Share
The Times Tech Podcast
Checkerspot’s Charles Dimmler: “Using algae to make skis”
Season 4, Ep. 155
•
The Sunday Times’ tech correspondent brings on co-founder and chief executive of Checkerspot, to talk about using algae to make skis (3:55), what he leaned at pioneer Solazyme (8:30), naming the company after a butterfly (16:10), how synthetic biology is like computers were in the 1980’s (18:00), starting out as an investment banker (21:15), switching to biotech (27:00), and then to Solazyme (28:30), algae oil skis (32:15), convincing investors (36:30), the rise of climate tech (42:00), and his worst day (48:00).
More episodes
View all episodes
Binance's new CEO makes the case for crypto (and forgiveness)
48:39|Finally, the crypto episode is here. And after a lowdown on the vibe shift towards the industry in Washington, Katie is joined by Binance's new CEO, Richard Teng, who is tasked with making the case for the company that was beset by scandal under previous CEO and founder, Changpeng Zhao “CZ”.
The global fallout from Trump's tariffs
36:42|Ryan Petersen is the CEO of Flexport, a company that plans and manages shipping globally. Perfectly positioned, then, to lay out the inside story on how companies have been affected by President Trump's tariffs and what happens next.A device that records your entire life? Yeah, sure great idea...
43:27|What if there was a device that could record every conversation, every interaction, and then transcribed your entire life? Well there is, the Pendant, and according to its creator, it isn’t like an episode of Black Mirror at all. In fact, its creator, and CEO of Limitless AI, Dan Siroker, believes it can "to free the human mind from its biological limitations". He joins the pod to speak to a sceptical Danny Fortson.Dropbox CEO drops in & Softbank's $40B OpenAI bet
49:24|It's been almost 20 years since Drew Houston founded Dropbox in an effort to solve the problem of forgotten USB sticks. But how is the company innovating in a now much busier market? Plus Softbank makes a $40billion investment in OpenAI, while a new book allegedly tells the inside story of Sam Altman's 2023 (temporary) dismissal.Will your humanoid robot compliment you? And the end of 23andMe?
41:35|Danny has been delving deeper into his humanoid robot obsession as he interviews the CEO of Texas based company, Apptronik. Plus, what went wrong at 23andMe as the once buzzy biotech startup files for bankruptcy.Nvidia's 'Superbowl of AI' event, and a Silicon Valley dog longevity start up
49:24|Danny reports from the Nvidia GTC event. And he and Katie discuss whether some of the biggest tech companies in the US really are currently losing money. Plus, a Silicon Valley start-up, Loyal, is developing drugs to extend the lives of dogs - so just how close are they to success? It's CEO, Celine Halioua shares the latest breakthroughs and what this could mean for human longevity. (And what does this mean for Katie's tadpoles?)Clips: NvidiaThe algorithm says we’re soulmates… Now what?
46:23|Hinge CEO, Justin McLeod, joins the podcast to discuss how online dating Apps have changed dating (for good or bad) and how AI may change it even more. While Danny argues that being direct might just be better than tech!Ocado's robotics, Crypto's rise and Skype's demise
48:27|Tim Steiner, the CEO of Ocado, drops by the studio to discuss in detail his expectations for the future of food deliveries with the use of robotics and humanoid robots. Elsewhere, President Trump wants is making the USA the "Crypto Capital of the World". And Danny gets personal as he and Kate reminisce as Skype is "retired".Nuclear's big return, British creators revolt & Elon sends an email
44:27|Is nuclear power the answer to energy hungry Artificial Intelligence? Matt Loszak CEO & Cofounder of Aalo Atomics thinks so. Plus, British artists send a disapproving open letter about AI to the Government, while Elon Musk sends a strongly worded email to Government employees.