The Brave Marketer

Debbie Reynolds, Chief Data Privacy Officer and host of “The Data Diva Talks Privacy” podcast, discusses the challenges parents face in protecting their children online, and simple habits users can adopt to take back control of their privacy. She also discusses the growing recognition among companies that excessive data collection poses significant risks.

Key Takeaways: 

• How consumer expectations for data are privacy changing

• The asymmetrical relationship between consumers and companies regarding data privacy

• How companies can scale a human‑centric approach to privacy

• The importance of decentralization in future data management

Guest Bio:

Debbie Reynolds—aka “The Data Diva”—is a globally recognized technologist, thought leader, and advisor in data privacy and emerging technology. With over 20 years of experience, she has delivered keynote talks for major organizations like Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, PayPal, TikTok, and Uber. Her insights have been featured in leading media outlets, including The New York Times, Forbes, Bloomberg, and Wired.

Debbie hosts the #1 global award-winning podcast, “The Data Diva Talks Privacy,” which reaches listeners in over 120 countries. Identity Review has named her one of the Global Top Eight Privacy Experts, and the European Risk Policy Institute has named her a Top 30 CyberRisk Communicator. She also chairs the IEEE Cyber Security Committee for the Next Generation Connectivity Systems Privacy Labeling Project.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Rob Viglione, Co-Founder and CEO of Horizen Labs and zkVerify, shares his transition from military intelligence in Afghanistan to co-founding a blockchain company. He discusses the role of zero-knowledge (ZK) technology in enabling private transactions, the need for integration of crypto with traditional finance, and the vision to bring off-chain information on chain.

Key Takeaways:

• Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs): what they are, and why they’re so important in today’s digital landscape

• The utility of cryptocurrencies for individuals in poorly governed jurisdictions

• The convergence of AI and blockchain, and how ZKPs can verify AI outputs without compromising privacy

• The real-world applications of ZK technology, such as private transactions, digital identity verification, and connecting traditional finance with blockchain

Guest Bio:

Rob Viglione is the co-founder and CEO of Horizen Labs, the development studio behind several leading Web3 projects, including zkVerify and Horizen.

Rob served in the U.S. Air Force and was deployed to Afghanistan, where he supported Special Operations Task Force intelligence efforts. During this time, he developed an early interest in Bitcoin, recognizing its potential benefits for countries with unstable economies.

Today, Rob’s work focuses on Web3 scalability, blockchain efficiency, and zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs). With the growing convergence of AI and blockchain, Horizen Labs is also exploring how ZKPs can be used to help verify AI model outputs without compromising privacy.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Shafik Quoraishee, Senior Mobile/AI Game Developer at the New York Times, discusses the development process behind popular New York Times games such as Crosswords and Connections, along with what they learned about consumer behavior from the highly addictive and viral success of Wordle.

Key Takeaways: 

• How to balance innovation with the legacy of traditional games

• The importance of user engagement and testing in game development

• The future potential of AI in creating immersive gaming experiences

Guest Bio:

Shafik Quoraishee who is a Senior Mobile/AI Game Developer at the New York Times. He works on popular games such as The New York Times Crosswords, Connections, Strands, and Wordle, and is deeply interested in the intersection of AI and accessibility. Previously Shafik was a Senior Android Engineer for the National Basketball Association, and a Senior Data Engineer at Business Insider.

Connect with Shafik:

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Luke Mulks, Vice President of Business Operations at Brave Software, discusses how AI and crypto regulations have evolved in 2025, including new opportunities and regulatory reversals. He also shares updates about Brave's achievements and the movement towards a private world.

Key Takeaways: 

• Brave's growth in user privacy and engagement

• The impact of user feedback and community involvement for Brave

• Ongoing developments with the Basic Attention Token (BAT), and new initiatives like the Rewards Partner Program

• How shifting to a “user first” podcast theme has impacted the success of the show

Guest Bio: Luke Mulks is the Vice President of Business Operations at Brave Software, where he helps lead the company’s privacy-focused advertising and Web3 initiatives. Since joining in 2016, he’s played a key role in launching Brave Ads and expanding the Basic Attention Token (BAT) ecosystem. A former ad tech executive and media producer, Luke also hosts The Brave Technologist podcast, making emerging tech like AI and blockchain more accessible.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Anton Kraminkin, Founder of Sleepagotchi, shares insights on the importance of sleep, the cultural shifts towards valuing sleep, and how Sleepagotchi rewards users for maintaining a consistent sleep schedule.

Key Takeaways: 

• The surprising sleep habits Sleepagotchi has learned about their users

• The ethics of gamifying health habits and working with sensitive data

• Combating bots and bad actors attracted to the financial incentives Sleepagotchi provides

• The use of Telegram as a tool for marketing and low-friction user acquisition

• Monetization and ways to generate revenue in the Web3/health space

Guest Bio: Anton Kraminkin is the founder and CEO of Sleepagotchi, a sleep app that uses gamification and AI to  incentivize users to sleep better. Sleepagotchi raised investments from 6th Man Ventures, Collab+Currency, 1kx and Alliance, and angels including the CPO of Duolingo, among others. Previously, Anton worked on product at Duolingo. He started Sleepagotchi while completing his studies at Harvard Business School.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Yemel Jardi, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the Decentraland Foundation, discusses the evolution of Decentraland from an experimental project to a thriving virtual social world. We also discuss the challenges and opportunities within the metaverse, and the importance of community and human connection.

Key Takeaways: 

• How Decentraland is providing more opportunity for human connection through socially rooted, virtual worlds

• Unique use cases for creators and businesses to leverage online worlds

• Balancing decentralization with the need for governance and moderation

• Ethical concerns with AI in social virtual worlds

• The importance of decentralization and community-driven content

Guest Bio: Yemel Jardi is a co-founder of Decentraland, and the Executive Director of the Decentraland Foundation. With a passion for blockchain technology, Yemel began building open source tools for Bitcoin development in 2014, and later co-founded Casa Voltaire, which has incubated significant blockchain projects such as Decentraland, OpenZeppelin, HardHat, and Muun. Currently, Yemel leads the Decentraland Foundation’s efforts to build a decentralized virtual world in the open metaverse. In his free time, Yemel enjoys playing football, kiteboarding, and FPV drone racing. He is also keenly focused on the evolving AI revolution, and the development of machines or software systems that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence—such as problem-solving, learning, and adaptation—and how this will impact work, culture, and the social dynamic of social virtual worlds.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Zack Guzman, founder of Trustless Media and host of Coinage, shares how he’s using Web3 technology to transform the relationship between creators and their audiences through a community ownership model. He shares the inner workings of the Trustless Media model, and explains how their NFT holders aren't just subscribers, but rather co-owners with voting rights on content direction and the ability to receive patronage dividends from the outlet's success.

Key Takeaways: 

• How Coinage helps audiences co-own the media they can consume 

• Ways NFT holders can vote on content direction, guest selection, and other key decisions as part of the DAO structure

• How new types of NFTs and fungible tokens are being used to help influence and show milestones for different media projects

• How breaking down barriers between creators and audiences created the powerful network effects that helped Coinage reach 100,000 YouTube subscribers

• How community members have brought unexpected value, including one member who helped Coinage become a major validator across 40 blockchain networks

Guest Bio: Zack Guzman is the founder of the Web3 media company Trustless Media and host of Coinage, the first award-winning, community-owned outlet controlled by its NFT holders. Founded in 2022, Trustless Media has attracted the backing of Netflix’s co-founder by unlocking a new way for creators to build with their fans; in March, they launched their second community-owned media brand, Best Dish Ever. Guzman is also a former anchor and reporter with Yahoo Finance and CNBC. His work has been featured in Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and The Washington Post. In 2023, he won a SABEW award for his mini-documentary on the collapse of the Terra blockchain.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Andrew Rabinovich, VP and Head of AI and Machine Learning at UpWork, discusses how artificial intelligence is transforming freelance work into a human-machine partnership that amplifies rather than replaces talent. He also discusses job security in the age of AI, and ways the freelance economy is already responding to its opportunities and challenges.

Key Takeaways: 

• Why 2025 is predicted to be "the year of agents" 

• Ways that AI agents will turn workers into managers who are managing the machines

• How human-centered AI focuses on amplifying human capabilities rather than replacing them

• Why the missing piece in AI development is creating natural interfaces between humans and machines

Guest Bio: Andrew Rabinovich is the VP and Head of AI and Machine Learning at UpWork, and a prominent figure in the field of computer vision and machine learning. He is known for his work in deep learning, particularly in applications such as object recognition, scene understanding, augmented reality, and multitask learning. Rabinovich has held influential roles in both academia and industry, contributing to cutting-edge research and technology development at Google and Magic Leap. In 2020, he founded Headroom, an AI video collaboration platform, which was acquired in 2023.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

John K Thompson, Global AI Leader at EY, addresses pressing questions about education, regulation, and society's AI readiness. He challenges the traditional educational divide between technical and creative disciplines among current students, and shares why the biggest risk with AI tools is giving powerful technology to people without training in structured thinking.

Key Takeaways: 

• How AI technology has evolved from working with just 10% of the world's structured information to accessing 90-95% through generative AI

• EY's implementation of EYQ, a generative AI platform with nearly 100% adoption among 300,000 eligible employees worldwide

• Risks associated with generative AI and the importance of education in preparing the next generation for AI

• The necessity of regulation in the industry, and the holistic view needed to understand the interplay between data and analytics

• Preparing students and the next generation of our workforce for employment

Guest Bio: John K Thompson is an international technology executive with over 38 years of experience in the fields of data, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI).

He’s currently responsible for the global AI function at EY. His role is to actively lead the design, development, implementation, and use of innovative AI solutions—including generative AI, traditional/classical AI, and causal AI—across all of EY’s internal service lines and functions, and for EY's clients.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte