People Behind the Power

In this episode Kirsty Beckwith sits down with Emily Bolon, Chief Commercial Officer at Blykalla, to discuss her career, craft and her read on where the industry is heading.

Recorded at Yotta 2026 in Las Vegas, Emily explains how a career built around natural resources took her from upstream oil in Texas through wind power and biofuels to advanced nuclear in Stockholm. She sets out why Blykalla's lead-cooled reactors can sit around 100 meters from the facilities they power, how factory-built units change the build timeline, and why Sweden's financing regime is helping the first projects reach market.

She also talks about building a transatlantic culture that pairs Swedish consensus with American pace, the interview answer that got a candidate hired on the spot, and the Stoic thinking behind her own career moves.

People Behind the Power is part of the Metric Podcast Network.

In this episode of People Behind the Power (EP09), host George Bacon sits down with Anthony Hatzenbuehler from Coravel, to discuss his career, craft and his read on where the industry is heading.

In this episode of People Behind the Power (EP08), host George Bacon sits down with Joe Capes, Co-Founder of LiquidStack, to explore his journey through the evolving landscape of data center technology. From his early career in industrial automation to pioneering liquid cooling solutions for hyperscale environments, Joe shares the leadership lessons he has learned while scaling high-performing teams.

In this episode, we discuss:

Leadership & Grit: Joe’s philosophy on hiring for adaptability and the importance of empathy in building resilient, mission-driven teams (9:05).

The Evolution of Cooling: How liquid cooling has shifted from a niche technology to an essential sustainability driver for modern AI workloads (18:03).

Industry Insights: A deep dive into why liquid cooling is critical for reducing energy and water consumption in the era of AI (19:02).

Navigating Ambiguity: Why risk tolerance is the defining trait for leaders in 2026 as the industry faces rapid growth and supply chain challenges (24:00).

About the Guest:

Joe Capes is an industry veteran and the Co-Founder of LiquidStack, currently serving as VP and head of the company following its acquisition by Trane Technologies. With a background in electrical engineering and a history of successful startups, Joe brings a wealth of knowledge on building tech infrastructure that stands the test of time.

In this episode George Bacon sits down with Buddy Rizer, Executive Director of Economic Development, Loudoun County, Virginia, to discuss his career, craft and his read on where the industry is heading.

In this episode Joe Lever sits down with Chris Downie, Managing Director of Welles Infrastructure Group, to discuss his career, craft and his read on where the industry is heading.

In this episode Joe Lever sits down with Brian Moon, CEO of Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC), to discuss his career, craft and his read on where the industry is heading.

In this episode George Bacon sits down with Karen Petersburg, Senior Vice President, Data Center Design & Engineering at AREP, to discuss her career, craft and her read on where the industry is heading.

In this episode Joe Lever sits down with Jacob Grim, Director of Preconstruction, Mission Critical at Shawmut, to discuss his career, craft and his read on where the industry is heading.

In this episode Lucas Chadwick sits down with Horace Zona, Managing Director at Digital Bridge, to discuss his career, craft and read on where the industry is heading.

In this episode Joe Lever sits down with Tony Rossabi, Chairman at Beyond Data Centers, to discuss his career, craft and his read on where the industry is heading.