Pioneer Series

#15 - Jean Arnaud: Building with Purpose, Philosophy in Tech


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Most founders obsess over what they're building, but completely skip the why.

In this episode, tech philosopher Jean Arnaud breaks down why that's backwards. After studying at Stanford and building (then pivoting from) a metaverse education startup, Jean's learned that without a clear philosophy, you're basically building blind.

We dive into:

  • Why "accelerating for acceleration's sake" leads nowhere
  • The real difference between California and East Coast investor mindsets
  • How his "failed" metaverse company taught him about market timing
  • Why money should never be your primary goal (and what should be instead)


Jean's take? We've abandoned our responsibility to actually shape the future we want. Time to take it back.

Whether you're pre-idea or scaling up, this conversation will make you rethink how you approach building.


Episode Links:

Jean Arnaud's Website: https://www.jeanarnaud.org/

Jean Arnaud's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-arnaud-14887b1b4

Aethos: aethos.org

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Pioneer SeriesBy Thomas Fortoul