoke at length about the potential for misinformation on Instagram due to - at the time - the upcoming presidential election. And of course we spoke at length about 'No Filter', her reporting process, and how she was able to gain so much access to Instagram.We spoke about the power of Facebook and the way in which Facebook exerts control over Instagram. And how decisions are made at the organization. We speculate on whether Facebook is in the drivers seat for the next decade as it relates to social media and how/if things will change at all.If you're at all into social media - particularly in light of the recent release of 'fake famous' on Netflix, you'll enjoy this interview. 

SPECIAL EDITION: We recorded several conversations with people from around the world at the start of the pandemic. They were originally released as part of a separate podcast called 'Distanced', but we are releasing those conversations as part of 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley' over the next few weeks. Sumit Shah is a Doctor at Stanford, where he treats cancer patients. Sumit is atop his field and is highly concerned about the effect COVID can have on the vulnerable population - which is literally everyone he treats. I talk to Sumit about testing and why it is important. We get a detailed glimpse into what life is like in the hospital. Eerily, it's quieter than usual. But is it the calm before the storm? Many are waiting for an influx of patients that may or may not come.And strangely - the normal patient population - people who would have otherwise showed up to the hospital are not there anymore. What has happened to that group of people? We ask Sumit this and more.Sumit describes the day to day risks frontline workers have to take in this environment - and their outlook and attitude on potentially catching COVID and exposing their families.We ask Sumit about day to day life - including questions around food delivery and quarantine.  Don't miss this informative episode of distanced. 

SPECIAL EDITION: We recorded several conversations with people from around the world at the start of the pandemic. They were originally released as part of a separate podcast called 'Distanced', but we are releasing those conversations as part of 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley' over the next few weeks. Rohan Rangaraj is a Miami-based investment professional. Rohan started his career at Cascade Investments LLC, which is an investment holding company controlled by Bill Gates and managed by various investment professionals. He also started his own hedge fund. I ask Rohan - what the hell is going on with the stock market?Rohan is currently based in Miami, where he sets the scene of how things are in the Brickell neighborhood of the city. We talk about the notorious videos circulated during Spring Break in Florida, and what the mentality of people is right now in the Miami area. Rohan provides some of his own personal views of when he thinks things will end, and potentially get (somewhat) back to normal.We spend most of the episode talking about what is going on with the economy and the stock market. Are you curious what negative interest rates are and how they arise? We talk about that, the misnomer of stimulus and what the government is doing right now to preserve the economy. You will walk away way smarter from this episode. Enjoy! *Nothing in this episode should be construed as financial advice of any sort. Invest in the stock market, or anywhere else for that matter, at your own risk. 

SPECIAL EDITION: We recorded several conversations with people from around the world at the start of the pandemic. They were originally released as part of a separate podcast called 'Distanced', but we are releasing those conversations as part of 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley' over the next few weeks. Americans are just getting used to life in quarantine during the age of the Coronavirus. But China has an 8-week head start. The first episode of 'distanced./ explores what our future holds through a lengthy interview with an American expat in China. What will life look like for us in the future?  Austin Sheppard works in the software industry and has been in China for many years. He recounts the moment he first knew COVID-19 was going to be a big deal. And what the immediate ramifications were after.Austin talks about how life immediately changed. And the American media's misperception that China's lockdown measures were 'draconian'. Austin talks about what a return to normalcy may look like, and how many years it may take til things get back to the way they were. We learn about the effect of COVID on small businesses in China. And Austin talks about his love for Orangetheory and Taco Bell. What does the future hold for all of us? The first episode if distanced explores this and more. 

SPECIAL EDITION: We recorded several conversations with people from around the world at the start of the pandemic. They were originally released as part of a separate podcast called 'Distanced', but we are releasing those conversations as part of 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley' over the next few weeks. Ryan Panchadsaram was Deputy CTO at the Obama White House, where he helped launch Healthcare.gov. He has an opinion or two on how we can react better to the next pandemic, and what we can to do stave off the worst effects of the current one. Ryan talks about the different agencies involved in pandemic response, and explains to the layperson how agencies potentially respond in a pandemic. He talks about data and why it varies from place to place, and whether it means anything or not as it relates to our response in the United States to COVID-19. We talk about the potential short and long term effects the Coronavirus will have on our economy, on the future of tech, and on the future of our social interactions. Ryan spends some time talking about how he is volunteering his time toward a project spearheaded by journalist Alexis Madrigal.Ryan talks about his own life experience as a new father, and what his hopes/fears are for life in a post-COVID era. 

The pandemic has closed schools and massively affected the way we think of traditional education. How will future generations be affected by the sudden change in how we learn? We asked the CEO of Primer, Ryan Delk about this and more. Many parents are struggling with how to cope with the sudden changes surrounding the pandemic. Kids are at home all the time, and most public school districts in the state of CA (and many other states) are fully remote.  This is causing parents to rethink education choices in general - public vs. private, homeschooling vs online learning, and numerous other logistics considerations.Ryan Delk is an expert on this subject. His startup - Primer is making the process of transitioning to homeschooling easier for parents. We hear Ryan's perspective on homeschool vs 'traditional' school, state by state regulations, and what it takes to raise kids during the age of the pandemic.We talk to Ryan about colleges, sports, building a sense of collegiality with classmates and the effect of constant Zoom on kids. We ask about social skills for kids and how they might change, the importance of STEM and numerous other topics.If you're a parent and you're wading through this period, you don't want to miss this episode of TIYLISV. 

Jessica Alter is the Founder/CEO of Tech For Campaigns. She was also one fo the first guests we hosted on 'This is Your Life in Silicon Valley'. A lot has changed in the three years since we interviewed Jessica - the organization she built grew massively. We ask Jessica why democrats are still way behind on technology, and why we should be worried about state elections. We ask Jessica about why Democrats are perceived to be tech-savvy, yet spend very little money on digital tactics to help boost their campaigns. Jessica shares some shocking anecdotes of just how behind the Democratic party is when it comes to digital strategy, and why that's concerning for the long term future of the party (unless something is done now). We dig into the importance of state elections, and why in many cases they ultimately determine the entire fate of the country. And how Republicans understood this early and invested accordingly. We ask how Tech For Campaigns is potentially turning the tide in this regard. The podcast covers a lot of heavy subject matter, including the future of the country, climate change, and the current political environment. If you are a politics buff, and want to know more about the dynamics of elections, you won't want to miss this episode of This is Your Life in Silicon Valley.