Few people sit at the nexus of business and politics like Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. As head of a company that makes much of the infrastructure underlying the internet and artificial intelligence systems, and as chairman of the lobbying group Business Roundtable, Robbins has a unique perspective on the rapid changes facing both Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. How is he navigating this moment? And what lessons did he learn from playing basketball with an all-time legend? Robbins speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast. 

Check Out Past Episodes:

Could Amazon’s Zoox Beat Tesla and Waymo in the Robotaxi Race?

Palmer Luckey's 'I Told You So' Tour: AI Weapons and Vindication 

Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype. 

Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win 

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When Aicha Evans took over robotaxi startup Zoox from its founders in 2019, she made two big moves: selling the company to Amazon for over $1.2 billion, and keeping Zoox’s radical design for a driverless car that looks like a lounge on wheels, with no steering wheel or brake pedal. Now, as the robotaxi industry drives toward a pivotal moment in public acceptance, Zoox is preparing to launch its commercial service later this year. How does the company fit in alongside rivals like Google’s Waymo and Elon Musk ’s Tesla? And why does Evans take inspiration from the early days of aviation? She speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in the latest episode of our interview series Bold Names.

Check Out Past Episodes:

Palmer Luckey's 'I Told You So' Tour: AI Weapons and Vindication 

Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype. 

Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win 

Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card 

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Palmer Luckey, the founder of weapons manufacturer Anduril, was part of a minority in the tech sector that supported President Trump during his first run at the White House. Now, Luckey wields influence in both Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.–and he’s using it to secure U.S. military contracts while trying to remake the government’s approach to national security. Luckey speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in the latest episode of our interview series Bold Names.

Check Out Past Episodes:

Humanoid Robot Startups Are Hot. This AI Expert Cuts Through the Hype. 

Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ but America Needs to Win 

Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card 

The CEO Who Says Cheaper AI Could Actually Mean More Jobs 

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Ayanna Howard is dean of The Ohio State University’s College of Engineering, an IEEE Senior Member, and a top expert on two of the most hyped fields in tech: humanoid robots and artificial intelligence. Combining these technologies could allow advanced bots to take on all sorts of tasks, from helping pack boxes at warehouses, to taking care of the elderly, or even doing the dishes. But what will it take to get there, and how close are we to getting everyday robot helpers? Howard speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast.

Check Out Past Episodes:

Reid Hoffman Says AI Isn’t an ‘Arms Race,’ But America Needs to Win 

Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card 

Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks' 

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’ 

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LinkedIn co-founder and Silicon Valley venture capitalist Reid Hoffman is cautiously optimistic about the future of artificial intelligence. In his new book, “Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right With Our AI Future,” he argues that the current state of AI is similar to the automobile at the start of the 20th century. What does that mean for what Hoffman calls the “cognitive Industrial Revolution” and its potential to create positive change, and who is best suited to regulate it? And what does he think of his old friend Elon Musk’s influence in the Trump administration? Hoffman speaks to WSJ’s Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast.

Check Out Past Episodes:

Why Bilt’s CEO Wants You To Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card 

Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks' 

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’ 

Why Elon Musk’s Battery Guy Is Betting Big on Recycling 

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Bilt Rewards founder and CEO Ankur Jain took inspiration from American Express’s rewards programs when his company began offering people loyalty points for paying monthly rent. Now, he wants to add homeowners to his customer base by allowing them to get rewards points for their mortgage payments. What does that mean for Bilt’s business, and for its relationship with Wells Fargo over their co-branded credit card? And how could it affect the customers who’ve flocked to the card to earn points? Jain spea ks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins on the Bold Names podcast.

Check Out Past Episodes:

Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks' 

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’ 

Why Elon Musk’s Battery Guy Is Betting Big on Recycling 

The CEO Who Says Cheaper AI Could Actually Mean More Jobs 

Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com

Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. 

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Every day, Wall Street Journal reporters talk with the most powerful, influential and interesting people. Now, we’re bringing some of those conversations directly to you. Introducing Bold Names, a new interview series where we hear directly from the leaders behind bold name companies. Hosted by WSJ columnists Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims. The new season starts Friday, February 14.

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Cloud storage used to be a sleepy part of the computing world but, with artificial intelligence becoming cheaper than ever, the companies collecting and protecting that data are now a hot investment. That includes cloud storage company Box, which has seen its stock climb nearly 40% this year. Its customers include most of the Fortune 500, including movie studios, automakers, consumer electronics giants, marketing firms and the Pentagon. Box CEO Aaron Levie says AI is getting better at piecing through 90% of companies’ data that previously was an intractable mess, and is doing some tasks better than humans – from processing invoices and parsing contracts to building marketing campaigns. So why does he think that could actually lead to more jobs for humans? Plus, why his company plans to stay “model agnostic” and continue to work with all the major artificial intelligence models, including OpenAI ’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. He speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in episode four of our interview series Bold Names.

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Further Reading

Amazon Invests an Additional $4 Billion in Anthropic, an OpenAI Rival 

How to Make AI Less of a Power Guzzler  

What Is AI Best at Now? Improving Products You Already Own  

Elon Musk vs. Everyone: The New Fight in AI 

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JB Straubel was Elon Musk’s battery guy. Now he’s trying to turn what some see as trash into power for the electric vehicle revolution. Straubel was there at the earliest days of Tesla, and in his 15 years with the electric vehicle company, he played an integral role: he developed the battery pack used in the first Tesla vehicle, was the company’s Chief Technology Officer, and now sits on the board of directors. But his day job is running the battery-recycling startup Redwood Materials, and he envisions a future where recycled batteries power our cars, cell phones and power tools. So could companies like his one day replace the oil giants who fueled the last century? Why does he think humans have room to work harder? And can the Tesla board manage Musk as he takes on a growing role in U.S. politics, including advising the Trump administration? Straubel speaks to WSJ’s Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims in episode three of our interview series Bold Names.

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Further Reading

In the Desert With an EV Entrepreneur Who Insists Trump Will Be Good for Business 

The Boom in Battery Metals for EVs Is Turning to Bust 

Cost-Cutting Lessons From Musk World for DOGE 

What Americans Get Wrong About Electric Cars 

One of the Brains Behind Tesla May Have a New Way to Make Electric Cars Cheaper  

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Marc Benioff is one of the most outspoken names in tech. The billionaire co-founder of customer relationship software company Salesforce has been pivoting the company’s focus to artificial intelligence agents to help its clients manage customer service and other needs. But he has some strong opinions about how others are promoting AI, from how Microsoft is selling its Copilot feature to companies like Amazon buying up nuclear power contracts for their data centers. And yet he says he’s as excited about AI as he was the day that Apple’s Steve Jobs sent him one of the first iPhones. So what can AI actually do, and what’s a ‘fantasy’? Benioff speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in episode two of our interview series Bold Names.

Further Reading

The Secret Weapon Helping Businesses Get Results From AI: Humans

Salesforce Darkens the Skies for Cloud Software as AI Threat Looms 

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Makes $150 Million Donation to Hawaii Hospitals 

At Marc Benioff’s Salesforce, It’s One Big Family—Until Trouble Hits 

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Tesla, and its CEO Elon Musk, are the big names in electric vehicles, but a lot of competitors are nipping at their heels, including one led by a former top Tesla engineer. Peter Rawlinson is the CEO of Lucid, a billion-dollar auto startup he says has better technology than its rivals. The company recently completed a $1.75 billion stock offering, and has backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Now, as major automakers such as Volkswagen, General Motors and Ford pull back on their EV ambitions, find out why Rawlinson says Lucid’s all-in on luxury vehicles with a high price tag and, eventually, smaller batteries. Plus, why he says he won’t be building a $20,000 EV any time soon. He speaks to WSJ’s Tim Higgins and Christopher Mims in episode one of our interview series Bold Names.

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Further Reading

The Withering Dream of a Cheap American Electric Car

Elon Musk Plays a Familiar Song: Robot Cars Are Coming 

Ultralong-Range Electric Cars Are Arriving. Say Goodbye to Charging Stops. 

Used EVs Sell for Bargain Prices Now, Putting Owners and Dealers in a Bind 

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