Invent Penn State

Jason Warner discusses AI and innovation on Dare to Disrupt podcast

Jason Warner is the former chief technology officer of GitHub and current co-founder and chief executive officer of poolside, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) company building AI for software development and the applications to unlock the potential of developers. Credit: Provided by Jason Warner. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the latest episode of Invent Penn State’s Dare to Disrupt podcast, host Ryan Newman interviews Jason Warner, the former chief technology officer (CTO) of GitHub and current co-founder and chief executive officer of generative artificial intelligence (AI) company poolside, which aims to build the world's most capable AI for software development and the applications to unlock the potential of developers.  

Warner graduated from Penn State with a bachelor's in computer science and received a master's of science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.   

In this episode, Warner discussed the business challenges and successes he experienced as GitHub's CTO and delves into the unique hurdles faced by a generative AI company. He also shared his philosophy on the future of AI and its potential impact on various aspects of our lives. 

“If you’re a holdout who says you’re never going to use AI, you’re already on the long tail to obsolescence,” Warner said during the podcast episode.   

Listen to Jason Warner’s episode of Dare to Disrupt 

At the end of the episode, current Penn State student Stephen Leshko joined the conversation. Leshko is a senior at Penn State studying computer science. He is the co-founder and CTO of OfferPilot, an AI-powered toolkit to help college students secure jobs more efficiently. Leshko is a recent participant of Invent Penn State’s Summer Founders Program. He spoke with Warner about customer retention best practices, as well as how AI will impact the future of job searching. 

Students can apply or be nominated to be on the show here.   

About Dare to Disrupt 

Dare to Disrupt is a podcast from Invent Penn State about Penn State alumni who are innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders, and the stories behind their success. The podcast is hosted by alumnus Ryan Newman, a graduate of the Smeal College of Business and a Schreyer Scholar alumnus who is now a managing director at Goldman Sachs.   

Past episodes of Dare to Disrupt include interviews with Garry Gilliam, David Rusenko and Jess Weiner. New episodes of "Dare to Disrupt" release monthly. Learn more at invent.psu.edu/dare-to-disrupt. Subscribe to Dare to Disrupt on YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.     

Invent Penn State is a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation and student career success. 

Last Updated August 20, 2024