Silicon Zombies

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Nov 2026

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Demystifying emerging tech with the Best Brains, from the Bay...and Beyond! Millions of fans across 120+ countries 🌎 We feature founders, funders, and friends. For future shows, tech news, and more, check out our website: wwww.siliconzombies.com Tune in for the best brains from the Bay to beyond 🧟🧠

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November 12, 202656 min

Fear, Risk & Building Start-ups | Yves Béhar & Shaun Lopez

Yves Béhar designed the Jawbone, the Snoo, and the August Smart Lock. Shaun Lopez has been selling solar on Maui for 20 years and chases 60-foot waves. They met surfing in Fiji, and this conversation connects the two worlds. They talk about how big-wave surfers manage fear (breathing, preparation, a good safety team), why the same mindset applies to startups, and how Yves has partnered with more than 100 startups instead of working for fees. Shaun also gives a plain look at solar, where the panels haven’t changed much in 20 years but prices have dropped. You also get the origin of the Telo mini electric truck, why a nuclear reactor founder is asking designers to make it beautiful, and what each guest thinks about AI as a tool. If you’re building something risky, or you’re curious how surfers, designers, and founders think about fear, this one is for you. Big thanks to our sponsors: TUOM, Necodex, and Truebinding. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Trailer 01:02 – Welcome to Silicon Zombies at the Park James Hotel 02:00 – Meet the Guests: Shaun’s Maui Solar Company & Yves’s Fuse Project 02:58 – Where Yves’s Design Ideas Come From 05:51 – Big-Wave Surfing: What It’s Like to Paddle Into a 60-Foot Wave 06:19 – Managing Fear: Breathing, Visualization & Risk Assessment 07:46 – Shaun’s Dad as Safety Lead & Why Seniority Matters 08:31 – What Surfing Does for Your Mental Health & Performance 11:01 – Chase What Scares You: The Cloudbreak Wave Story 12:28 – Solar Today: What Has Actually Improved in 20 Years? 13:35 – Why Hawaii Is the Best Market for Solar 14:52 – The Cost Per Watt: Maui vs. the Mainland vs. the World 16:20 – Yves’s Question: How Do You Know When to Jump Ship on a Startup? 18:50 – Timing, Overfunding & What Predicts Startup Failure 19:32 – Surfing & Startups: You Have to Love Punishment 20:43 – The Nemo Fish & the Whale Encounter 22:24 – Shaun’s Dolphin Dive in Fiji 23:49 – Audience Q&A Begins 24:07 – The Origin of the Telo Mini Truck 27:54 – Telo Specs: 350-Mile Range, Price & Release Timeline 28:52 – Solar for Vehicles: What’s Realistic 30:09 – Why Should a Nuclear Reactor Look Beautiful? 32:01 – Building Small Reactors for Medical Isotopes 33:32 – What’s Next for Yves: Zero-Emission Ceramics & Designing Toilet Paper 36:02 – How to Work With Yves 37:46 – What Does “Style” Mean in Surfing & in Startups? 39:17 – Wind Energy: Does It Work? 41:05 – Corporate Structure Advice for a Pre-Seed Startup 42:52 – Why Yves Became a Partner Instead of a Service Provider 46:11 – AI: Threat or Tool? Preserving Empathy in Design 48:59 – What Both Guests Are Excited About 50:14 – Where Yves Invests Time & Capital 52:02 – Why Shaun’s Most Valuable Investment Is Time 52:36 – Surfing as Meditation: Staying Present in the Water 54:35 – How to Connect With the Guests 55:24 – Closing 📍 About Silicon Zombies: Silicon Zombies is a Top 5% global podcast for AI, Venture Capital & Tech Innovation, hosted by Nick Larson. 🧟 Straight from the heart of Silicon Valley, we bring you weekly deep-dives with elite AI engineers, VCs, and longevity innovators shaping the next decade. We cut through the hype vs. reality of emerging tech, SaaS, biohacking, and start-up investing, no fluff, just real insight. Whether you're a founder building your network, an engineer chasing technical depth, or simply staying ahead of the curve, we bridge the gap. Insider access to the world's brightest tech minds. Weekly live streams with a global community across 100+ countries. 🚀 Connect with Us: Instagram: @siliconzombies X (Twitter): @siliconzombies TikTok: @siliconzombies Spotify: @siliconzombies Newsletter: https://shorturl.at/31mUx Subscribe so you don't miss the conversations defining what comes next.

November 8, 20261 min

Market Panic vs. Deep Tech Moats: Why a 12% Google Drop Isn't What It Seems

The market just wiped 12% off Google 😮 Here is why that might be a major opportunity 💡 • Custom TPUs second only to Nvidia’s stack • GCP scaling rapidly beyond $30B • Latest models reclaiming top benchmark spots • Owning 14% of Anthropic + an equity stake in SpaceX • YouTube as an untouchable training data moat In 2 minutes, we break down why the panic doesn't match the infrastructure realities; and why this remains a high-conviction 2–3 year hold (not financial advice). Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

November 5, 20268 min

The 20-Minute Trick To Fix Your Brain's Worst Decisions | Jose Joaquin Bitar - Founder of TUOM

Seven years ago, Jose Joaquin Bitar was in the darkest place of his life. His company was collapsing, he had to lay off 120 people who felt like family, and he couldn’t see a way out. Then a friend handed him a piece of chocolate over coffee, and 20 minutes later he felt calm and something close to joy for the first time in months. That moment sent him into years of research on the plants and molecules our ancestors used to balance their moods, and it became the idea behind TUOM. In this episode, Jose tells the full story and explains why he believes emotions drive decisions, and why changing how we feel can change the choices we make. His partner joins to talk through the natural ingredients behind the science and a real story of someone who used it before a dream job interview. If you’ve ever made a bad call while stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, this one’s for you. Big thanks to our sponsors: TUOM, Necodex, and Truebinding. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Trailer 00:49 – How a Bite of Chocolate and a Sip of Coffee Changed My Life 00:56 – Seven Years Ago: A Company Collapsing 01:11 – Laying Off 120 People Who Felt Like Family 01:47 – The Coffee Shop & the Chocolate Bar 02:19 – The 20-Minute Miracle 02:35 – “The Answer Is in Nature”: The Research Begins 02:59 – How Our Ancestors Used Plants, Roots & Flowers for Mood 03:16 – The Question That Created TUOM 03:30 – Emotional Pocket Alchemy 03:48 – The First Product: SEMJA 04:01 – Why Emotions Drive Decisions 04:41 – Calm Strategic Choices vs. Stressed Defensive Choices 05:02 – The Dream Job Interview Scenario 05:25 – Showing Up Fully in the Moments That Matter 05:31 – Handing It Over to the Partner 05:40 – Why Fitting Your Emotions in Your Pocket Resonates 06:25 – The Real Story: Manuela Soto’s Dream Job 06:56 – The Science: Natural, Not Dangerous Chemicals 07:18 – Lavender, Theobromine & Chocolate 07:34 – Rhodiola, Ginseng, Saffron, Peppermint & Rosemary 07:51 – Closing: Transform Your Emotions, Transform Your Judgement 📍 About Silicon Zombies: Silicon Zombies is a Top 5% global podcast for AI, Venture Capital & Tech Innovation, hosted by Nick Larson. 🧟 Straight from the heart of Silicon Valley, we bring you weekly deep-dives with elite AI engineers, VCs, and longevity innovators shaping the next decade. We cut through the hype vs. reality of emerging tech, SaaS, biohacking, and start-up investing, no fluff, just real insight. Whether you're a founder building your network, an engineer chasing technical depth, or simply staying ahead of the curve, we bridge the gap. Insider access to the world's brightest tech minds. Weekly live streams with a global community across 100+ countries. 🚀 Connect with Us: Instagram: @siliconzombies X (Twitter): @siliconzombies TikTok: @siliconzombies Spotify: @siliconzombies Newsletter: https://shorturl.at/31mUx Subscribe so you don't miss the conversations defining what comes next.

November 4, 20268 min

The Founder Of Superpower On What Actually Makes Money In Health | Max Marchione

Longevity is one of the hottest categories in tech right now, but Max Marchione, founder of Superpower, argues the word itself is vague and unhelpful. In this talk he breaks the whole space down into two kinds of companies, consumer and biotech, and lays out the short-term playbook, the medium-term risks, and the long-term path for each. Along the way he explains why growth can matter more than product, how companies like Hims find a paid-ads arbitrage, and why the best ones eventually vertically integrate, build a brand, or become a platform.If you’re building, investing in, or just trying to make sense of the longevity boom, this gives you a clear framework for telling the real businesses from the noise. He also walks through Superpower and Moderna as case studies of how each path plays out.Thanks to our sponsors: @tuomglobal@necodex@truebindinginc⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – What Actually Is a Longevity Company?00:08 – Why “Longevity” Is a Vague Category00:20 – Four Very Different Kinds of Diagnostics Companies00:45 – The Simplification: Consumer vs. Biotech01:02 – Two Pathways to Success for Each01:34 – Consumer Longevity: The Short-Term Playbook02:15 – Product vs. Growth: Which Matters More?02:21 – Contribution Margin Greater Than CAC03:04 – Finding a CAC Arbitrage With Paid Ads03:36 – Medium-Term Risks: Margin Compression & Critics04:01 – Long-Term Option 1: Vertical Integration (Apple & Hims)04:46 – Long-Term Option 2: Building a Brand05:00 – Long-Term Option 3: Becoming a Platform05:23 – The Secret Formula for Consumer Longevity05:31 – Case Study: Superpower and the Scale Problem06:35 – Biotech Longevity: The Short-Term Playbook06:51 – Biotech Risks: Pharma Dependence & Obsolescence07:24 – Long-Term Paths: Platform or Vertical Integration07:32 – Case Study: How Moderna Became Pharma📍 About Silicon Zombies:Silicon Zombies is a Top 5% global podcast for AI, Venture Capital & Tech Innovation, hosted by Nick Larson. 🧟 Straight from the heart of Silicon Valley, we bring you weekly deep-dives with elite AI engineers, VCs, and longevity innovators shaping the next decade. We cut through the hype vs. reality of emerging tech, SaaS, biohacking, and start-up investing, no fluff, just real insight. Whether you're a founder building your network, an engineer chasing technical depth, or simply staying ahead of the curve, we bridge the gap. Insider access to the world's brightest tech minds. Weekly live streams with a global community across 100+ countries.🚀 Connect with Us:Instagram: @siliconzombiesX (Twitter): @siliconzombiesTikTok: @siliconzombiesSpotify: @siliconzombiesNewsletter: https://shorturl.at/31mUxSubscribe so you don't miss the conversations defining what comes next.

October 23, 202652 min

How Apple Tried To Fool Face ID With Hollywood Masks | David Pogue

David Pogue spent years covering Apple from the outside, and in this one he pulls back the curtain on Steve Jobs, the Titan submersible, and what it’s like to be a journalist who gets screamed at by one of the most demanding CEOs in tech. He talks about the screenshot feature Apple refused to hand him, the 400-screenshot favor that followed, and why he thinks Tim Cook has quietly turned the Apple Watch into a medical device. He also shares what it was like to ride the Titan down to the wreck site, why he’s not convinced being a jerk is necessary to succeed, and a few stories about Steve’s private kindness that never made it into the mythology. This one is for anyone who’s ever wondered what Apple was really like behind the keynote, and for founders trying to figure out whether they need to be the toughest person in the room to win. Thanks to our sponsors: TUOM, Necodex, and Truebinding and WinstonTaylor. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Trailer 01:36 – Welcome to Silicon Zombies & Introducing David Pogue 02:00 – Apple’s 50th Anniversary & the Book Launch 03:05 – Signed Bookplates for Viewers 03:15 – David’s Background: From Broadway Dreams to Tech Reviewer 05:05 – CBS Sunday Morning & Twenty Years on Air 06:08 – Apple Book Access: Why Apple Said Yes 07:05 – The iPhone Screenshot Feature & the 400-Screenshot Favor 09:02 – The Secret Behind Apple’s “David Pogue Feature” 09:15 – Are Steve Jobs-Style CEOs Necessary to Succeed? 10:47 – The Titan Submersible: Three Strikes and a Dive Aborted 13:01 – Inside the Countdown Rituals & the Stop Check 14:24 – Tim Cook: Nerdy Number Cruncher or Product Guy? 16:02 – Services, Growth, and Apple’s Business Scale 16:31 – Apple Watch as a Medical Device: Atrial Fibrillation 17:12 – Audience Show of Hands: Lives Saved by Apple Watch 18:04 – Sleep Apnea, Hypertension, and Snoring Features 18:08 – Why David Got the iPhone Wrong in 2006 19:17 – Singular Carrier, Secret Prototypes & the iPhone Launch 20:03 – The Movie Critic’s Question: Steve Jobs on Screen 21:21 – The Famous Imposter Keynote & “One More Thing” 22:05 – Wi-Fi, Mouse, and Forgotten Apple Firsts 23:22 – Inside Apple: Trust, Access & Culture 24:29 – Face ID Testing: Masks, Twins & Makeup Mondays 26:21 – Steve’s Phone Call Over iMovie 27:50 – Apple’s Hidden Workforce & Alumni in the Crowd 28:18 – Live Performance: Song Parodies About Apple 35:38 – Q&A Begins: Steve Jobs’s Temper & Journalism 37:03 – What the Smartphone Looks Like in 10 Years 39:40 – Should We Be Concerned About AI? 42:23 – Empathy in Steve Jobs & the Products of Tomorrow 44:31 – Secret Acts of Kindness: Bill Atkinson, Pixar, Scott Forstall 46:42 – The Last Conversation With Steve Jobs 47:24 – Books, Reading & the Magic Trick 49:11 – Where to Buy the Book 49:37 – Closing Song & Goodbye 📍 About Silicon Zombies: Silicon Zombies is a Top 5% global podcast for AI, Venture Capital & Tech Innovation, hosted by Nick Larson. 🧟 Straight from the heart of Silicon Valley, we bring you weekly deep-dives with elite AI engineers, VCs, and longevity innovators shaping the next decade. We cut through the hype vs. reality of emerging tech, SaaS, biohacking, and start-up investing, no fluff, just real insight. Whether you're a founder building your network, an engineer chasing technical depth, or simply staying ahead of the curve, we bridge the gap. Insider access to the world's brightest tech minds. Weekly live streams with a global community across 100+ countries. 🚀 Connect with Us: Instagram: @siliconzombies X (Twitter): @siliconzombies TikTok: @siliconzombies Spotify: @siliconzombies Newsletter: https://shorturl.at/31mUx Subscribe so you don't miss the conversations defining what comes next.

October 16, 202653 min

Better Doesn’t Win. Different Does. | Mike Maples Jr.

Mike Maples passed on Airbnb because of a cereal box meeting, and he’s still thinking about it. His fund, Floodgate, has backed Twitter, Lyft, and a long list of companies that looked like bad bets at the time. In this one he breaks down why he deliberately aims for 100x outcomes, why most of his best returns came from pivots nobody predicted, and why a startup wins by turning the incumbent’s greatest strength into its weakness. He also gets into what he looks for in a founder, how AI is changing the way he evaluates deals, and why the best startup ideas make some people angry. This one is for founders trying to stand out in a crowded market, and for anyone who has ever second-guessed a decision they could have made differently. Thanks to our sponsors: TUOM, Necodex, and Truebinding. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Trailer 01:05 – Welcome to Silicon Zombies & Introducing Mike Maples 01:30 – Mike’s Background: Calligrapher to Floodgate 02:17 – Twitter, Podcasting & the Early Bet 03:16 – Voicemail 2.0 & Why Twitter Had No Business Model 04:19 – Getting In at South by Southwest 05:02 – Lyft’s Illegal Launch & Why Asking Permission Would Have Killed It 07:05 – The Airbnb Cereal Box Meeting 09:05 – Why Passing on Airbnb Cost 6000x 10:03 – Floodgate’s Rule: Being Wrong Is the Price of Admission 11:08 – The Power Law: 85% Miss Rate 12:03 – Floodgate’s Math: 20x and 100x Targets 13:04 – Startups Win by Changing the Subject 14:11 – Four Seasons vs. Airbnb: Turning Strength Into Weakness 15:11 – Inflections: Why Timing Is Everything 17:00 – Why Now? The iPhone 4S and Lyft 18:05 – Pattern Breakers: Limits in Your Own Head 20:07 – Be Different, Not Better: The Cybertruck Lesson 21:16 – Force a Choice, Don’t Invite a Comparison 22:21 – Remembering Mike’s Father & the Fishing Lesson 24:29 – Q&A Begins: AI and Startup Acceleration 25:23 – Why AI Startups Don’t Fit Floodgate’s Thesis 26:21 – AI as a Force Multiplier for Small Funds 27:17 – Time Capsules: What Did Airbnb’s Signal Look Like? 29:01 – Disagreement Is a Feature, Not a Bug 30:31 – Nurturing Early True Believers 33:04 – Founders Need Co-Conspirators, Not Customers 35:05 – Does Business Model Matter? 36:14 – The Founder as Artist 37:30 – Coachable vs. Disagreeable Founders & Mike’s Law 39:00 – Turning Strength Into Weakness: Microsoft Example 41:01 – Nurturing Contrarian Thinkers 43:15 – Handling Being Wrong 85% of the Time 44:31 – Current Inflections: Vertical Software & Mass Cognition 46:35 – Live Pitch: The Outdoor Gear Rental Platform 49:01 – Specificity Is a Superpower 50:59 – The Thunder Lizard Concept 52:59 – How the Community Can Help 53:36 – Closing 📍 About Silicon Zombies: Silicon Zombies is a Top 5% global podcast for AI, Venture Capital & Tech Innovation, hosted by Nick Larson. 🧟 Straight from the heart of Silicon Valley, we bring you weekly deep-dives with elite AI engineers, VCs, and longevity innovators shaping the next decade. We cut through the hype vs. reality of emerging tech, SaaS, biohacking, and start-up investing, no fluff, just real insight. Whether you're a founder building your network, an engineer chasing technical depth, or simply staying ahead of the curve, we bridge the gap. Insider access to the world's brightest tech minds. Weekly live streams with a global community across 100+ countries. 🚀 Connect with Us: Instagram: @siliconzombies X (Twitter): @siliconzombies TikTok: @siliconzombies Spotify: @siliconzombies Subscribe so you don't miss the conversations defining what comes next.

October 9, 202658 min

The Real Reason Your Brain Makes You Dream Every Night | Dr. David Eagleman

The Real Reason Your Brain Makes You Dream Every Night | Dr. David Eagleman Dr. David Eagleman is a Stanford neuroscientist, author, and host of the Intercosmos podcast. He explains why your brain is a team of rivals and not one single you. He covers why time seems to slow down in a crash, and why dreams exist at all. His theory is that dreaming protects your visual cortex from being taken over by the other senses. He also talks about brain-computer interfaces, new senses for deaf people, and rehabilitation over punishment in the courts. He gets into sleepwalking murders, lucid dreaming, Alzheimer's, psychics, and the biggest open mystery in neuroscience: consciousness. The episode ends with audience Q&A from the live room. A big thank you to our sponsors for making this one possible: @truebindinginc @necodex @tuomglobal ⏰ Timestamps 00:00 Trailer 01:08 Welcome to episode 197 01:45 Who is David Eagleman 02:26 The brain as a team of rivals 03:56 The Ulysses contract 05:00 Brain-computer interfaces 06:29 Can bad decision makers change 07:22 Why time slows down in a crash 10:15 Sleep and memory 11:15 Brain fog 12:17 How he hacks his own brain 13:30 Creating new senses for humans 15:01 The brain and the law 17:08 Hallucinogens without the drug 18:38 Why prison reform is stuck 19:40 The brain and literature 21:07 Why we dream 24:26 Lucid dreaming 25:07 Murder while sleepwalking 26:31 Why everyone hates Zoom 27:16 Audience Q&A begins 31:04 Neurofeedback and magnetic stimulation 39:00 The biggest mystery: consciousness 40:05 Alzheimer's and living longer 41:46 Old ideas about the brain 44:49 Psychics and the brain 45:27 Consciousness Explained 46:53 Monks and party tricks 49:23 Social media and polarization 51:02 Does the heart think 52:33 Locked-in syndrome 56:33 Near-death experiences 58:01 Where to find David 📍 About Silicon Zombies:Silicon Zombies is a Top 5% global podcast for AI, Venture Capital & Tech Innovation, hosted by Nick Larson. 🧟 Straight from the heart of Silicon Valley, we bring you weekly deep-dives with elite AI engineers, VCs, and longevity innovators shaping the next decade. We cut through the hype vs. reality of emerging tech, SaaS, biohacking, and start-up investing, no fluff, just real insight. Whether you're a founder building your network, an engineer chasing technical depth, or simply staying ahead of the curve, we bridge the gap. Insider access to the world's brightest tech minds. Weekly live streams with a global community across 100+ countries.🚀 Connect with Us:Instagram: @siliconzombiesX (Twitter): @siliconzombiesTikTok: @siliconzombiesSpotify: @siliconzombiesSubscribe so you don't miss the conversations defining what comes next.

October 4, 202616 min

Why Smart People Get HEALTH WRONG| Dr. Hillary Lin

Dr. Hillary Lin is calling out the longevity world. Smart, driven people are the worst at health because they defend bad decisions harder than anyone else. They measure everything. They chase peptides and NAD. They copy whatever Bryan Johnson or Andrew Huberman does without thinking. Here's what actually matters: the basics. Sleep enough. Move enough. Know your numbers. That's 80% of the work. Everything else is noise. Then she walks you through the four traps that kill your protocol. Measurement obsession. Majoring in minors. Copying someone else's homework. And protocol inertia — doing the same thing in your 50s that worked in your 30s. She gives you the CORE framework to evaluate any longevity intervention before you waste time or money on it. A big thank you to our sponsors for making this one possible: @tuomglobal @necodex @truebindinginc ⏰ Timestamps 00:00 Trailer 01:15 Welcome to Dr. Hillary Lin 03:36 The four traps 05:59 Trap #3 deep dive (copying homework) 06:00 Trap #4 (protocol inertia) 08:09 What actually works (first principles) 08:32 The longevity hierarchy 09:42 Tier 1: preventative care (the 80%) 10:31 Tier 2 & 3: where most people fail 10:52 The CORE framework (how to evaluate anything) 14:03 NAD: is it worth it? 15:50 Final message: stop rearranging deck chairs 📍 About Silicon Zombies: Silicon Zombies is a Top 5% global podcast for AI, Venture Capital & Tech Innovation, hosted by Nick Larson. 🧟 Straight from the heart of Silicon Valley, we bring you weekly deep-dives with elite AI engineers, VCs, and longevity innovators shaping the next decade. We cut through the hype vs. reality of emerging tech, SaaS, biohacking, and start-up investing, no fluff, just real insight. Whether you're a founder building your network, an engineer chasing technical depth, or simply staying ahead of the curve, we bridge the gap. Insider access to the world's brightest tech minds. Weekly live streams with a global community across 100+ countries. 🚀 Connect with Us: Instagram: @siliconzombies X (Twitter): @siliconzombies TikTok: @siliconzombies Spotify: @siliconzombies Subscribe so you don't miss the conversations defining what comes next.

September 25, 20261 hr 5 min

Why Everything You Do Online Is at Risk | Dr. Vint Cerf

Dr. Vint Cerf is the closest thing tech has to a founding father. Along with Bob Kahn, he co-designed the actual protocols the Internet runs on, back in the 1970s, long before any of us were born into it. These days he's Google's Chief Internet Evangelist, but in this one he's just talking, openly, with host Nick Larson, alongside Chris Kelly and Human Khalili, in DC. He gets into the mistakes he'd fix if he could go back (IPv6 address space, mainly), the time he did a striptease down to a T-shirt that said "IP on everything" to settle an argument at a standards meeting, and why he thinks privacy might just be a side effect of small towns not existing anymore. Then it gets personal: he grew up with hearing loss, his wife Sigrid has been deaf since childhood, and he tells the story of the moment her cochlear implant let them talk on the phone for the first time in 30 years of marriage. From there the conversation moves into AI, where Cerf is genuinely optimistic but also blunt about the risks, especially around AI agents acting on their own with nobody able to trace who's accountable when things go wrong. Part history lesson, part love story, part "here's what actually worries the guy who built the thing." Worth your full attention on this one. A big thank you to our sponsors for making this one possible: @bancofcalifornia @truebindinginc @necodex @tuomglobal 🕒 Timestamps 00:00 – Trailer 01:26 – Welcome to Silicon Zombies with Nick Larson 01:37 – Introducing Dr. Vint Cerf, "Father of the Internet" 02:11 – Is Privacy Just an Anomaly? Revisiting the 2013 Quote 06:11 – The Security Trade-offs Cerf Wishes He'd Made Differently 10:17 – ARPANET vs. Internet: Setting the Record Straight 13:49 – The IPv6 Address Space Regret 16:17 – The "IP on Everything" T-Shirt Story 18:40 – Growing Up With Hearing Loss 19:59 – How Vint Met Sigrid 23:58 – Sigrid's Cochlear Implant and the First Phone Call in 30 Years 27:43 – Why Email Became an Obsession 29:02 – What Sigrid Would Say the World Misunderstands About Vint 30:10 – When Cerf Knew the Internet Would Be Monumental 37:04 – Joining Google: The "Archduke" Job Title Story 39:08 – Is AI Going to Kill Us All? Cerf's Honest Take 41:42 – Why AI Agents Need Audit Trails and Accountability 46:47 – Should the Government Nationalize Frontier AI Labs? 50:48 – AI, Trust, and Teaching People to Think Critically 57:58 – Cyber-Physical Systems and the Future of Agent Autonomy 60:39 – Nation-States, Borders, and the Internet's Limits 65:28 – Building the Interplanetary Internet 66:25 – Vint Cerf's Career Advice After 65 Years 📍 About Silicon Zombies: Silicon Zombies is a Top 5% global podcast for AI, Venture Capital & Tech Innovation, hosted by Nick Larson. 🧟 Straight from the heart of Silicon Valley, we bring you weekly deep-dives with elite AI engineers, VCs, and longevity innovators shaping the next decade. We cut through the hype vs. reality of emerging tech, SaaS, biohacking, and startup investing — no fluff, just real insight. Whether you're a founder building your network, an engineer chasing technical depth, or simply staying ahead of the curve, we bridge the gap. Insider access to the world's brightest tech minds. Weekly live streams with a global community across 100+ countries. 🚀 Connect with Us: Instagram: @siliconzombies X (Twitter): @siliconzombies TikTok: @siliconzombies Spotify: @siliconzombies Subscribe so you don't miss the conversations defining what comes next.

September 17, 20261 hr 2 min

What Makes Silicon Valley Impossible To Leave | Ft. Brian Mac Mahon & Kim Kolt - VCs

VC Insiders Expose Silicon Valley: No IPOs, Fake Valuations & The Money Game Brian Mac Mahon has invested in over 260 companies and calls the top level of venture capital "a cancer destroying entrepreneurship." Kim Kolt spent years at Goldman Sachs taking companies public before starting her own funds. In this live episode, they get into why the IPO market is basically dead, how private valuations get passed around and marked up between the same group of investors, and why Kim said no to SpaceX every single year. Brian explains why he's finally leaving LA for the Bay, what a $12 billion pre-seed round says about where the money is going, and why he thinks founders are taught to beg instead of build. Then the audience jumps in with questions on interest rates, secondaries, and whether any of this ends well. A big thank you to our sponsors for making this one possible: @bancofcalifornia @truebindinginc @necodex @tuomglobal ⏰ Timestamps 00:00 – Trailer 01:28 – Welcome to Silicon Zombies 02:21 – Who Are Kim Kolt & Brian Mac Mahon 05:04 – Why Investors Still Come to the Bay 05:33 – Why Brian Is Done With LA 06:54 – This Is Rome: The Case for Silicon Valley 08:44 – What Keeps Kim Coming Back to SF 11:17 – Where LA Politics Went Wrong 13:04 – Founders Are Taught to Beg, Not Build 14:34 – How Kim Spots a Real Founder vs a Good Pitch 17:55 – The Glacier Grid Deal: Why She Changed Her Mind 19:27 – Brian's Rule: Only Work With Good People 21:57 – The $12 Billion Pre-Seed Round Problem 23:00 – The Greatest Fraud Nobody Talks About 24:19 – What Wall Street Gets Wrong About Startups 28:14 – Kim's Biggest Miss: Passing on SpaceX 30:26 – DeepSeek, Anthropic & Inflated Valuations 32:05 – How Brian Invested in 266 Companies 34:44 – The $100 Billion Secondary Market 35:26 – Empathism: Brian's Answer to Capitalism 37:50 – Audience Q&A: Interest Rates & the Dollar 41:52 – Is This the Next 2008? 44:57 – Mission-Locked Companies & the Patagonia Model 47:48 – Born Into Modern Slavery: The System Explained 50:02 – What Jobs Matter in the Next 15 Years 52:10 – Why Emotional Intelligence Wins in the AI Era 53:34 – The Loneliness Epidemic & Human Connection 55:28 – Mamdani, New York vs SF & Women's Health 59:34 – How to Connect With Kim & Brian About Silicon Zombies: Silicon Zombies is a Top 5% global podcast for AI, Venture Capital & Tech Innovation. 🏆 Straight from the heart of Silicon Valley, we bring you weekly deep-dives with elite AI engineers, VCs, and longevity innovators shaping the next decade. We cut through the hype vs. reality of emerging tech, SaaS, biohacking, and startup investing — no fluff, just real insight. Whether you're a founder building your network, an engineer chasing technical depth, or simply staying ahead of the curve, we bridge the gap. Insider access to the world's brightest tech minds. Weekly live streams with a global community across 100+ countries. 🚀 Connect with Us: Follow Silicon Zombies on social media: Instagram: @siliconzombies X (Twitter): @siliconzombies TikTok: @siliconzombies Subscribe so you don't miss the conversations defining what comes next.