Tremendous

An angel investor's take on life and business

  • Forget Founder Friendly. Be Founder Focused.

    “I love this team and your product is amazing! I just couldn’t get my partners there. We’ll be cheering from the sidelines!” How many times have you heard that?

    Well, you won’t hear it from me.

    “They Never Give a Reason”

    I recently spoke with Mike*, the founder of a very interesting new fintech startup. He seemed like a solid entrepreneur and I loved the market — but there were some problems.

    “This is a great market and you know a lot about it. But I need you to get a technical co-founder or it will be really hard for you to build this business. I also need you to get into market and start making some revenue before we go further,” I explained.

    I was afraid this candid feedback might upset him. But Mike was delighted.

    “Whenever someone passes, they never give a reason. You’re lucky to even hear from them at all!”

    This leaves Mike with no idea how to improve. For once, he was getting some actionable feedback.

    Investor as Yes Man

    So, why do investors give BS feedback and then pass?

    In startupland, investors live or die based on their reputation. If your rep is good, the best deals come to you. If it’s not, you’re out in the cold.

    If you’re candid with a founder, he might get offended. Then, he tells anyone who will listen that you’re a jerk and best avoided.

    If you spew platitudes, maybe the founder never figures out how to improve his business.

    But who cares? You’re passing anyway!

    Even if a VC gives you a check, you still get Mr. Yes Man. He’s nodding and telling you you’re killing it — even when you know the company is in trouble.

    And why wouldn’t he? After all, this isn’t one of his winners. No sense risking a bad reputation.

    Founder Focused, Not Founder Friendly

    At the peak of the market, investors fell all over themselves trying to be the most “founder friendly.” But we forgot what entrepreneurs actually need.

    They don’t need a friend. They already have those.

    They need a business partner. And while a partner shouldn’t meddle, he does need to give candid feedback when asked.

    That’s why I strive to be “founder focused,” a phrase I first heard from Doug Leone at Sequoia.

    Leone is obsessed with helping founders he invests in. But sometimes, that means telling them the difficult truth.

    The new product isn’t so great. The company is running out of money.

    Leone’s approach might not be warm and fuzzy. But it helped build Google, ServiceNow and DoorDash.

    Wrap-Up

    To be great at our jobs, we investors have to take the risk of pissing someone off.

    I always try to be polite. But I also try to be honest.

    Founders pour their lives into their startups. Jobs are on the line.

    We owe them nothing less.

    What do you think of founder friendliness? Leave a comment and let us know!

    If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for more like this!

    More on tech:

    Meet the New Founder, Same As the Old Founder

    Robots May Make Your Next Car

    The Default-International Startup

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

    *Name changed to protect privacy.

  • Meet the New Founder, Same As the Old Founder

    Travis Kalanick’s first company got him sued for $250 billion. Time to quit the startup game, right?

    Wrong.

    Third Time’s a Charm

    Travis is known as the brilliant founder of Uber and CloudKitchens. But his first company, a file sharing service called Scour, was a disaster.

    Angry about music being pirated on Scour, the recording industry sued Travis’ company for a quarter trillion dollars, forcing it into bankruptcy.

    If anyone sued me for a quarter of a trillion, I’d beg for forgiveness and go burrow into some corporate bureaucracy for the rest of my days.

    But that’s why I’m not Travis.

    His second company was a modest success. Red Swoosh, which helped companies transfer media files, was acquired by Akamai for $18.7 million.

    It wasn’t until company number 3 that Travis really hit.

    Backing a Founder Again

    If you were an investor in Scour, you might put Travis on your “Never invest again” list.

    But you would be wrong. With each company, Travis was learning…

    A great investor will look not just at the outcomes, but at Travis as a person. He worked incredibly hard, and failure never deterred him.

    An entrepreneur like that, you want to back again and again. Had you done so, you’d be sitting on a mountain of Uber shares today.

    If At First You Don’t Succeed…

    On a summer afternoon last year, I sat at a cafe near Bryant Park. I was enjoying coffee and pastries with Justin*, a great entrepreneur I had backed in 2021.

    His company had recently been acquired for a modest sum. We got our money back, but nothing more.

    In startupland, this is actually an incredible outcome. Usually, you lose the whole investment!

    We chatted about his company, what’s new in tech, and ideas for the future. I left the meeting with a big smile on my face, full of energy.

    I know Justin gave his startup everything he had. And for a first company, it actually did pretty well!

    He needed some time to rest and vest. But I could hardly wait for Justin’s revenge startup.

    My Strategy for Backing Founders Again

    Every six months, I shoot Justin a message and see how he’s doing. Some day, he’ll be ready to start his next company.

    When he does, I want to be the first to know.

    When I back a founder, all I expect is for him to do his best and keep us updated. If he does that, I want to back him over and over.

    Throughout Justin’s career, he might start 3 or 4 companies. I plan to be an investor in every one of them.

    Sooner or later, with his tenacity and technical skills, he’ll strike gold.

    Wrap-Up

    Creating a billion dollar company out of nothing is really hard. Not many founders make it on the first try.

    When I make an investment, I’m starting what can be a lifelong relationship. Even if Company 1 or 2 fails, I’ll have the inside track for 3 and 4.

    When you back great founders over and over, sooner or later you’re going to hit.

    Do you like repeat founders? Leave a comment and let us know!

    Have a great weekend, everyone!

    If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for more like this!

    More on tech:

    Super Pumped (Part One)

    Robots May Make Your Next Car

    The Default-International Startup

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

    *Names are changed to protect privacy.

    Photo: “LE WEB PARIS 2013 – CONFERENCES – PLENARY 1 – TRAVIS KALANICK” by LeWeb14 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

  • Robots May Make Your Next Car

    Your next car could be made by a robot. Humanoid robots from startup Figure will begin working in BMW factories over the next two years in a major step for robotics.

    From Reuters:

    Robotics startup Figure said it has signed a partnership with BMW Manufacturing to deploy its humanoid robots in the car maker’s facility in the U.S., as more companies turn to human-like robots to take on certain physical tasks.

    Figure’s humanoids will be deployed in BMW’s manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the largest automotive exporter in the U.S., which currently employees 11,000 people. They will be integrated into the manufacturing processes including the body shop, sheet metal and warehouse in the next 12-24 months, after being trained to perform specific tasks.

    A General Purpose Robot

    This is one of the first implementations of humanoid robots in a factory. For now, its roles will be limited.

    But Figure’s robots are designed to look like humans for a reason. It lets them operate easily in an environment designed for us.

    Figure’s goal is for its robots to be flexible enough to perform a wide variety of tasks.

    Already, it can make coffee. Engineers never told Figure how to do it — they just showed it a bunch of videos of people making coffee.

    Figure learned how to do it in just 10 hours.

    Learning in a New Way

    Robots learning on their own is a gamechanger. YouTube contains a video of someone doing basically anything. If the robot watches millions of YouTube videos, it will have countless capabilities.

    BMW can provide videos of human workers cutting, stamping, and bending sheet metal. Soon, Figure will be able to do it too.

    Figure isn’t the only company using videos to train a robot. Last summer, Elon Musk released a demo of Tesla’s new autopilot, which learns to drive by watching videos of humans driving.

    When Musk did the demo, I wrote about how it could be applied to robotics on this blog. Now, it’s happened — a lot sooner than I ever predicted.

    Where Will Humans Fit In?

    As Figure masters more and more skills, BMW may need fewer workers. In time, it may not need any.

    The UAW has tried to organize Spartanburg before. Seeing the first Figure robots on the line may make workers desperate to unionize and stop them.

    But more robots mean the humans’ bargaining power is weaker. Robots have no problem crossing picket lines.

    Over time, humans will move to jobs where being human remains a distinct advantage. When we get therapy or go to yoga, we want to connect with another human, not a robot.

    Our jobs will be less about moving objects and more about connecting with each other. That’s a much more fulfilling way to spend our days.

    Wrap-Up

    From Figure to Tesla, we’re seeing a new age in robotics. These robots are general purpose and learn on their own.

    Today, they’re making coffee, a little awkwardly. Tomorrow, they’ll be doing things we can hardly imagine.

    What do you think of Figure? Leave a comment and let us know!

    If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for more like this!

    More on tech:

    Let’s Double the Human Population

    Watch Elon Drive Tesla’s Amazing New Autopilot

    When Will a Robot Make My T-Shirt?

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

  • The Default-International Startup

    “Can you tell me your current revenue and burn?”

    “We’re at $4,000 MRR and we’re profitable.”

    “Uhh, excuse me?”

    The founder probably saw my jaw drop on Zoom. I’d never seen such an early stage company make a profit.

    A Clever Move

    How did they do it? By building their startup in a new way: default-international.

    Ivan and his co-founder Masha* had lived in New York City for years. But when they started their company, they went home to Romania.

    They built an awesome product and quickly got a few paying customers. In Romania, that money went a long way.

    $4,000 in revenue was enough for them to pay their rent and living expenses, along with server costs. They even had a little left over.

    I’m not in the habit of investing in Europe. But I had to admit, it was a clever move.

    The customers were all in the US. The founders spoke superb English. The company was registered in Delaware, exactly as it should be.

    In every respect, this looked like an American company. But they had taken out 90% of the cost structure.

    Going Remote

    For companies that talk about “changing the world,” startups before 2020 looked pretty conventional. Most were in San Francisco and all their engineers sat in an office together.

    They couldn’t hire anyone in Romania. They couldn’t even hire in Nebraska!

    So startups were stuck chasing scarce Silicon Valley engineers and paying them six figure salaries. For most companies, that meant burning huge sums of cash.

    COVID forced startups to change. We all got on Zoom and learned to collaborate without being in the same room.

    Without the need to commute, people left the pricey Bay Area and moved to places like Austin or Nashville. Eventually, people moved around so much you didn’t know where they were.

    Finding Lower Costs — and Incredible Talent

    When everyone was just a little box on Zoom, you couldn’t tell if they were in Berkeley or Bangalore. And it didn’t really matter.

    Then in 2022, markets ground to a halt and startups had to reduce costs. Most startups only have 1 line item that really matters: salaries.

    An engineer in India might cost $2,000 a month versus $10,000 in the US. When money is tight, that deal is too good to pass up.

    Soon, I began to see seed stage companies with teams of 15 people that only cost $50,000 a month — total. New startups like Micro1, a company I invested in last year, made it easier to hire internationally than ever before.

    Hiring internationally didn’t just lower costs. Startups also gained access to incredibly talented people.

    Turns out not every great engineer lives in San Francisco.

    A New Generation of Startups

    Most startups I see today have at least some of their people overseas.

    For some companies, it’s just a few engineers. For others, it’s the entire team.

    These companies were founded in a brutal downmarket. They’ve hired internationally since day 1.

    They’re lean, and they’re hungry. And they’re going to make some incredible investments.

    Are you seeing more startups with teams overseas? Leave a comment and let us know!

    If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for more like this!

    More on tech:

    When Will a Robot Make My T-Shirt?

    My Favorite Books of 2023

    Elon Musk (Part 1): Overcoming the Odds

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

    *Names are changed to protect privacy.

    Photo: “Earth” by Kevin M. Gill is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

  • When Will a Robot Make My T-Shirt?

    Elon Musk’s new Optimus robot can fold t-shirts. How long until it’s making them?

    Musk released a video of Tesla’s new Optimus robot folding a t-shirt yesterday on X:

    The short video shows the robot slowly but surely turning a t-shirt into a neat little package. Robots usually struggle with fine motor tasks like this, but Optimus was up to the challenge.

    Optimus’ Next Stop: The Factory Floor?

    In the shower this morning, I got to thinking — if Optimus can manipulate fabric, why can’t it make a shirt too?

    Musk admits that Optimus has some limitations. It was able to fold the shirt because it was working with just one at a time, and the table was at a fixed height.

    Those limitations wouldn’t be a problem in a factory setting. Today, humans sew one shirt at a time at identical tables that look quite similar to the one Optimus is using.

    Optimus might not be able to work a sewing machine yet. But yesterday, it couldn’t fold a shirt.

    Competing With Bangladesh

    If you want to make a t-shirt, there are few places cheaper than Bangladesh.

    The minimum wage for garment workers is around $90 a month. Working hours are long, around 72 hours a week. This equates to an hourly wage of around 29 cents.

    At that same rate, but operating 24/7, Optimus would save manufacturers about $2500 a year in labor costs.

    Factories usually want to see a 15% yearly return on new equipment. So, an Optimus robot would have to cost no more than around $17,000 to make sense as a replacement for a Bangladeshi garment worker.

    That’s pretty darn cheap — assuming Optimus is no faster or more accurate than a human.

    Today, Optimus is slower and less accurate than a human being. I can fold a shirt more neatly than that, and a heck of a lot faster.

    But over time, Optimus may greatly exceed human capabilities.

    At double the productivity of a human, Optimus might make sense. At ten times the productivity, it’s a slam dunk.

    Getting on the Development Ladder

    Textile production is one of the simpler forms of manufacturing. For developing countries, it’s a first step toward industrialization.

    What happens when poor countries can’t even get on the development ladder? No matter how low their wages, the right robot can undercut them.

    The future could be factories full of robots in America and Western Europe, near big sources of demand. That would mean even deeper poverty for countries like Bangladesh.

    Wrap-Up

    Today, people are laughing at Optimus. I don’t think they’ll be laughing long.

    Robots are developing machine vision and fine motor skills. Every day, an android performs a task we thought they could never do.

    I don’t know what the future holds for Optimus. But something tells me we’ll be seeing a lot more of them, soon.

    What do you think of the Optimus demo? Leave a comment and let us know!

    If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for more like this!

    More on tech:

    Elon Musk (Part 1): Overcoming the Odds

    Is This the End of Manual Labor?

    Welcome to the First Robot Restaurant

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    Photo: “Factory workers producing shirts at Sleek Garment Export, in Accra, Ghana” by World Bank Photo Collection is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

  • In Search of the Perfect Jersey Slice

    We gazed on the glass case, transfixed by pepperoni and heaps of ricotta. Would this be the perfect counter slice?

    Fancy pizzerias are great. Wood fired ovens, shaved truffle, love all that.

    But sometimes, you need a Jersey classic. You need a counter slice.

    I’ve been going past Quality Pizza in Hoboken, NJ for a while now. Every time, I was tempted by the ample slices piled high with cheese, meats, and vibrant veg.

    Last Friday, I finally had a chance to visit…

    My friend Tim* and I had a problem: of all these delectable slices, which should we try?

    I settled on a white grandma pie and a ricotta and spinach slice. Tim went deep: pepperoni grandma pie, Italian sausage pie, and a plain slice just for kicks.

    We found a table in the back, far from the cold blasts of air coming through the door on this January night. Soon, the moment arrived.

    In life, there may be no more exciting moment than when someone tells you, “Your pizza is ready!”

    We cradled our slices gently, like a lover, and brought them home to our table. Oops, forgot the red pepper flakes…better grab those.

    Okay, we’re ready. Let’s dig in! I started with the grandma pie — I’ve always had a soft spot for these.

    My first bite cut through gooey mozzarella into a layer of garlic and an airy crust. There’s something about a white pie that goes so well with garlic.

    Sometimes, the crust on a grandma slice can be a little too dense. But this one was puffy, crunchy, perfect.

    On to my ricotta and spinach…

    The spinach was beautifully cooked, softened but still moist. Big dollops of unctuous ricotta almost made me groan. Ahhh…

    Oh good, Tim’s still here. Got a little absorbed in that slice…

    Tim made short work of his pepperoni. On to salsicc…

    A three slice man! I knew there was something I liked about this fella.

    Stuffed and grinning, we headed out…wait…what does that sign say?

    A free slice for a Google review**? Don’t mind if I do!

    I wrote a pithy 5 star critique and beamed as they served up a beautiful plain slice. Dinner for tomorrow!

    What a clever way to make sure happy customers let others know!

    Quality Pizza is on Washington Street in the heart of Hoboken. It’s open 7 days a week from noon.

    Stop in for a classic Jersey slice!

    What’s your favorite slice spot? Leave a comment and let us know!

    There will be no blog on Monday for the holiday. I’ll see you on Tuesday.

    Have a great weekend, everyone!

    If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for more like this!

    More on food:

    Welcome to the First Robot Restaurant

    Cyberpunk Francis Is Here!

    AI Discovers Fingerprints Aren’t Unique

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

    *Names are changed to protect those guilty of gluttony. 🙂

    **The Google review got me a free slice. I wrote this post just because I really liked it — I’m not compensated for this in any way.



  • AI Discovers Fingerprints Aren’t Unique

    Every finger has a unique fingerprint, right? Wrong, according to a new study published in Science Advances.

    The Columbia University team used an AI model to analyze tens of thousands of fingerprints. It found that fingerprints can actually be shared across multiple fingers.

    From a Columbia statement:

    It’s a well-accepted fact in the forensics community that fingerprints of different fingers of the same person–”intra-person fingerprints”–are unique, and therefore unmatchable. 

    A team led by Columbia Engineering undergraduate senior Gabe Guo challenged this widely held presumption. Guo, who had no prior knowledge of forensics, found a public U.S. government database of some 60,000 fingerprints and fed them in pairs into an artificial intelligence-based system known as a deep contrastive network. Sometimes the pairs belonged to the same person (but different fingers), and sometimes they belonged to different people. 

    The researchers found that several of a person’s fingers sometimes shared the same print!

    This finding could help police stop serial offenders. A thumbprint at Scene A and a ring finger print at Scene B could potentially be matched to the same person.

    To be clear, the study didn’t find that different people share the same fingerprints. But I have to wonder what a larger data set might reveal.

    First They Ignore You, Then They Laugh at You

    Guo and his team tried to publish their incredible finding. But establishment journals gave him a chilly reception:


    Once the team verified their results, they quickly sent the findings to a well-established forensics journal, only to receive a rejection a few months later. The anonymous expert reviewer and editor concluded that “It is well known that every fingerprint is unique,” and therefore it would not be possible to detect similarities even if the fingerprints came from the same person. 

    Eventually, Guo and his team were able to get published in the less specialized Science Advances. Sometimes experts in a field are the last ones to accept new discoveries.

    A Trillion Scientists

    Artificial intelligence just helped an undergraduate with no background in the field disprove one of the central truths of forensic science. What else will AI help us discover?

    Here’s a thought experiment…

    There are around 8 million scientists in the world. What if we 10x-ed that number? We’d have more scientific discoveries, right?

    Now imagine if there were a trillion scientists.

    This is the world we’re entering. More GPU’s are being built every day, and in time, we’ll have access to the IQ equivalent of a trillion scientists who never eat or sleep.

    They’ll be assisted by human scientists as well. But each human will be able to accomplish more in an afternoon than he could’ve in an entire career without AI.

    The discoveries we’re about to make will change our lives.

    How do you think AI will change science? Leave a comment and let us know!

    If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for more like this!

    More on tech:

    Welcome to the First Robot Restaurant

    Cyberpunk Francis Is Here!

    Meet My New AI Mentor

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

    Photo: “{71} Fingerprinted” by scribbletaylor is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

  • Cyberpunk Francis Is Here!

    What if you could make yourself look any way you want, all with a couple of clicks? A new AI tool called uPix is making it happen.

    UPix lets you upload a picture of yourself and create a new version of your image. You can become a cyberpunk, Iron Man, Snow White, and more!

    Let’s test this out…

    Test #1: Cyberpunk Francis

    Scrolling through the possible settings, one stood out to me: cyberpunk.

    The dyed and pierced Blade Runner aesthetic is awesome. I don’t even have hair anymore, but thanks to AI, I can still pull it off!

    Wow, amazing!

    It really does look like me, albeit a younger and much cooler version. The clothes and background are very convincing.

    I look like I’m in Los Angeles in some dystopian, neon future.

    Test #2: Korean Woman Francis

    For my next test, I went with something really out there: how about a beautiful Korean woman in a traditional hanbok?

    Not too impressive.

    It’s a nice picture, but it doesn’t look like me at all. I guess I better stick to images of men.

    These first two were fun, but what about something more realistic? Something I just might be able to pass off as me…

    Test #3: Handsome Autumn Francis

    For this, I went to “Autumn Male.”

    Autumn Male is a handsome devil. He looks like he’s straight out of a teen drama.

    Surely the ladies will swoon!

    Nailed it!

    It looks like James Vanderbeek is wearing my glasses. I’ll take it — all those girls didn’t watch Dawson’s Creek for nothing!

    How Did uPix Do?

    For making AI versions of yourself, uPix is hard to beat. I could see people using this for fun, and also to make more attractive pictures for social media and dating apps.

    If I could add follow-up prompts, uPix would be even better.

    I’d tell it to make Autumn Francis’ hair dark, so it looks more like me. And give Cyberpunk Francis some tattoos so he looks even cooler.

    Wrap-Up

    All in all, this is a darned impressive product for something that just came out. I’m excited to see how it develops.

    What do you think of uPix — solid product, or not ready for prime time? Leave a comment and let us know!

    If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for more like this!

    More on tech:

    Meet My New AI Mentor

    Welcome to the First Robot Restaurant

    Is This the End of Manual Labor?

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order. 

  • Meet My New AI Mentor

    So I got a new mentor! He listens patiently, then jumps in with helpful suggestions. And since he’s not human, he’s available around the clock.

    His name is Sama AI, a new app just released by a startup called Welovenocode. Sama AI listens to your conversations and gives you tips to improve your performance.

    Founder Nik Shevchenko released a demo this morning on X:

    Today, Sama is available as an iOS app. Soon, the company plans to release a pin to improve sound capture and the resulting recommendations.

    Sama is not the first AI assistant to listen to your conversations. Rewind AI does something similar on your computer, and Humane has a pin as well.

    But Sama is the first I’ve seen that proactively offers suggestions, rather than just waiting for you to ask a question.

    In Search of Some AI Wisdom

    Curious, I had to try it out!

    I fired up Sama this morning on my iPad. Installation was pretty easy, and I pressed “start recording.”

    I didn’t have any meetings this morning, so I talked to myself for about 5 minutes while I did some housework. I reviewed my schedule for the rest of the day and also talked about a trip I’m planning in March to visit my grandmother.

    Let’s see what suggestions Sama gives me:

    “Focus on clear objectives; your conversation jumps topics. Prioritize tasks; mention the most important first. Avoid vague language; be specific about your plans. Eliminate filler words; they add no value. Keep it professional, personal anecdotes can wait. Confirm details; ensure understanding of the schedule.”

    Ouch! Sounds like Sama didn’t like my little monologue at all.

    My chitter chatter is disjointed, vague, and wordy. And I just might be an oversharer.

    Did Sama Help?

    Maybe I’m just being defensive, but I don’t feel like I got much from this critique.

    Of course my monologue jumped topics…I’m reviewing my schedule for the day and then talking about a trip I’m planning. Conversations don’t stay on a single topic forever.

    Also, Sama simply assumes this is a meeting at a job. It’s not — it’s me reviewing my own schedule.

    One suggestion I did like was that I need to prioritize tasks. In my little monologue, I just listed tasks in order, rather than focusing on the most important one.

    I have a tendency to bang out tasks in sequence without thinking about what’s most important. That’s a tip I’ll try to keep in mind.

    It’s Not You, It’s Me

    So, will I be chatting with Sama again? Not for now.

    I’m not going to bring my iPad everywhere. And I don’t want everything I say recorded for posterity either.

    After all, I’m wordy and too personal! 🙂

    But I’d definitely consider using a version of Sama that operates on my laptop and is optimized to record meetings. This could be Otter on steroids.

    All in all, this is a pretty solid beta. I’m excited to see what Sama becomes.

    Will you give Sama a try? Why or why not?

    Leave a comment and let us know!

    If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for more like this!

    More on tech:

    Welcome to the First Robot Restaurant

    Is This the End of Manual Labor?

    Elon Musk (Part 1): Overcoming the Odds

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  • Welcome to the First Robot Restaurant

    The fries are golden brown. The wagyu blend burgers are juicy. Welcome to the world’s first robot restaurant.

    From a report out this morning from NPR:

    “What is believed to be the world’s first automated restaurant is opening in Pasadena, California.

    Customers at the CaliExpress will order food from self-service kiosks and then watch as robots grind premium beef for their burger or cheeseburger and cook up their fries. The creators of the burger spot say it will be safer for employees and cut down on waste.”

    How It Works

    Technically, CaliExpress is not fully automated. The ordering and cooking are done automatically. But there are still a few employees.

    Someone has to bring in supplies and clean up — for now.

    The automation lets CaliExpress sell wagyu blend burgers for a similar price as regular burgers elsewhere. This is a preview of the cost savings that automation can provide.

    Consider the countless costs taken out here: wages, health insurance, sick time, and random no shows. Robot restaurants may be cheaper and better.

    About That Minimum Wage…

    Automation is the inevitable result of skyrocketing labor costs. As of January 1st, fast food workers in California are entitled by law to a $20 an hour minimum wage.

    When the law passed in September of 2022, I predicted automation and job losses on this blog. I even specifically called out Flippy.

    Those predictions are coming true a lot faster than I expected.

    Pizza Hut has already announced job cuts in California. Many more restaurants will follow, especially as these robots get cheaper.

    The Next Generation of Robots

    Single-purpose robots like those at CaliExpress are step one. For what they are, they’re impressive.

    But Flippy is just for cooking, and only certain items. The next generation of robots can do anything you tell them.

    Last week, a Stanford team unveiled a robot that can do a huge variety of physical tasks. It can make a multi-course meal, do the dishes, and even take out the trash. (I covered it on the blog here.)

    Get the new Stanford robot, Mobile ALOHA, into CaliExpress and they can fire the few employees they have left.

    Wrap-Up

    These robots will cause huge job losses. And I say bring it on.

    I know what you’re thinking — Francis, how can you cheer people losing their jobs?!

    But I believe that people can and should do something more significant with their lives than frying potatoes and emptying the trash.

    Let’s give humans significant work, like caring for the sick or creating things of beauty. Leave the fries to Flippy.

    Would you eat at CaliExpress? Leave a comment and let us know!

    If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for more like this!

    More on tech:

    Is This the End of Manual Labor?

    Elon Musk (Part 1): Overcoming the Odds

    Why Marc Andreessen Passed on Airbnb

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

    Misfits Market

    I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

    I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

    Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order.