Best Amit Prakash Podcasts (2025)

1
Ep 420: Siddhartha Basu Is in the Hot Seat 4:10:06

2d ago4:10:06

4:10:06

Circumstance made him a legend of the quizzing world, but Siddhartha Basu is a man of many parts. He joins Amit Varma in episode 420 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about life, India, the art of asking questions and the answers he has found. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Siddhartha Basu on Wikipedia, Twitt…

1
Ep 419: India's MSME Landscape -- Some Useful Frameworks 4:40:23

16d ago4:40:23

4:40:23

Firms are the means of economic progress. India's micro, small and medium enterprises have been hobbled for decades, and flounder even today. Sudhir Sarnobat and Narendra Shenoy join Amit Varma in episode 419 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss this landscape -- and Sudhir's brilliant new venture that aims to tackle this. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NO…

1
Ep 418: What Just Happened Between India & Pakistan? 2:29:46

1M ago2:29:46

2:29:46

Why did the attacks in Pahalgam happen? What took place in the skirmishes after that? What have we learnt about geopolitics and our military preparedness? Pranay Kotasthane and Aditya Ramanathan join Amit Varma in episode 418 of The Seen and the Unseen to try to clear some of the fog of war. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also c…

1
Debdeep Jena on What It Really Takes to Build a Quantum Computer - Episode 14: The Effortless Podcast 2:24:21

1M ago2:24:21

2:24:21

In this episode of The Effortless Podcast, host Amit Prakash sits down with Professor Debdeep Jena, a leading expert in semiconductors, superconductors, and quantum devices at Cornell University. They explore the fascinating world of quantum computing, from its early 20th-century origins to its transformative potential in modern technology. Profess…

1
Ep 417: Caste and the Census 2:15:39

1M ago2:15:39

2:15:39

Data is apolitical and always useful, right? Then why is the caste census so controversial? Pranay Kotasthane and Raghu S Jaitley join Amit Varma in episode 417 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss its history, context and implications. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Pranay Kotasthane on Twitter, LinkedIn, Am…

1
MCP Is Less Software Engineering And More Social Engineering Ft. Harpinder Singh- Episode 14: The Effortless Podcast 1:19:03

2M ago1:19:03

1:19:03

Episode 14 | The Effortless Podcast In this episode of The Effortless Podcast, hosts Dheeraj Pandey and Amit Prakash sit down with Harpinder "Happy" Singh, AI/ML Engineer at DevRev, to explore the future of AI and machine learning in business automation. Happy, who joined DevRev in 2021, shares his journey from computer science to AI, discussing ho…

1
Ep 416: Kavitha Rao Chases Chatto and Roy 2:55:15

2M ago2:55:15

2:55:15

The most astonishing men lie in the far, forgotten corners of history. Kavitha Rao joins Amit Varma in episode 416 of The Seen and the Unseen to shed light on the life and times of two magnificent failures, Chatto and Roy. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Kavitha Rao on Twitter, Instagram, Amazon and her own web…

1
Sonika Johri Explains Quantum Computing, AI, and the Next Tech Revolution- Episode 13: The Effortless Podcast 1:48:49

2M ago1:48:49

1:48:49

Episode 13 | The Effortless Podcast In this episode of The Effortless Podcast, hosts Dheeraj Pandey and Amit Prakash sit down with Dr. Sonika Johri, Founder and CEO of Coherent Computing, to dive deep into the revolutionary world of quantum computing. Dr. Johri, a physicist with a PhD in condensed matter physics from Princeton University, takes us …

1
Ep 415: Ramki and the Ocean of Stories 4:49:24

2M ago4:49:24

4:49:24

He observed our society from up close as an advertising man -- and then became an iconic storyteller on Twitter. Ramakrishna Desiraju aka Ramki joins Amit Varma in episode 415 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his journey, and all that it taught him. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Ramakrishna Desiraju a…

1
Ep 414 : The Spectacular Life of Prahlad Kakar 3:37:11

3M ago3:37:11

3:37:11

He learnt his craft from Shyam Benegal, became a pioneer & a legend of advertising filmmaking, learnt & taught scuba diving, started the Prithvi Cafe, and lived every moment to the full in a million different ways. Prahlad Kakar joins Amit Varma in episode 414 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his long and wondrous life. (FOR FULL LINKED SHO…

1
Bipul Sinha on Why Entrepreneurs Must Be Comfortable Being Misunderstood - Episode 12: The Effortless Podcast 1:05:56

3M ago1:05:56

1:05:56

In this episode of The Effortless Podcast, host Dheeraj Pandey sits down with Bipul Sinha, co-founder and CEO of Rubrik, to explore the power of relentless innovation, first-principles thinking, and continuous reinvention. Bipul shares his journey from Oracle to venture capital, his transition from investor to entrepreneur, and the bold thinking be…

1
Ep 413: Shaheen Mistri Goes to School 3:12:53

3M ago3:12:53

3:12:53

One of India's tragedies lies in the schooling of our children. We have let our kids down. Can we fix this problem? Shaheen Mistri joins Amit Varma in episode 413 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe her journey -- and what she has learnt about education. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Shaheen Mistri on Inst…

1
Ep 412: Probal DasGupta Goes to the Himalayas With Books in His Bag 6:03:17

4M ago6:03:17

6:03:17

So much in history never made it to the popular imagination -- such as the battles of 1967 in which India beat China. Probal DasGupta joins Amit Varma in episode 412 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his time in the Indian army -- and his fascinating discoveries as a military historian. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also ch…

1
Teaching AI to Think: Reasoning, Mistakes & Learning with Alex Dimakis - Episode 11: The Effortless Podcast 1:21:34

4M ago1:21:34

1:21:34

In this episode, Amit and Dheeraj dive deep into the world of AI reasoning models with Alex, an AI researcher involved in OpenThinker and OpenThoughts. They explore two recent groundbreaking papers—SkyT1 and S1 (Simple Test Time Scaling)—that showcase new insights into how large language models (LLMs) develop reasoning capabilities. From structured…

1
Ep 411: Vishal Nevatia Finds His True North 4:46:27

4M ago4:46:27

4:46:27

Business and life can sometimes be seen more as a search for values than a quest for profit. Private equity pioneer Vishal Nevatia joins Amit Varma in episode 411 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe his journey towards finding his true north. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Vishal Nevatia at True North. 2. I…

1
Dissecting DeepSeek: Understanding Reasoning, Hardware, and Decentralized AI - Episode 10 Part 2: The Effortless Podcast 1:21:03

4M ago1:21:03

1:21:03

This is the second part of episode 10 of Effortless Podcast, hosts Dheeraj Pandey and Amit Prakash sit down with Alex Dimakis, a renowned AI researcher and professor, to discuss one of the biggest breakthroughs in open AI models—DeepSeek R1. They explore how DeepSeek’s innovations in reasoning, reinforcement learning, and efficiency optimizations a…

1
Ep 410: Shruti Rajagopalan Remembers the Angle of the Light 6:48:00

5M ago6:48:00

6:48:00

She's an economist, an institution-builder, an ecosystem-nurturer and one of our finest thinkers. Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 410 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life & times -- and her remarkable work. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Shruti Rajagopalan on Twitter, Substack, Inst…

1
Alex Dimakis on Post-Training AI: To deep seek or not, that’s the $1 trillion question! - Episode 10 Part 2: The Effortless Podcast 1:09:48

5M ago1:09:48

1:09:48

In this episode of the Effortless Podcast, hosts Dheeraj Pandey and Amit Prakash sit down with Alex Dimakis, a renowned AI researcher and professor at UC Berkeley. With a background in deep learning, graphical models, and foundational AI frameworks, Alex provides unparalleled insights into the evolving landscape of AI. The discussion delves into th…

1
Ep 409: Salil Tripathi and the Gujaratis 6:13:50

5M ago6:13:50

6:13:50

He's lived a rich life as a journalist, a human rights activist, an author, a columnist -- and now he's written a great book on Gujaratis. Salil Tripathi joins Amit Varma in episode 409 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his learnings, these times we live in -- and the times that came before. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSE…

1
Ep 408: Amitava Kumar Finds His Gulmohar Tree 2:49:35

5M ago2:49:35

2:49:35

His earlier episodes on this show have been huge hits, and as he completes a trilogy of books, he returns to complete a trilogy of episodes. Amitava Kumar joins Amit Varma in episode 408 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about writing, noticing, painting, travelling, trees, and unfulfilled train journeys. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNS…

1
Ep 407: Sarbpreet Singh Finds His Sikhism 4:31:56

6M ago4:31:56

4:31:56

He was born in Sikkim and lives in the USA, and in the course of engaging with his identity, has written powerful books of Sikh history, and revived its music. Sarbpreet Singh joins Amit Varma in episode 407 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his writing, his music and the lessons of Sikhism. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSE…

1
Rajat Monga on TensorFlow, Startups, and the Future of AI - Episode 09: The Effortless Podcast 1:28:06

6M ago1:28:06

1:28:06

In this special guest episode of the Effortless Podcast, Amit Prakash sits down with Rajat Monga, the creator of TensorFlow and current Corporate Vice President of Engineering at Microsoft. With a career spanning Google Brain, founding Inference, and leading AI inferencing at Microsoft, Rajat offers a unique perspective on the evolution of AI. The …

1
Ep 406: Sathya Saran and the Shaping of the Indian Woman 3:30:54

6M ago3:30:54

3:30:54

She worked with Femina for 26 years, 12 of them as editor. And she wrote numerous biographies after that. Sathya Saran joins Amit Varma in episode 406 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss Indian society, feminism, femininity, her life as a journalist and the art of the biography. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1…

1
Ep 405: The Forces That Shaped Hinduism 5:53:01

7M ago5:53:01

5:53:01

Every simple story about it is wrong: Hinduism contains multitudes. And it went into the directions it did for specific reasons. Manu Pillai joins Amit Varma in episode 405 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe the role of history in the shaping of Hinduism -- and Hindu nationalism. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out…

1
AI Agents, Workflows, and the Future of Enterprise Innovation - Episode 08: The Effortless Podcast 1:27:18

7M ago1:27:18

1:27:18

In this episode, Amit and Dheeraj dive deep into the transformative world of AI agents and enterprise workflows. They explore the concept of “AgentOS”—a platform enabling modular agents, each equipped with specific skills to tackle distinct challenges within workflows. Drawing parallels between AI advancements and real-world enterprise needs, Amit …

1
Ep 404: Part 2: Devdutt Pattanaik and the Stories That Shape Us 6:09:30

7M ago6:09:30

6:09:30

Our societies, our norms, our values are all shaped by stories from the past. Devdutt Pattanaik joins Amit Varma in episode 404 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, our society and why we should take mythology seriously. Note: This is Part 2 of a 12-hour episode, being uploaded in two parts now because Spotify and YouTube don't allow upl…

1
Ep 404: Part 1: Devdutt Pattanaik and the Stories That Shape Us 5:59:59

7M ago5:59:59

5:59:59

Our societies, our norms, our values are all shaped by stories from the past. Devdutt Pattanaik joins Amit Varma in episode 404 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, our society and why we should take mythology seriously. Note: This is Part 1 of a 12-hour episode, being uploaded in two parts now because Spotify and YouTube don't allow upl…

1
Ep 404: Devdutt Pattanaik and the Stories That Shape Us 12:08:38

7M ago12:08:38

12:08:38

Our societies, our norms, our values are all shaped by stories from the past. Devdutt Pattanaik joins Amit Varma in episode 404 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, our society and why we should take mythology seriously. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out 1. Devdutt Pattanaik on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn…

1
Ep 403: Shikha Dalmia Is the Unpopulist 3:08:22

8M ago3:08:22

3:08:22

Populism is on the rise everywhere, and the long arc of history has bent away from freedom. Shikha Dalmia joins Amit Varma in episode 403 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the derangements of our modern times -- and the threat that Donald Trump poses. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Shikha Dalmia on Twitter…

1
Ep 402: Ajay Shah Brings the Dreams of the 20th Century 10:26:59

8M ago10:26:59

10:26:59

He's a polymath who cares deeply about the world, tries to understand it, and straddles many fields. He's played a key role over the last few decades in India's journey towards development. Ajay Shah joins Amit Varma in episode 402 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life and times. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also c…

1
Ep 401: Finding Love in Modern India 6:26:04

9M ago6:26:04

6:26:04

Bloody hell. The world has changed, society looks different, and men and women have to find new ways of relating to each other. We're not equipped for this. Sanjana Ramachandran and Samarth Bansal join Amit Varma in episode 401 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss how meeting and mating are both easier and, well, harder. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTE…

1
Ep 400: Life Lessons That Are Priceless 2:12:55

9M ago2:12:55

2:12:55

It's episode 400, and on this special and unlikely occasion, Shruti Rajagopalan gets Amit Varma to chat about all the life lessons he has learnt during these eight years -- and favourite books, films, music and poetry. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Amit Varma on Twitter, India Uncut, Substack, The Art of Clea…

1
Deep dive into Analytics - Episode 07 : The Effortless Podcast 53:25

9M ago53:25

53:25

In Episode 07 of The Effortless Podcast, Amit and Dheeraj embark on a deep dive into the world of analytics, unpacking its evolution, present state, and future in a tech landscape transformed by AI and cloud computing. The episode explores how analytics has grown from complex, on-premise systems to dynamic, cloud-powered solutions, accessible to an…

1
Ep 399: Divya Prakash Dubey: Ek Jeevani 6:40:03

9M ago6:40:03

6:40:03

He's a bestselling writer who's brought Hindi literature into a modern age -- and he also writes films and tells stories. Divya Prakash Dubey joins Amit Varma in episode 399 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, his language, his society and his art. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out:1. Divya Prakash Dubey …

1
Ep 398: Eve Fairbanks Examines a Fractured Society 4:21:42

9M ago4:21:42

4:21:42

She learnt journalism in America and spent many years in South Africa writing a portrait of their troubled society, where everything is complicated and nothing is settled -- much like anywhere else. Eve Fairbanks joins Amit Varma in episode 398 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life, her work, her craft and the world around her. (FOR FUL…

1
Ep 397: Larry White and the First Principles of Money 4:04:59

10M ago4:04:59

4:04:59

We take money and banking and finance for granted -- but the way they exist in the world is not the only way they could exist. Lawrence H White joins Amit Varma in episode 397 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss ideas, ideologies, money, crypto and the field he pioneered, free banking. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check…

1
Ep 396: Mohammed Zubair and Pratik Sinha Are Fighting for Us 5:20:50

10M ago5:20:50

5:20:50

They started out busting misinformation. Then, as fake news became weaponized at an industrial scale, they become warriors not just for truth, but for a better society. Mohammed Zubair and Pratik Sinha join Amit Varma in episode 396 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about their life, their work and their country. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO…

1
Ep 395: Tanvi Madan Is the Kid Who Asked Why 4:15:13

10M ago4:15:13

4:15:13

She's an authority in the field of foreign policy -- and what makes her such a force is her deep curiosity about, well, everything. Tanvi Madan joins Amit Varma in episode 395 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life, her learnings and this changing world. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Tanvi Madan at…

1
Ep 394: Arnold Kling and the Four Languages of Politics 2:54:26

10M ago2:54:26

2:54:26

Why is our political discourse so polarised? Why do we shout past each other instead of talking to each other? Arnold Kling joins Amit Varma in episode 394 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life, the state of the world and how a fourth language has joined the three he mentioned in his seminal book on political discourse. (FOR FULL LINKED SH…

1
Ep 393: Amrita Agarwal Wants to Solve Healthcare 4:22:12

11M ago4:22:12

4:22:12

She grew up reading three books a day, became a high-flying consultant, and then became hyperfocused on healthcare. Amrita Agarwal joins Amit Varma in episode 393 of The Seen and the Unseen to share her learnings from years of studying the field. Also discussed: first-principles thinking, consulting, philanthropy, longevity and sunscreen. (FOR FULL…

1
History of AI - EP06 Part 2: The Effortless Podcast 1:10:46

11M ago1:10:46

1:10:46

This episode continues the journey from Part 1, where hosts Amit Prakash and Dheeraj Pandey mapped out AI’s evolution from its inception in the 1950s to the transformative hardware advancements that laid the groundwork for modern machine learning. In Part 2, Amit and Dheeraj pick up the thread to explore the key concepts that have defined AI’s deve…

1
Ep 392: Biju Rao Won't Bow to Conventional Wisdom 3:54:19

11M ago3:54:19

3:54:19

He's an economist who cares more about people than numbers -- and he thinks his field needs more sociology and anthropology in it. Vijayendra (Biju) Rao joins Amit Varma in episode 392 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about what makes him angry, what drives him forward and what brings him peace. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) …

1
Ep 391: Shephali Bhatt Is Searching for the Incredible 4:21:17

11M ago4:21:17

4:21:17

The internet has changed the way we live -- and someone needs to make sense of it all. Shephali Bhatt joins Amit Varma in episode 391 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe all that she has learnt through her deep dives into popular culture, the creator economy, this turbulent society and her Mamaji's library. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEE…

1
Ep 390: Sanjiv Sharma Sails Through 45 Years of Indian Entertainment 4:29:35

11M ago4:29:35

4:29:35

He started in advertising in 1979, became a pioneering ad filmmaker, broke new ground in Indian television, and is the managing trainee of his own life. Sanjiv Sharma joins Amit Varma in episode 390 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his frameworks for living. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Sanjiv Sharma on I…

1
History of AI - EP06 Part 1: The Effortless Podcast 1:08:16

11M ago1:08:16

1:08:16

In Part 1 of Episode 6, Amit Prakash and Dheeraj Pandey dive into the intriguing evolution of artificial intelligence, mapping its progress over the decades. This episode takes listeners through the origins of AI in the 1950s, where concepts initially stemmed from biological brain studies, to the major breakthroughs in computer science that have sh…

1
Ep 389: Bhargavi Zaveri-Shah Will Not Wear a Blue Tie to Work 3:50:07

12M ago3:50:07

3:50:07

The world is complex. The state is primitive. Regulation is where they meet. Bhargavi Zaveri-Shah joins Amit Varma in episode 389 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss her experiences with the regulatory state at the intersection of law & economics. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Bhargavi Zaveri Shah on Twitte…

1
Ep 388: Niranjan Rajadhyaksha Is the Impartial Spectator 3:50:17

12M ago3:50:17

3:50:17

He's an elder statesman in the worlds of journalism, policy and economics in India -- and he takes the long view. Niranjan Rajadhyaksha joins Amit Varma in episode 388 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his life and learnings. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Niranjan Rajadhyaksha on Twitter, Mint and Arth…

1
Ep 387: The Life and Times of the Indian Economy 9:53:33

12M ago9:53:33

9:53:33

Our greatest moral imperative is to solve the problem of poverty -- and after over 75 years, we still have some distance to travel. Rajeswari Sengupta joins Amit Varma in episode 387 of The Seen and the Unseen for a deep dive into how we got here, where we went wrong, what we got right, and how we should look at the Indian economy going forward. (F…

1
Ep 386: Shashi Verma Made London Move 5:02:08

1y ago5:02:08

5:02:08

Our cities have changed -- but the ways in which they are governed and imagined can take time to catch up. Shashi Verma joins Amit Varma in episode 386 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe his journey in thought and action -- and his pioneering work in reshaping urban transport. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1…

1
Ep 385: Vinayak Calling Vinayak 4:38:36

1y ago4:38:36

4:38:36

To understand modern India, we must understand the history of Hindutva -- and we must wrestle with Savarkar. Vinayak Chaturvedi joins Amit Varma in episode 385 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss his life and work as a historian -- and the importance of history in shaping the present moment. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) (Thi…

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