American Optimist

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Joe Lonsdale@JTLonsdale·2d

Finance is changing quickly; top investors are leveraging new AI tools and workflows. Cool to see how quickly @jmelaskyriazi & @metrics_co are scaling and building the future. Over 11,000 companies and 150 VC and PE firms rely on Standard Metrics -- created out of @8VC Build.

EPISODE 150: How AI Is Transforming Diligence, Decision-Making & the Future of Investing @JTLonsdale sits down with @jmelaskyriazi, co-founder & CEO of @metrics_co (00:00) Episode intro (02:10) Academia to investor and founder (08:00) The pain point that led to Standard Metrics (12:10) How AI is transforming diligence, data collection & VC (14:20) AI as a technical copilot (17:10) AI analyst vs Human in the loop (19:20) Parsing pitch decks and new AI tools (23:10) How AI search is changing marketing (28:30) Powerful new capabilities and workflows (33:47) How quickly is everything changing?

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American Optimist@AmOptimistShow·6d

"A lot of people think of AI, and they think of cost cutting.... That's not the right lens to look at small businesses." @JTLonsdale and @BuySellSMB discuss new opportunities for small businesses in the age of AI. Joe Lonsdale: How is AI impacting small business? Will Fry: These service businesses are the last businesses to be impacted. Joe: Someone's going to come and fix your toilet. Anthropic might not fix that. Will: Not yet. Optimus Prime is not running around inside your home fixing your toilet just yet. And so we're at a very interesting time where these businesses will only go up in value. Joe: So on one hand, these things are kind of hedged from a lot of the current AI disruption. On the other hand, isn't it easier to run a business with AI? Will: 100%... A lot of people think of AI and they think of cost cutting. And they're like, oh, we can really optimize our P&L. We can use AI, automate all these jobs, cut costs. That's not the right lens to look at small businesses. And it's not right for really one reason, which is that most of the folks in the back office of the small business are wearing multiple hats. If Susie does payroll, route planning, HR, and you automate one of those jobs, you're not coming to Susie and saying, 'Congrats, you just got a 33% discount on your payroll.' She's going to walk out of the door and tell you you're crazy. So what really it is... is revenue growth. What you have to do is work with your employees in small businesses, figure out, hey, how can we leverage AI to reduce the amount of monotonous work that you're doing and then help you identify, okay, what's the best way for you to take that time and reallocate it to something that generates revenue?

EPISODE 149: The Small Business Succession Crisis & New Possibilities in the AI Age @JTLonsdale sits down with @BuySellSMB, Founder & CEO @OperateUSA. (00:00) Episode intro (01:25) Will’s entrepreneurial journey (04:15) The small business succession crisis (06:40) American Operator’s approach vs. private equity (08:35) "We're creating millionaires on Main Street" (11:55) Does AI mean boom or bust for small business (15:55) Forget law school? Buy a small business instead? (21:20) AI use cases for small business (23:00) Why many SMBs shut down instead of sell (26:00) How the operate-to-own model works (33:50) Optimism for Main Street America

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American Operator@OperateUSA·10 Nis

Our CEO @buysellsmb chats with board member and investor @JTLonsdale on the @AmOptimistShow for one of his first full sit-down interviews to discuss their optimism for Main Street. America is at an inflection point. Small businesses are the lifeblood of communities and the backbone of everything this country was built on. But every year, more owners are retiring than there are young people stepping into ownership, and many are getting bought out by coastal private equity firms. Will shares why it's important to have a country of owners, and how AI may be the best thing to ever happen to small businesses. The vision is not just to "create more millionaires on Main Street", but to make sure these local businesses stay in the hands of their communities. Full episode below. x.com/AmOptimistShow…

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American Optimist@AmOptimistShow·9 Nis

EPISODE 149: The Small Business Succession Crisis & New Possibilities in the AI Age @JTLonsdale sits down with @BuySellSMB, Founder & CEO @OperateUSA. (00:00) Episode intro (01:25) Will’s entrepreneurial journey (04:15) The small business succession crisis (06:40) American Operator’s approach vs. private equity (08:35) "We're creating millionaires on Main Street" (11:55) Does AI mean boom or bust for small business (15:55) Forget law school? Buy a small business instead? (21:20) AI use cases for small business (23:00) Why many SMBs shut down instead of sell (26:00) How the operate-to-own model works (33:50) Optimism for Main Street America

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American Optimist@AmOptimistShow·7 Nis

In 2026, 12 states will allow air taxis, not just for testing, but also commercial passenger rides. @Joeben and @jtlonsdale discuss the groundbreaking program implemented by the Trump administration "in record time." Joe Lonsdale: The White House is pushing forward something called the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (EIPP). Tell us about that. JoeBen Bevirt: So it was a game changer. They put this through in record time. And recently, they announced the winners. What happened was that dozens of states applied for this program and said we want to be some of the first communities in the country to begin using this next generation of technology. The winners of that were announced. There were seven consortiums that were selected as winners. @jobyaviation was part of five of those. And so there's going to be 12 states across the country where we're going to be able to test these next generation technologies, both on our air taxi, on Superpilot, and on our advanced propulsion systems. Joe: And does that mean you'll literally be flying these new Joby things, along with the FAA pilots on them, you'll be flying them with your pilots in these states, testing them? JoeBen: Not just testing, but also... Joe: We can buy a ride. JoeBen: Exactly. Joe: What's the timing on this? JoeBen: As soon as the end of this year.

EPISODE 148: Flying Cars Have Arrived! @JTLonsdale goes deep into the new age of aviation with @joeben, Founder & CEO of @jobyaviation 00:00 Episode Intro 01:50 What sets $JOBY aircraft apart 04:50 Key partnerships with Toyota & NVIDIA 06:50 Closing in on FAA Type Certification 08:00 Air Taxis coming to 12 states this year! 13:35 Autonomous flight is the future 20:00 Hydrogen aircraft for the Pentagon 24:10 Why AI is a game changer / Our scientists are 10X more productive 28:15 Expansion in Ohio & Global Competition with China 34:40 Addressing critics / future vision 35:50 Making air travel ubiquitous

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American Optimist@AmOptimistShow·6 Nis

.@joeben to @JTLonsdale on the hype surrounding @jobyaviation's hybrid aircraft for defense applications: "Hydrogen is a game changer across the aviation ecosystem... It's three times the specific energy of jet fuel. And with fuel cells, we can convert that into propulsion twice as efficiently." Joe Lonsdale: We've been hearing rumors leaking out of the Pentagon. People are very excited. You guys announced the fact that it's hybrid aircraft. What can you tell us? JoeBen Bevirt: We flew a hydrogen electric version of our VTOL aircraft more than 500 miles. And we think that hydrogen is a game changer across the aviation ecosystem. It's three times the specific energy of jet fuel. And with fuel cells, we can convert that into propulsion twice as efficiently. Joe Lonsdale: So it's 6X. Wow. JoeBen Bevirt: If you want to build an aircraft that flies long distances, or flies for a long period of time.... Joe Lonsdale: Seems like a much better deal. Why aren't others doing this already? JoeBen Bevirt: We've cracked the secret sauce of it.

EPISODE 148: Flying Cars Have Arrived! @JTLonsdale goes deep into the new age of aviation with @joeben, Founder & CEO of @jobyaviation 00:00 Episode Intro 01:50 What sets $JOBY aircraft apart 04:50 Key partnerships with Toyota & NVIDIA 06:50 Closing in on FAA Type Certification 08:00 Air Taxis coming to 12 states this year! 13:35 Autonomous flight is the future 20:00 Hydrogen aircraft for the Pentagon 24:10 Why AI is a game changer / Our scientists are 10X more productive 28:15 Expansion in Ohio & Global Competition with China 34:40 Addressing critics / future vision 35:50 Making air travel ubiquitous

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Joby Aviation@jobyaviation·3 Nis

Our CEO @JoeBen is back on @AmOptimistShow with longtime friend and investor @JTLonsdale for another deep dive into the future of flight. Our excitement for AI is often discussed internally, but rarely do we share how this technology is poised to accelerate Joby's long-term vision. From unlocking years of "backlog" ideas in a single afternoon to enabling 10x productivity for the world's best aerodynamicists, AI is the ultimate force multiplier for our vertical integration. As JoeBen puts it: it’s about making the "superhuman" possible. Watch the full episode ⬇️

EPISODE 148: Flying Cars Have Arrived! @JTLonsdale goes deep into the new age of aviation with @joeben, Founder & CEO of @jobyaviation 00:00 Episode Intro 01:50 What sets $JOBY aircraft apart 04:50 Key partnerships with Toyota & NVIDIA 06:50 Closing in on FAA Type Certification 08:00 Air Taxis coming to 12 states this year! 13:35 Autonomous flight is the future 20:00 Hydrogen aircraft for the Pentagon 24:10 Why AI is a game changer / Our scientists are 10X more productive 28:15 Expansion in Ohio & Global Competition with China 34:40 Addressing critics / future vision 35:50 Making air travel ubiquitous

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American Optimist@AmOptimistShow·3 Nis

EPISODE 148: Flying Cars Have Arrived! @JTLonsdale goes deep into the new age of aviation with @joeben, Founder & CEO of @jobyaviation 00:00 Episode Intro 01:50 What sets $JOBY aircraft apart 04:50 Key partnerships with Toyota & NVIDIA 06:50 Closing in on FAA Type Certification 08:00 Air Taxis coming to 12 states this year! 13:35 Autonomous flight is the future 20:00 Hydrogen aircraft for the Pentagon 24:10 Why AI is a game changer / Our scientists are 10X more productive 28:15 Expansion in Ohio & Global Competition with China 34:40 Addressing critics / future vision 35:50 Making air travel ubiquitous

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American Optimist@AmOptimistShow·2 Nis

Big episode drops tomorrow!

Their last conversation was epic. The follow-up is even better. @JoeBen x @JTLonsdale The state of American optimism, the future of flight, and the path to commercial launch. Dropping soon on @AmOptimistShow 🔊

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Joby Aviation@jobyaviation·2 Nis

Their last conversation was epic. The follow-up is even better. @JoeBen x @JTLonsdale The state of American optimism, the future of flight, and the path to commercial launch. Dropping soon on @AmOptimistShow 🔊

Joe Lonsdale@JTLonsdale

“We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters.” @joeben took Peter Thiel's words personally. And thanks to JoeBen & @jobyaviation, we're about to get flying cars! [Albeit, speaking of 140 characters, X is also not bad]. AO Episode 114 out now.

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American Optimist@AmOptimistShow·1 Nis

.@ScottWu46 to @JTLonsdale on why @cognition uses AI in job interviews: "One or two years ago, people had this mentality of 'How do we make sure people aren't using AI while we're interviewing them?' And I think that has totally flipped. Honestly, I think that was wrong... If you're asking the question of like, how do we evaluate people on exactly the thing that AI can already do, that seems kind of the wrong. Our interview process has always been... you can use as much AI as you want to use. We're going to give you a few hours. Just build your whole own product surface. A lot of these are projects that, frankly, is like, if you were trying to do this by hand, you would not be able to get done in a few hours. So you kind of have to use AI for this. But in reality, what we actually want to test is, in addition to how familiar you are with these tools, what we actually want to test is, what do you think is the right thing to build? Or how do you make these product decisions? How do you make these trade-offs? How do you decide or collect information about what you should be doing?"

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American Optimist@AmOptimistShow·31 Mar

Full episode linked below: blog.joelonsdale.com/p/ep-147-scott…

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American Optimist@AmOptimistShow·31 Mar

"There's going to be an explosion in small businesses... AI is actually an extremely small business enabling technology." @russelljkaplan to @JTLonsdale on the AI-led small business boom. "You think about what's hard about building or starting a small business. You don't have the resources of a large company, the specialization of labor in each part of the process. Think about the quality of quick legal gut check you can get from a chatbot, from a frontier lab, the quality of analysis of your financials, the quality of software that you build. It's all coming together to empower each individual person... to just do so much more on their own."

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Joe Lonsdale@JTLonsdale·31 Mar

In WWII, USA built 18,000 ships in 1943. Today, we're lucky to break 10. But that’s changing. @Saronic is rebuilding USA’s Freedom's Forge: hundreds, then thousands of autonomous ships, up to 180 ft long. Proud to have created Saronic out of @8VC & backed them at each step.

Saronic@Saronic

Saronic was founded to redefine maritime superiority for the U.S. and its allies—and today we’re accelerating that mission. We’ve closed $1.75B in Series D funding at a $9.25B valuation, led by @kleinerperkins with participation from Advent, @BessemerVP, @dfjgrowth, @BAMelevate, @8vc, @caffeinatedcap, @a16z, @eladgil, and @FTI_Global. This milestone comes at a defining moment for global and economic security. With this funding, we’re scaling the platforms and infrastructure needed to strengthen deterrence, drive economic advantage, and secure maritime superiority for decades to come. Learn more here: medium.com/saronic-techno…

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Cognition@cognition·28 Mar

You don't have to choose A or B anymore. You just build both. @ScottWu46 and @russelljkaplan on software abundance:

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American Optimist@AmOptimistShow·27 Mar

@8vc @JTLonsdale @ScottWu46 @russelljkaplan 🤖🦾

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8VC@8vc·27 Mar

Don’t worry, Scott, we have receipts… BTS of Ricochet Robots 🤖with @JTLonsdale, @ScottWu46 & @russelljkaplan

Scott Wu@ScottWu46

new podcast with @JTLonsdale! a real shame the part of us playing Ricochet Robots got cut - guess we'll never know who won

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Russell Kaplan@russelljkaplan·27 Mar

Really enjoyed this conversation with @JTLonsdale on what’s happening in agentic software engineering and what it means for the rest of the world.

EPISODE 147: The New Era of Software Abundance @JTLonsdale visits @ScottWu46 & @russelljkaplan at @cognition HQ 00:00 Episode intro 01:35 Why technical talent & execution matters in AI 06:10 Do young people have an edge in the AI era? 08:26 Cognition's rapid growth 11:55 The new era of software abundance 14:30 Cognition engineers don't type code anymore 19:20 "Never sleep while Devin is idling" 21:25 The case for AI disinflation 23:50 How Devin generates 12X productivity gains 28:25 Cognition for government / taking on complex, broken systems 36:40 The AI race / competition with Anthropic 39:00 Forward deployed engineers? 43:40 How fast are LLMs improving? 47:10 The AI-led small business explosion

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Scott Wu@ScottWu46·27 Mar

new podcast with @JTLonsdale! a real shame the part of us playing Ricochet Robots got cut - guess we'll never know who won