As unions start forming in companies like Starbucks and Amazon in recent days, commentators are asking if we will be seeing a revival of the labor union movement following a period of high inequality and stagnant wages.

How might the new labor movement affect society? The economy?

Millennials are the least religious generation so far.

Do we still need religion in modern society? What are we missing as fewer people are affiliated with religion? What will take its place?

In Part I of this discussion, we made a distinction between giving as individuals and philanthropy as a system.

In this part of the series, we focused on philanthropy as a system and several tensions that exist around:

Philanthropy vs. democracy.

Accountability in philanthropy

Impact and efficacy in philanthropy

Scaling vs. decolonizing philanthropy

In 2020, 45% of Americans, along with foundations, bequests and corporations, gave a total of $471 billion to charitable organizations. At this point, it is an annual ritual for many of us to be donating money to various organizations, particularly towards the end of the year.

While many of us give to charity whether on a regular or ad hoc basis, few of us may have given serious thought to why, how, and even whether to give.

In this session, we discussed why we give and whether we should even give at all, how to determine what causes / organizations to give to.

Hosted by Viren Tellis, Co-Founder and CEO of Hedado.

What "work" may entail and look like have been highly in flux in the last decade. Partially boosted by tech platforms, somewhere between 15-30% of people are engaged in non standard work. Economists Lawrence Katz and Alan Krueger estimate that almost all of the net employment growth in the US economy from 2005-15 have occurred in what they call “alternative work arrangements.”

Mohit Shewaramani hosted led this conversation on how work may evolve given recent trends around the “gig” and “passion” economy and changing attitudes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly catalyzed a rethinking of work and life, but in some ways, a reckoning of what “work” may entail and look like is perhaps overdue:

Will work become a greater or less important part of our lives in the aftermath of the “Great Resignation?” What role will work play in our lives and in society? Will an evolution of work give us more or less freedom? equality? dignity?

Ilana Ettinger, the founder of Urbane which is reimagining the future of work and the matching of talent and opportunities, and Mohit Shewaramani co-hosted this conversation.

What are the ways in which crypto and blockchain can transform business models and industries? How will blockchain technology impact the economy and society? What are the evolving roles and responsibilities of innovation and innovators, government and individuals through transformative change?

Lisa Cuesta, a long-time angel investor in crypto who recently made the jump to pursue crypto full time, led the discussion

In the aftermath of the US’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, how should we think about the role of the US and US intervention - or the lack thereof - on the international stage going forward? How can we define US national security? US interests? What responsibilities does the US have for Afghan citizens if any? What do we - as Americans, American tax payers, and/or global citizens affected by the actions of the US - expect of the US?

Erol Yayboke, Director of the Project on Fragility and Mobility at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) whose research includes violent conflict and global fragility led the conversation.

Should we be worried about inflation? What is MMT? What can we learn from Japan? From previous episodes of hyperinflation?

In this session, inflation specialist Jon Hill led a discussion on recent monetary and fiscal policies and how we should think about inflation.

In 1947, the UN adopted Resolution 181, proposing to partition what is today’s Israel and Palestine into two independent states.

Almost 75 years later, 15 million Jews, Arabs and others live in the region, either in Israel - an independent Jewish state with a thriving economy and a strong military - or in West Bank or Gaza, under what many would call a military occupation.

Read more here for a brief historical overview.

Most people agree that diverse representation in entertainment media is important, but what exactly do we mean by that? And what will it take to achieve diverse representation?

In this session, filmmaker Andrew Ahn led a discussion on questions like: Should white / straight actors play minority / queer roles? Is there a tradeoff between creating a universal, shared experience vs. celebrating and showcasing differences? What if any, is the audience responsible for in consuming entertainment content?

In early May, the US voiced its support to waive the intellectual property rights for the COVID-19 vaccine, reversing its previous position.

In this session, we will discuss the importance of vaccines for global public health, the difficulties in developing, manufacturing and distributing vaccines, and the considerations in prioritizing vaccine distribution when there is scarcity.

Co-hosted by Sisi Pan, a global public health expert, and Kelly Cho, a lawyer working on various FDA regulatory and compliance matters.

We’ve all heard to rhetoric about "fake news” or the bias of “mainstream media.” In this session, we will explore how news media companies should balance what is “news-worthy” vs. their business needs, the “democratization” of news and how that affects quality and credibility, and a potential path forward.

Read more here

Hosted by Laura Kusisto, a reporter at the Wall Street Journal.

Why do we work and how do we find meaning from or outside of work?

In this 3-part series, we explore what work means in modern society, what the systemic reasons for our work culture are, and what the potential solutions may be

Read more here

While economic inequality has been on the rise for several decades, the effects have become particularly pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this special session, we plan to discuss whether and why we should care about inequality, why inequality has continued to grow, and what potential solutions, if any, may be.

Are VCs “fairy godmothers” of innovation or are they just a “money-hungry mob” that is “deforming capitalism?

We explore the impact of VC on innovation, and how their return structure, growth model and diversity (or the lack thereof) affects social outcomes

Read more here

Cancel Culture is neither a new nor exclusively liberal phenomenon.

How do we make Cancel Culture more conducive to achieving its supposed objectives?

Read the discussion primer; case study; and reflections on the recent de-platforming of Trump