Episode notes
Seeing the world differently can be costly, but it can also provide a competitive edge.
If/Then
by Stanford GSB · English · Business
How do we lead with purpose, make better decisions, and navigate an uncertain future? On If/Then , Stanford GSB faculty break down cutting-edge research on leadership, strategy, and more, exploring enduring questions and the forces reshaping business and society today, from AI to geopolitics. Hos
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S3 · E54 · 25 Jun 2026 · 29 min
What AI Can’t Do — And Why
“Humans manage to do so much with surprisingly little,” says Douglas Guilbeault, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “Whereas AI, by comparison, is doing relatively little, but with so much power, so much compute, so many resources, and by comparison, relatively fewer constraints.”On a bonus episode of the If/Then podcast, Guilbeault describes the implications of his recent work. Although he readily acknowledges that AI is “increasingly able to do quite a lot,” Guilbeault and his colleagues believe they have identified a key principle…
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S3 · E53 · 10 Jun 2026 · 45 min
Our AI Future: From Abundance to Apocalypse
Abundance, anyone? While the risks posed by artificial intelligence are extraordinary, so is the potential, says professor of economics Chad Jones.
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S3 · E52 · 20 May 2026 · 24 min
The Art of Friction
“Great leaders are people who think of themselves as trustees of other people’s time,” says Huggy Rao.
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S3 · E50 · 22 Apr 2026 · 25 min
Why Who You Are Affects How You Think
The moment we see someone as an individual rather than a category, we become more likely to find common ground.
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S3 · E49 · 8 Apr 2026 · 27 min
The Paradox of Masculinity
“We spend a lot of time talking about gender inequality through the lens of women’s disadvantage,” she says. “I think that many of the problems that we’re seeing today… are actually bound up in masculinity.”
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S3 · E48 · 25 Mar 2026 · 26 min
What We Actually Learn From Experience
Steven Callander has spent years building a mathematical framework to answer the question of how people learn from experience. “Here in Silicon Valley, the expression that you learn from failure is very widespread and very intuitive. But the question is… what do you learn? How do you optimally learn from that experience?”In this episode, Callander, the Herbert Hoover Professor of Public and Private Management and Professor of Political Economy at Stanford Graduate School of Business, explains the hidden, deceptively simple logic of correlated learning — and it may change how you think about…
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S3 · E57 · 23 Sep 2026 · 55 min
An AI@GSB Special: Demis Hassabis Thinks We’re in the ‘Foothills of the Singularity’
Google DeepMind's CEO discusses solving intelligence, giving away AlphaFold, and why he believes AGI is just around the corner.
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S3 · E56 · 26 Aug 2026 · 20 min
Think Fast Talk Smart: "What Other People Teach You About Your Communication"
What if purpose is what drives us to act, but meaning comes from how those actions affect other people?This week on If/Then, we’re sharing a conversation between two Stanford GSB colleagues: Think Fast, Talk Smart host Matt Abrahams and organizational behavior professor Brian Lowery.Recorded live at Stanford’s LEAD Me2We event, Matt and Brian explore the difference between purpose and meaning, why meaning is rooted in our relationships with others, and how the way we show up shapes the people around us. They also discuss sincerity, leadership, and how to give feedback that helps people feel…
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S3 · E55 · 8 Jul 2026 · 33 min
Stanford Legal: "The Importance of Critical Thinking and Civil Discourse in Today's Polarized World"
How do you engage effectively across deep disagreement without shutting down the conversation?This week on If/Then, we’re sharing an episode from our colleagues at Stanford Legal, the podcast from Stanford Law School that looks at the cases, questions, and conflicts shaping public life.In a world where confidence is rewarded and humility can feel like a liability, Stanford Law professor Robert MacCoun argues for something radical: fewer unwavering opinions, more critical reflection, and a better way to disagree. On Stanford Legal, MacCoun joins co-hosts Pam Karlan and Diego Zambrano for a…
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S3 · E47 · 11 Mar 2026 · 25 min
How Dating and Sports Explain the Job Market
Seemingly unrelated activities — like taking a soccer penalty kick or crafting an online dating profile — involve an embedded economics.
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