Episode Description

Mark Herschberg is a fractional CTO and CPO who works with smaller companies, providing guidance and overseeing their tech teams and product development. He has been teaching at MIT for over 20 years, focusing on professional development skills like leadership and networking. His teaching experience inspired him to write his book, 'The Career Toolkit,' which offers essential skills for success. Mark also founded Cognosco Media, a new media company that helps people access information through their app, Brain Bump. The app allows users to retain and access key ideas from books, podcasts, and other sources. The conversation covers topics such as the importance of evergreen content, the limitations of email and social media for business, the role of AI in content creation, and the value of human connection in a digital age.

Key Takeaways

Mark Herschberg is a fractional CTO and CPO who provides guidance to smaller companies on tech and product development.
He has been teaching professional development skills at MIT for over 20 years.
Mark wrote the book 'The Career Toolkit' to share essential skills for success.
He founded Cognosco Media and developed the app Brain Bump to help people retain and access key ideas from various sources. Creating evergreen content is crucial for thought leaders and content creators.
Email and social media are not always the best tools for delivering evergreen content.
AI can be overrated and may contribute to a decrease in content quality.
Human connection and relationship-building are still essential in a digital world.

Meet Our Guest

Mark Herschberg is the author of The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You and creator of the Brain Bump app. From tracking criminals and terrorists on the dark web to creating marketplaces and new authentication systems, Mark has spent his career launching and developing new ventures at startups and Fortune 500s and in academia, with over a dozen patents to his name. He helped to start the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program, dubbed MIT’s “career success accelerator,” where he teaches annually. At MIT, he received a B.S. in physics, a B.S. in electrical engineering & computer science, and a M.Eng. in electrical engineering & computer science, focusing on cryptography. At Harvard Business School, Mark helped create a platform used to teach finance at prominent business schools. He also works with many non-profits, currently serving on the board of Plant A Million Corals. He was one of the top-ranked ballroom dancers in the country and now lives in New York City, where he is known for his social gatherings, including his annual Halloween party, as well as his diverse cufflink collection.