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For years, the debate has been framed as a simple choice:

Work from home—or return to the office.

But what if we've been asking the wrong question?

In this episode of FUTUREPROOF., Jeremy Goldman sits down with Harvard-trained economists Emma Harrington and Natalia Emanuel, authors of IN PERSON: How Working Together Fuels Creativity, Productivity, and Growth. Drawing on years of research across Fortune 500 companies, startups, and millions of hours of workplace data, they argue that the real value of being together isn't checking boxes or attending meetings—it's something much harder to measure: creativity, mentorship, trust, and innovation.

The conversation takes an unexpected turn as AI enters the picture. If artificial intelligence is increasingly handling individual work, does that make the uniquely human parts of work—collaboration, judgment, and spontaneous idea generation—even more valuable?

Jeremy, Emma, and Natalia explore:

• Why productivity isn't the same as quality.
• What organizations misunderstand about return-to-office policies.
• Why mentorship is becoming more—not less—important in the AI era.
• The surprising science behind "brain-to-brain synchrony."
• Why many hybrid strategies fail despite good intentions.
• How leaders can balance flexibility with the benefits of proximity.
• What the future workplace could look like as AI transforms knowledge work.

The future of work may not be about choosing between home and the office.

It may be about understanding which kinds of work are fundamentally better when humans are together.

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Artificial intelligence may dominate the headlines.

But behind every breakthrough model, every chatbot, and every AI-powered application is something far less glamorous—and arguably far more important:

The semiconductor.

In this episode of FUTUREPROOF., Jeremy Goldman sits down with Rakesh Kumar, Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois and author of THE CHIP AGE: HOW SEMICONDUCTORS BECOME THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL RESOURCE, to explore why the future of AI may ultimately be determined not by software—but by hardware.

As demand for advanced chips accelerates, countries are racing to secure manufacturing capacity, supply chains are becoming geopolitical flashpoints, and data centers are consuming unprecedented amounts of energy. The conversation moves beyond processors themselves to examine what happens when computing power becomes one of the world's most strategic resources.

Jeremy and Rakesh discuss:

• Why semiconductors have become the foundation of the AI economy.
• How the global race for chip manufacturing is reshaping geopolitics.
• Whether export controls are slowing AI—or accelerating global competition.
• Taiwan's critical role in the semiconductor ecosystem.
• Why AI's biggest constraint may soon be electricity rather than algorithms.
• The hidden complexity of global semiconductor supply chains.
• What leaders should understand about the infrastructure powering the next generation of technology.

The AI revolution may be built on software.

But its future will be decided by silicon.

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Can businesses still be a force for good?

It's a surprisingly complicated question.

Over the past decade, companies have been encouraged to take stands on social issues, invest in their communities, and think beyond shareholder value. More recently, many of those same organizations have faced growing political scrutiny, shifting consumer expectations, and mounting pressure to focus on short-term performance.

So where does that leave corporate purpose?

In this episode of FUTUREPROOF., Jeremy Goldman sits down with Scott M. Curran—founder and CEO of Beyond Advisers, former General Counsel of the Clinton Foundation, and author of BETTER GOOD: A Simple System for Creating Lasting Impact.

Rather than arguing that organizations simply need to "do more good," Scott makes the case for doing better good: building systems that create measurable, lasting impact instead of relying on one-off initiatives or performative gestures.

Together, they discuss:

• Why corporate purpose has become more complicated in today's political climate.
• The difference between meaningful impact and performative activism.
• Why systems matter more than good intentions.
• How AI can both strengthen—and undermine—authentic leadership.
• Whether businesses should solve society's biggest problems at all.
• How leaders can create cultures of purpose that survive leadership transitions.
• Why trust may be the most valuable currency organizations have in the years ahead.

As AI transforms work and institutions continue to evolve, the conversation isn't simply about doing more good.

It's about designing organizations that can keep doing good—even when the world around them changes.