Here's to the Crazy Ones. The Misfits. The Rebels. The Troublemakers
Welcome to The Art of The Impossible, the weekly newsletter where I unearth five pieces of content which I hope will both inspire and embolden you.
When I was in the depths of working in startups, I always wished I could find some respite and inspiration on my weekends, and this newsletter is the thing I wish existed so I do hope you enjoy it.
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PODCAST
How Intel and Silicon Valley Were Born
I am a big fan of Leslie Berlin and her books so it was great to hear her on Ashlee Vance ’s Core Memory this week.
Robert Noyce co-invented the microchip, helped build Silicon Valley from scratch, and mentored Steve Jobs—yet not everyone knows his name. In this episode, historian Leslie Berlin joins Ashlee Vance to revisit Noyce’s remarkable life and legacy, and to explore how the early Valley’s strange brew of defense money, counterculture values, and raw technical ambition shaped the tech industry we know today.
Berlin, the author of The Man Behind the Microchip: Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley and Troublemakers: Silicon Valley’s Coming of Age, shares stories from inside Shockley Labs, Fairchild, and Intel, and explains why understanding the Valley’s obscure past might be the best way to make sense of its chaotic present. This is a conversation about invention, ego, ethics, and the people behind the pitch decks—the ones who built the machines, not just the myths.
Berlin is one of the most influential historians when it comes to Silicon Valley and the technology industry. She used to run Silicon Valley Archives at Stanford University, and now heads up the Steve Jobs Archive.
In this conversation, they also get into the semiconductor industry, the fall of Intel, the Valley’s history overall and Berlin’s current work.
Listen / watch here.
QUOTE
In a world being rapidly transformed by technology — in particular, artificial intelligence — the future of education is not just about new tools, it’s about a profound rethinking of what it means to learn.
I wrote something this week which you may like - The Future of Education: A Shift From Inadequate Systems to Lifelong Learners - read for FREE here.
INTERVIEW
Also relevant to the above is this interview from NBC News where Sal Khan of Khan Academy discusses the potential of AI in personalised education on a platform like Khan Academy who teaches millions of students - from a girl in Kabul to a prison inmate. Watch here. Buy his book here.
BOOK
The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief an the Future of the West - The Sunday Times bestseller from the great minds behind Palantir
On my summer reading list.
A sweeping indictment of the West’s culture of complacency and a passionate call to wake up to our new reality from the bold thinkers behind tech giant Palantir.
Our most brilliant engineering minds once collaborated with government to advance world-changing technologies. Their efforts secured the West’s dominant place in the geopolitical order. But that relationship has now eroded, with perilous repercussions. In this groundbreaking treatise, one of tech’s boldest thinkers and his longtime deputy offer a searing critique of our collective abandonment of ambition. Palantir co-founder and CEO Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska argue that in order for the West to retain its global edge―and preserve the freedoms we take for granted―the software industry must renew its commitment to addressing our most urgent challenges, including the new arms race of artificial intelligence.
At once iconoclastic and rigorous, this books also lifts the veil on tech giant Palantir and its broader political project from the inside, offering a passionate call for the West to wake up to our new reality. ‘A rallying cry, as we enter the age of artificial intelligence, for a return to World War II era co-operation…A fascinating and important work’ WALTER ISAACSON.
Buy the book here.
You can also watch Alexander Karp in conversation with Andrew Ross Sorkin, discussing the book here.
FILM
Billy Joel: And So It Goes
I always liken founders to elite athletes but I could draw a comparison to anyone succeeding in a field which only allows a handful of people to reach the pinnacle, and Billy Joel is one of those people in the music industry.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes documentary charts his success from difficult beginnings and challenges along the way to dealing with fame and fortune whilst always trying to keep his edge and authenticity.
Watch the trailer here and the series on HBO Max.
As always, thank you so much for reading this newsletter and for listening to the podcast. If you have a minute spare, I would so appreciate a review of the pod or a heart on this newsletter - both help others to find it and my goal is to inspire as many people as possible with the stories I share.
Thank you and I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Danielle
Hiring Ally | Passionate about connecting the right people to the right opportunities.
1wLoved this week’s edition, Danielle Newnham! 🙌 That Boardy AI bit sounds wild — definitely going to try it. The podcast with Leslie Berlin was a gem too, especially the deep dive into Silicon Valley’s roots. And I’ve just added The Technological Republic to my reading list. Thanks for curating such a thoughtful mix every week — always look forward to it!
Anytime!