DeepSummary
The episode features an interview with Reed Jobs, the son of the late Steve Jobs and Laurene Powell Jobs, about his venture capital firm Yosemite, which focuses on cancer research and biotech. Reed discusses his personal motivations, stemming from his father's battle with pancreatic cancer, and his mission to make cancer non-lethal within our lifetimes.
Reed explains Yosemite's approach, which involves funding early-stage research, partnering with universities, and building companies to bring promising innovations to clinical trials and eventually to patients. He also discusses the potential impact of emerging technologies like AI, CRISPR, and immunotherapy on cancer treatment and detection.
Throughout the interview, Reed shares insights into his upbringing, the influence of his parents, and his perspectives on the tech industry and the future of cancer research. He emphasizes the importance of taking ambitious but logical risks, synthesizing ideas from diverse fields, and prioritizing patient outcomes over financial gains.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Reed Jobs' venture capital firm Yosemite aims to make cancer non-lethal within our lifetimes by funding early-stage research and building companies that bring innovative treatments and diagnostics to patients.
- Yosemite's approach involves partnering with universities, leveraging emerging technologies like AI, CRISPR, and immunotherapy, and focusing on patient outcomes over financial gains.
- Reed emphasizes the limitations of the concept of a 'cure' for cancer and the need for a more nuanced approach that acknowledges the inherent risk of cancer arising in human cells.
- Reed's personal motivations stem from his father Steve Jobs' battle with pancreatic cancer, and he was influenced by both of his parents' perspectives on innovation and impact.
- Reed believes in taking ambitious but logical risks, synthesizing ideas from diverse fields, and prioritizing transformative innovations that can truly change the world.
- Emerging technologies like AI, CRISPR, and immunotherapy hold significant promise for advancing cancer treatment and detection, but their impact should be viewed with balanced expectations.
- Challenges in cancer research include the high cost and risk of clinical trials, the need for more targeted and personalized therapies, and the complexities of specific cancers like pancreatic cancer.
- Reed's approach emphasizes collaboration between academia, biotech companies, and pharmaceutical companies to accelerate the translation of research into effective treatments for patients.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “A lot of people have used the word cure and abused it a lot in the oncology space. So our first reaction was we have to be honest about where we view the science to be and to have human cells, you always are going to have the risk of some mutation happening, a bad cell division and cancer arising.“ by Reed Jobs
- “I just really believe that at its very best, this place can make things that really take people's breath away, and that can really, really change the world in an unambiguously positive way. And for us and for myself, that's the spirit that I still hold and that I really just want us to bring to the table every day.“ by Reed Jobs
- “Ultimately, I want us to be part of a few amazing companies that really change the paradigm on how we think about cancer. And that's likely going to be both on the diagnostic side, on the therapeutic side, and likely on the digital health side as well.“ by Reed Jobs
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Episode Information
On with Kara Swisher
Vox Media
3/7/24
In high school, Reed Jobs was a summer intern in oncology labs while his dad, the late Apple co-founder and tech icon Steve Jobs, was battling pancreatic cancer. In his biography, Steve is quoted as calling his son’s interest in biotech the “silver lining” of his illness – and making cancer “non-lethal” has become Reed’s life mission. In 2023, he spun off the venture capital firm Yosemite from Emerson Collective (the philanthropy and family office founded by his mother, Laurene Powell Jobs) to focus on cancer research and biotech. Kara and Reed talk about the research-to-start up pipeline, how he’s been influenced by both of his parents, and whether AI, mRNA or CRISPR will be game changers for cancer patients.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on social media. We’re on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher and @nayeemaraza
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