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In this episode of the Hello 50:50 World Podcast, we speak with Alessia Paccagnella, Software Engineer and Co-Founder of VibeFlow, a Y Combinator-backed AI tech startup.
Together, we explore her journey from Italy to Switzerland to Silicon Valley:
- How she went from the corporate world to building a tech startup
- Why understanding users matters more than writing code when building products
- What she learned from living and building between Zurich and San Francisco
- How AI is changing software development and lowering the barriers to creation
- And what it takes to build confidence, resilience, and conviction as a female founder in tech
From ETH's Student Project House and startup accelerators to hacker houses in San Francisco and AI-powered product development, Alessia shares lessons from her journey building a company at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and creativity.
If you're interested in startups, product development, AI, entrepreneurship, or simply curious about what it takes to turn an ambitious idea into reality, this episode is for you. -
In this episode of the Hello 50:50 World Podcast, we speak with Romano Roth, Group Chief AI Officer at Zühlke, long-time software engineering leader, and co-organizer of DevOpsDays Zurich.
Together, we explore what happens when AI accelerates software development:
- Why the biggest bottlenecks in software delivery are often not in engineering, but before development even begins
- How DevOps helps organizations improve value flow, quality, and time to market
- Why teams with strong engineering practices are benefiting most from AI
- How software engineering roles are evolving as AI becomes part of everyday work
- And why systems thinking and critical thinking may become the most important skills for the next generation of technologists
From value stream mapping and quality culture to AI agents and smaller product teams, Romano shares practical insights from more than two decades of experience helping organizations build better software.
If you work in product development, engineering, leadership, or are simply curious about how AI is changing the way we build technology, this episode is for you. -
Saknas det avsnitt?
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In this episode of the Hello 50:50 World Podcast, we speak with Britta Hummel, former engineering leader at Meta, who worked on products like Meta Quest and the early foundations of the Microsoft HoloLens.
Together, we explore virtual and mixed reality beyond the hype:
- Why the biggest technical challenges in VR are largely solved
- Why the business side of the metaverse is struggling despite massive investments
- What it was like to build immersive technologies inside Big Tech
- How power dynamics and leadership culture shaped Britta’s experience at Meta
- Why she ultimately decided to leave the company and speak publicly about it
- And how she is now using VR for trauma therapy and healthcare through her new venture Waven
After leaving Meta, Britta publicly shared reflections on leadership culture, dissent, and power dynamics inside Big Tech in a widely discussed Substack article. Today, she is co-founding Waven together with two other former Meta employees, exploring how virtual reality can be used for trauma therapy, mental health, and healthcare.
From open-source VR headsets to humane technology and trauma healing, this conversation explores what happens when technologists start asking not only can we build something — but whether we should, and for whom. Learn more in this episode. -
In this episode of the Hello 50:50 World Podcast, we speak with Aaron Seigo, long-time open source contributor and passionate software developer/architect.
Together, we explore how the open source movement evolved over the last decades:
- How Aaron discovered open source software in the early days of Linux
- Why open source was originally both a technical and political movement
- How small open source communities helped build technologies that shaped today’s internet
- And what developers and organizations can learn from the culture and philosophy behind open collaboration
From discovering Linux through a book with a CD-ROM in the 1990s to helping shape browser technologies used by millions of people today, Aaron shares what it was like to grow up alongside the open source movement and witness its transformation over the last 25 years.
For engineers, designers, and product builders, this episode offers a unique look into the history, culture, and philosophy behind open source software. It also raises important questions about participation, sustainability, and what happens when communities stop contributing back to the systems we all rely on.
How did open source go from a niche movement to something that powers almost every part of modern technology? Learn more in this episode. -
In this episode of the Hello 50:50 World Podcast, we speak with Vardon Hamdiu, co-founder of Sparkable, and Sofiia Kaminska, behavioral researcher and creator of the Option Control project.
Together, we explore how social media platforms are architected:
- Why many of today’s platforms are optimized for attention and what that does to users
- How engagement-based algorithms amplify polarization, outrage, and addictive behavior
- Why awareness alone is not enough to change how we use technology
- And what it takes to design social media that supports healthier interactions
From working in political communication and with refugee communities to researching digital behavior across generations, Vardon and Sofia share what it means to understand both the structural and human side of technology.
For engineers, designers, and product builders, this episode challenges a core assumption: that better technology automatically leads to better outcomes. Because in reality, the incentives behind platforms shape behavior more than the features themselves.
What would social media look like if it was designed to bring out the best in people instead of keeping them hooked? Learn more in this episode. -
In this episode of the Hello 50:50 World Podcast, we speak with Lisa Falco, health tech innovator, author of Go Figure, and co-founder of N23 Health.
Together, we explore how data and AI are already shaping the health industry:
- How AI can improve women’s health and help close the gender health gap
- Why data can both support and harm, especially in healthcare
- How AI systems can bring expertise to places where specialists are missing
- And why context is critical when deciding where and how AI should be used
From building one of the first FemTech companies in Switzerland to developing AI for early breast cancer detection in underserved regions, Lisa shares what it means to move from data to real-world impact.
For engineers, designers, and product builders, this episode offers a grounded perspective on what it takes to build technology that actually works beyond ideal conditions.
Where can AI truly make a difference for people in health systems and what needs to be in place for it to work? Learn more in this episode. -
In this first episode of the Hello 50:50 World Podcast, we speak with Dr. Marisa Tschopp, psychologist and researcher in human-AI relationships and trust.
Marisa is a corporate researcher at scip AG, a cybersecurity company based in Zurich. Since April 1st 2026, she is Head of Subject Area Humans & AI at ZHAW Angewandte Psychologie.
Together, we explore what it really means to design AI for humans:
- Why most people don’t just use AI as a tool and how they relate to it based on research
- How users (technical vs non-technical) experience the same systems differently
- How the user experience of AI shapes trust, overtrust, and the conditions for misuse
- And why it is difficult to test AI systems, and where we should draw the line right now
From analyzing thousands of conversations between humans and AI to researching trust and relationships, Marisa shares what it means to understand how people truly interact with technology.
For engineers, designers, and product builders, this conversation challenges a core assumption that better technology automatically leads to better outcomes. Because in reality, the success of AI systems depends just as much on human psychology, perception and behavior.
Will we be seeing a shift in the next years of tech teams working more closely with psychologists to make tech more humane? Learn more in this episode. -
In our trailer episode, host Lisa Stähli, co-lead of Hello 50:50 World, speaks with Martina Niggli, founder of proxi and Hello 50:50 World ambassador.
Together, we explore what Hello 50:50 World is and why we are launching a podcast:
- Where the idea of the podcast comes from, and what we want to achieve with it
- Why different perspectives are so essential to counterbalance current trends in society
- What's the 'secret sauce' of the Hello 50:50 World format and how we break bubbles
- Who this podcast is for and what to expect from the Hello 50:50 World podcast
To bridge the gap between physical meetups and the digital space, we are creating this podcast as an extension of our movement to make tech more humane. We encourage listeners to engage, collaborate and share their own perspectives, so this becomes a space of co-learning.
How can we possibly create more balance, inclusion and hope in tech through a podcast? Learn more in this episode.
