Radical Candor: Communication at Work

We all love the convenience of our digital devices and connected services.  But what about our ever expanding pile of digital breadcrumbs we leave behind as we go about our day? These breadcrumbs can be swept up by private companies to learn quite about us and target us with specific goods and services.  They can also be collected by government agencies who might use this information for legitimate police work or in some instances, political repression.  So, many people are asking themselves, should I be doing more to protect my personal privacy and how should I go about this.   

Tech evangelist and prolific author Guy Kawasaki had asked that same question about a year ago. It started him on a journey to learn more about how to use some of the latest communications tools built from the ground up with personal privacy as its primary goal.  This led Guy to install and use Signal, one of the most popular tools today for personal privacy protection.  But as he started to put Signal into his communications work flow, he realized it was not obvious how to use Signal to its full potential. So, Guy collaborated with Madisun Nuismer to publish a “how to” book for using Signal, “Everybody Has Something to Hide” in January of 2026.  

In this episode of the Radical Candor Podcast, Kim and Guy have a wide ranging conversation about Guy’s concerns about privacy that inspired him to start using Signal and then to write the book.  They discuss the centrality of privacy in a free and democratic society and how tools like Signal can enhance privacy. Kim also shares her experiences with privacy and censorship in her years working in the Soviet Union (and later Russia) in the early 1990s.  They also debate how much we should all trust so much of our personal data with these large tech companies.  As Guy mentions the old saying, “If you aren’t paying for the product, you ARE the product!”.  

In the media rollercoaster, tech’s reputation is at a low point right now. It’s worth remembering that there are a lot of idealistic people in tech who are working hard to solve problems with the goal of making the world a better place. That is part of why we want to highlight Guy’s messages and what Meredith Whitaker, Brian Acton, Moxie Marlinspike, and the whole team at Signal are doing.

Background on Guy Kawasaki:

Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva and the creator of Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People podcast. He is an executive fellow of the Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley), and adjunct professor of the University of New South Wales. He was the chief evangelist of Apple and a trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation. He has written Wise Guy, The Art of the Start 2.0, The Art of Social Media, Enchantment, and eleven other books. Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University, an MBA from UCLA, and an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

Resources: 


Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) information on how to use Signal.  


Interviews with Meredith Whittaker is the President of The Signal Foundation.  


Guy’s interview with Meredith Whittaker on his Remarkable People Podcast.


Also an informative interview with Meredith on Scott Galloway’s Podcast.  

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Exploring the New Book: Everybody Has Something to Hide

(00:51) The Importance of Signal and Privacy

(06:46) Personal Experiences with Privacy and Censorship

(11:57) Trust in Tech Companies and Data Privacy

(14:27) The Idealistic Problem Solvers in Tech

(15:01) Philanthropy vs. Government Aid

(15:38) Universal Basic Income as an Experiment

(17:02) The Importance of Privacy in Democracy

(19:09) The Role of Technology in Privacy

(21:04) Evangelizing Signal for Privacy Protection

Connect with the Radical Candor team:


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When tech is at its best, it is a group of people working together to solve hard problems in a way that makes the world a better place. That goal is what motivated so many folks in Silicon Valley to come here. How then did we cede the microphone to a small number of people who espouse an authoritarian, rich get richer algorithm? How can people working inside tech companies grab the bullhorn away from the authoritarians to describe the world we want to create? How we can take action to advocate for our vision of a better future?

One recent manifestation of this is the ⁠ICEout.tech⁠ movement. In this episode, Kim speaks with Lisa Conn, founder of Gatheround and former Meta employee, and Anne Wootton, co-founder of Pop Up Archive and current senior engineering manager at Apple, about why they signed the pledge and what they hope it can accomplish.

Kim, Lisa and Anne also discuss more generally ideas for people who are frustrated with the state of affairs at their companies or in tech more broadly, but are not sure where to start and how to find a community of similarly civic-minded people to take action. They discuss ways to host meetups for your like-minded co-workers while still working hard at your day job and staying within your company’s policies.  

They also talk about how important it is to speak respectfully with people who disagree with you. A good goal is to deepen your own thinking, not to change a person's mind. You probably won’t change their mind, and you probably won’t change yours. That doesn’t mean you’re wasting your breath. When you invite discussion about your beliefs with people who disagree, two good things can happen. One, you get to know them a bit better. Two, you challenge yourself to think more deeply. JS Mill said that belief without discussion can give way to prejudice.

Background on ICEout.tech:

⁠⁠ICEout.tech⁠⁠, started by and for people in tech, wants the tech industry to use its influential position in our economy to stop ICE. The pledge, which was started after Renee Good was murdered in Minneapolis, has more than 2,000 verified signatures from people across major companies including NVIDIA, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and dozens more. The call to speak up against ICE in tech gained momentum after Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, and has drawn public support from leaders like Dario and Daniela Amodei (Anthropic), Reid Hoffman, and Vinod Khosla. Tech professionals want their CEOs to join them in this effort, to protect our neighbors and communities and stop ICE's terror.

Resources: 


⁠⁠ICEout.tech⁠⁠ information and how to get involved.


Resist and Unsubscribe Resist and Unsubscribe - movement by Prof. Scott Galloway to encourage individuals to use their economic power by unsubscribing from big tech web services as a way to press these leaders to push for government reforms.  

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Introduction to iceOut.tech Movement

(02:00) Understanding the Pledge and Its Impact

(04:59) Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Tech

(10:02) The Role of Affluence and Courage

(15:20) Building Solidarity and Taking Action

(20:04) Employee Power and Organizing for Change

(22:53) The Role of Technology in Society

(26:10) Tactics for Influencing Corporate Decisions

(29:51) Building Internal Solidarity and Communication

(34:04) Navigating Polarization and Finding Common Ground

(39:03) Self-Care and Community Engagement

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“Be yourself.” “Bring your whole self to work.” “Don’t worry what people think.”

These phrases sound empowering—but in real workplaces, they can create confusion, conflict, and even harm.

In this episode of The Radical Candor Podcast, Kim Scott and Amy Sandler sit down with organizational psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic—Chief Science Officer at Russell Reynolds Associates, professor of business psychology at University College London and Columbia University, and author of Don’t Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated and What to Do Instead.

They start with a moment of actual Radical Candor: Kim reached out after Tomas and Amy Edmondson accidentally conflated Radical Candor with “brutal honesty.” Instead of stewing, she did the hard (and human) thing—she talked to him. That conversation sets the tone for a bigger question: What does it really mean to be “authentic” at work?

Tomas breaks down four “authenticity traps” that sound like wisdom but often backfire:


Always be honest with yourself and others


Don’t worry what people think of you


Always stay true to your values, no matter what


Bring your whole self to work

Together, they explore what replaces these traps: self-complexity, emotional intelligence, feedback you can absorb without defensiveness, and the discipline to regulate your impulses so you can build trust and safety—without turning the workplace into either chaos or conformity.

If you’ve ever felt stuck between being “real” and being effective, this episode offers a more useful frame: your right to be you should never override your obligation to others.


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Resources:


Fast Company: To create psychological safety, don't bring your whole self to work


TEDx Talk: Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?


Next Big Idea Club: The Surprising Science of Why Being Authentic Can Hold You Back


HBR Podcast: Why Are We Still Promoting Incompetent Men?


Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? (And How To Fix It) [book]


Don't Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated and What to Do Instead [book]


I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique [book]


Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic [website]

Mentioned on the podcast: 


Infantilised: How Our Culture Killed Adulthood [book]


Seinfeld episode: Life Hack “Do the opposite” [YouTube short]


The Best Leaders are Great Followers HBR article by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Amy C. Edmondson

Chapters:

(00:00) IntroductionKim and Amy welcome Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and reflect on how this conversation began with Radical Candor.

(03:10) Radical Candor vs. “Brutal Honesty”How a misinterpretation sparked a real conversation about kindness, nuance, and impact.

(07:20) Why “Don’t Be Yourself”The meaning behind the provocative title and why authenticity advice often backfires at work.

(14:10) The Four Authenticity TrapsAlways be honest, don’t care what people think, never compromise your values, and bring your whole self to work.

(19:30) Confidence, Competence, and FeedbackWhy developing skill comes first—and how confidence is often about timing and delivery.

(27:30) Staying True to Values Without Becoming DogmaticWhy uncompromising values can divide teams and what leadership actually requires.

(30:10) Authenticity as PrivilegeWhy complete self-expression is often a luxury of the powerful, not a universal standard.

(36:15) Psychological Safety Isn’t ComfortWhy safety should enable productive discomfort, not chaos or bullying.

(41:55) Emotional Intelligence vs. Unfiltered AuthenticityWhy adapting to others is a strength, not a lack of integrity.

(49:10) Regulating Impulses as a LeaderHow filtering behavior builds trust without sacrificing humanity.

(01:03:50) Conclusion

Connect:Resources for show notes: 
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What if the reason you don’t give feedback, follow through, or change your habits… isn’t willpower?

What if it’s a belief?

In this episode of The Radical Candor Podcast, Kim Scott talks with Nir Eyal — author of Hooked, Indistractable, and his new book Beyond Belief — about the hidden force behind motivation: the stories we tell ourselves.

They explore:


Why AI can’t replace human relationships — but can help us practice hard conversations


The limiting belief that keeps people silent at work


Why knowing what to do isn’t enough


How pain (not pleasure) drives behavior


The difference between addiction and habit


Why “time management is pain management.”


How to reinterpret anxiety as readiness


And why beliefs are tools — not truths

If you’ve ever struggled to speak up, follow through, or break a bad habit — this conversation will help you see what’s really getting in the way.Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

Kim welcomes Nir Eyal and introduces AI portraits and scaling human insight.

(04:30) Can AI Replace Relationships?

Why AI can’t replace human connection — but may be the safest place to practice hard conversations.

(10:15) Refining AI Voice & Identity

What it means to “scale yourself” without losing your humanity.

(16:40) The Limiting Belief That Keeps You Silent

“If you don’t have anything nice to say…” — and why that belief causes harm.

(23:10) Beliefs Are Tools, Not Truths

Nir explains the core thesis of Beyond Belief.

(29:30) Placebos, Pain, and Perception

What belief can change — and what it can’t.

(36:20) Stage Fright vs. Readiness

Reinterpreting anxiety as oxygen for performance.

(43:10) Time Management Is Pain Management

Why distraction is about escaping discomfort.

(50:40) Addiction vs. Habit

Why addiction is about escaping pain — not seeking pleasure.

(57:00) Why We Don’t Do What We Know

The missing link between knowledge and action.

(01:04:00) Radical Candor and the “Nice” Trap

The story of Bob — and why staying silent isn’t kind.

(01:10:00) If It’s Yellow, Let It Mellow

Marriage, feedback, and choosing what truly matters.

(01:13:00) Conclusion

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What if the loudest stories about the future—AI gods, Mars colonies, digital immortality—aren’t science at all, but science fiction masquerading as inevitability?

In this episode of The Radical Candor Podcast, Kim Scott and Amy Sandler are joined by science journalist and astrophysicist Adam Becker (PhD in computational cosmology), author of More Everything Forever. Adam breaks down the “big three” myths that dominate Silicon Valley’s imagination: space colonization, superintelligent god-like AI, and the singularity. He explains why both the utopian and apocalyptic versions of AI stories often share the same assumption—unimaginable AI power—and why that assumption doesn’t match reality.

They also explore the deeper pattern underneath these myths: the belief that every problem can be solved with technology (usually computer technology), even when the barriers are political and social—collective action, persuasion, solidarity, and power. Along the way, Adam shares how he stayed sane while writing about “seriously disturbing ideas,” and why reconnecting with the natural world (and real human relationships) is a necessary antidote to screen-mediated life.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the “AI will save us” vs. “AI will doom us” debate, this conversation offers a clearer, more grounded frame—and a reminder that being human matters.

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Resources for show notes:

⁠Adam Becker’s website⁠

⁠More, Everything, Forever book page⁠

⁠Adam Becker on Star Talk podcast⁠

⁠Dave Troy presents: Understanding TESCREAL with Dr. Timnit Gebru and Émile Torres⁠

⁠Why Silicon Valley’s Most Powerful People Are So Obsessed With Hobbits⁠

Referenced in conversation:

Blade Runner (as an example of dystopian sci-fi being misunderstood)

Star Wars / Jabba the Hutt (as an example of misreading stories)

Lord of the Rings / Palantír (as a cautionary reference)

Jurassic Park (“they didn’t stop to consider whether they should”)

Public libraries (as a civic good worth supporting)

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

Kim and Amy welcome Adam Becker to unpack Silicon Valley’s stories about the future.

(06:06) The Myths Driving Tech Ideology

Space colonization, superintelligent AI, and the singularity—and why they don’t hold up.

(11:52) When Sci-Fi Turns into Strategy

How dystopian stories get misread as roadmaps (Palantir, “Torment Nexus,” and more).

(15:06) More Everything Forever

Why endless expansion feels inevitable in tech—and why Adam argues it’s flawed.

(21:24) “Can” vs. “Should”

Why tech leaders dodge both questions—and what that reveals about power.

(23:19) You Can’t Escape Politics by Going to Space

Why “Mars as a reset button” is a fantasy—and politics follows humans everywhere.

(33:22) AI Doom vs. AI Utopia

Why both narratives rely on the same shaky assumption about “AGI.”

(37:21) Solidarity as a Counterbalance

Why labor organizing matters when leadership values diverge from workers’ values.

(41:02) “AGI Will Fix Climate”

Why betting on future AI while burning more energy now is a dangerous logic trap.

(01:03:50) Conclusion

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