All-In Podcast – "California Forever: The Startup Building America's Next Great City"

Date: October 21, 2025
Featured Guest: Jan Sramek, CEO of California Forever

Episode Overview

In this episode, the All-In Podcast welcomes Jan Sramek, the founder and CEO of California Forever, a bold new project aimed at building America’s next great city in Solano County, California. Jan discusses the vision, scale, and purpose of the initiative, touching on economic, technological, and social ambitions. The conversation delves deep into America’s challenges with urban development, advanced manufacturing, and national security, inviting listeners to consider what it takes to recapture the spirit of American building and innovation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Vision of California Forever

• Livable, Affordable, Eco-Friendly Community ([00:02])

  • California Forever now owns over 100 square miles in Solano County, aiming to create a self-funded, sustainable city.
  • Backed by Silicon Valley investors, the project’s goal is to reinvigorate American urban development.

• California’s Unique Role ([00:22] – [00:48])

  • Sramek points out the irreplaceable significance of California in America’s economic and innovative history.
  • Despite its challenges, California remains the “center for high tech manufacturing” and holds a unique role that must be preserved and improved.

The Decline and Potential of California

• Personal Journey and Perspective ([00:48] – [02:12])

  • Jan recounts arriving in California in 2013 and witnessing pervasive issues: “homelessness, people throwing rocks at Google buses, companies beginning to leave the state… all of it was entirely self-inflicted.”
    • Quote: “We had failed to build enough of everything that you need to run an actual state… housing, office space, factories, freeways and trains and energy. All of it.” – Jan Sramek [01:10]
  • He laments the decline of a state – and by extension, a country – once defined by its ability to build big, important infrastructure quickly.

• Call to Re-Embrace Building ([02:13])

  • Recognizes a growing, bipartisan realization that the next 20 years of American progress hinge on its capacity to build again – efficiently and at scale.

California Forever’s Scope and Location

• A Massive Undertaking ([02:30])

  • With $1B+ raised and 70,000 acres acquired, the project’s site is compared to:
    • “Five times the size of the island of Manhattan.”
    • “Two and a half times the size of the city of San Francisco.”
  • Located at a strategic midpoint between Silicon Valley and Sacramento, and close to Napa.

• A Canvas for American Innovation ([02:49])

  • Meant to be a return to the roots of Silicon Valley: an “innovation engine” and a proving ground for cutting-edge manufacturing and R&D.

Advanced Manufacturing: The Solano Foundry

• Factory of the Future ([03:14])

  • Launching with the “Solano Foundry,” poised to become the largest advanced manufacturing park in America.
  • Focuses on co-locating R&D and production, reversing the trend of separating design (in California) from manufacturing (elsewhere).

• Onshoring & Competing with China ([03:38])

  • Key Point: America can’t compete with China by “throwing bodies at the problem”; must instead lead with robotics, AI, and high-value advanced manufacturing.
    • Quote: “The only way that we can compete is by building factories of the future where we use robotics and AI to dramatically increase the productivity per worker. That also makes the job more fun.” – Jan Sramek [04:00]
  • Retaining and empowering talent: Many in robotics and AI are already in the Bay Area, yet are forced by current logistics to travel across country for manufacturing needs.

National Security: Shipbuilding on the West Coast

• Shipbuilding Crisis ([04:43])

  • China’s Zhongjing Island shipyard built more ships last year than the entire U.S. since WWII.
  • U.S. shipyards are primarily located on the East and Gulf Coasts, a vulnerability if the Panama Canal is compromised.

• Strategic Opportunity in Solano County ([05:10])

  • Sramek asserts their waterfront holdings can accommodate all major U.S. shipyards in one location – a game-changing potential for navy and commercial construction.
    • Quote: “We desperately need new shipyards. We desperately need them on the West Coast. And the good news is that the best and the biggest site in America for shipbuilding… happens to be located in the Bay Area.” – Jan Sramek [05:22]

Building the City: Urban Design and Livability

• A New, Walkable City for 400,000 People ([06:00])
  • The city will support industry while offering an inspiring, accessible urban environment.
  • Architectural inspiration: Classic American neighborhoods – Charleston, West Village, San Francisco Marina.
    • Quote: “Your 8-year-old can walk to school alone, and you can have dinner with friends in a public square… So many Americans and Californians want to live in [a place like this], but can’t afford it or can’t even find it at all.” – Jan Sramek [06:19]

America’s Moment: A New Shining City

• Symbolism and Legacy ([07:00])
  • Sramek compares California Forever to major historical projects:
    • The transcontinental railroad, Hoover Dam, Kaiser shipyards, and the Apollo Program.
  • Proposition: California Forever is a physical symbol of “new optimism… manufacturing, shipbuilding, homes for everyone, speed and abundance.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “California is irreplaceable. Whether you like it or not, there is nowhere else in America that can play the role that California plays in the United States right now. And so we have to fight for fixing all of the things that are wrong with the state.” – Jan Sramek [00:34]
• “All of it was entirely self-inflicted. All of it. This was a self-goal, 100% of it.” – Jan Sramek [00:59]
• “To me, California – and more broadly, America – we were defined by building. To the rest of the world, I mean, we were the place that could build better than anyone else in the world.” – Jan Sramek [01:20]
• “The good news is that the best and biggest site in America for shipbuilding, for new shipyards… happens to be located in the Bay Area, which is, number one, the best natural harbor in the country, and number two, where all of the AI talent is that you need to build the ships of the future and the shipyard of the future.” – Jan Sramek [05:25]
• “California Forever is a physical manifestation of all of the most important things in America right now. This new optimism. Manufacturing, shipbuilding, homes for everyone, speed and abundance. And that’s why this matters.” – Jan Sramek [07:10]

Timeline of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic / Quote | |-----------|--------------| | [00:02] | Introduction to California Forever – “The dream: a livable, affordable, eco friendly community.” | | [00:48] | Jan Sramek recounts arriving in California, witnessing decline | | [01:10] | “We had failed to build enough… housing, office space, factories, freeways…” | | [03:14] | Launching with the Solano Foundry, advanced manufacturing park | | [04:00] | “The only way that we can compete is by building factories of the future with robotics and AI…” | | [05:10] | Shipbuilding site in Solano County described as game-changer | | [06:00] | Vision for a walkable, affordable city for 400,000 | | [07:10] | California Forever pitched as “the new shining city on a hill” |

Takeaways

• California Forever aspires to revive America’s spirit of building through scale, innovation, and livability.
• The project addresses both immediate economic and national security needs with advanced manufacturing and shipbuilding.
• Grounded in nostalgia for classic American cities, the urban plan seeks to create an environment that is walkable, affordable, and community-focused, directly tackling the failures of recent Californian and national planning.
• Sramek positions California Forever as not just a city, but a symbol of what America can aspire to be—a place for abundance, optimism, and practical progress.

End of Content Summary