Going Direct Conversations

I sat down with Kat Scott, Developer Relations Engineer at Intrinsic AI (a Google company), who’s spent her entire 20+ year career in robotics. Kat is the developer advocate for the Robot Operating System (ROS), the open-source, “Linux for robots” that’s quietly been downloaded nearly a billion times. We get into why she believes open source has already won in robotics, the game theory behind why that happened, and why we can’t bring production back home until we bring back the boring stuff at the base of the pyramid.

Enjoy.

Recording date: June 10, 2026

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

03:18 Rats And Plants

07:30 ROS: The Robotics Operating System

14:32 Intrinsic’s Role In Robotics

16:17 Running The ROS Developer Community

18:13 Open vs Closed-Source In Robotics

21:13 Breakdown Of Robotics Stack

24:39 Open Source And Incentive Structures

28:13 State Of The Robotics Industry In 2026

32:26 Reindustrialization In The U.S.

44:00 Distribution And System Integrators

49:06 Robotics-As-A-Service

54:07 Building Useful Robots

59:11 Rapid Fire

01:02:17 Open Source Calls Checkmate

Connect with Kat Scott:

* ROS: https://www.ros.org/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineascott/

* GitHub: https://github.com/kscottz

* X: https://x.com/kscottz?lang=es

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Jordan

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I sit down with Fabien Cros, who runs the AI practice at Ducker Carlisle, to talk about how he is seeing decentralized AI models inside organizations work much better than a top-down, centralized approach. He has found the key is giving employees a platform to build their own agents, letting the best use cases bubble up, and using a central engineering team for creating resiliency and managing risk.

We get into why companies keep confusing researchers with engineers, why cheap deterministic code often beats an expensive frontier-model call, and why 200 people experimenting daily will always out-build 5 experts.

Enjoy.

Recording date: June 9, 2026

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

04:44 Who Is Ducker Carlisle?

06:13 What Is Decentralized AI?

09:58 Example Of Centralized vs Decentralized AI

14:46 How The Model Works Across Multiple Clients

17:18 The AI Talent Gap

24:07 Infuse With AI or Start From Scratch?

28:30 How Ducker Carlisle Works With Clients

32:31 Hiring Interns to Build AI Systems Doesn’t Work

38:58 Training Employees To Build With AI

43:50 Fabien's Background

45:54 Future Of Consulting

49:31 Choosing The Best LLMs

54:19 US vs European Market

57:57 Decentralization Is Up To Us

01:01:31 How Do You Incentivize Internal Builders?

01:03:21 Rapid Fire

Connect with Jordan:

* Follow Jordan on X: https://x.com/jrwolfe

Connect with Fabien Cros:

* Ducker Carlisle: https://www.duckercarlisle.com/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabien-cros/

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Jordan

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I sit down with Roya Amini-Naieni, co-founder and CEO of Trilo Bio, to talk about why 77% of biologists fail to reproduce their own experiments — and why affordable lab automation is the unlock for everything we can build with biology. The Trilo team is fixing this by building modular robots, software, and tooling from the ground up. We get into the rise of self-driving biology labs and why automation has to be decentralized if we want to build anything with biology.

Enjoy.

Recording date: June 6, 2026

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

03:38 What Biologists Actually Do

05:04 What is Synthetic Biology?

06:06 Understanding Bio-manufacturing

09:53 Challenges In Biology Research

16:56 Pharma And Automation In Biology

24:11 Future Of Software in Biology

30:50 AI And, "Self-Driving" Biology Labs

36:27 Current Bottlenecks In Bio-manufacturing

39:27 Trilo Bio’s Customers

42:58 Public vs Private Biology Labs In The U.S.

45:16 Decentralized Lab Automation

52:30 Going Beyond R&D With Trilo

56:48 Rapid Fire

Follow Jordan on X:

* https://x.com/jrwolfe

Connect with Roya Amini-Naieni:

* Trilobio: https://www.trilo.bio/

* Email: [email protected]

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roya-amini-naieni/

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Jordan

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I sit down with Tom Chi, founder and general partner of At One Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage, deep tech companies focused on cleaning up industry. Tom is an engineer by training and was a founding member of Google X team, where he helped lead early work on self-driving cars and augmented reality.

In this episode, we dig into why centralized production is so fragile, why climate solutions only scale when they deliver superior economics, how AI and robotics may decentralize production, and why the future depends on reconnecting wealth creation with real value creation.

Enjoy.

Recording date: May 27, 2026

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:55 Concept Of Distributed Sophistication

07:02 Fragility Of Centralized Production Systems

13:19 Venture Capital’s Role In Deep Tech

18:37 Deep Tech Unit Economics

25:06 Deep Tech Investment Timelines

31:03 Outdated Production Systems

34:36 Investors Piling Into Industrial Tech

41:38 Creating More Independent Business Ownership

48:57 AI And Warfare

52:55 Wealth Creation vs. Value Creation

56:14 Story Behind AtOne Ventures

01:00:31 Vertical Integration

01:03:25 Middlemen’s Role In The Real Economy

01:08:51 Tom’s Book: Climate Capital

01:09:49 Rapid Fire

Follow Jordan on X:

* https://x.com/jrwolfe

Connect with Tom Chi:

* At One Ventures: https://www.atoneventures.com/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thegoodtomchi/

* Book - Climate Capital: https://www.atoneventures.com/insights/our-climate-playbook-is-broken--and-entrepreneurs-are-the-only-ones-who-can-fix-it

* Buy The Book Here: https://www.amazon.com/Climate-Capital-Investing-Regenerative-Future/dp/1394351240

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Jordan

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I sat down with Jay Acunzo, author, speaker, and storytelling consultant, to discuss how to matter more and make people care in a world drowning in mediocre content.

Jay shares his core philosophy of, “resonance over reach,” storytelling in the age of AI, how to escape the commodity trap, and how to become irreplaceable by developing a real point of view.

This was one of my favorite episodes to date. There is a ton of invaluable information here.

Enjoy.

Recording date: May 7, 2026

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

03:46 Jay’s Background

08:03 The Broken Script Of Tech And Business

11:20 Understanding Storytelling

17:11 4-Step Framework To Make People Care

20:36 Why Humans Are Drawn To Stories

24:01 Balancing Data And Humanity

28:05 Impact Of AI On Content Creation: Resonance Over Reach

41:30 Why LinkedIn is Underrated (Despite Being Hated)

45:08 "Sprezzatura": Making The Difficult Look Effortless

48:16 Outside-In VS. Inside-Out Communication

51:26 Becoming Irreplaceable: The Emotional Connection

58:00 Escaping The Extractive Attention Economy

01:02:07 Rapid Fire

Follow Jordan on X

* https://x.com/jrwolfe

Connect with Jay Acunzo

* Website: https://jayacunzo.com/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayacunzo/

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacunzo/

* Podcast Why They Resonate: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xMty2O4GBcG8F7ySudeXl

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Jordan

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I sit down with Simon Owens, an independent media industry journalist and specialist on the business of content.

Simon breaks down the “Ozempic Effect” in AI-Generated content, why the “creator economy” is just the economy, middlemen in online advertising, and the future of monetizing content. If you want to understand how to build a media business today, you will enjoy this episode.

Enjoy.

Recording date: May 6th 2026

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

03:43 The Business Of Content

08:38 Misunderstanding The Creator Economy

10:54 Depth Over Scale

13:54 Changing Economics Of Media

16:51 The Ozempic Effect With AI-Generated Content

21:13 Scarcity In An AI-Driven World

24:16 Simon's System for Writing 5 Days a Week

27:56 Middleman Economy in Advertising

37:28 Challenges With Gatekeepers In The Ad Model

46:33 Creators As Infrastructure

50:44 Legacy Media

52:57 Rapid Fire

Follow Jordan on X:

* https://x.com/jrwolfe

Connect with Simon Owens:

* Newsletter: https://simonowens.substack.com/

* Website: https://www.simonowens.net/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-owens-77030514/

* The Business of Content Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-of-content-with-simon-owens/id1339451218

* YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/nomissnewo

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Jordan

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I sit down with Duncan Young to discuss an essay he recently published on Substack that went a bit viral: “Jobs are dead, long live the $10 million niche.”

Duncan explains why AI is coming for repetitive tasks rather than the work itself, why mid-career professionals are facing an existential crisis, and why building your own ladder is now a far better bet than climbing a corporate one.

Enjoy.

Recording date: May 4, 2026

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

03:38 Duncan's Background

07:42 Writing With AI

11:18 First Job Compression: Industrialization

14:05 Second Job Compression: Great Offshoring

22:57 AI Came For the Margin, Not The Work

25:47 Building A Ladder vs Climbing One

32:17 Math Behind The $10 Million Niche

40:29 Building Relationships Over Margins

42:10 Leveraging AI To Build Direct Distribution

44:06 Two Doors: Build Your Own vs Build Inside

49:34 Shift From Hierarchies To Platforms

56:20 Decentralized Business Ownership

01:00:16 Four Levers Of Internal Entrepreneurship

01:05:13 Rapid Fire

Follow Jordan on X:

* https://x.com/jrwolfe

Connect with Duncan:

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncanmayoung/

* Substack: https://substack.com/@saorsapartners

* Jobs Are Dead. Long Live the $10 Million Niche Article:

* Human Scale Article:

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Jordan

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I sit down with Brian Morrissey, and independent journalist and the founder of The Rebooting, to discuss a recent piece he wrote called, “New Media Energy” and our transition to a truly decentralized media landscape where the legacy media gatekeeper is no longer relevant.

Among the topics we discuss are:

• “New Media Energy” vs the unearned authority of legacy media

• Why VCs are building their own media networks

• Axios Local and the “Business in a Box” model for journalists

• The most overrated and underrated platforms today

If you want to understand where the media industry is heading, you will enjoy this episode.

Enjoy.

Recording date: April 27, 2026

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:20 Brian’s Background & Digiday

03:42 Leaving Institutional Media And Going Independent

09:40 Defining New Media

16:17 Rise Of Citizen Journalism

18:52 Future Of Media And Information Ecosystems

23:06 Dichotomy Of Decentralization And Centralization

27:19 Prediction Markets & Hidden Media Incentives

30:54 Shift From Institutions To Individuals In Media

32:20 TBPN & The Trade Magazine Model

36:53 The Rise Of Direct Expertise In Media

41:40 AI Content & Synthetic “Slop”

49:05 Business In A Box For Local Media: Axios Local

56:31 Rapid Fire

Follow Jordan on X

- https://x.com/jrwolfe

Connect with Brian Morrissey:

- Website: https://www.therebooting.com/

- The Rebooting Show: https://www.youtube.com/@The_Rebooting-g4c

- People versus Algorithms Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@peoplevsalgorithms

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmorrissey/

- Substack: https://therebooting.substack.com/

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Jordan

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I sit down with Rafik Kheffache, founder of Heliosand, for our first-ever in-person episode in Paris.

This was a different kind of episode where Rafik asks me to pull back the curtain on Going Direct - why I started it, what I actually believe, and where it’s all going.

Over the past year, I’ve had 50+ conversations with founders, engineers, and builders working on decentralized production, AI infrastructure, and the future of the real economy. This one was about connecting the dots and honestly, just have some fun over a few glasses of whiskey.

It’s part philosophy, part story, part rant.

Enjoy.

Recording date: March 31, 2026

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:18 Going Direct Podcast Adventure

14:39 Geopolitics and Decentralization

24:47 Heliosand Is Turning Garbage Into Gold

32:31 Why Decentralization Is So Important

37:48 Doing Business In Europe As An American

42:14 The Minitel, Concorde, And Failed Innovation In France

46:04 The French VC Scam & Work Culture

55:21 French Lifestyle Is Pretty Damn Good

01:05:00 Trading Bitcoin In Switzerland

01:08:29 Is Elon Musk The Riches Men In The World?

01:17:33 Simulation Theory

01:26:54 Money = Freedom

01:41:30 Incident With The French CIA (DGSE)

01:46:34 French vs American Cultural Differences

01:53:34 Bridge Building Between The US And France

02:00:09 Importance Of Community And Relationships

Follow Jordan on X:

* https://x.com/jrwolfe

Connect with Rafik:

* Heliosand – https://heliosand.com/

* LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafik-kheffache/?locale=en

* X – @KheffacheR62805

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Jordan

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I sit back down with Aleks Gampel, the co-founder and COO of Cuby, to talk about why construction has become less productive over time, why skilled labor shortages are getting worse, and why the current system still relies on fragmented crews and outdated methods.

Cuby’s answer is to build mobile micro-factories that produce home components close to where the homes are actually being built.

Among the topics we discuss are:

* Why construction productivity has gotten worse since the 1950s

* Why construction is really a logistics problem

* Cuby’s proposed solution - Mobile Micro-Factories (MMFs)

* Eliminating middlemen through vertical integration

* Launching the first Cuby micro-factory in New Mexico

Enjoy.

Recording date: April 08, 2026

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

03:50 Revisiting The Bottlenecks In Housing Construction

06:04 Why Construction Has Regressed Over 60 Years

09:32 Non-Obvious Problems In The Construction Industry

11:26 Cuby's Approach To Housing

14:03 Building High-Quality, Affordable Housing

19:16 Cuby's Mobile Micro-Factory Progress

23:22 Deploying The First Factory In The US

27:16 The Going Direct Economy

35:48 Applying The Toyota Production System To Construction

37:38 Coordination vs Control

41:10 Eliminating Middlemen

43:03 Regulatory Maze & Zoning Codes

45:43 Future Plans And Rapid Fire

Follow Jordan on X

* https://x.com/jrwolfe

Connect with Aleks Gampel:

* LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamaleksandrgampel/

* Cuby – https://cubytechnologies.com/home

* X - https://x.com/buildwithcuby?lang=en

Remember to go direct!

Jordan

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