The TechEd Podcast

As chairman and CEO of USG Corporation, Bill Foote led one of the most remarkable Chapter 11 restructurings in American business — an achievement Warren Buffett called “the most successful managerial performance in bankruptcy that I’ve ever seen.”
Bill’s career spans some of the most respected institutions in American business and finance. He spent 27 years at USG Corporation, including 15 years as chief executive, where he helped more than double the company from roughly $2 billion to $5.6 billion at its peak. He also served as chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago during the financial crisis, held board roles with major companies including Kohler and Walgreens, and served on the board of his alma mater, Williams College.
In this episode, Bill joins Matt to unpack the leadership mindset behind a business strategy so effective it became a Harvard Business School case study. Learn about how leaders make decisions when the stakes are high, how they balance competing obligations, and how they keep an organization focused when the path forward is anything but simple.
Drawing on 50 years in business, Bill shares the leadership principles that guided his career, organized around three major themes: the fundamentals of leadership, leadership style and timing. From staying grounded while rising above problems, to understanding when collaboration matters more than consensus, to knowing when it is actually time to make a decision, this conversation offers a rare look at how great leaders think, lead and endure.
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A Wall Street Journal op-ed about the University of California’s SAT ban sparked a national conversation about college admissions, academic standards and whether students are arriving on campus ready for rigorous STEM coursework.
In this episode, Matt speaks with Svetlana Jitomirskaya, professor of mathematics at UC Berkeley and one of the faculty members behind an open letter calling on the University of California system to reinstate standardized testing. More than 1,500 faculty members have signed on, warning that test-blind admissions have masked severe preparation gaps among incoming students.
But this conversation is not really about one test. It’s about what happens when high school grades no longer signal readiness, when universities lose an objective baseline for admissions, and when students are placed into STEM programs without the math foundation they need to succeed.
Svetlana argues that removing the SAT was supposed to expand access, but in practice may be hurting the very students it was meant to help. Without a clear measure of readiness, students from underprepared K-12 systems can arrive at elite universities only to face remedial math, repeated calculus failures, major changes or the collapse of a STEM dream they were told they were ready to pursue.
For educators, employers and policymakers, the stakes are bigger than the SAT. This is a conversation about standards, equity, accountability and the future STEM talent pipeline.
Resources in this Episode:
Read the op ed in the Wall Street Journal: "The University of California Needs the SAT Back"
Read the official open letter to the UC Board of Regents
See more on the episode page: https://techedpodcast.com/svetlana/
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Smart manufacturing has moved past the pilot phase, and manufacturers that still treat AI and automation like side projects are running out of time.
Rockwell Automation Chairman and CEO Blake Moret joins us to talk about the next era of smart manufacturing: AI-enabled operations, digital twins, autonomous mobile robots, cybersecurity, factory modernization and the workforce needed to enable it.
Blake breaks down what Rockwell means by the “factory of the future,” including the company’s planned million-square-foot facility and the modernization of its existing manufacturing footprint. He explains why the future of automation starts with identifying manufacturing problems, not technology for technology’s sake, and why domain expertise still matters in an AI-driven world.
We also dig into Rockwell’s 11th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report, where AI and machine learning have moved to the top of manufacturers’ investment priorities. Blake shares what manufacturers are getting right, where they’re still vulnerable, and why U.S. companies need to adopt advanced technology “like they mean it” if they want to stay competitive globally.
From digital twins of production lines to the possibility of digitally modeling entire enterprises, this conversation offers a clear look at where manufacturing is headed, and what industry, education and workforce leaders need to do now to keep up.
3 Big Takeaways from this Episode:
1. Smart manufacturing has moved from experimentation to execution.
Rockwell’s $2 billion investment in plants, talent and digital infrastructure shows how seriously the company is modernizing its own operations. Blake explains how the planned New Berlin facility and upgrades to existing plants will use digital twins, mobile robots, MES software and edge data to improve customer service, efficiency and scalability.
2. AI is changing the way factories are designed, operated and improved.
Blake explains that AI and machine learning are simplifying automation by helping engineers design, commission, operate and maintain systems more efficiently. He also describes how digital twins and emulation can de-bottleneck production before physical equipment is running, and how those models could eventually extend beyond the plant floor into supply chain and financial forecasting.
3. U.S. manufacturers need to adopt technology like they mean it.
In discussing Rockwell’s State of Smart Manufacturing Report, Blake points to a sharp contrast between U.S. and Chinese approaches to external risk. His message to manufacturers is clear: advanced technology adoption cannot be a hobby, a pilot or a box to check. It has to become a real source of competitive advantage.
Resources in this Episode:
Read the 11th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report
Academy of Advanced Manufacturing (AAM) Program for Veterans
Rockwell Automation's planned 1-million-square-foot "factory of the future"
Find more resources on the episode page! https://techedpodcast.com/moret2/
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What jobs will AI replace, and which ones will become more valuable?
Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, recently wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal about how he chose which employees to replace with AI. His argument: AI is not coming equally for every role. It's coming first for the people inside organizations who measure, report, analyze, audit, manage, and process information.
In this solo episode of The TechEd Podcast, Matt Kirchner responds to Prince’s article and examines what it reveals about the future of work. Drawing on Peter Drucker’s framework of builders, sellers, and measurers, Matt breaks down why some jobs are likely to be heavily disrupted while others may become even more valuable.
The uncomfortable truth: AI may reduce the need for many traditional middle management, finance, operations, and measurement-heavy roles. But it also increases the value of people who create products, build relationships, solve customer problems, lead change, and turn technology into business value.
From sales and engineering to marketing, STEM education, data science, and applied AI, this episode explores where human talent still matters most, and what businesses, educators, and professionals need to do now to prepare for the next phase of workforce disruption.
5 Big Takeaways from this Episode:
1. Businesses need to start their AI journey now. AI is already changing how companies operate, compete, hire, and structure their teams. Organizations that have not assigned someone to understand how AI will disrupt their business, market, or institution are already behind.
2. Measurers and mid-level managers will be disrupted the most. Roles centered on reporting, processing, auditing, analyzing, tracking, and managing information are increasingly vulnerable to AI. The opportunity is not to ignore that disruption, but to become the person who knows how to use AI to do that work better, faster, and more strategically.
3. Personal relationships become more important in the AI age, not less. AI can automate parts of sales, marketing, and customer engagement, but it cannot earn trust the way people do. Sellers who understand customer needs, build relationships, solve problems, and use data intelligently will remain critical to business growth.
4. Creativity and leadership still rule the day. AI gives more people access to the same tools, but it does not replace the ability to see opportunity, connect ideas, build a brand, lead change, or execute a vision. In marketing, business leadership, product strategy, and innovation, creative and decisive people will continue to create value.
5. The future belongs to builders. Engineers, skilled tradespeople, manufacturing talent, STEM professionals, automation specialists, and applied AI practitioners are positioned to become even more important. If AI makes builders more productive, companies will need more of them, not fewer, especially in fields tied to physical AI, robotics, smart manufacturing, autonomous systems, drones, and the edge-to-cloud continuum
Resources in this Episode:
Read Matthew Prince's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal: "How I Choose Which Cloudflare Employees to Replace With AI"
Episode page: https://techedpodcast.com/cloudflare/
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Exponential technologies, humanity-centric innovation, ethics in AI, passion and purpose, and the intersection of business and technology all point to one urgent question: How do we prepare the next generation to build solutions that are both economically viable and good for humanity?
This is a question we explore with Pete Dulcamara - scientist, former VP of Research at Kimberly-Clark and author of High-Tech Heroes.
We may be entering a new renaissance of innovation, driven by the convergence of human need, business model disruption and fast-moving technology. Global companies are rethinking how products create real human value, exponential technologies are advancing faster than institutions can adapt, and a new generation is entering the workforce with different expectations for purpose, impact and responsibility.
For Dulcamara, the opportunity is not technology for technology’s sake. AI, robotics, biotechnology, autonomous systems and additive manufacturing could help solve some of the world’s hardest problems, but only if they are paired with ethical judgment and economic viability. That's where education has to adapt. Students must learn exponential technologies and also how to apply their skills to these humanity-centric questions.
In this episode:
Redefining "billionaire" and how you can become one
The difference between consumer-centric, business-centric and humanity-centric innovation
What we mean by “data is the new oil, AI is the new electricity, and robotics is the new steel”
Moving technical education from STEM to “STEM to the power of E”
EQ, AQ and the skills the next generation may need more than IQ in the age of AI
3 Big Takeaways from this Episode:
1. Humanity-centric innovation requires purpose and profit to work together.
Pete Dulcamara defines humanity-centric innovation as solving major human problems through viable business models and exponential technologies. The point is not charity, but scalable solutions that create competitive advantage while improving people’s lives.
2. The next era of technology will be built on data, AI and robotics.
Dulcamara compares data to the new oil, AI to the new electricity and robotics to the new steel. As these technologies converge, companies and schools will need to prepare people for a world where intelligent systems reshape products, industries and work itself.
3. Technical education has to teach more than technical skill.
As AI makes answers easier to access, students will need stronger curiosity, ethical judgment and adaptability. Dulcamara argues that STEM should be raised to the “power of E,” with ethics embedded into how students learn, build and apply technology.
Resources in this Episode:
Get Pete's book High-Tech Heroes: Why Gen Z is our Last and Best Chance to Save the Planet
Tons of other books, podcasts and shows mentioned in this episode can be found on the show notes page: https://techedpodcast.com/dulcamara/

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