
Poets & Thinkers
Poets & Thinkers explores the humanistic future of business leadership through deep, unscripted conversations with visionary minds – from best-selling authors and inspiring artists to leading academic experts and seasoned executives.
Hosted by tech executive, advisor, and Princeton entrepreneurship & design fellow Ben Lehnert, this podcast challenges conventional MBA wisdom, blending creative leadership, liberal arts, and innovation to reimagine what it means to lead in the AI era.
If you believe leadership is both an art and a responsibility, this is your space to listen, reflect, and evolve.
Podcasting since 2025 • 10 episodes
Poets & Thinkers
Latest Episodes
“Liftoff” rounds, data moats, and trust barriers: How AI is rewriting the venture capital rules with Pascal Unger
What if venture capital is finally getting the reset it desperately needed? And what does that mean for the qualities and skills required for future founders, startup leaders, and even investors? In this episode of Poets & Thinkers, we expl...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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45:25

The Dark Side of Empathy: On AI “Soul Gaps”, emotional commons, and the responsibility to develop humane technologies with Michael Ventura
What if the very technology that promises to make us more efficient is actually creating “soul gaps” – spaces where human understanding and meaning simply cannot be replicated? In this deeply insightful episode of Poets and Thinkers, we explore...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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38:48

Rewriting All Layers Of The Stack – Leading with agency when everyone is uncomfortable with Meg Bear
What if the discomfort leaders feel right now, at the beginning of the AI age, isn’t a problem to solve, but the exact place where transformation happens? In this episode of Poets & Thinkers, we explore the future of organizational leadersh...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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41:35

Slot Machine Creativity: On the value of friction to create meaningful works of art with Nando Costa
What if the struggle and friction in the creative process is actually what makes art meaningful – and what we’re at risk of losing in our rush toward AI efficiency? In this deeply reflective episode of Poets & Thinkers, we explore the inter...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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48:03

The Optimization Lie: Will AI finally give us the freedom “new work” promised us? – with journalist and author Markus Albers
Digitalization promised us a brave “new work” world. But instead we ended up with more meetings and “fake work”. What’s next and how do we transform our obsession with productivity tools and endless meetings into meaningful work and real innova...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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42:46

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