Podcast
The Delphi Podcast
Hosted by The Delphi Podcast · EN
Conversations with Crypto Gigabrains. Hosted by Tommy, Co-Founder and Founding Partner at Delphi Ventures
17episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Steve McLaughlin Built a Multi-Billion-Dollar Investment Bank and Beat Wall Street at Its Own Game
4d ago01:16:25Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Delphi Podcast, Tommy sits down with Steve McLaughlin, founder and CEO of FT Partners, to unpack how he left Goldman Sachs at 32 and built one of the most influential investment banks in fintech.Steve shares the story behind FT Partners’ early days, including how his team took a company that had received roughly $150 million offers and ultimately sold it for $550 million. He explains why FT goes deeper than traditional investment banks, how the firm has built decades-long relationships with founders, and why incentives, founder ownership, and putting your own capital behind your conviction matter.They also discuss FT’s $50 million investment in Revolut, what Steve looks for in great founders, the work ethic required to build a firm over 25 years, surviving multiple financial crises, and why he believes AI will ultimately be a bigger disruption to financial services than the internet, mobile, or crypto.Timestamps00:00 Intro02:20 Leaving Goldman and Starting FT Partners11:00 Turning a $150M Offer Into a $550M Sale18:30 How FT Partners Values Companies28:30 Building Long-Term Founder Relationships34:00 Founder Incentives and the Revolut Bet52:00 What Steve Looks for in Great Founders1:08:00 The Future of Fintech, Crypto, and AITommy: https://x.com/Shaughnessy119Steve: https://x.com/FTPartners🔗 Connect with Delphi🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/delphi_digital💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delphi-digitalWatch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/P_JdhPqiww8DISCLAIMERThis podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Ventures may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token.
Transcribe →
Building the SoftBank of Robotics | Andrew Kang
2w ago01:23:38Tap to summarizeJoin José as he hosts a special edition of the Emerging Manager series on the Delphi Podcast, sitting down with Andrew Kang, founder of RoboStrategy. After managing personal capital through Mechanism Capital across both public and venture markets, Andrew turned his focus entirely to the under appreciated robotics industry a space he identifies as being at a critical inflection point reminiscent of AI in 2022 or crypto in 2014. They dive deep into the underlying method behind finding asymmetric bets, sizing positions, and distinguishing a true contrarian play from simply being the sucker at the table. Andrew breaks down the multidisciplinary engineering breakthroughs that sparked his initial bullishness on humanoid robotics and why he believes the industry is poised to become a multi-decade, trillion-dollar powerhouse.🎯 Key Highlights▸ The Robotics Inflection: Why the broader acceptance and adoption of physical AI is changing dramatically after years of stagnation.▸ The $19M Play: The conviction and framework behind Andrew’s famous $19 million pre-markup investment into Figure.▸ From Crypto to Nasdaq: Transitioning from on-chain trading habits to running a public robotics vehicle under the Nasdaq ticker BOT.▸ Pre-ChatGPT Moment: Evaluating the first generation of robot foundation models and why generalizability was originally overlooked.▸ Multidisciplinary Edge: Why generating structural alpha in robotics requires mastering electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and robot learning.▸ The Physics of "Pick and Place": Tapping into a multi-billion dollar market by automating simple factory tasks like sorting and packaging.▸ Beyond Deterministic Code: Moving past traditional "if-then" programmatic parameters to build safe, AI-driven physical adaptions.▸ The Ultimate Game: Applying crypto-native risk principles, position sizing, and asymmetry filters to venture-scale hardware outcomes.💡 Want to stay updated with the latest in crypto & AI? Hit subscribe and the notification bell! 🔔🧠 Follow the Alpha▸ José: @ZeMariaMacedo▸Andrew Kang's Twitter: @Rewkang🔗 Connect with Delphi🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/delphi_digital💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delphi-digital🎧 Listen onSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/62PR1RigLG2YN5Pelq6UY9?si=18ac7ccf36ab4753Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-delphi-podcast/id1438148082Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Yy99ZlQIX9-PdG_xHj43QTimestamps00:00 — Early stage pitfalls: How crypto instills bad habits in venture00:25 — José welcomes Andrew Kang to the Emerging Manager series01:50 — Managing personal capital from Mechanism Capital to RoboStrategy03:00 — Humanoid robotics as a multi-decade, trillion-dollar industry05:30 — Looking past the consensus: Finding alpha in multidisciplinary tech fields06:50 — The Exponential Horizon: Abandoning short-termism and trading07:15 — The 2022 DeepMind breakthroughs and signs of true robot intelligence11:15 — Generalizability vs. Specific programming paths in traditional robotics12:20 — The Taylor Swift vs. Kanye West task: Evaluating early vision-language backbones13:10 — Moving objects in factories: Breaking down the massive "pick and place" market size14:50 — Overthinking humanoids: Transitioning from industrial code to the human form factor15:50 — Math of a billion-dollar scale: Why it only takes 20,000 robots sold at $50,00017:40 — The hardware inflection: When traditional controllers become AI-driven joint angles18:30 — The Figure bet: Betting on the timeline to billions in physical AI revenueDisclaimerThis podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Ventures may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token.
Transcribe →
OpenAI is Making a MASSIVE Mistake
3w ago01:32:00Tap to summarizeIn this episode of The Delphi Podcast, Tommy sits down with Travis Good, co-founder of Ambient, to discuss why open-source AI may ultimately beat the closed labs and what that shift means for developers, businesses, and the broader AI economy.Travis explains how Ambient is building a decentralized marketplace for AI inference, matching demand with underutilized GPU capacity while verifying that users receive the exact model quality they paid for. They also explore the risks of building on closed AI infrastructure, China’s growing advantage in open-source models, and why OpenAI and Anthropic may be creating long-term distrust among their own customers.The conversation also goes deeper into what would happen if OpenAI achieved AGI first, why prompt injection remains one of AI’s most important unsolved problems, and how the current AI infrastructure spending boom could eventually trigger a broader funding shock or AI winter.Timestamps00:00 Intro03:20 What Ambient Is and How It Works18:40 Verified AI Inference40:20 China and the Open-Source AI Race49:00 Why Closed AI Is Making a Mistake1:03:00 What Happens If OpenAI Reaches AGI?1:17:10 The AI Bubble and a Possible AI WinterTommy: https://x.com/Shaughnessy119Travis: https://x.com/IridiumEagle🔗 Connect with Delphi🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/delphi_digital💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delphi-digital📺 Watch on Youtube: https://thedelphipodcast.buzzsprout.comDISCLAIMERThis podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Ventures may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token.
Transcribe →
Identifying Generational Managers with Jordan Nel
Jul 1401:19:58Tap to summarizeJoin José as he hosts the first episode of the Emerging Manager series, sitting down with Jordan from Nomads—the fund-of-funds arm of the legendary VC firm Hummingbird. Together, they break down what truly separates elite venture investors from the rest of the market and how small, nimble emerging managers can outmaneuver multi-billion dollar tech funds.They dive into the concept of "pre-consensus" versus non-consensus investing, the art of tracking down hidden talent pools, and the unique psychological traits of great capital allocators. From Lord of the Rings analogies to the mechanics of a total South African real estate wipeout, Jordan shares raw, unfiltered insights into the reality of picking the ultimate GPs🎯 Key Highlights▸ The Great Man vs. The Hobbit: Why Jordan favors a humble, distributed approach to venture over the over-indexed "will to power" archetype.▸ Venture Beta vs. Outlier Exploitation: Questioning whether index venture returns justify the illiquidity premium, and why Nomads focuses strictly bottoms-up on outlier funds.▸ Pre-Consensus vs. Non-Consensus: Defining how the best pre-seed funds spot massive paradigm shifts and outlier founders well before the consensus forms.▸ How Emerging Managers Beat Giants: Why nimble, high-trust partnerships can act as a high-signal filter for multi-billion dollar funds like Andreessen and Sequoia.▸ The Staging Strategy: How legendary founders utilize early angel tables and small pre-seed funds as structural signal boosters before demanding massive institutional valuations.▸ Evaluating GPs via Decisional Taste: Moving away from static profile-matching to deeply mapping how a general partner makes decisions and who they spend their time with.▸ The Venture Archetypes: Dissecting the "Bad Cop Meta-Thinker" vs. the "Charismatic Relationship Driver" and how they balance one another in a fund partnership.▸ The Paradox of Curiosity: Balancing the driving emotion of raw curiosity with the essential risk management of market fear to avoid chasing every shiny new thing.💡 Subscribe for more crypto & infrastructure insights! 🔔🧠 Follow the Alpha▸ Jose: @ZeMariaMacedo▸ Jordan's Twitter: @jordsnel🔗 Connect with Delphi🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/delphi_digital💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delphi-digital🎧 Listen onSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/62PR1RigLG2YN5Pelq6UY9?si=18ac7ccf36ab4753Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-delphi-podcast/id1438148082Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Yy99ZlQIX9-PdG_xHj43QTimestamps00:00 — Introduction to the Emerging Manager series02:40 — Challenging venture beta vs. public equities04:50 — Deconstructing the source-pick-win scheme and identifying real edge06:45 — How small managers out-discover the multi-billion dollar funds09:20 — Bridging the gap: Storytelling, storytelling calibrators, and making founders legible10:45 — From Bridget Mendler to Nigerian tech rebels14:00 — The Bay Area talent cluster signal vs. picking in disinterested cycles19:00 — How Nomads evaluates the decisional mechanics of a GP22:30 — Avoiding the mid-curve trap of over-indexing on explicit thesis articulation24:00 — Mapping the research ecosystems: Spotting early talent in tech-bio and frontier tech27:15 — Dissecting intensity, spotting obsession, and separating LARPs29:15 — The structural resonance between specific GP types and outlier founders32:45 — The art of referencing general partners and mitigating competitive biases34:30 — Good cop, bad cop, and the dynamic pairing of the meta-thinker with the executor37:30 — Why venture edge requires constantly reinventing yourself41:15 — The shift in price discipline from high ownership demands to unique structuring edge43:10 — Hunting for investment signals in the world's most obscure markets48:20 — Convexity, concentration rules, and strict asset selectivity51:00 — The cutting process: Meritocratic arguments, structural hypotheses, and surface-level traps56:00 — Why George Soros makes a far better venture proxy than Warren Buffett01:00:30 — From South African public equities to joining the Hummingbird ecosystem01:03:00 — Advice to a younger self: Taming the pendulum between fear and deep curiosity01:06:00 — Moral frameworks in fantasy: Lord of the Rings, Dune, and the Great Man Theory01:15:00 — Unreliability vs. the grind: Mapping oneself to Da Vinci, Michelangelo, or Raphael01:17:40 — A lesson in debt covenants: Jordan's biggest early market wipeout scenario DisclaimerThis podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Ventures may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast.
Transcribe →
Sandy Kory: The Founder Obsessed Investor Behind BillionToOne, BaseTen & Palantir
Jun 2201:35:04Tap to summarizeWhat makes a great founder?Sandy Kory has spent decades trying to answer that question. As the founder of Horizon, he's backed companies like Palantir, BillionToOne, Canva, BaseTen, and SendCutSend long before they became breakout successes.In this episode, Sandy shares the unconventional framework he uses to identify exceptional founders, why he ignores most pitch decks, why talent density matters more than almost anything else, and how he developed conviction in companies years before the market recognized them.KEY HIGHLIGHTS-Why Sandy invested in Palantir before the company had a clear business model-The founder traits he looks for before reviewing a pitch deck-How he discovered BillionToOne at a $4 million valuation-Why talent density is the most important metric in a startup-Missionary vs. mercenary founders-The role of intellectual honesty in building great companies-How Sandy evaluates founders in the first 20–60 minutes-Why he believes early-stage investing remains highly inefficient-The SendCutSend story and backing an overlooked manufacturing company-How AI may change venture capital—and what won't changeTIMESTAMPS00:00 Introduction08:46 The Palantir Investment Story23:22 Finding BillionToOne Early36:00 Sandy's Founder Evaluation Framework47:07 Missionaries vs. Mercenaries53:18 Hiring, Talent Density & Red Flags01:09:25 AI, Investing & The Future01:19:29 The SendCutSend Story01:34:03 Advice for Founders & Closing ThoughtsFollow Tommy: https://x.com/Shaughnessy119Follow Sandy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandykory/🔗 Connect with Delphi🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/delphi_digital💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delphi-digitalWatch on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@Delphi_DigitalDISCLAIMERThis podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Ventures may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token.
Transcribe →
Samed Düzçay: Accessing Institutional Yield Strategies at Tori Finance
May 500:55:20Tap to summarizeJoin Yan Liberman and Can Gurel as they speak with Samed Düzçay, founder of Tori, a yield protocol bringing institutional-grade delta-neutral strategies on-chain. Samed shares his journey from mining Bitcoin as a child to building and exiting a successful SaaS company, eventually identifying a massive gap in the stablecoin yield market. They dive into the mechanics of the "carry trade," exploring how Tori captures spreads in emerging markets while hedging out local currency risk. Samed explains the protocol's multi-layered security approach, its real-time auditability through ZK-proofs, and how tokenization unlocks yield-enhancing "loops" that were previously impossible in traditional finance. 💡 Want to stay updated with the latest in crypto & AI? Hit subscribe and the notification bell! 🔔🧠 Follow the Alpha▸ Yan's Twitter: @YanLiberman▸ Can's Twitter: @cannngurel▸ Sam's Twitter: @eth_nox🔗 Connect with Delphi🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/delphi_digital💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delphi-digitalWatch on youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@Delphi_DigitalTimestamps00:00 — Samed’s background: From mining BTC to SaaS exits 03:00 — The yield gap: Why recycling crypto-native capital isn't enough 04:45 — Carry Trade 101: Borrowing low, lending high 06:30 — Covered Interest Parity (CIP) and why spreads still exist 09:30 — Security of the hedge: Counterparty risk and credit risk 12:30 — Tail risk scenarios: How hedged positions survive 30% currency drops 15:30 — Execution Mandates: Why Tori separates design from implementation 20:30 — The "Access Edge": Why you need an 8-9 figure balance sheet to play 23:45 — Tokenomics: The two-token model (T-R-U-S-T and receipt tokens) 26:30 — NAV Oracles vs. DEX Market Price: Preventing debt spirals 31:30 — Transparency: Real-time on-chain balance sheets via Accountable 35:30 — Unwinding scenarios: Fixed yields vs. new capital risk 41:30 — Lessons from Drift, Resolve, and AU hacks 46:30 — Stress Tests: Handling mass exits and secondary market de-pegs 50:30 — The Drawdown Protocol: Reserve funds and redemption controls 53:30 — Roadmap: Ethereum mainnet launch and auditsDisclaimerThis podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Ventures may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, service or token.
Transcribe →
Logan Jastremski: Solana vs Hyperliquid - Who Wins The Global Exchange Race?
Feb 201:30:09Tap to summarizeJoin Tommy Shaughnessy as he speaks with Logan, Managing Partner of Frictionless Capital, about the high-stakes race to build a global blockchain-based financial system. Logan shares his updated thesis on why monolithic, high-throughput architectures like Solana are winning the battle for real revenue and trading dominance over modular designs.They dive deep into the "Global Exchange" vision, the physics of time-to-inclusion, and how innovations like Proprietary AMMs (PropAMMs) are redefining market making. Logan also explores the broader implications of AI, from the compounding power of Grok to the societal impact of a robot-led workforce.🎯 Key Highlights▸Analyzing the Frictionless chart showing that crypto apps on Solana are the fastest to reach $100M in revenue globally.▸ Why Logan remains bearish on the "incorrect" modular design and Layer 2 scaling solutions. ▸ How the speed of light and server location prevent current centralized exchanges from being truly global. ▸ A look at the next engineering frontier. ▸ The "crypto-native" evolution of order books that uses massive Oracle updates to eliminate stale quotes. ▸ Why Logan believes the market will split into either fully regulated exchanges or fully decentralized global engines. ▸ Why Elon Musk's Grok is positioned to be the smartest model over time. ▸ The "freaky" transition to humanoid automation and the potential for a 20-day "atom-moving" data center revolution.💡 Want to stay updated with the latest in crypto & AI? Hit subscribe and the notification bell! 🔔🧠 Follow the Alpha▸ Logan's Twitter: @LoganJastremski▸ Frictionless's Twitter: @FrictionlessVC🔗 Connect with Delphi🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/delphi_digital💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delphi-digital🎧 Listen onSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/62PR1RigLG2YN5Pelq6UY9?si=18ac7ccf36ab4753Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-delphi-podcast/id1438148082Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Yy99ZlQIX9-PdG_xHj43QTimestamps00:00 — Logan’s return to Miami & Fund 1 vs. Fund 2 thesis04:00 — The $100M revenue chart and acting on alpha08:00 — Why throughput alone isn't enough: execution as the North Star 11:00 — Solana’s parallel execution and the 2021 NFT "gas wars" 13:30 — Being "bearish decentralization" for its own sake 17:00 — The Global Exchange vs. New York physics limitations 22:00 — Multi-Leader design: 20ms inclusion and regional information 30:00 — Blockchains as the leading indicator for price discovery 34:00 — Rebuilding modern finance: efficient 24/7 global markets 38:30 — The hollowing out of regional, non-KYC exchanges 42:00 — Estimating the $20 trillion daily global trading market 45:00 — From AMMs to PropAMMs: the crypto-native order book 52:00 — Hyperliquid vs. Solana: product-led vs. engineering-led 59:00 — Retail order flow and the "payment for order flow" win-win 01:05:00 — Timeline for the multi-leader world (2027/2028) 01:11:00 — Returning to fundamentals: cash flows and PE ratios 01:15:30 — Bullish Grok: the vector of compute and real-world atoms 01:21:00 — Automation anxiety: Uber, gig work, and surgical robots 01:26:00 — Dystopian gambling, inflation, and the Zillow reality 01:29:00 — Financing the $30k robotDisclaimerThis podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Ventures may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast. Our current show features paid sponsorships which may be featured at the start, middle, and/or the end of the episode. These sponsorships are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to use any product, se
Transcribe →
Clay Robbins: Building Colosseum, Solana’s Largest Hackathon & Accelerator with 80,000 Participants
Jan 1901:08:07Tap to summarizeJoin Tommy Shaughnessy in San Francisco for the first podcast from the new Coliseum office. In this episode, Clay Robbins, Co-Founder of Coliseum, discusses how his team manages the world's largest online hackathons and why they chose to double down on the Solana ecosystem.They dive into the mechanics of sourcing 80,000 builders, the transition from remote to a massive in-person accelerator, and the shift from an infrastructure-focused crypto world to a new era of diverse consumer applications. From sub-3-hour marathons to "grenade" interview questions, Clay reveals what it truly takes to survive and win in the arena.🎯 Key Highlights▸The Numbers of Coliseum▸Clay shares the endurance training secrets that helped him clock a sub3-hour marathon in both Oakland and New York.▸How Coliseum distills 2,000+ global submissions down to a cohort of 10–15 elite investments.▸Why Coliseum moved from all-remote batches to a 75-desk physical hub in San Francisco.▸Why Clay believes Solana’s performance is the only viable infrastructure for the coming "application era".▸Why the Coliseum team now over-indexes on high-agency founders.▸The 15-minute "pressure test" interview used to suss out a founder’s conviction and humility.▸A new funding vehicle designed for companies launching on MetaDAO.▸A look at grand prize winners like Unruggable and Ore.💡 Want to stay updated with the latest in crypto & AI? Hit subscribe and the notification bell! 🔔🧠 Follow the Alpha▸ Clay's Twitter: @clayrobbins ▸ Coliseum's Twitter: @Colosseum 🔗 Connect with Delphi🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/🐦 Twitter: / delphi_digital 💼 LinkedIn: / delphi-digital 🎧 Listen onSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/62PR1Ri...Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Youtube: / @delphi_digital Timestamps
Transcribe →
Nic Carter: Quantum Threatens $600B of Bitcoin
Jan 901:06:27Tap to summarizeJoin Tommy Shaughnessy as he speaks with Nic Carter, partner at Castle Island Ventures, about his deep dive into the existential threat quantum computing poses to Bitcoin. After six months of intensive research and discussions with Nobel Prize-winning physicists, Nic breaks down why the "quantum threat" has moved from theoretical FUD to a material risk that the Bitcoin community is currently unprepared to face.They explore the "Q-Day" timeline, the vulnerability of Satoshi’s 2 million BTC, and the urgent need for a migration to post-quantum cryptography. Can Bitcoin’s rigid governance survive the most significant technical challenge in its history, or will sovereign nations and private firms reach the coins first?🎯 Key Highlights▸Why Nic stepped away from podcasts and TV to focus on precise technical writing.▸The 2025 Quantum Inflection: Why 2025 was a record year for quantum investment.▸The Trillion Dollar Bug Bounty: The "unsolvable" problem of Satoshi’s P2PK addresses.▸Why Bitcoin developers implemented Taproot without making it quantum-resistant.▸Defense in Depth for BTC: The technical hurdles of implementing post-quantum signature schemes and the potential for a mandatory "migration" period.▸How the U.S.–China rivalry mirrors the 1939 race for the atomic bomb.▸Applying maritime law to the potential "theft" of ancient Bitcoins by private firms like IBM or Microsoft.▸Scoring the Bitcoin core developers’ preparedness at a 1/100.💡 Want to stay updated with the latest in crypto & AI? Hit subscribe and the notification bell! 🔔🧠 Follow the Alpha▸ Nic Carter Twitter: @nic_carter🔗 Connect with Delphi🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/🐦 Twitter: / delphi_digital 💼 LinkedIn: / delphi-digital 🎧 Listen onSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/62PR1Ri...Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Youtube:
Transcribe →
Mike McCormick: AI Acceleration vs Risks, Funding Global Resilience, AGI scenarios, U.S. vs China
Oct 901:42:00Tap to summarizeJoin Tommy Shaughnessy as he speaks with Mike McCormick, founder of Halcyon, about the urgent intersection of AI acceleration and safety. Mike shares his path from venture capital to launching a hybrid nonprofit–fund model focused on securing advanced AI systems. They dive into mechanistic interpretability, global competition for AGI, and what a safe superintelligence future could look like. Can we build superintelligence safely? How do we balance innovation with existential risk? And what happens to humanity when AGI arrives?Halcyon Futures: https://halcyonfutures.org🎯 Key Highlights▸ Leaving VC to focus entirely on AI safety and security▸ Why Halcyon flipped the model: nonprofit first, fund second▸ Multi-layered “defense in depth” approach to AI biosecurity & cyber risk▸ The acceleration vs. safety debate — finding middle ground▸ Good Fire case: career grants into interpretability research▸ The 2×2 dilemma — speed vs. slowdown, centralization vs. decentralization▸ U.S.–China dynamics and fast takeoff scenarios▸ AI underwriting: how insurance can drive safety standards▸ Founder-market fit and mission orientation in AI startups▸ Risk, diffusion, and the uncertain path to AGI💡 Subscribe for more crypto & infrastructure insights! 🔔🧠 Follow the Alpha▸ Mike's Twitter: @MikeMcCormick_▸ Halcyon's Twitter: @HalcyonFutures🔗 Connect with Delphi🌐 Portal: https://delphidigital.io/🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/delphi_digital💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delphi-digital/🎧 Listen onSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/62PR1RigLG2YN5Pelq6UY9?si=18ac7ccf36ab4753&nd=1&dlsi=50105fd66e6c4124Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-delphi-podcast/id1438148082Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Yy99ZlQIX9-PdG_xHj43QTimestamps00:00 — Mike’s background & pivot to AI safety03:00 — The realization: AGI could change everything05:00 — Why VC wasn’t enough to solve the problem06:00 — Halcyon’s hybrid model and early mission08:00 — AI security concerns: misuse, bio, and control12:00 — Defense in depth: pre-training → deployment15:00 — The creativity vs. restriction trade-off17:30 — Pause AI vs. Build Baby Build20:00 — Speed vs. centralization: the 2×2 framework24:00 — Good Fire: career grants & interpretability27:00 — Writing to neurons: alignment and insight30:00 — How insurance markets can enforce safety36:00 — Mission-driven founders & conviction filters44:00 — Geopolitical race: U.S., China, and compute50:00 — Diffusion limits, adoption, and energy costs57:00 — Mass unemployment and meaning after AGI01:05:00 — What “winning” AGI means for humanity01:12:00 — Critical thinking, sycophantic AI, and engagement traps01:20:00 — UBI, adaptation, and new work paradigms01:30:00 — Three AGI futures: scale, shift, or stall01:36:00 — 20% catastrophic risk & asteroid analogy01:40:00 — Final message: talent is upstream of everythingDisclaimerThis podcast is strictly informational and educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any tokens or securities or to make any financial decisions. Do not trade or invest in any project, tokens, or securities based upon this podcast episode. The host and members at Delphi Ventures may personally own tokens or art that are mentioned on the podcast.
Transcribe →