Apple at 50: Five Decades of Thinking Different

25 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 36 min

Play episode WhatsApp Download

Episode notes

On April 1, 1976, Apple Computer was founded with a radical idea: that powerful computing should be personal. Fifty years later, Apple stands as one of the most influential tech companies in history. To celebrate this anniversary, David Pogue , legendary journalist and author of the new book Apple: The First 50 Years , hosted an event featuring: Chris Espinosa, Senior Apple Employee John Sculley, former Apple CEO Avie Tevanian, former Chief Software Technology Officer and SVP of Software Engineering Plus, recorded segments from Apple luminaries like Steve Wozniak as well as live audience…

Podcast

Decoding Tech

Computer History Museum · Tech & Science · English

Decoding Tech (from the Computer History Museum) explores the past, present and future of technology through conversations with today's leading experts as well as the pioneers and innovators of our on-going computing revolution. Programs are recorded live as a part of the museum's CHM Live events.

More from Decoding Tech All episodes →

E36 · 26 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
Out Online: Trans and Queer Community on the Early Net
How did the early internet help shape today's transgender identity and activism? Scholar and CHM Book Prize winner Avery Dame‑Griff joined us to discuss his book, The Two Revolutions: A History of the Transgender Internet, and explore the digital origins of a movement that began long before today’s social platforms existed. The conversation was moderated by Joshua K. Reason , Assistant Professor of Africana Studies, at San Francisco State University. This conversation was recorded on June 23, 2026, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. To watch a video of this program,…
E36 · 8 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 11 min
Steve Jobs in Exile: NeXT and the Making of a Comeback
Most people know about Steve Jobs' amazing work at Apple, but what about his "wilderness years" when he created NeXT? Learn about this period from Geoffrey Cain , author of Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary, along with key figures from NeXT’s history, including: Dan’l Lewin, Cofounder and VP of Sales and Marketing, NeXT Rich Page, Cofounder and VP of Hardware Engineering / Manufacturing, NeXT Avie Tevanian, VP of Engineering, NeXT Bud Tribble, Cofounder and VP of Software Engineering, NeXT This conversation was recorded on May 26, 2026,…
E35 · 21 May 2026 · 1 hr 1 min
My Year With AI: Joanna Stern Hands Over Her Life
What happens when you let artificial intelligence run your life? Joanna Stern, Emmy Award–winning tech journalist, asks this question in her new book, I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything . She sat down with Nilay Patel, cofounder and editor-in-chief of The Verge, to share what actually worked, what didn’t, and what her experience reveals about where AI is headed. This conversation was recorded on May 19, 2026, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To…
E34 · 6 May 2026 · 1 hr 10 min
Emoji for Everyone: A Quest for Inclusive Communication with 🥟 and 🧕
Are you part of the 92 percent? That’s how many people around the world use emojis every day. Today's conversation explores how something as small as an emoji can have a big impact on inclusion and representation. Journalist, film producer, and emoji activist Jennifer 8. Lee joined acclaimed artist Yiying Lu , alongside Rayouf Alhumedhi —named one of Time magazine’s most influential teens—for a wide‑ranging discussion moderated by Sara Dean , then a California College of the Arts professor. This conversation was recorded on March 8, 2023, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View,…
E33 · 8 Apr 2026 · 1 hr
The Geek Way: A Handbook for a New Culture
What if the most important innovation in technology isn’t what companies build but how they build it? In this episode, New York Times bestselling author Andrew McAfee explores The Geek Way , a radical approach to corporate culture that’s fast-moving, egalitarian, and relentlessly evidence-driven. Carl Bass , Former President and CEO, Autodesk, Moderates the conversation. This conversation was recorded on December 14, 2023, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more…
E31 · 12 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 16 min
Computing For the Whole World
The iPod and the iPhone transformed entertainment, communications, and computing in less than a decade. Tony Fadell joins John Markoff on stage to explore his time designing these amazing products as well as his founding of Nest. This conversation was recorded on May 10, 2017, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Computer History Museum and our upcoming CHM Live events, visit our website at www.computerhistory.org
E30 · 25 Feb 2026 · 1 hr 12 min
The Pixel: From Cave Paintings to Toy Story
The tiny pixel is the “big idea” that ties all digital imaging together. In this episode, computing‑graphics pioneer and Pixar cofounder Alvy Ray Smith shares insights from his book A Biography of the Pixel , on how this humble building block reshaped art, entertainment, and our digital world. Barbara Robertson , former Senior Editor of Computer Graphics World, moderated the conversation. This CHM Live event was recorded on August 11, 2022, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube…
E29 · 11 Feb 2026 · 1 hr 10 min
Algorithms of Love: Dating in the Digital World
What happens when the quest for love gets outsourced to computers? Just in time for Valentine's Day, we're exploring how technology has changed the ways we live and love today and what changes might be coming tomorrow. Featuring: Jeffrey Tarr , Cofounder, Operation Match Gary Kremen , Entrepreneur & Founder of Match.com Steve Dean , Online Dating Consultant at Dateworking Moderator: Hanna Kozlowska , Reporter & Author of U Up? A Social History of Online Dating, which will be published with One Signal/Simon & Schuster in the US and Icon Books in the UK in 2027. This conversation was recorded…
E28 · 28 Jan 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
Read Me: The Books that Inspired the Computing Revolution
How can you truly grasp what is happening in computing? One powerful answer has endured: “Read a book!” In this conversation with historian W. Patrick McCray, we learn how the most influential books in computing didn’t just explain technology but also ignited the computer revolution. CHM curator, David C. Brock, moderates. This conversation was recorded on January 20, 2026, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. To watch a video of this program, please visit the Computer History Museum's YouTube channel. To learn more about the Computer History Museum and our upcoming…
E27 · 14 Jan 2026 · 1 hr 5 min
Look Who's Driving
Today, autonomous vehicles are no longer a futuristic dream. But in 2019, industry leaders and researchers were still figuring how they work, the challenge of teaching AI to make life-and-death decisions, and the profound changes this technology could bring to our lives. This special panel from our archives featured Dmitri Dolgov from Waymo, Chris Gerdes from Stanford University, Jesse Levinson from Zoox, and Jack Weast of Mobileye. It was moderated by Talithia Williams of Harvey Mudd College and cohost of the PBS series NOVA Wonders. The program was recorded on October 18, 2019, at the…

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.