The Joy of Discovery and Why Research Matters

More from If/Then All episodes →

1. 

   S2 · E44 · 26 Nov 2025 · 29 min

   GSB at 100: "The Experience"

   From management to modeling, we explore the classroom experience at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

2. 

   S2 · E43 · 12 Nov 2025 · 25 min

   GSB at 100: "The Spirit"

   Meet some of the people whose work powers a school that changes lives, organizations, and the world.

3. 

   S2 · E42 · 29 Oct 2025 · 27 min

   What's Your Problem: "Teaching Computers to See"

   This week on If/Then, we’re sharing an episode of What’s Your Problem?, a show from Pushkin Industries where entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists talk about the future they’re trying to build—and the problems they must solve to get there. Hosted by former Planet Money co-host Jacob Goldstein, each conversation explores the challenges and breakthroughs shaping the next wave of innovation.In this episode, Goldstein speaks with Fei-Fei Li, Stanford computer scientist, former Chief Scientist of AI and Machine Learning at Google, and one of the most influential figures in the field of…

4. 

   S2 · E41 · 24 Sep 2025 · 21 min

   GSB at 100: The Magic

   Professors reflect on what Stanford GSB has accomplished in one hundred years and what the future may hold.

5. 

   S2 · E40 · 27 Aug 2025 · 56 min

   View From The Top: “Lisa Su Is Still Curious About How Things Work”

   This week on If/Then, we’re sharing an episode of View From The Top: The Podcast, an audio series featuring leaders from around the world in conversation with MBA students. Recorded live at the CEMEX Auditorium at Stanford Graduate School of Business, episodes feature insights on effective leadership, the values that guide it, and lessons learned along the way.Lisa Su, the chair and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), leads one of the world’s most influential technology companies, a pioneer in high-performance computing and designer of chips that power everything from cellphones to…

6. 

   S2 · E38 · 30 Jul 2025 · 34 min

   The Future of Everything: "The Future of Motivation"

   How do you stay motivated when your goal is months — or even years — away? Stanford’s Szu-chi Huang breaks down the science of sticking with it.

7. 

   S2 · E37 · 9 Jul 2025 · 24 min

   Think Fast, Talk Smart: "Tensions and Trade-Offs of Leadership and Communication"

   Leadership isn’t about avoiding uncertainty: it’s about embracing the clarity that ambiguity can bring.

8. 

   S2 · E36 · 25 Jun 2025 · 30 min

   Culture Still Eats Strategy For Breakfast

   Do you stick to the rules or do you roll through stop signs? Whether you’re “tight” or “loose” — how closely you adhere to social norms — has major implications for your life at home and at work. “To be effective, we want to be ambidextrous,” says Michele Gelfand, the John H. Scully Professor in Cross-Cultural Management and Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “Even if we might lean tight or loose, we want to be able to create a context where we can have both tight and loose elements.”Sophisticated strategies will fail if they don’t account for…

9. 

   S2 · E35 · 11 Jun 2025 · 28 min

   The AI Prescription for Healthcare

   AI has the potential to reshape medicine. But translating its promise into solutions for providers and patients is a high-stakes challenge.“There’s a lot more problems than solutions available,” says Mohsen Bayati, the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Professor of Operations, Information & Technology at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “So it’s ripe for innovation.”From trust and privacy to hallucination and data quality, the complications are significant. Bayati says that safely and effectively integrating AI into an enormous industry that treats people in their most vulnerable moments requires…

10. 

    S2 · E34 · 28 May 2025 · 27 min

    Designing the AI Organization

    “The way I think about trying to anticipate and shape the AI future requires us to take a step back and ask ourselves first, ‘What does this technology do? What does it enable?’” reflects Amir Goldberg, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “That’s very different from asking ourselves, ‘How is the technology implemented?’” From locating the origins of innovation to identifying hidden barriers blocking new ideas, Goldberg presents a framework for harnessing novel technological capabilities like AI — capabilities that are essential for staying ahead of…