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Nir Zicherman is the CEO of Oboe. Oboe's mission is to teach one billion people one trillion things. In 2015, Nir co-founded Anchor, which grew to become the world's largest podcasting platform. After Spotify acquired Anchor in 2019, he led Spotify's expansion into audiobooks as VP of Audiobooks.

💡 5 Things You'll Learn in This Episode

Why AI should teach—not just answer questions.
How personalized learning paths can outperform traditional chatbots.
Lessons from building consumer products that reach millions of users.
Why curiosity and intrinsic motivation are the future of learning.
How Oboe is reimagining education with AI-native learning experiences.

✨ Episode Highlights

[00:02:08] From Anchor to Oboe: why Nir made the leap from podcasting to AI-powered education.
[00:06:06] Why learning is the next great consumer technology opportunity.[00:10:00] How Oboe builds adaptive learning paths instead of AI chat conversations.
[00:17:12] The biggest flaw in large language models as teachers—and how Oboe addresses it.
[00:21:13] Bringing consumer product design principles to education.
[00:26:06] The vision to teach one billion people one trillion things.
[00:31:28] Why intrinsic motivation and curiosity are the future of AI-powered learning.

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:

Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com.

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Cooley LLP. Cooley is the go-to law firm for education and edtech innovators, offering industry-informed counsel across the 'pre-K to gray' spectrum. With a multidisciplinary approach and a powerful edtech ecosystem, Cooley helps shape the future of education.

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Can AI Actually Teach? Inside Oboe with Nir Zicherman

Edtech Insiders

Can AI Actually Teach? Inside Oboe with Nir Zicherman