Month: October 2025

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Code Story: Insights from Startup Tech Leaders - S11 E23: Dr. Zohar Bronfman, Pecan AI

Zohar Bronfman spends most of his time in Tel Aviv, Israel these days. He has a focused academic background, specifically in philosophy and neuroscience. He was always intrigued by the question - how do we know what we know? - which led him to get a PhD in Philosophy. While doing that, he also became fascinated with he human mind and empirical decision making, which took him down the road of obtaining another PhD in AI & Neuroscience, essentially emulating brain processes. Outside of tech, he has 3 kids and a startup. He loves a good book in the philosophy or neuroscience space, and is a big fan of sports. Specifically, he loves the NBA and claims to be a Knicks fan.

Zohar and his now co-founder were digging into predictive models, as an extension of their academic studies. They were curious as to why companies, though they were running predictive models, were not making accurate predictions. They soon realized that this was because the AI modeling expertise was centralized at couple of well known companies.

This is the creation story of Pecan AI.

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Marketplace All-in-One - Wikipedia co-founder: Trust and empathy are essential

In his new book, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales writes ”in the early years of the internet, we were right to be bullish about people and the technology. Our capacity for social connection, community and cooperation can deliver amazing things. But the very same human nature can deliver atrocities.”


Wales’s says he wrote this book to help combat a crisis of trust in society that is leading to the rise of authoritarianism. Marketplace’s Nova Safo asked him about the main lessons he learned from building Wikipedia into a highly-relied-upon source of information.

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Marketplace All-in-One - What is the national debt?

It’s Halloween, and Bridget and Ryan are trying to answer a question about the national debt while preparing for their town’s giant Halloween extravaganza. The town has taken on debt to make things extra spooky this year and things are starting to get a little out of control! Can Bridget and Ryan help the town navigate their monster debt?


(Grownups: This is episode does contain monsters but no jump scares! You know your kid listeners best, so exercise caution if Halloween is more tricky than treat for them!)


If your family is interested in learning even more about today’s question, check out our website. We’ve got conversation starters and a tip sheet!


This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com/million.

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Headlines From The Times - Hurricane Melissa Threatens Jamaica, SNAP Benefits Halted, U.S. Deploys Warship Near Venezuela, California License Clash, LAX Shutdown Delays, Newsom and Harris Eye 2028 Presidential Bid, El Segundo Surf Park, Rivian Layoffs

Hurricane Melissa intensifies into a Category 5 storm as Jamaica braces for catastrophic flooding and evacuations. The ongoing U.S. government shutdown halts SNAP benefits, leaving millions without food assistance. A U.S. missile destroyer arrives in the Caribbean amid escalating tensions with Venezuela. Washington threatens to pull funding from California over noncitizen commercial licenses, while LAX experiences major delays as unpaid air traffic controllers protest. Governor Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris both signal possible 2028 presidential runs. In business, El Segundo moves forward with plans for a $175 million surf park, and EV maker Rivian announces more than 600 layoffs amid slowing electric vehicle demand.

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The Daily - The Hidden Victims of America’s Wildfires

As wildfire seasons grow longer and deadlier, states are increasingly relying on private companies to provide thousands of firefighters to the front lines.

Hannah Dreier, who has been covering the story, explains how lax rules and regulatory loopholes have left many of these firefighters sick, in debt and on their own.

Guest: Hannah Dreier, a New York Times reporter who writes in-depth stories about national issues.

Background reading: 

  • Wildfire fighters, unmasked in toxic smoke, are getting sick and dying.
  • Read the story about Joel Eisiminger. Just before turning 25, he was diagnosed with a cancer that usually strikes people more than twice his age.

Photo: Loren Elliott for The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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The Intelligence from The Economist - Bust a vessel: NATO v dark fleets

Ships of unknown origin or intent are flummoxing NATO forces on the high seas. Our correspondent visits the Latvian navy on the Virsaitis as it intercepts a mystery vessel. We examine China’s enormous gig economy and how 200m workers are turning precarious conditions to their advantage. And a new book explores what people talk about when they talk about antisemitism.


Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.


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Up First from NPR - SNAP Benefits Shutdown, Trump In Japan, Hurricane Melissa

More than 40 million Americans will soon be without federal food assistance because SNAP benefits are set to expire on November 1 as the government shutdown drags on. President Trump signs a trade deal in Japan to secure rare earth minerals, a key bargaining chip ahead of his meeting with China's president later this week. And Hurricane Melissa bring over 170 mile per hour winds as it barrels towards Jamaica, and threatening other island nations in the Caribbean.

Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Dana Farrington, Padma Rama, Tara Neil, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle .

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ben Abrams and Christopher Thomas

We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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Start Here - Oh SNAP: Shutdown Threatens Food Programs

States sound the alarm to residents, saying that the government shutdown will pause food program benefits this weekend. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino will stand before a judge in Chicago after allegedly tossing a tear gas canister into a crowd. And Jim Morrison, the man who skied down Mount Everest, describes his historic run to ABC.


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The Ezra Klein Show - The Israeli Right’s Plan to Carve Up Gaza

Israeli forces still occupy half of Gaza. In the cease-fire deal, Israel agreed to fully withdraw its presence there once Hamas fully demilitarized. But Amit Segal thinks that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. Instead, he believes Gaza will end up divided. So what does that really mean? What are the implications?

Segal is the chief political analyst for Channel 12 News in Israel and is known to be quite close to the Netanyahu government. He writes the newsletter It’s Noon in Israel and is the author of the book “A Call at 4 a.m.: Thirteen Prime Ministers and the Crucial Decisions That Shaped Israeli Politics,” which was recently published in English.

In this conversation, he talks about why most Israelis don’t see the cease-fire as the end of the war between Israel and Hamas and how this conflict is mapping onto Israeli politics — both at present and as the country looks toward its next elections.

This episode contains strong language.

Book Recommendations:

The Accidental President by A. J. Baime

An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Messiah in Sde Boker by Hagai Segal

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.

You can find the transcript and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html

This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Jack McCordick. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker and Aman Sahota. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Transcript editing by Naomi Noury.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

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Honestly with Bari Weiss - Palmer Luckey and the Future of American Power

A former Senate staffer recently told our friend, reporter Dexter Filkins: “The last socialist systems in the world are in Cuba and the Pentagon.” My guest tonight is trying to do something about that. And good luck to anyone trying to get in his way.

When people think of defense tech titans, they might not think of my guest tonight, Palmer Luckey. He looks more like Jimmy Buffett than George S. Patton. But don’t let his looks deceive you.

At the age of 19, Palmer founded the VR company Oculus. Two years later, it was acquired by Facebook for more than two billion dollars. Then, when he was 24—while his peers were making dating apps and platforms to share thirst traps—he founded Anduril Industries, having had no experience whatsoever in the world of defense.

Now it’s a $30.5 billion company that develops drones, autonomous vehicles, subs, rockets, and software for military use.

At just 33, Palmer spends his days building the most technologically advanced software and war-fighting devices in the world. His goal is straightforward: “Move fast, build what works, and get it into the hands of people who need it.”

And the moment could not be more critical. Iran is trying to destabilize the Middle East. Russia is willing to lose countless soldiers to gain slivers of territory in Ukraine. China is gaming how to invade Taiwan—to say nothing of our intensifying cold war and AI arms race. And the West’s enemies are undermining us from without and within.

Bari sat down with Palmer Luckey live in D.C. to ask: What can we do about all of it? Does America still have the technological prowess—and, more importantly, the will—to win?


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