Shows / Depends on the Context
Depends on the Context
Depends on the Context is a podcast about whatever seems interesting enough to explore. Hosted by Avi Lichtschein, there’s no niche, no grand unifying theme, and no promise that one episode will have anything to do with the next.
Episodes
Depends on the ContextThe $18,000 Gamble: How Winning Jet.com's Contest in 2015 Led to a Fortune
In this episode of Depends on the Context, I revisit the extraordinary story of Eric Martin, who spent $18,000 of his own money in 2015 trying to win a…
Depends on the ContextInside YUTorah: AI, Lost Recordings, and the Future of Torah Learning — with Robert Shur
YUTorah has grown from a collection of cassette recordings into one of the world's largest online Torah libraries, with hundreds of thousands of shiurim…
Depends on the ContextFrom SocialRank to SocialCrank: A Startup’s Second Life — with Alex Taub
More than a decade ago, Alex Taub co-founded SocialRank, a platform that helped brands like the NBA, Netflix, and L’Oréal understand the people behind their…
Depends on the ContextCard Heist, Old Dreams, Evolution & Shenanigans — with Aryeh Buchsbayew
In 1995, my family moved from Manhattan to Teaneck, New Jersey, and I took the basketball card collection I shared with my childhood friend Aryeh Buchsbayew…
Depends on the ContextDavidi Jonas: From Practicing Rabbi to a $3.1 Billion Exit
Davidi Jonas went from being a high school rebbe and shul rabbi with no college degree to running Straight Path Communications, a company that sold to Verizon…
Depends on the ContextRemembering Babi Yaya z"l
Today marks the first yahrzeit of my grandmother, Suri Lichtschein z"l, aka Babi Yaya. In this special episode, my brother Elie and I look back on Babi's…
Depends on the ContextI Spent $1,377.90 on 340ish Peppa Pig Toys (That My Kids Never Asked For)
My kids never asked me to buy them 340+ Peppa Pig toys. I did it anyway. It started with two Afikoman presents. Six months later, I had made 201 separate…
Depends on the ContextAmi Kozak on Comedy, Conviction and Becoming a Public Voice
Ami Kozak is well known today as a comedian, impressionist, podcaster and increasingly serious public voice. But before TikTok, viral impressions and public…
Depends on the ContextHillel Fuld Became a Major Force in Israeli Tech - Then October 7 Gave It All a New Purpose
For more than 20 years, Hillel Fuld built an extraordinary career in Israeli tech by doing something remarkably simple: helping people. Hillel made…
Depends on the ContextThe Company She Needed Didn’t Exist: So She Built Winnie — Sara Mauskopf
Sara Mauskopf never thought of herself as an entrepreneur. Then she had her first child and realized the company she wanted to work for- and the childcare…
Depends on the ContextTurning 40 — A Voice Note to My Kinderlach
I turned 40 this summer and wanted to leave my kinderlach a snapshot of their Abba at this age as they're still little. I talk about becoming a Abba, regrets…
Depends on the Context🎙️ The Valuable Real Estate Hiding in Plain Sight — with Rafi Katz
There’s an entire category of valuable real estate hiding in plain sight: empty parking lots, unused acreage, industrial yards, and other land that most of us…
Depends on the Context25 years since Uncle Ari was killed on 9/11 — a conversation with my brother
My uncle Ari was killed in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Today is his yahrzeit, and with the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, I wanted to…
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Ms. Rachel Put Her Daughter Next to Mine on the Swings — So I Brought Up Israel.
I was at the park on Shabbos, pushing my 8 month old daughter on the swings, when Ms. Rachel put her daughter on the swing next to mine. So I said something…
Depends on the Context🎙️ Wheelchairs, Medicare, & the Moat AI Can't Solve — Natan Wise, Conduit Health
Natan Wise is the co-founder and CEO of Conduit Health, a healthcare startup making it easier for patients to access medical equipment and supplies through…
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"Hey what Phish song am I 'playing' now?" (no instruments, just voices)
My good buddy Cantor and I are both avid Phish fans and have been playing a game for over 20 years: one of us recreates a Phish song using only our voice, and…
Depends on the Context🎙️ The Golden Age of Coding — Blake Johnson
Blake Johnson taught himself to code before ChatGPT, went on to teach at Flatiron School, and today is an engineer at Clay. In this episode, we talk about…
Depends on the ContextRemembering Paula Falkenstein z״l (with Noah Falkenstein)
In this special episode of Depends on the Context, I sit down with one of my oldest friends, Noah Falkenstein, to remember his beloved mother, Paula…
Depends on the Context🎙️ Healthcare's Incentive Problem (with Chris Look)
Why is healthcare so expensive, and can AI actually help fix it? In this episode, I sit down with Chris Look, a founding engineer and healthtech builder who…
Depends on the ContextPhish in Five: Recapping Night 5's Instant Classic (7.29.26)
Phish just wrapped up its "Phish in Five" run at Madison Square Garden with one of the most memorable shows in recent memory. I'm joined by my good buddy…
Depends on the Context🎙️ Most Ecommerce Brands Don't Know Their Customers | Dov Quint (OuterSignal)
Most ecommerce brands know what their customers buy- but very few know who their customers actually are. That gap may become one of the biggest competitive…
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🎙️ The End of the Billable Hour? What AI Means for Big Law
What happens when AI hits an industry built on expertise, hierarchy, and billable hours? In this episode, Avi Lichtschein sits down with Andrew Keller, Senior…
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22 Years of "The Annual NBA Draft Call" with The Siz
The Siz joins Avi for their annual NBA Draft conversation- now in its 22nd year. To mark the occasion, they take a look back at the past 22 NBA Drafts since…
Depends on the ContextThe 2026 NBA Champion New York Knicks — feat. Daniel Shabtai
Recorded less than 48 hours after the Knicks won the 2026 NBA Championship, I welcomes my first-ever podcast guest, longtime friend and diehard Knicks fan…
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🎙️ The Forward Deployed Engineer - Explained Through Star Wars
Every AI startup is suddenly hiring forward deployed engineers - and almost nobody agrees on what the role actually is. So here’s an FDE 101: what the job is…
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Using AI to Bring Parsha to Life for My Kids
Every week, I use ChatGPT to help bring Parsha to life for my kids. By turning weekly Parsha summaries into custom visual scenes — by placing my own children…
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The Time I (Kind Of) Jammed with Mike Gordon
A quick story about the time I (kind of) jammed with Mike Gordon, plus a few other Mike-related moments I randomly remembered.
Depends on the ContextThank You Hashem for TYH!
I had a takeaway from a recent family trip to Disney World that surprised me: Disney didn’t really do much for my kids- but "Thank You Hashem" completely does…
Depends on the ContextSpock’s Brain: Catching a Lifelong Bustout
This longest ever episode (by far!!) of "Depends on the Context" is meant to serve as a time capsule. After 23 years and 144 Phish shows, on New Year’s Eve…
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I love Phish- but don't need to see shows like I used to
Recorded during Phish’s '25-'26 NYE run at MSG, I talk about how while Phish is still my all-time favorite band, I don’t feel the same pull to chase shows…
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BSD: it's almost time for #3!
On the last night of November, Avi reflects on the coming weeks as he and Katie prepare, (B'Siyata D’shamaya) to welcome their third child. He talks about how…
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Zoran Mamdani & the Coming Chill for Jews in America
We're rapidly heading towards Not Pashut Times (H/T https://notpashuttimes.blogspot.com/)
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Unlocking Audio Torah
In 2019, I had an idea I couldn’t shake: what if every shiur on YUTorah could be "unlocked"- ie being transcribed and searchable. In this episode I share the…
- Depends on the Context
3 quick takeaways from my trip to israel
Two weeks in Israel showed me three things: life feels normal even in wartime, strangers genuinely are happy for you when you mention you’re considering making…
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Building an October 7 Chrome Extension
In this episode, I share why I built a Chrome extension that shows the name, photo, and story of a victim of October 7 every time you open a new tab, what it…
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The Annual Call
Since 2005, my friend The Siz and I have had one call a year- on NBA Draft night. That’s it. We don’t talk the rest of the year. What started as two Reishit…
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JQWhy: When Anti-Zionism Hijacks Inclusion
JQY should NOT celebrate anti-Zionists and those who demonize Israel.