No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups

With demand from AI for energy already exploding, our electric grid is facing a crisis. Base Power CEO and co-founder Zach Dell is ready to re-architect its future from the ground up. Zach sits down with Elad Gil to talk about Base Power’s recent $1 billion fundraise from major investors. Zach discusses the role of energy across industries, as well as Base Power's mission to lower electricity costs through vertical integration. Zach and Elad also explore the future of energy, the role of batteries in transforming the grid, and the regulatory challenges facing the energy industry. Plus, Zach pitches why top talent should make their careers in energy generation.  

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Chapters:

00:00 – Zach Dell Introduction

00:50 – Base Power’s Vision

02:15 – Base Power’s Products and Services 

04:00 – What Drew Zach to Working on Power

05:12 – Base Power’s Founding Team

06:58 – Base Power’s Hiring Needs

08:02 – How Zach Hired an Awesome Founding Team

09:51 – How Do We Meet Energy Demands?

12:58 – How Viable is Nuclear Energy?

17:04 – Global Energy Cost Dynamics

17:41 – Future of AI Training Centers

18:32 – What Will Drive Energy Buildout

20:38 – Drivers of Energy Transmission Cost

22:30 – Regulation and the Energy Industry 

23:52 – What Zach is Optimistic About in Energy

24:42 – Cultivating Base Power’s Culture

27:26 – Zach’s Philosophy on Capitalization

30:00 – How Base Power Uses Scale

31:57 – Conclusion

The AI industry is obsessed with making models smarter. But what if they’re building the wrong kind of intelligence? In launching his new venture, humans&, Eric Zelikman sees an opportunity to shift the focus from pure IQ to building models with EQ. Sarah Guo is joined by Eric Zelikman, formerly of Stanford and xAI, who shares his journey from AI researcher to founder. Eric talks about the challenges of building human-centric AI, integrating long-term memory in models, and the importance of creating AI systems that work collaboratively with humans to unlock their full potential. Plus, Eric shares his views on abunance and what he’s looking for in talent for humans&.

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Chapters:

00:00 – Eric Zelikman Introduction

00:29 – Eric’s Early Interest in AI

01:29 – Challenges in AI and Automation

02:25 – Research Contributions

06:14 – Q-STaR and Scaling Up AI

08:14 – Current State of AI Models

15:23 – Human-Centric AI and Future Directions

22:08 – Eric’s New Venture: humans&

35:33 – Recruitment Goals for humans&

36:57 – Conclusion

Between the future of search, the biggest threats in cybersecurity, and the jobs and platforms of tomorrow, Nikesh Arora sees one common thread connecting and transforming them all—AI. Sarah Guo and Elad Gil sit down with Nikesh Arora, CEO of cybersecurity giant Palo Alto Networks and former Chief Business Officer of Google, to talk about a wide array of topics from agentic AI to leadership. Nikesh dives into the future of search, the disruptive potential of AI agents for existing business models, and how AI has both compressed the timeline for cyberattacks as well as fundamentally shifted defense strategies in cybersecurity. Plus, Nikesh shares his leadership philosophy, and why he’s so optimistic about AI.

What if kids could master their academics in just two hours a day and spend the rest of their time developing real-world skills they’re passionate about? Joe Liemandt, founder of the software company Trilogy, is doing just that. Sarah Guo and Elad Gil are joined by Joe Liemandt, principal of Alpha School, to discuss his AI-driven vision of reinventing K-12 education. Joe talks about the strategies that Alpha School employs: reducing the traditional six-hour school day to two, replacing teachers with “Guides,” using financial incentives as motivation, and dedicating the remainder of the school day to project-based workshops that reflect the students’ passions. Together, they also examine Joe’s plan to scale Alpha School, the youth mental health crisis, and why edtech so far has failed.

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Chapters:

00:00 – Joe Liemandt Introduction

00:27 – From Trilogy to Alpha School

02:45 – How Joe Changed His Mind About Alpha School

04:16 – Reenvisioning the School Day

09:06 – An Example Day at Alpha School

20:13 – Educating Based on Motivations

22:56 – Incentives-Based Learning

24:40 – Standards for Guides

26:39 – Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivators

35:12 – Tackling Learning Differences 

39:13 – Alpha School Pricing Structure

43:08 – Education Tech at Alpha School

44:54 – Rebuilding Education in the AI Age

48:43 – Reforming Education Policy

56:25 – Ed Tech as a Product

58:58 – Fixing Gaps in Education

59:45 – Why Education is Joe’s Mission

01:01:49 – Conclusion

The traditional call center may soon be a thing of the past. Jessie Zhang is building AI agents designed to replace monotonous human labor and transform how consumers interact with brands. Elad Gil sits down with Jesse Zhang, co-founder and CEO of Decagon, an AI agent company at the forefront of AI customer service. Jesse talks about how Decagon secured large enterprise clients and the impact of its AI agents, his journey as a second-time founder, and Decagon’s company culture. Plus, they discuss what the future of agentic customer service may look like.

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Chapters:

00:00 – Jesse Zhang Introduction

00:30 – Decagon’s Services

01:11 – Decagon’s Customers and Growth

02:41 – Productivity Gains with Decagon

03:33 – How Decagon Integrates in Customer Workflows

04:25 – Jesse’s Second Time Founder Story

05:41 – Jesse’s Hiring Philosophy

09:13 – Counter-intuitive Advice for Founders

11:19 – How Decagon Thinks About Talent

14:12 – Areas for Longer Term Planning

15:37 – Decagon’s Path to Customer Service

16:57 – Thoughts on Pushing Into the Application Layer

19:40 – What Decagon Does Uniquely 

22:05 – Pricing Services in the AI Age

24:46 – How Decagon Sees Customer Service

25:53 – Defining Long-Term Success for Decagon

27:41 – Jesse’s Views on an Agentic Future

31:22 – Conclusion

From negotiating with world leaders to partnering with top entrepreneurs, businessman and investor Jared Kushner has traveled the unique path of bringing private sector knowledge to government work and back again. Jared Kushner joins Sarah Guo and Elad Gil to cover a wide range of topics, from his founding of investment firm Affinity Partners, to his time in government, to his new AI venture BrainCo. Jared discusses Affinity Partners’ mission and strategy, how he has leveraged his government experience in business and investing, and the geopolitics of technological advancements like AI. Plus, he makes a case for why private sector talent should do “tours of duty” in government.

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Chapters:

00:00 – Jared Kushner Introduction

00:30 – Starting Affinity Partners Post-Government

01:59 – Value of Global Perspective

03:34 – Ventures with Affinity

05:14 – Evaluating Investments Via Macro Trends

09:09 – Undervalued Countries

12:32 – Origins of BrainCo

16:50 – BrainCo Use Cases

23:49 – BrainCo’s Biggest Challenge

24:47 – Determining Customer Fit

26:39 – AI and Policy

30:03 – Middle East and AI

31:59 – Jared’s Experience in Middle East Diplomacy

40:16 – Brokering Peace Post-October 7th

43:52 – Making Deals with Middle Eastern Partners

47:14 – Jared and Ivanka’s Partnership

49:18 – Benefits of Joining Public Sector from the Private Sector

52:07 – Jared’s Pitch for Serving in Government

56:25 – Jared’s Leadership Style

58:24 – Conclusion

How does a new technology get adopted by 40% of American doctors in just 18 months? In an era where the golden age of biotechnology has also created a dark age of physician burnout, OpenEvidence found the answer by fundamentally changing how doctors access critical information. OpenEvidence founder Daniel Nadler sits down with Sarah Guo and Elad Gil to discuss how his company solved the semantic search problem in medicine. He talks about the strategy of treating doctors as consumers, striking the balance of keeping patients in the loop in medical conversations, and how technology will reshape both medicine and medical education. Plus, Daniel gives his thoughts on the roots of motivation, as well as his philosophy for recruitment. 

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Chapters:

00:00 – Daniel Nadler Introduction

00:08 – OpenEvidence’s Success 

01:54 – How OpenEvidence Works

06:35 – Dealing with Ambiguity

11:37 – Treating Knowledge Workers as Consumers

15:53 – Balancing Keeping Patients in the Loop

19:28 – How Technology May Shape the Future of Medicine

22:12 – How Technology Will Change Medical Education

30:40 – Examining Consumer Adoption of Preventative Health Measures

36:02 – Lessons for Other Fields

37:27 – Rationalism vs. Will

41:13 – Daniel’s Thoughts on Motivation

42:44 – Daniel’s Recruiting Philosophy

44:48 – Conclusion

AI doomers say that the technology will be the ultimate job-killer. But Jacob Helberg wants people to see AI as a tech that will boost, not replace, human workers and give them superpowers. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jacob Helberg joins Sarah Guo and Elad Gil to talk about AI’s role in reshoring manufacturing in America, supply chain security, and transforming the US energy grid. He also discusses the CapEx revolution, why he sees opportunity for tech and energy partnerships in the Middle East, and the path to more nuclear energy for the US. Plus, the three explore what the “superintelligence century” could look like.

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Chapters:

00:00 – Jacob Helberg Introduction

00:50 – Jacob’s Agenda for Capitol Hill

01:53 – Reshoring the American Supply Chain

04:38 – Areas of CapEx Growth

06:56 – Importance of Supply Chain Security

08:52 – Reshoring Rare Earth Minerals

11:12 – How AI Can Help America Reindustrialize 

15:37 – AI and Productivity Gains

17:38 – The Superintelligence Century

22:56 – Creating an Open Source AI Ecosystem

24:41 – The Middle East and AI

26:24 – Growing Energy Resources in the US

28:28 – The Path to More Nuclear Energy in the US

35:50 – Essential Domains for Strategy and Security

38:20 – The Tech Industry and the Administration

40:29 – Conclusion

Andrew Ng has always been at the bleeding edge of fast-evolving AI technologies, founding companies and projects like Google Brain, AI Fund, and DeepLearning.AI. So he knows better than anyone that founders who operate the same way in 2025 as they did in 2022 are doing it wrong. Sarah Guo and Elad Gil sit down with Andrew Ng, the godfather of the AI revolution, to discuss the rise of agentic AI, and how the technology has changed everything from what makes a successful founder to the value of small teams. They talk about where future capability growth may come from, the potential for models to bootstrap themselves, and why Andrew doesn’t like the term “vibe coding.” Also, Andrew makes the case for why everybody in an organization—not just the engineers—should learn to code. 

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Chapters:

00:00 – Andrew Ng Introduction

00:32 – The Next Frontier for Capability Growth

01:29 – Andrew’s Definition of Agentic AI

02:44 – Obstacles to Building True Agents

06:09 – The Bleeding Edge of Agentic AI

08:12 – Will Models Bootstrap Themselves?

09:05 – Vibe Coding vs. AI Assisted Coding

09:56 – Is Vibe Coding Changing the Nature of Startups?

11:35 – Speeding Up Project Management

12:55 – The Evolution of the Successful Founder Profile

19:23 – Finding Great Product People

21:14 – Building for One User Profile vs. Many

22:47 – Requisites for Leaders and Teams in the AI Age

28:21 – The Value of Keeping Teams Small

32:13 – The Next Industry Transformations

34:04 – Future of Automation in Investing Firms and Incubators

37:39 – Technical People as First Time Founders

41:08– Broad Impact of AI Over the Next 5 Years

41:49 – Conclusion

What would it take to challenge Nvidia? SemiAnalysis Founder and CEO Dylan Patel joins Sarah Guo to answer this and other topical questions around the current state of AI infrastructure. Together, they explore why Dylan loves Android products, predictions around OpenAI’s open source model, and what the landscape of neoclouds looks like. They also discuss Dylan’s thoughts on bottlenecks for expanding AI infrastructure and exporting American AI technologies. Plus, we find out what question Dylan would ask Mark Zuckerberg. 

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Chapters:

00:00 – Dylan Patel Introduction

00:31 – Dylan’s Love for Android Products

02:10 – Predictions About OpenAI’s Open Source Model

06:50 – Implications of an American Open Source Model for the Application Ecosystem

10:48 – Evolution of Neoclouds

17:26 – What It Would Take to Challenge Nvidia

27:43 – What Would an Nvidia Challenger Look Like?

28:18 – Understanding Operational and Power Constraints for Data Centers

34:48 – Dylan’s View on the American Stack

43:01 – What Dylan Would Ask Mark Zuckerberg

44:22 – Poker and AI Entrepreneurship

46:51 – Conclusion