Episodes

  • Why Asia Is Becoming the Next Digital Content Hub (ep 60)

    Why Asia Is Becoming the Next Digital Content Hub (ep 60)
    Dec 17 2025

    From print journalism and radio to global sports media, digital platforms, and venture strategy, Unmish Parthasarathi has spent three decades operating at the intersection of storytelling, technology, and commerce. In this episode of The Generalists, he explains how cross-disciplinary careers are built in practice, why the most effective leaders today are deep generalists, and how Asia is emerging as a key center for new content and digital business models.

    Unmish introduces his Content × Code × Capital framework, showing why innovation happens in the overlap between disciplines rather than within silos. He shares the career moment that forced him to define his true craft, why he left traditional television at its peak, and how that decision led to early work in short-form digital video at the International Cricket Council. The conversation spans sport, media, gaming, education, and technology, while also touching on leadership, empathy, cultural nuance, and the life philosophy that continues to guide his decisions.

    📖 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • The Content × Code × Capital framework and why innovation happens at intersections
    • What it means to be a deep generalist in fast-changing industries
    • The career question that forced Unmish to define his true craft
    • Why storytelling is both an emotional capability and a business skill
    • How sport, gaming, media, and education share common structural patterns
    • The economics of short-form video before social platforms existed
    • Why Asia is becoming the center of gravity for new digital and content models
    • How cultural nuance shapes platforms, products, and monetization strategies
    • Lessons from building careers across London, New York, Johannesburg, Dubai, and Singapore
    • Why judgment, character, and luck matter more than credentials alone

    🔔 Subscribe for more strategy, career insights & global operator stories

    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast
    • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4?si=a25c777a19854616
    • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists

    👥 Hosts

    • Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp
    • Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/

    👤 Guest

    • Simon Davis ⁠⁠:https://www.linkedin.com/in/simondavis/⁠⁠

    🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned🚀 Companies & Platforms

    • ESPN Star Sports: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPN_Star_Sports
    • Fox Sports: https://www.foxsports.com
    • News Corp: https://newscorp.com
    • The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com
    • The Sun: https://www.thesun.co.uk
    • The Times (UK): https://www.thetimes.co.uk
    • The Australian: https://www.theaustralian.com.au
    • International Cricket Council (ICC): https://www.icc-cricket.com
    • IMG: https://img.com
    • Celebrity Cricket League (CCL): https://www.celebritycricketleague.in
    • Sports Works (India): https://www.sportsworks.in
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com
    • Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com
    • Twitter (X): https://twitter.com
    • Kajabi: https://kajabi.com
    • Coursera: https://www.coursera.org
    • M1: https://www.m1.com.sg
    • StarHub: https://www.starhub.com
    • Singtel: https://www.singtel.com
    • Emirates: https://www.emirates.com
    • SMU Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship: https://iie.smu.edu.sg
    • Singapore Institute of Directors (SID): https://www.sid.org.sg
    • INSEAD: https://www.insead.edu
    • University of Cambridge: https://www.cam.ac.uk

    📚 Books & Documentaries

    • Moneyball (Michael Lewis): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393324818
    • Andy Murray: Resurfacing (Amazon Prime): https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Andy-Murray-Resurfacing
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    47 mins
  • 🎙️#59 Why Legacy Game Studios Are About to Be Disrupted by AI

    🎙️#59 Why Legacy Game Studios Are About to Be Disrupted by AI
    Dec 10 2025
    From the frontlines of modern game development, Mighty Bear Games CEO Simon Davis shares a blunt reality: the traditional way of building games is collapsing — and AI-native studios are already pulling ahead. In Episode 59 of The Generalists, Simon breaks down how his team canceled Unity, rebuilt their entire pipeline, and now generates 90–95% of their code, images, animations, and audio with AI.He explains how artists with no coding background now ship fully playable mini-games in days, how Mighty Bear’s internal agentic system called Nexus blends open-source models with custom workflows, and why AI transformation keeps failing inside large enterprises while small, aligned teams accelerate. Simon also dives into why Telegram may be the next major gaming platform, how Singapore’s culture of experimentation gives his studio an edge, and why generalists — not specialists — will thrive in the next decade of game creation.It’s a rare, inside look at what an AI-native game studio actually looks like today, and why the next wave of global gaming companies won’t be built with yesterday’s tools.📖 What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhy Unity no longer fits an AI-accelerated development workflowHow 90–95% of Mighty Bear’s code, art, audio & animation is now AI-generatedHow Nexus integrates Stable Diffusion variants, Claude Code & custom agentsHow artists now build complete mini-games without writing codeWhy AI transformation fails in large enterprises but succeeds in small teamsWhy generalists outperform specialists inside AI-native companiesWhy Singapore outpaces Europe in AI adoptionWhy Telegram is becoming the next major gaming distribution channelHow to build a capital-efficient AI-native game studio from Southeast Asia🔔 Subscribe for more founder stories, startup wisdom & AI insightsYouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast⁠Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4?si=a25c777a19854616⁠Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists⁠👥 HostsMichael Smith Jr.: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/⁠Raz Kotler: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/⁠👤 GuestSimon Davis ⁠:https://www.linkedin.com/in/simondavis/⁠🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned🚀 Companies & PlatformsMighty Bear Games: ⁠https://mightybeargames.com⁠Unity: ⁠https://unity.com⁠Stable Diffusion (open-source): ⁠https://stability.ai⁠FAL (Inference Tooling): ⁠https://fal.ai⁠Telegram: ⁠https://telegram.org⁠📚 Books MentionedChip War-Chris Miller⁠: https://www.amazon.com/Chip-War-Fight-Worlds-Critical/dp/1476717975⁠I, Claudius-Robert Graves⁠: https://www.amazon.com/I-Claudius-Robert-Graves/dp/067972477X
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    45 mins
  • 🎙️ #58 From Analyze Asia to Reinventing ERP: Bernard Leong’s Double Life

    🎙️ #58 From Analyze Asia to Reinventing ERP: Bernard Leong’s Double Life
    Dec 6 2025
    From years inside the world of enterprise systems, Bernard Leong has reached a sharp conclusion: the core of every ERP is finance and it’s the part most broken. In Episode 58 of The Generalists, Bernard breaks down why he’s focusing Dorje.ai entirely on finance automation before even touching the ledger and why generative AI is making it possible to rethink ERP architecture from the ground up.He explains how he spent years building workflows outside traditional ERPs like SAP, Oracle, and NetSuite, and why a passing comment from a VC, “never pitch me an ERP” , became the spark for a contrarian opportunity. Bernard goes deep into AI-driven workflows, agent architectures, event-driven ledgers, enterprise readiness, kill-switch design, and why counter-positioning matters when taking on incumbents.📖 What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhy finance is the true heart of every ERP systemWhy ERP implementations fail across SAP, Oracle, NetSuite & DynamicsHow generative AI and AI agents enable customizable financial workflowsHow event-driven ledger architecture could replace today’s ERP foundationsHow counter-positioning helps startups compete with incumbentsWhy Dorje.ai uses a pay-as-you-go model deployed fully on the customer’s cloudHow enterprise data privacy, kill-switch controls & audit trails must workWhy problem-market fit matters more than product-market fit in early enterprise SaaSHow to build capital-efficient B2B in Southeast AsiaWhat 495 episodes of Analyze Asia taught Bernard about storytellingWhy podcasting is a non-zero-sum game and how discovery really worksHow AI can eliminate grunt work and accelerate creativityBernard’s personal mental & physical routines for sustainable performance🔔 Subscribe for more founder stories, startup wisdom & entrepreneurial insights.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4?si=a25c777a19854616Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists👥 HostsMichael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler👤 GuestBernard Leong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardleong/🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned🚀 Companies & PlatformsDorje.ai: https://dorje.aiSAP: https://www.sap.comOracle: https://www.oracle.comNetSuite: https://www.netsuite.comMicrosoft Dynamics: https://dynamics.microsoft.comAWS: https://aws.amazon.comGoogle Cloud: https://cloud.google.comAzure — https://azure.microsoft.comDatabricks:https://www.databricks.comSnowflake: https://www.snowflake.comDatadog: https://www.datadoghq.comMongoDB: https://www.mongodb.comRead.ai: https://www.read.aiOtter.ai: https://otter.aiFathom: https://fathom.videoGlean: https://www.glean.comXero: https://www.xero.comQuickBooks: https://quickbooks.intuit.comCohere: https://cohere.com📚 Books MentionedHow Not to Invest (Barry Ritholtz): https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Invest-Mistakes-Investors/dp/164782788XA Conflict of Visions (Thomas Sowell): https://www.amazon.com/Conflict-Visions-Ideological-Origins-Political/dp/0465002056The Half-Life of Facts (Samuel Arbesman): https://www.amazon.com/Half-Life-Facts-Everything-Information-Constantly/dp/1591844933SAP: Inside the Machine (Andrew Park): https://www.amazon.com/SAP-Inside-Machine-Andrew-Park/dp/0471753976📚 Concepts & Frameworks7 Powers (Hamilton Helmer): https://7powers.comEvent-Driven Architecture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Event-driven_architectureAgentic AI / Reflection Pattern: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_agentCounter-Positioning (7 Powers): https://7powers.comProblem-Market Fit vs Product-Market Fit: https://review.firstround.com/the-new-pmfit-frameworkKill-Switch & Audit-Trail Design Patterns: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audit_trail
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    56 mins
  • 🎙️ #57 Is Southeast Asia Finally Investable? AI, SGX & Grab+Gojek & 2026

    🎙️ #57 Is Southeast Asia Finally Investable? AI, SGX & Grab+Gojek & 2026
    Nov 29 2025
    A high-signal, no-filter roundtable with• Hian Goh (OpenSpace Capital)• Alex Dwek (COO, Nas.io)• Michael Smith Jr. (The Generalists)• Raz Kotler (The Generalists)Southeast Asia just had a rare real win — the Hepmil acquisition — and this episode breaks down why it matters, why early backers actually made money, and how this exit finally gives founders a real benchmark in the creator & media ecosystem. From there, the table dives into AI, sovereign compute, Grab+Gojek merger dynamics, the future of SGX, ASEAN as an investable region, and why 2026 may be the most interesting year yet for Southeast Asia.This is the full uncut November roundtable — strategy, insights, debates, predictions, and the occasional spicy jab.📖 What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeWhy the Hepmil acquisition is a meaningful benchmark for Southeast AsiaThe VC behind Hepmil and why his connections matteredReal revenue, real EBITDA, and the fundamentals that drove the dealEarly-stage outcomes: houses, windfalls… and realistic 20× returnsWhy Publicis was the natural acquirer (“fingerprints all over it”)The MCN model & why it died in the U.S. but still works in AsiaHow influencer networks succeed (or fail) across the regionWhy this exit helps agency and creator founders pitch with confidenceThe truth behind “overnight success” stories and multi-pivot journeysThe real state of AI: compute demand, sovereign AI, specialized modelsWhether we’re in an AI bubble and what the big tech earnings revealGrab+Gojek merger logic, regulation, and what consolidation would meanHow ASEAN can produce the next wave of $10B+ companiesSGX’s dual-listing mechanism with NASDAQ and what it unlocksHow India’s IPO boom influences SEA founder psychologyWhat the table is excited about heading into 2026👥 The Table Hian Goh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiangoh/Alex Dwek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexdwek/Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/🔗 Links & MentionsHepmil: https://www.hepmil.comPublicis Groupe: https://www.publicisgroupe.comQuest Ventures: https://www.questventures.comTBWA: https://tbwa.comAsian Food Channel: https://www.asianfoodchannel.comMCN (Multi-Channel Network): https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2737059Nas.io: https://nas.ioGrab https://www.grab.comGojek: https://www.gojek.com🔔 Subscribe for more founder stories, startup wisdom & entrepreneurial insights.YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4?si=a25c777a19854616Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists
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    54 mins
  • 🎙️ #56 The Future of Work is Fractional: Build a Portfolio Career

    🎙️ #56 The Future of Work is Fractional: Build a Portfolio Career
    Nov 27 2025

    From banking in Sydney and Tokyo to co-founding YOLO, getting acquired by Singlife, and building Mission Plus into a leading fractional-work and tech-delivery company. Nick Martin has lived every chapter of the modern career evolution.

    In this full Episode 56 of The Generalists, Nick breaks down how employment, talent, and technology are changing faster than companies can keep up. He explains why fractional leadership is surging, how startups can avoid classic tech-build mistakes, and how the 8+2 Career Model helps ambitious professionals build career resilience without quitting their full-time roles.

    This is a deep dive into the future of work: portfolio careers, AI-enabled teams, cross-border talent, and why curiosity and autonomy are becoming the most important professional skills.

    📖 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • How fractional leadership is reshaping how companies build and scale
    • Why Mission Plus emerged from necessity and why “boring businesses” still win
    • Lessons from building YOLO and selling to Singlife
    • How tech layoffs, remote work, and AI changed the supply/demand of talent
    • The 8 + 2 Career Model and why professionals want portfolio-style careers
    • How startups misuse CTO hires and a better model for early-stage product builds
    • Why enterprises struggle to adopt AI beyond prototypes
    • Why curious generalists are becoming more valuable than ever
    • Why Singapore, the Middle East, and APAC are shifting toward fractional adoption
    • How immigration rules, work permits, and PR status impact fractional work

    👥 Hosts

    • Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/
    • Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/

    👤 Guest

    • Nick Martin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasrjmartin/

    🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned

    🚀 Companies & Platforms

    • Mission Plus: https://www.mission.plus/
    • Singlife: https://singlife.com
    • Citigroup: https://www.citigroup.com
    • Visa: https://www.visa.com
    • Fireflies.ai: https://fireflies.ai
    • Cold Plunge Singapore: https://coldplunge.sg/

    📚 Blogs

    • The Future Will Not Fit into the Containers of the Past (Rishad Tobaccowala): https://rishadtobaccowala.com
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    54 mins
  • 🎙️ #55 Reinvention Playbook: How Generalists Win in the AI Era

    🎙️ #55 Reinvention Playbook: How Generalists Win in the AI Era
    Nov 19 2025
    From airline security shifts in Kyiv to retail entrepreneurship, Malaysian trade diplomacy, Microsoft, Broadcom, and now Cisco ThousandEyes, Elena Lukyanenko has lived five careers in one lifetime - long before she had the language for what it meant to be a generalist.In Episode 55 of The Generalists, Elena joins hosts Michael Smith Jr. and Raz Kotler to unpack how she reinvented herself across industries and continents, how she navigated layoffs twice, and why she believes that generalists thrive in chaotic environments. She explains her framework for “high-level generalism,” the internal work required to prepare for inevitable career shocks, and why identity cannot be built on titles alone.It’s a candid conversation on the realities of layoffs, career pivots, cultural transitions, self-discovery, and what it takes to build a meaningful life across borders. 📖 What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeHow Elena built careers across security, retail, trade, tech, cloud, and AI without a linear planWhy generalists thrive through pattern recognition, adaptability, and skill transferHow to prepare for layoffs before they happen and rebuild identity after job lossThe psychology behind reinvention, momentum, and avoiding the “victim spiral”The surprising story behind launching Graceful Edge and overcoming writing traumaHow dance, strength training, and tea ceremony anchor her mental performance👥 Hosts Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler👤 GuestElena Lukyanenko: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elukyanenko/🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned🚀 Companies & PlatformsCisco ThousandEyes: https://www.thousandeyes.comMicrosoft: https://www.microsoft.comBroadcom: https://www.broadcom.comPTL Group: https://www.ptl-group.comGraceful Edge (Elena’s Substack): https://www.thegracefuledge.comYammer: https://www.yammer.comPerplexity: https://www.perplexity.aiClaude: https://claude.aiGemini: https://ai.google/ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com🎬 MoviesHer (2013): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709📚 BooksPSI Book (correct “C Book”): https://psi-book.com🧠 Communities & EventsLean In - Women in Tech: https://leanin.org/circles/lean-in-women-in-tech
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    59 mins
  • 🎙️ #54 From Google to Peek: Designing Money for Gen Z

    🎙️ #54 From Google to Peek: Designing Money for Gen Z
    Nov 10 2025

    From swimming lanes to startup lanes, Sherry Jiang has always been a generalist — long before she had a word for it.

    In Episode 54 of The Generalists, Sherry joins hosts Michael Smith Jr. and Raz Kotler to explore how ADHD, behavioral science, and design thinking shaped her journey from Google to Peek - a behavioral-finance app redefining what “money management” really means. She explains why she sees money as autonomy, not accumulation, and how combining psychology, AI, and financial design can build products that actually change habits.

    It’s a candid conversation on cognitive diversity, consumer psychology, and the future of AI-assisted startups - from building a viral Gen Z finance brand to teaching founders how to “vibe-code” with AI.

    📖 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

      • Why being a generalist is a competitive advantage in a chaotic world

      • How ADHD drove Sherry’s obsession with behavioral science and design for emotion

      • What she learned at Google about gamification and the psychology of trust

      • Why Peak frames money as empowerment, not management

      • How AI is transforming product design, founder skill sets, and startup culture

      • The behavioral economics behind “doom-spending” and saving as identity

      • Why personal finance remains one of the hardest categories to build — and why she insists on tackling it


      👥 Hosts

      • Michael Smith Jr. – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsmithjr
      • Raz Kotler – https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler

      👤 Guest

      • Sherry Jiang – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherry/


      🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

      🚀 Companies & Projects

      • Peak: https://www.peakmoney.app
      • Google Pay - Behavioral Design Team:https://pay.google.com/about


      📚 Books & Ideas

      • Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World – David Epstein: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0735214484
      • Nudge – Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein: https://www.amazon.com/dp/014311526X


      🧠 Concepts & Frameworks

      • Behavioral Science & Decision Design: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_economics
      • Cognitive Diversity & Rare Complementary Skills: https://hbr.org/2018/07/the-case-for-generalists


      🎬 Cultural References

      • K-Pop Demon Hunters (Netflix): https://www.netflix.com/title/81462921
      • Headspace: https://www.headspace.com
      • Duolingo: https://www.duolingo.com
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    1 hr
  • 🎙️ #53 Asia's AI Divide: "The Experimenters" vs "The Value Creators"

    🎙️ #53 Asia's AI Divide: "The Experimenters" vs "The Value Creators"
    Nov 6 2025

    When Bernard Leong looks across Asia’s enterprise landscape, he sees a widening split between two worlds: companies still experimenting with AI, and those already realizing value at scale.

    In the full episode of The Generalists, Bernard Leong, founder of Dorje AI and host of Analyse Asia, joins Michael Smith Jr. and Raz Kotler to unpack the findings from the Cisco AI Readiness Index 2025. The data reveals a striking new divide: while most enterprises are still stuck in pilot mode, a small minority — the “pacesetters” — have mastered data readiness, network architecture, and cultural flexibility to scale AI across their operations and unlock measurable ROI.


    📖 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • Why Asia’s AI economy is splitting into “experimenters” and “value creators”
    • How Thailand and Indonesia are leapfrogging Singapore in enterprise AI adoption
    • What separates true AI readiness from isolated pilot projects
    • Why back-office automation is delivering the clearest early ROI
    • How data maturity, network infrastructure, and cultural agility drive scaling success
    • The emerging role of AI agents — and the hidden security and workflow implications
    • What CEOs should start (and stop) doing to build practical AI readiness


    👥 Hosts

    • Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/
    • Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razko282/


    👤 Guest

    • Bernard Leong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bleongcw/


    🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned

    🚀 Reports & Research

    • Cisco AI Readiness Index 2025: https://www.cisco.com/c/m/en_us/solutions/ai/readiness-index/realizing-the-value-of-ai.html
    • Cisco AI Readiness Index 2025 – Full PDF: https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/m/en_us/solutions/ai/readiness-index/2025-m10/documents/cisco-ai-readiness-index-2025-realizing-the-value-of-ai.pdf
    • McKinsey Global Survey on AI (2024): https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-2024
    • MIT Report – 95 % of GenAI Pilots Fail: https://www.computing.co.uk/news/2025/ai/mit-report-95pc-corporate-generative-ai-pilots-fail


    🧠 Technology & Tools

    • DeepSeek-OCR:https://www.deep-seek-ocr.org/en
    • Dorje A: https://dorje.ai
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    28 mins