Shows
The AI Policy PodcastJennifer Pahlka on Reforming Government for the AI EraIn this special episode recorded at Fathom’s 2026 Ashby Workshops, Greg sits down with Jennifer Pahlka, founder of Code for America and author of Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better. Jennifer walks us through her career journey, from filing paperwork at a child welfare agency to helping pioneer the U.S. Digital Services in the Obama administration (3:45). She describes the need for upstream policy reform (11:29), and discusses AI’s potential to both empower public servants to challenge antiquated practices and help policymakers simplify complex regulations (28:03). Finally, Jennifer shares some AI use...
2026-02-051h 10
Cutting Red Tape: Green DOGE Lights in Gov Efficiency?DOGE Disrupts Federal Bureaucracy: Musk-Led Efficiency Drive Sparks Controversy and Promises Massive Government SavingsIn the push to slash government bureaucracy, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has ignited fierce debates as it targets red tape across federal agencies. Launched under President Trump's second term with Elon Musk at the helm, DOGE promised to modernize tech and cut waste, claiming savings of $215 billion in its first year, according to White House reports on 365 key wins. Listeners, this initiative has greenlit bold reforms, from expediting infrastructure like North Carolina's I-40 highway to dismantling Biden-era green spending and establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.Yet controversy swirls. AInvest news from January 17, 2026, notes Dogecoin's price...
2026-01-2002 min
Planet MikeyFinding Greg DickersonVeterans of Radio and TV Greg Dickerson and Mikey Adams discuss Tom Brady and his cloned dog, famous relatives including Taylor Swift and shoplifting chubby sisters. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
2025-11-1148 min
RE:Productivity2025-W19 Australian Adventures & Lemonade StandsIn this episode, Casey recounts his recent trip to Australia to visit family and friends, while Christine shares her experience running a lemonade stand fundraiser for their children's preschool. They discuss ongoing technical and creative projects, explore the challenges of educational systems for exceptionally bright children, and reflect on various books they've been reading. The conversation weaves through topics of metallurgy, neurodiversity, programming languages for kids, and the future of space exploration.Neurotribes Exceptionally Gifted Children Superconvergence Now It Can Be Told Secret CodersFounders Podcast: Michael Dell...
2025-05-101h 31
Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11)Fixing government technology, with Mikey DickersonIn this episode, Patrick McKenzie (@patio11) is joined by Mikey Dickerson to discuss the complex realities behind government software projects. Mikey shares insights from leading the healthcare.gov rescue effort and founding the United States Digital Service, explaining how procurement processes create requirements through committee decision-making without market-based feedback loops. They explore how government systems handle software development differently than industry, with Mikey noting that the issues are less about individual competence and more about systemic incentives that reward risk aversion. The conversation covers the challenges of "modernization" efforts, the loss of organizational management knowledge over decades, and reflection...
2025-05-0153 min
Pomona College SagecastWhat’s Next in Artificial Intelligence with Mikey Dickerson ’01Mikey Dickerson ’01 entered his career during the rise of Big Tech. He spent nearly nine years working at Google as a site-reliability engineer, served as the founding administrator of the United States Digital Service and now works as a consultant helping governments, corporations and nonprofits improve their digital systems.He talks with Professor of Economics Gary Smith about the future promise and current shortcomings of artificial intelligence and a possible AI economic bubble in the making.Hosted by: Prof. Gary SmithProduced by: Travis Khachatoorian and Marilyn ThomsenTranscript: https://www.pom...
2025-04-2344 min
WatchCatsMikey Dickerson: Origin of USDS, Presidential Attention Currency, DOGE Data Difficulties | WatchCats #1In our first full episode, we interview Mikey Dickerson, the first Administrator of the United States Digital Service (USDS) – which the Trump Administration has now renamed to the US DOGE Service. We discuss his personal origin with USDS, how things get done behind the scenes in the Executive Office of the President (EOP), and the potential impacts of the DOGE Executive Order.~~~Want to support the podcast?Join our Substack!--SOCIALS--XBlueSky
2025-01-2756 min
The Buzz with ACT-IACFrom the Archives: The First USDS AdministratorThis week, The Buzz presents a session from ELC 2014.Mikey Dickerson initially came to the federal government on a temporary basis as part of the team assigned to rescue the unfortunate Healthcare.gov rollout in 2013. Less than a year later, he was tapped to serve as the first administrator of the fledgling US Digital Service, which sought to bring a modern service design and delivery approach to the rest of the federal government. Just months after his appointment, Mikey sat down with Francis Rose to briefly discuss the origins and progress...
2023-10-0452 min
Spoilers!Surviving the Game (1994) - Patreon Requested Movie Review! #440Pappy, Stevie, $ Mikey, Josh, and Brett review Ice-T classic: Surviving the Game!When Mason (Ice-T), homeless and living on the streets of Seattle, hears about a job as a hunting guide for a group of wealthy clients, he gladly signs on and is taken to a cabin in the middle of a Pacific Northwest forest. There he meets psychiatrist Doc Hawkins (Gary Busey), oil baron John Griffin (John C. McGinley) and Wall Street investor Derek Wolfe (F. Murray Abraham). The next morning, however, Mason is awakened to learn that he's the prey the men will be...
2023-01-031h 32
Spoilers!Surviving the Game (1994) - Patreon Requested Movie Review! #440Pappy, Stevie, $ Mikey, Josh, and Brett review Ice-T classic: Surviving the Game!
When Mason (Ice-T), homeless and living on the streets of Seattle, hears about a job as a hunting guide for a group of wealthy clients, he gladly signs on and is taken to a cabin in the middle of a Pacific Northwest forest. There he meets psychiatrist Doc Hawkins (Gary Busey), oil baron John Griffin (John C. McGinley) and Wall Street investor Derek Wolfe (F. Murray Abraham). The next morning, however, Mason is awakened to learn that he's the prey the men will be hunting.
Release date: April 15, 1994...
2023-01-031h 32Planet Mikey165: Mikey helps Greg Dickerson get a new jobGreg Dickerson stops by to chat with Mikey and get some professional advice. Mikey and Greg share stories about players they covered who were jerks to them. Mikey shares a disturbing story from the Winter Olympics. Castiglioke gives you that Good Lovin' Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
2022-02-231h 14
Public Sector Heroes PodcastSaving Healthcare.gov: The Team Behind the TeamPlenty of people know the story of the Tech Surge that helped save Healthcare.gov, led by folks like Todd Park, Mikey Dickerson and Ryan Panchadsaram. But not as many people know that after the surge ended on March 31, 2014, there was still much work to be done. And fewer people know that a significant portion of that work was done by a handful of technologists who quit their private sector jobs to stick around and write code for the government. And they did it while living together in a McMansion on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Check out Nava's site:
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2016-10-2730 min
The a16z Showa16z Podcast: On Government as Software Builder, Not Just BuyerWe already know that the government is one of the largest IT buyers, but in many ways it is also an IT builder. Especially for areas where the government is doing something that no one else is doing, like running Medicare and Social Security -- i.e., unique services no other company out there is building software for. That's where the USDS comes in. Now almost two years old, the United States Digital Services is "a startup at the White House" responsible for mission-critical, citizen-facing services like improving Veterans' Affairs healthcare applications and benefit claims appeals, or student loan...
2016-07-1423 min
Software Defined InterviewsTransforming how the US government does software, Diego LapiduzSummary
What organization could be larger than the US Federal government? Not only that, the chance to transform how software is done in the government has perhaps one of the largest possible impacts of transforming any "IT department." In this episode, Matt and Coté talk with Diego Lapiduz who works in the GSA's 18F organization helping government agencies develop their software in new, more agile and cloud-driven ways. We discuss the background of 18F and the broader government initiatives to transform how software is done and also walk through some of the learnings 18F has had in t...
2015-10-0147 minSoftware Defined InterviewsTransforming how the US government does software, Diego LapiduzSummary
What organization could be larger than the US Federal government? Not only that, the chance to transform how software is done in the government has perhaps one of the largest possible impacts of transforming any "IT department." In this episode, Matt and Coté talk with Diego Lapiduz who works in the GSA's 18F organization helping government agencies develop their software in new, more agile and cloud-driven ways. We discuss the background of 18F and the broader government initiatives to transform how software is done and also walk through some of the learnings 18F has had in t...
2015-10-0147 min