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Code Story: Insights from Startup Tech Leaders - S12 Bonus: Tobias “Tobi” Konitzer, Growthloop

Tobi Konitzer was born in Germany, and studied cultural studies as an undergraduate student. Eventually, he went to Duke to get a PhD in political science. And that eventually changed to be a PhD in computational social science at Stanford - which is basically writing code to answer social science questions. After graduating in 2017, he joined Facebook Research for a year, then founded two AI startups. Outside of tech, he has 2 young daughters, who he likes to spend time with and take to the park. He used to be an avid trail runner, but his favorite to do is think... and to do so as often as possible.

For the last 10 years of his career, Tobi has been chasing optimized decisioning and outcomes using AI. Five months ago, he decided to join his current venture, and use AI to shift the conversation from "tooling for marketers" to using AI to build an autonomous decisioning system, that learns and improves over time.

This is Tobi's creation story at Growthloop.

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Marketplace All-in-One - The tech transforming Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge

It's been two years exactly since the Francis Scott Key Bridge here in Baltimore was hit by a container ship, the Dali, causing it to collapse. When it fell, the state lost a well-traveled highway that served commuters as well as truckers moving goods around the port of Baltimore. Now, the state is rebuilding the bridge. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Jim Harkness, chief engineer for the Maryland Transportation Authority, about how the new bridge will incorporate new technology.

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Marketplace All-in-One - What happens when you can bet on anything?

Betting used to mean going to a brick-and-mortar casino or placing a wager with a bookie. Now, with the rise of prediction markets, people can bet online on real-world events — from elections and the weather to cultural moments and global news — but at what cost?


In this episode, Reema talks with clinical psychiatrist Dr. Timothy Fong and financial psychology expert Hanna Horvath about how gambling is becoming more normalized and woven into everyday life. What does that shift do to how we think about money, how we understand risk, and how we relate to the world around us?


Even if you don’t gamble, we’re curious to hear more about the connection between loneliness and spending. What does that look like in your life? Give us a call at 347-RING-TIU or send us an email at uncomfortable@marketplace.org.


And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Tiktok!



If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling, professional help is available in every state. You can call The National Problem Gambling Help Line at 1-800-GAMBLER.



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Curious City - How early Black Chicagoans used photography to redefine their image

At the turn of the 20th century, Black photographers were starting to make a name for themselves. Photographers like William E. Woodard, James Van Der Zee and Miles Webb were opening and running their own studios. In African American art history, the Harlem Renaissance in New York is often celebrated. But Chicago played a role in that as well. Photographs of Black life circulated in local and international publications at the time, and the photographers behind those images focused on the community, intentionally. “The photographers know of each other and are in some ways competing, yet they're also really supportive of each other's work,” said Amy Mooney, art history professor at Columbia College Chicago. In our last episode, we explored the first art galleries in Chicago. Many of those “established” spaces were owned by white people who exhibited works by white artists. But that didn’t mean skilled and prolific artists of color were scarce. Today, Mooney tells us more about the early Black photographers who opened up their studios to everyone.
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Headlines From The Times - Trump Deploys 2,000 Troops to Iran as War Approaches One Month

The United States and Israel's war on Iran is going on a month now, with Iran reportedly dismissing President Trump's ceasefire plan and offering a proposal of their own. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is ordering 2,000 soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East. In total, an estimated 50,000 U.S. troops are stationed throughout the region in what the Pentagon is calling "Operation Epic Fury." And lawmakers are facing intense pressure to fund the Department of Homeland Security as travel chaos spreads across the country, with the Senate appearing to be closing in on a deal that would fund parts of DHS like TSA, but not ICE, which has been at the core of the dispute. Now, airlines are turning up the heat on lawmakers. Delta Airlines announced Wednesday that it will suspend special accommodations for members of Congress, including airport escorts and priority travel support. In business, Amazon-backed Zoox is quadrupling its autonomous vehicle service area in San Francisco and preparing for launches in Austin and Miami, and plus-size fashion retailer Torrid is shuttering a significant portion of its physical locations as it shifts focus toward digital sales. Read more at https://LATimes.com.

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Bay Curious - The Mercury Mine That Built a Boomtown Near San Jose

Before Silicon Valley, before the Valley of Heart’s Delight, the hills south of San Jose were home to one of the world’s richest mercury mines: New Almaden. Its quicksilver powered the California Gold Rush, but today, few traces of those boom boom days remain, other than the toxic legacy still circulating in the San Francisco Bay. In today's episode we answer three listener questions about the mine and it's history.

Additional Resources:


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This story was reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

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WSJ What’s News - Trump Pushes for Speedy End to Iran War

A.M. Edition for Mar. 26. President Trump is privately telling advisors he believes the war in Iran is in its final stages and that he hopes to see a diplomatic end to the conflict within weeks. Plus, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez discusses the plight of 20,000 mariners stuck on ships in the Persian Gulf and the mounting economic costs the longer the war drags on. And after unearthing hundreds of millions of carats, Rio Tinto exits the diamond business. Luke Vargas hosts.


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Up First from NPR - Iran Rejects US Peace Proposal, Troop Deployment, Social Media Trial

Iran rejects a U.S. proposal to end the war and offers a different peace plan. Thousands more U.S. troops are deployed to the Middle East as President Trump considers seizing Iranian oil infrastructure. An unprecedented verdict against Meta and Google finds the tech giants responsible for mental health issues like anxiety and depression. 

Want more 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 Gerry Holmes, Tara Neill, Brett Neely, Alice Woelfle, and HJ Mai.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas, and Chris Thomas.

We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange, and our deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.


(0:00) Introduction
(01:58) Iran Rejects US Peace Proposal
(05:47) Troop Deployment
(09:30) Social Media Trial

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The Daily - The Airport Meltdown

For the past week, travelers flying across the United States have waited in security lines that snaked through airports and parking lots as Transportation Security Administration officers called out of work because of a partial government shutdown.

Karoun Demirjian, a breaking news reporter for the The New York Times, explains what has led to the extraordinary delays, and Michael Gold, a congressional correspondent for The Times, discusses the negotiations in Congress to bring an end to the crisis.

Guest:

  • Karoun Demirjian, a breaking news reporter for the The New York Times.
  • Michael Gold, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

Photo: Antranik Tavitian/Reuters

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

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