Talks at Google

Siobhan Haughey visits Google to discuss her career as the first Hong Kong swimmer to win an Olympic medal and the first Hong Kong athlete to win two Olympic medals in any sport. She also shares advice on health and wellbeing to inspire us in these times of uncertainty and isolation. Irish-Chinese swimmer Siobhan Bernadette Haughey was born in Hong Kong and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2019 with a degree in psychology. She won two silver medals for the Women’s 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle races at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, making her Hong Kong’s first swimmer to have won an Olympic medal and Hong Kong’s first athlete to have won two medals in a single Olympic game. She also became Hong Kong’s first world record-holding swimmer after breaking the women’s 200-meter freestyle record at the 15th FINA World Swimming Championships in 2021. Moderated by Michael Yue. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

26 Apr 20221h 3min

This week, Broadway legend Idina Menzel visits Google to discuss her career, her personal life, and her new album "idina." She first rose to fame for her role as ‘Maureen’ in the popular Broadway musical RENT. Her career continued to take off when she won a Tony Award for her role as ‘Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West,’ in the smash hit musical, WICKED. But it was her role as ‘Elsa’ in Disney’s Oscar-winning film Frozen, the second highest grossing animated film of all time, that truly launched her into superstardom. Menzel performed the film’s signature song “Let It Go,” which became an instant international phenomenon, winning the Oscar for Best Original Song and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. The track reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Menzel the first artist with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for acting. Originally published in October of 2016. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

22 Apr 202257min

Checkers. Backgammon. Chess. Go. Poker. Scrabble. Bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In his book Seven Games, game theorist Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and the ways their design makes them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across forty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai, the Master, the last Go champion of imperial Japan, defending tradition against “modern rationalism”; and an IBM engineer who created a backgammon program so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the space shuttle. He delves into the history and lore of each game: backgammon boards in ancient Egypt, the Indian origins of chess, and how certain shells from a particular beach in Japan make the finest white Go stones. Beyond the cultural and personal stories, Roeder explores why games, seemingly trivial pastimes, speak so deeply to the human soul. He tells the compelling story of how humans, pursuing scientific glory and competitive advantage, have invented AI programs better than any human player, and what that means for the games—and for us. Funny, fascinating, and profound, Seven Games is a story of obsession, psychology, history, and how play makes us human. Moderated by Matt Bongiovi. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

19 Apr 20221h 1min

We all struggle with interpersonal conflict at some point in our lives. In his book Negotiating the Nonnegotiable, Harvard negotiation expert Daniel Shapiro introduces a groundbreaking method to bridge the toughest divides--whether with family members, colleagues, or in the polarized world of politics. He reveals the hidden power of identity in fueling conflict, and presents a practical framework to reconcile even the most contentious situations. For anyone struggling with conflict, this book can be transformative. Negotiating the Nonnegotiable takes readers on a journey into the heart and soul of conflict, providing unique insight into the emotional undercurrents that too often sweep us out to sea. With vivid stories of his closed-door sessions with warring political groups, disputing businesspeople, and families in crisis, Shapiro presents a universally applicable method to successfully navigate conflict. A deep, provocative book to reflect on and wrestle with, this book can change your life. Originally published in May of 2016. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

15 Apr 202257min

Planetary protection engineer Dr. Moogega Cooper, also known as “Dr. Moo” visits Google to discuss her work with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory team, and as the planetary protection lead of the famed NASA 2020 Mars mission. Dr. Moo is an integral part to the ongoing mission to discern whether Mars could be habitable for humans and that we don’t harm what’s already there, working as a real life ‘Guardian of the Galaxy’. She shares leadership lessons learned from her inspirational journey to the top of a male-dominated field—space exploration. She also shares insights on how perseverance pays off, and how diversity makes the JPL team even greater. Moderated by Helen Riley. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

12 Apr 20221h 2min

In her book Quiet, author Susan Cain shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She also talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools, and questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled "quiet," it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society--from van Gogh's sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer. Perhaps most inspiring, she introduces us to successful introverts--from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Finally, she offers invaluable advice on everything from how to better negotiate differences in introvert-extrovert relationships to how to empower an introverted child to when it makes sense to be a "pretend extrovert." This book has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how introverts see themselves. Originally published in February of 2012 Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

8 Apr 202246min

Research has revealed that our brains are inherently noisy. Certain regions are always grinding away at involuntary activities like daydreaming, worrying about the future, and self-chatter. Daydreaming and ruminating can tug your attention away from the present and contribute to anxiety and depression. Bringing his groundbreaking research to the forefront, cognitive neuroscientist Moshe Bar argues that we can become aware of when our minds wander, directing them to stimulate creativity, increase focus and boost our mood instead of making us unhappy. He investigates these benefits and provides the tools and understanding to help harness our wandering minds in order to boost our productivity and improve our well-being. Moderated by Danielle Perszy. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

5 Apr 20221h 1min

Google welcomes behavioral economist and "Predictably Irrational" author Dan Ariely as part of our Modern Romance series. He discusses the paradox of choice in the "Age of Tinder," why a canoe is the best place to test your long-term compatibility, and other research-based insights and advice for modern dating and relationships. Dan Ariely has been fascinated by irrationality in human endeavors such as dating ever since he overcame severe injuries sustained in an explosion. The range of treatments he received for his burns made him face a variety of irrational behaviors that were immensely painful and persistent. He became engrossed with the idea that we repeatedly and predictably make the wrong decisions in many aspects of our lives, and that research could help change some of these patterns. As he learned more and more about decision making and behavioral economics, he realized that this knowledge is relevant to many aspects of our life, from financial decision making, to health, to better habits, and of course, to dating. Originally published in November of 2015. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

1 Apr 20221h