New Podcast Episode: Flying Boats and Underwater Drones
Release Date: 06/16/2025
Why the AI Panic is a Lie (And It’s a Good Thing) | ROP #60
Rational Optimist Podcast
Is the panic over AI justified, or is it just the latest verse in a song we’ve been singing for centuries? In this episode, Pessimists Archive founder Louis Anslow argues that the current hysteria isn't about safety - it's about power. We explore Louis's "Seven Deadly Cynics" framework - identifying the specific groups (from politicians to protectionists) that have historically tried to ban everything from coffee and bicycles to the Walkman. We dive into why the ruling class always fears progress, why the "War of the Worlds" panic was a media hoax, and why understanding this history is...
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How $500 Drones Are Forcing America to Reinvent Its Military | ROP #59
Rational Optimist Podcast
A handful of $500 drones recently caused $5 billion in damage to a fleet of Russian strategic bombers. This is the new reality of warfare, and America is not ready. In this episode, CX2 founder Nathan explains how the cheap drone revolution is forcing the US to completely reinvent its military playbook. We dive deep into the invisible battlefield of electronic warfare, why our multi-million dollar missiles are now being defeated by simple GPS jammers, the secret strategy of "shooting the archer, not the arrow," and how a new generation of founders is building the decentralized, autonomous...
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America's Drone Market is About to Collapse (And It's a Good Thing) | ROP #58
Rational Optimist Podcast
China's DJI owns 90% of the US commercial drone market. A nationwide ban is about to make them illegal, threatening to collapse the industry overnight. Thoron founder Thayne Kollmorgen says: good. In this episode, he reveals the brutal truths behind America's failure - from the "open source honey trap" that kills innovation to the product design flaws that put US companies an "order of magnitude" behind. He also lays out the Tesla-inspired playbook a new generation of American founders is using to finally build a true competitor and win the drone war.
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Founder's Guide to Winning the New Space Race | ROP #57
Rational Optimist Podcast
A new generation of founders is winning the new space race, and they're doing it by breaking one simple rule. In this founder's guide, A-ray Labs founder Andrew Peterson reveals the one broken "cost-plus" law that crippled the defense industry for 50 years and created the opportunity of a lifetime. We ran out of time just as we were about to dive into Andrew's incredible 3D mapping technology - we'll have to get him back for Part 2!
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His "Factory in a Box" Builds a House in 30 Days | ROP #56
Rational Optimist Podcast
America is facing a housing crisis driven by two core problems: a massive skilled labor shortage and 50 years of zero productivity growth in construction. QB founder Aleksandr Gampel has a radical solution. In this episode, he reveals his "Factory in a Box" - a mobile microfactory that can be deployed anywhere to build a high-quality home in just 30 days with only four unskilled workers. Plus: why most construction-tech startups fail, the secret to building at scale without a gigafactory, his plan to become the "McDonald's of housing," and how this revolution will finally make the dream of...
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America's Nuclear Waste "Problem" is a Lie (And It's a Good Thing) | ROP #55
Rational Optimist Podcast
America doesn't have a nuclear waste problem; it has a financial one. In this episode, Exodys Energy founder Carl Perez reveals why the 50-year-old fear of spent fuel is based on a lie, and why solving it will unleash the nuclear renaissance.
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This New American Battery Gives an EV a 1,500 Mile Range | ROP #54
Rational Optimist Podcast
Venture capitalists recently returned from China declaring America's battery race "futile." They're wrong. In this episode of The Rational Optimist Podcast, Ouros Energy founder Ethan Loosbrock reveals the new American battery technology that will not only catch up, but leapfrog the competition by making today's best batteries obsolete. Plus: how Ouros plans to deliver a 1,500-mile range EV, the clear pathway to $10/kWh batteries, why fast-charging is an "admission of defeat," and how this breakthrough will finally unlock a future of electric flying cars and a truly cordless world.
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The AI Tutor Built for Elon's Kids is Now Available to Everyone | ROP #53
Rational Optimist Podcast
When Elon Musk couldn't find a school good enough for his kids, he started his own at SpaceX. The secret to its success was Synthesis, a program that taught problem-solving instead of test-taking. Now, Synthesis co-founder Chrisman joins us to reveal how he's turned those principles into an AI tutor available to everyone. We dive deep into how this technology, born from a secret DARPA project that created "superhuman" students, is making kids beg to learn math.
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His Nuclear Reactor Will Make Energy CHEAP Faster Than You Think | ROP #52
Rational Optimist Podcast
For 50 years, nuclear power has meant billion-dollar cost overruns and decade-long delays. That's about to change. Valar Atomics founder Isaiah Taylor joins us to reveal how his company is rebooting the entire industry by manufacturing small, safe reactors like SpaceX builds rockets. We dive deep into the new executive order that gives him until July 4th to turn on America's first new reactor, why his design can't melt down, and his vision for a future where cheap nuclear energy makes everything from food to fuel abundant.
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The End of "Made in China" is Arriving Faster Than You Think | ROP #51
Rational Optimist Podcast
For decades, "Made in China" was the default setting for the global economy. That era is over. In this episode, Atomic Industries founder Aaron Slodov explains why globalization has failed and how the great reindustrialization of America is happening faster than you think. We dive deep into why Apple is trapped by its own supply chain, how America literally forgot how to build parts for a B-52 bomber, and the critical role of "tribal knowledge" in rebuilding our industrial base.
info_outlineI recently spoke with two young founders driving the ocean’s future: Will O'Brien from Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering and David Zagaynov from Poseidon Aerospace. They’re building high-tech flying boats and underwater drones while stewarding the ocean.