AND THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION & WORK
thursday | november 7 soka performing arts center
Casey Newton and Kevin Roose from New York Times tech podcast Hard Fork
Hilary Mason data science expert | Fortune’s 40 Under 40
Bios
Kevin Roose & Casey Newton
As co-hosts of the New York Times’ popular Hard Fork podcast, they are some of the most influential voices in technology journalism today. Roose, an award-winning columnist for The New York Times and bestselling author, brings his expertise on the intersection of technology, business, and culture, having earned the prestigious Gerald Loeb Award for his coverage of Uber. Newton, the founder of the widely-read tech publication Platformer with over 150,000 subscribers, has a decade of experience covering Silicon Valley for major outlets and was a National Magazine Award finalist for his groundbreaking investigative reporting on content moderation. Together, their combined insider knowledge, investigative prowess, analytical skills and humor, make them a formidable duo.
Hilary Mason
Co-founder and CEO of Hidden Door, a pioneering entertainment platform leveraging generative AI to create interactive story adventures set in beloved fictional worlds. Mason’s work applies AI to revolutionize the gaming industry, allowing users to immerse themselves in their favorite book, movie, or TV show universe. With over 20 years of experience building practical AI-powered products, she is a renowned data scientist and thought leader, frequently contributing to Forbes and TechCrunch. Named to Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business and Fortune’s 40 Under 40, Hilary bridges technical and general audiences, making her a compelling speaker on the future of AI and entertainment.
Jihii Jolly ’11 (Moderator)
Jihii Jolly is a multimedia journalist who specializes in media, gender and culture and has written and produced work for the Columbia Journalism Review, The Atlantic, News Deeply, The Juggernaut and Narratively, among others. Most recently, she was the founding host of the popular Buddhist podcast Buddhability. Prior to that, she was Director of Engagement for the International Association for Feminist Economics. She holds an M.S. from Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. in Humanities from Soka University of America.
Critical Conversations @Soka
Welcome
Robert Hamersly Soka Dean of Faculty
Welcome and Moderator Introduction
Program
Conversation with Kevin Roose, Casey Newton & Hilary Mason
Moderated by Jihii Jolly ’11
Q&A
With SUA & local high school students
