Here's a wide-ranging conversation (medical residents, kidneys, middle schools, refugees, surrogacy, ...) with Al Roth, one of the all-time greats of applying economic theory to improve lives. Co-hosted with @skominers, part of the First Principles mini-series @a16zcrypto. Outline: 00:00 Intro: Why market design matters 04:18 The economist as engineer 08:09 When theory meets the real world 07:02 Fixing the medical residency match 15:32 Why markets unravel 18:22 Redesigning NYC high school admissions 28:05 The hidden problem of congestion 34:47 How kidney exchange saves lives 45:26 How the internet changed market design 48:25 Airbnb, Uber and smarter marketplaces 51:28 Repugnant transactions and moral economics 53:32 When markets need social support 54:32 The unexpected effects of criminalizing surrogacy 01:04:58 Preference signals and the job market 01:18:53 A broken market: resettling refugees and other migrants link to full video:

Is there anything computers can't do? Does Alan Turing's revolutionary work remain relevant in a world with generative AI and quantum computers? Announcing a new mini-series, for a general audience, on Computation and Its Limits. This is one of several short courses on the new Ergo platform, "a nonprofit that publishes long-form philosophical lectures online, without ads or paywalls." Get started at

Life update: I've joined @the_IAS as a Professor in the School of Mathematics! Very excited to be part of the Institute’s growing commitment to theoretical computer science, its connections to other fields, and its importance for understanding and shaping modern technology.

Incoming: A new podcast mini-series, First Principles, via @a16zcrypto. Topic: fundamental research breakthroughs that underpin modern digital technology, and the pioneers who discovered them. Amazing line-up of guests and co-hosts!