The interview discusses Brodsky's family and education in Florida and Pennsylvania, and his undergraduate education at the University of Pennsylvania. He also received his Ph.D. in physics there under the supervision of Elias Burstein. He also discusses his participation in ROTC, and his subsequent work at military research facilities, including Frankford Arsenal, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, and the Army Night Vision Laboratory. He began his work at IBM Research in 1968. There is substantial discussion of early research work at IBM, particularly on amorphous silicon, and his transition to management circa 1980, interactions with John Armstrong, James McGroddy, Ralph Gomory, and others. There is some discussion of later involvement in consumer products development, particularly the patent for digital video recording technology. Finally, he discusses his transition to Executive Director and CEO of the American Institute of Physics in 1993, including the mission of AIP and the move from New York to College Park.