Interview with Safi Bahcall

SAFI BAHCALL is a second-generation physicist (the son of two astrophysicists) and a biotech entrepreneur. He received his BA summa cum laude from Harvard and his PhD from Stanford. After working for three years as a consultant for McKinsey, he co-founded a biotechnology company developing new drugs for cancer (which led him to be profiled by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker). He led its IPO and served as its CEO for 13 years. In 2008, he was named E&Y New England Biotechnology Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2011, he worked with the president's council of science advisors (PCAST) on the future of national research. He lives with his wife and two children in Cambridge, MA. Loonshots is his first book.Loonshots: Available March 19th:  https://www.amazon.com/Loonshots-Nurture-Diseases-Transform-Industries/dp/1250185963/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=loonshots&qid=1551788294&s=gateway&sr=8-1  Praise for Safi Bahcall and Loonshots“Safi Bahcall extends the principles of emergence to the behavior of groups, creating an entirely new way of thinking about why some succeed and others fail. Safi hits all the right notes: the rhythm is right, the humor is right, the scope is right ... everything is right. Loonshots should be required reading for anyone serious about changing the world for the better.”            –ROBERT LAUGHLIN, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, author of A Different Universe “This book has everything: new ideas, bold insights, entertaining history and convincing analysis. Not to be missed by anyone who wants to understand how ideas change the world.”              –DANIEL KAHNEMAN, winner of the Nobel Prize, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow “A wonderful book that explores the beauty, quirkiness and complexity of ideas, Loonshots will both educate and entertain you. If you care about ideas—especially new and out-of-the-box ones—you need to read this book.”--SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, author of The Emperor of All Maladies “Safi Bahcall proposes that phase-transition physics can illuminate human organizations. Companies that are “crystalline” may be efficiently run but don’t innovate; those that are “liquid” produce floods of ideas but no discipline. The physics suggests, moreover, how companies can be disciplined and innovative at the same time. Anyone interested in a fresh approach to innovation—with lots of lively examples—should read this book.”–ERIC MASKIN, professor at Harvard, winner of the Nobel Prize in economics “Who knew that one idea could connect naval battles, chirping crickets, and the birth of modern science? If The Da Vinci Code and Freakonomics had a child together, it would be called Loonshots. This book is a must read for anyone in business, education, or public service.“--SENATOR BOB KERREY, Medal of Honor recipient, former governor of Nebraska and president of The New School “Riveting stories … Bahcall’s fresh ideas and practical solutions—an unusual combination of psychology and physics—should change the way any person or team sets out to change the world.”-AMY C. EDMONDSON, Professor at Harvard Business School and author of The Fearless Organization Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices