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In the season 2 premiere, Scotty and Matt celebrate 34 episodes of bootstrapped survival while diving into the watershed moment for AI in 2026. They explore Claude Opus 4.5's coding dominance as Toby Lutke rebuilds MRI software in hours and Andre Karpathy hacks his own home automation, dissect the bombshell Apple Google partnership putting Gemini inside Siri across every device on the planet, and analyze Meta's $5 billion Manus acquisition proving Zuck can only grow through M&A. Plus: Claude Cowork launching AI agents for non technical users at $200 per month, the GQ declaration that booze is officially back, why 2026 is the year white collar workers either lean in or get left behind, and Matt building a personalized baby words app in one weekend that would have cost $500K at an agency 12 months ago.

Built 2 Scale | Season 2 Episode 1

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Season 2 Welcome: 34 Episodes of Bootstrapped Survival

2:12 GQ Declares Booze is Back After Gen Z Sobriety Era

3:41 Toby Lutke Goes Founder Mode: Rebuilding MRI Software With Claude Code

8:32 Andre Karpathi Hacking Home Automation, Should Be Scotty's Co Founder

13:05 Claude Opus 4.5: The Watershed Moment for AI in 2026

15:36 Why Smart AI Skeptics Are Finally Leaning In

18:56 From Chatbots to True Co Pilots: The White Collar Bricklayer Moment

21:34 Will We Generate Software On the Fly or Keep Shared Understanding Tools?

27:00 Knowledge Workers Who Don't Lean In Will Get Left Behind in 2026

31:47 Claude's Potential $300B Valuation: The New Microsoft?36:12 OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Health: Medical Records Integration Strategy

43:08 Voice Mode Battle: Why Matt Still Uses ChatGPT Over Claude Daily

43:47 Does Mark Zuckerberg Have an Asian Fetish? Meta Acquires Manus for $5B

50:05 Apple Google Partnership: Gemini Powers Siri Across Every Device

54:33 This Could Be Coffin Nail Moment for OpenAI Hardware Strategy

55:42 Tool of the Week: Matt Builds Baby Words Tracking App in One Weekend

58:02 The Age of Personal Software: Building What You Want On Demand

1:02:08 Am I Consuming or Am I Building? The 2026 Productivity Mantra

This Episode Covers:

1. Claude Opus 4.5 establishing coding dominance as Toby Lutke and Andre Karpathy showcase weekend rebuild capabilities
2. Claude Cowork launching AI agents for non technical users, democratizing automation beyond developers
3. The watershed moment for AI in 2026: smart skeptics finally leaning in as technology proves genuine co pilot status
4. Apple Google partnership putting Gemini inside Siri across every iPhone and iPad globally
5. Meta acquiring Manus for $5 billion after $12B Scale AI deal, proving Zuck's M&A only growth strategy
6. Why 2026 is the year white collar workers either lean in to AI tools or get left behind permanently
7. Anthropic's potential $300 billion valuation justified by Claude Cowork's enterprise rollout trajectory
8. OpenAI launching ChatGPT Health with medical records integration despite recent don't use for medical advice disclaimer
9. Matt building personalized baby tracking app in one weekend that would have cost $500K at agency 12 months ago
10. The shift from shared understanding enterprise software to personal on demand software generation
11. Why leadership using AI will create KPI expectations falling down to all staff members
12. Voice mode competition: ChatGPT still winning on phone despite Claude's coding superiority

KEY INSIGHTS:

1. 2026 watershed moment: Smart AI skeptics finally leaning in as Claude Code proves genuine automation beyond chatbot theater. White collar workers face adapt or die inflection point
2. Claude's Microsoft trajectory: $300B...

BUILT 2 SCALE | RECEIPTS OR REGRETS | End of Year Special

Welcome to our brand new segment: Receipts or Regrets. A receipt is something you keep because you're proud of the call. A regret? Well, that's obvious.

Matty and Scotty look back at 32 episodes of bold predictions, hot takes, and occasionally terrible life choices. With help from ChatGPT o1 (the only model that could handle all 32 transcripts), here are the calls that aged like fine wine and the ones that aged like milk.

Let's dive in.

Robots in the Home by 2025: Slop Receipt

Scotty called it early: robots in homes by 2025. The Chinese came through with $20K humanoids you can actually buy. Tesla and Figure didn't deliver, but the ball went in. Wrong pocket, but still counts. Slop receipt kept.

Make Every Australian a Millionaire: Escalate

Australia has $20 trillion in raw materials needed for AI infrastructure. Scotty proposed inviting global companies to build data centers here in exchange for giving Aussies a million dollars each plus free compute for life. The government? Still no AI strategy. No AI czar. Nothing. This isn't a receipt or regret. It's escalate and shout from the rooftops.

AI in the Avocado: Big Receipt

Guzman y Gomez IPO'd at $45 per share with a $5 million valuation per store. Scotty said there must be "AI in the avocado" for that multiple to work. Today? Stock down 55% to $20. Lacks AI in the avocado confirmed. Receipt kept.

Talking to Anna from Sesame AI in Bed: Regret

Matty got caught talking to an AI voice assistant under the sheets. His wife walked in. "Who are you talking to?" "It's a bot!" didn't help. New rule: no bots in the bedroom.

Steve Irwin Tech Talk in Dallas: Big Regret

Scotty invoked Steve Irwin while doing a tech talk in Dallas to lean into his Australian accent. Tough crowd. Too soon. Too much of a stretch. As a now embedded Austin local, even more cringey. Won't be doing that again.

Qantas: Split Decision

Scotty called out Qantas for no Wi-Fi on international flights in 2025 when Starlink exists. Regret. Matty? Qantas fanboy. Status points, flexi tickets, business class upgrades for $3K. He's keeping the receipt. Built 2 Scale will be taking separate flights.

Brett Adcock 200x Apple: Regret

Brett said Figure AI would be worth $800 trillion (200x Apple). Three years in, no product, lots of parties. Figure AI revenue? Near zero. Apple's revenue? $416 billion. Scotty's calling regret until Brett hires those two HR managers.

Limitless Pendant Meets Zuck: Regret

Matty bought the Limitless AI pendant. One year late, terrible battery, no Find My feature. Then got an email changing privacy terms. One hour later? Meta acquired them. Now Zuck has all his data, including the time he argued with his dog Hank and the AI thought Hank was a difficult coworker. Regret.

Dual Carriageway: Apple and Google Ecosystems: Regret

Matty self proclaimed he'd run dual ecosystems. Two laptops, two phones, two lives. Result? Paid $300/month for Google Ultra with no features and watched the Android Gemini phone camera take 10 seconds to open. Converted to Mac. Everyone not on Mac is wrong. Receipt on Mac, regret on Google.

Peak Waymo vs. Tesla: Receipt

Both called Tesla's long game over Waymo's robo taxi approach. Elon can produce a robo taxi for a tenth of the price. Economics win. Waymo might retrofit other OEMs with their tech, which is smart B2B play for the lefties and Euros who won't touch Tesla. But best product wins. Receipt.

First Year ARR is Nonsense: Big Receipt

The bubble frothiness of first year ARR announcements was too much. Monthly subscriptions reported as annual recurring revenue

In the final episode of 2025, Scotty and Matt celebrate 33 episodes of Built 2 Scale by diving into Yann LeCun's ultimate entrepreneurial pivot, raising $3 billion in euros after getting ousted from Meta by Alexander Wang to work on spatial intelligence. They dissect why this is terrible news for Elysium (autonomous homes now have a 10 year delay), celebrate Sergey coding again at Google while the Qantas vs United business class wars rage on, and introduce the year end segment Receipts or Regrets where they review their boldest predictions. From Brett Adcock's 200x Apple claim to robots in homes by 2025, from AI in the avocado to Limitless getting acquired by Zuck with zero notice, they hold nothing back in this year end wrap up featuring domain buying confessions, builder vs coder rants, and why coders should never be called builders.

Built 2 Scale | Episode 33

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Final Episode of 2025: 33 Episodes Complete

2:01 Yann LeCun Raises $3B for Spatial Intelligence Startup

4:06 Why This is Terrible News for Elysium Autonomous Homes

7:00 Brett Adcock's Figure AI Christmas Party: Robot Rave with Deadmau5

9:02 Voice AI Bandwidth Solution: Scotty's 30 Year Long Bet

13:44 Human Like Voice vs Fast Intelligence: What Do You Actually Want?

16:51 Sergey Back Coding at Google: The Return of the Founder

21:57 Receipts or Regrets: Year End Prediction Review Begins

23:41 Matt's Receipt: Robots in Homes by 2025 (Chinese Did It)

25:47 Scotty's Escalate: Make Every Australian a Millionaire With Raw Materials

28:52 Receipt: AI in the Avocado, Guzman y Gomez Down 55%

31:01 Regret: Sesame AI Bot in Bedroom, Wife Not Impressed

33:17 Regret: Steve Irwin Tech Talk in Dallas

35:38 Qantas Fanboy vs United Points: The Business Class Debate

40:09 Receipt: Peak Waymo, Tesla Has Long Game Sewn Up

44:19 Regret: First Year ARR is Nonsense, Y Combinator Circular Economy

46:39 Receipt: OpenAI Wants to Be Apple of AI (Johnny Ive Hire Confirmed It)

52:27 Rant: Coders Shouldn't Be Called Builders, Leave Us That One Term

56:26 Receipt: Just in Time Software Revolution Happening Now

58:52 Matt's Dirty Drunk Habit: Domain Buying, Sold Usainboat.com for $20

1:00:34 Limitless Acquired by Meta: Zuck Now Has All of Scotty's Dog Arguments

This Episode Covers:

1. Yann LeCun raising $3 billion in euros for spatial intelligence after Meta exit, choosing Europe where innovation goes to die
2. Why Yann working on spatial intelligence is terrible news for autonomous homes timeline
3. Brett Adcock throwing robot rave with Deadmau5 while still having no product after 3 years
4. Voice AI bandwidth debate: Human like conversation vs fast accurate intelligence
5. Sergey back coding at Google, spending 90% of time teaching rather than sitting on $500M yacht
6. Year end Receipts or Regrets segment reviewing boldest predictions of 2025
7. Robots in homes by 2025: Chinese delivered with $20K Unitree, not Tesla or Figure
8. AI in the avocado: Guzman y Gomez down 55% from peak, now $2B market cap
9. First year ARR is nonsense: Y Combinator circular economy needs to exclude internal revenue
10. OpenAI wants to be Apple of AI: Johnny Ive hire proved the hardware thesis
11. The builder rant: Coders sitting in Starbucks with Frappuccinos aren't builders, leave us that one term
12. Just in time software: LLMs writing code on the fly rather than predefined workflows
13. Qantas vs United business class points arbitrage strategies

KEY INSIGHTS:

1. Yann's strategic retreat: Raising $3B in Europe for spatial intelligence after Meta exit shows classic researcher move to longer horizon tech when pressure mounts. Europe welcomes unproductive research with...

BUILT 2 SCALE | TOOL OF THE WEEK | Episode 32

Every week, Matty and Scotty break down the strategies, frameworks, and tools that separate the world's best builders from everyone else.

This week: Alloy, the prototyping tool that just created a 10x moment for non-technical people in software companies.

Alloy: The "Aha" Moment for Product Managers

Alloy is a prototyping tool that lets non-technical people adjust software on the fly. Take a screenshot of your app, drop it into Alloy, and use natural language to make changes. It looks real, feels interactive, but it's a prototype.

The Problem It Solves

Before Alloy: Take screenshots, drag them into Figma, add arrows and markups, copy-paste elements from other screens. Tedious. Time consuming.

With Alloy: Prompt it. "Hide the side panel and make the drawing full screen. Add markup tools, text, red drawing, pins, and comments. Let users save versions as private or distribute to subcontractors."

Three minutes later? Interactive prototype complete.

Real World Impact

Matty had a US prospect ready to buy, but they needed one feature: drawing markup tools. Instead of saying "I promise the engineers are working on it," he used Alloy to create an interactive demo in minutes. Sent the video to the client. Deal moving forward. Engineers building it in two weeks.

That's the power: show, don't promise.

Who Uses It?

Product managers, sales teams, anyone who needs to visualize changes fast. You can grab a competitor's website, screenshot it, and say "do this, but add our features." It exports to Figma and code (though the code isn't production ready). The value is in design and iteration speed.

The Bigger Picture: AI Native Private Equity

This tool sparked a bigger discussion: businesses are no longer just building software for industries. They're participating in industries as AI native players.

Instead of building a tool for lawyers, start an AI enabled law firm that's better than the rest. Instead of servicing construction, acquire construction companies and apply your automation logic.

This is the new age of private equity: acquire existing businesses with demand, apply AI to solve the logic layer (input, logic, output), and turn 10% profit margins into 30%.

For software companies facing shrinking margins, the pivot isn't just selling tools. It's acquiring businesses and applying your logic to them.

The Takeaway:

Alloy represents a 10x improvement in prototyping speed. But the real insight? AI enables new business models. Don't just service an industry. Participate in it. Acquire businesses, apply automation, and enjoy the upside.

What's your "aha" AI moment been? Have you found a tool that genuinely changed your workflow?

Keen to stay ahead? Subscribe to Built 2 Scale on YouTube (link in comments)

BUILT 2 SCALE | ROBOT RUNDOWN | Episode 32

Every week, Matty and Scotty break down the latest in robotics: from humanoids to specialized automation, and everything reshaping how we work, eat, and live.

This week: Travis Kalanick (Uber founder) is quietly revolutionizing food production, and the debate between humanoids vs. point solution robots is heating up.

Travis Kalanick's Cloud Kitchens: Rethinking Automation From First Principles

Travis is back on X, and he's showcasing something big. Cloud Kitchens isn't just automating food delivery. It's building the infrastructure layer for food production itself.

The latest demo? A fully automated system assembling and bagging 300 bowls per hour using specialized robots for specific tasks. No humanoids walking around. Instead, Travis redesigned the entire process from scratch.

This is the Elon playbook applied to food: don't fit into existing architectures. Redesign the whole thing. Creative first principles thinking applied to manufacturing speed and efficiency.

Humanoids vs. Point Solution Robots: The Great Debate

Here's the question reshaping robotics strategy: Do you want one humanoid doing everything, or multiple specialized robots each doing one thing perfectly?

In manufacturing, Travis is proving the latter. In homes, the question gets more complex.

The Coming Wave of Niche Robotics

Just like how niche coding apps must specialize to compete with giants like Gemini, robotics will follow the same pattern:

The Big Players:

• Tesla (Optimus)
• Figure
• Unitree (China)
• Gens

5 to 7 "Mag Seven" type companies building general purpose humanoids.

The Point Solution Explosion:

Hundreds of niche companies building specialized robots powered by the tech infrastructure from Google, Nvidia, and AI advancements.

Examples already emerging:

• Abby (Melbourne): Companion robots for elderly care, designed to be friendly and colorful
• Ongo: A desk lamp robot with personality that interacts with you (think Toy Story vibes)

These might seem like gimmicks, but they represent the next thousand successful businesses taking robotics mainstream.

The Domestic Space Gets Smart

What's already in your home? Legos. Barbie. Eight Sleep. Furniture. Appliances.

Now ask: when does the intelligence layer and robotics layer get plugged into what's already there?

Just like AI integrated into commercial spaces, we're about to see it plug into domestic life. Expect acquisitions. Expect $150 products on shelves that bring real robotics tech into everyday homes.

Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

The narrative that big companies will dominate and kill all startups misses the point. The technological revolution in AI and robotics is spawning entirely new categories.

Yes, we'll talk about data centers in space. But we'll also celebrate the little products that make robotics tangible and accessible.

The Takeaway:

Robotics isn't just about humanoids. It's about rethinking systems from first principles (Cloud Kitchens) and creating specialized solutions for specific needs (point solution robots). The next wave won't just be dominated by giants. It'll be defined by hundreds of niche players making robotics part of daily life.

Humanoids or specialized robots? What's your bet for the future?

Keen to stay ahead? Subscribe to Built 2 Scale on YouTube

BUILT 2 SCALE | AI NEWS | Episode 32

Welcome back to Built 2 Scale. Every week, Matty and Scotty cut through the noise to bring you the AI developments that actually matter: the moves reshaping markets, the strategies redefining competition, and the shifts you need to understand to stay ahead.

This week: OpenAI's code red moment, Meta's aggressive pivot, data centers in space, and unexpected market effects from the AI boom.

OpenAI's Hardware Play: 40 Apple Engineers and a Code Red

OpenAI just hired 40 Apple hardware engineers. The battlefield has moved to hardware.

The vision? AI models running on network nodes, generating what you need on the fly. No traditional operating system. Just intelligence in real time.

If Apple builds AI into iOS and runs models locally, do you even need ChatGPT subscriptions? That's the existential question OpenAI is racing to solve.

Meta's Limitless Acquisition: The Privacy Policy That Broke the News

Meta acquired Limitless, the AI wearable. Customers got an aggressive email demanding privacy updates or lose access. Fifteen countries were cut off.

One hour later? Meta announces the acquisition.

With Yann LeCun's departure and this move, Zuckerberg is having his own code red. Meta now has Ray Bans, Oakley, and Limitless wearables. They're doubling down on hardware and pivoting away from open source AI.

AI Data Centers in Space: Not Science Fiction

Gavin Baker broke down why space based data centers make sense:

• Energy: Sun is 7x more powerful in space
• Cooling: Space is freezing
• Land: Unlimited vs. NIMBY politics
• Rockets: SpaceX and Blue Origin make it viable

The only bottleneck? Bandwidth. But we've solved it for satellites.

Boom Supersonic: From Jets to Energy

Boom built turbines for supersonic flight. Then realized the same tech can generate electricity for AI data centers.

They raised $300 million from Altimeter and Y Combinator to pivot into energy infrastructure. Great tech, unexpected demand, funded vision.

Kalshi: America's Youngest Female Billionaire

The Kalshi founder (PolyMarket competitor) just became the youngest self made female billionaire.

Prediction markets prove backing opinions with money gets real information. Market equilibrium in action.

Construction Wages Surge 25 to 30%

Data center construction is driving electrician and plumber wages up 25 to 30%.

Private capital deploying for AI infrastructure creates labor shortages. Rising costs create more incentive to automate and invest in robotics. Market forces playing out.

The Takeaway:

The AI race moved beyond models. It's now hardware (OpenAI vs. Apple), infrastructure (space data centers), energy (Boom's turbines), and real world effects (labor shortages). Companies that can't pivot across dimensions will struggle.

What surprises you most? OpenAI's hardware push, data centers in space, or the construction wage surge?

Keen to stay ahead? Subscribe to Built 2 Scale on YouTube

In this episode, Scotty enters crazy season construction while Matt preps for a founder mode Christmas, then they dissect Sam Altman's Code Red response to Google's dominance by hiring 40 Apple hardware engineers. The guys explore whether this signals an Apple acquisition setup or a play for the operating system layer, why Meta's Limitless acquisition with zero notice shows Zuckerberg scrambling without a clear vision, and Boom Supersonic's brilliant $300M pivot from jet turbines to natural gas energy for AI data centers. Plus: Why construction wages jumping 30% accelerates the robotics timeline, Travis Kalanick automating 300 bowls per hour at Cloud Kitchens, and the emerging Private Equity AI playbook of buying traditional businesses and injecting AI to 10x margins.

Built 2 Scale | Episode 32

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Crazy Season Construction & Founder Mode Christmas

2:57 Bill Ackman's "May I Meet You" Dating Advice Goes Viral

7:10 Scotty's Stock Picks: Google Hits $4 Trillion

8:28 Jensen on Joe Rogan: 4,000 Emails a Day, No Ice Baths

11:15 OpenAI Code Red: Hiring 40 Apple Hardware Engineers

15:38 Is Sam Setting Up an Apple Acquisition?

21:01 Meta Acquires Limitless Pendant With Aggressive Privacy Changes

23:41 Zuckerberg's Vision Problem vs Elon's Clarity

33:51 Data Centers in Space: Unlimited Solar & Free Cooling

38:52 Boom Supersonic's $300M Pivot: Jet Turbines to Energy

46:33 Construction Wages Up 30% Thanks to Data Centers

52:27 Travis Kalanick's Cloud Kitchens: 300 Bowls Per Hour

1:00:34 Tool of the Week: Alloy Prototyping Changes Sales in 3 Minutes

1:09:09 The Private Equity AI Playbook: Buy Businesses, Inject AI, 10x Margins

This Episode Covers:

• OpenAI's hardware pivot hiring 40 Apple engineers as response to Google's model and compute advantage
• Meta acquiring Limitless with aggressive policy changes signaling Zuckerberg's lack of clear AI vision
• Boom Supersonic raising $300M by pivoting jet turbines into natural gas energy for AI compute bottleneck
• Data centers moving to space for unlimited solar power, free cooling, and no environmental opposition
• Construction wages up 30% from data center demand accelerating automation and robotics investment
• Travis Kalanick's Cloud Kitchens automating food at 300 bowls per hour with point solution robots
• Alloy prototyping tool turning 3 hour design mockups into 3 minute AI powered iterations
• The Private Equity AI playbook: Acquire traditional businesses, inject AI logic, transform 10% margins into 30%

KEY INSIGHTS:

• OpenAI's existential threat: Google has better models, cheaper TPU compute, and 100x more data. Hardware pivot either sets up Apple acquisition with Sam as CEO or prepares for OS layer competition
• Meta's strategic confusion: Zuckerberg can't articulate clear five year vision like Elon does with multi planetary life and truth seeking AI. Scrambling with acquisitions instead of building coherent strategy
• Boom's antenna advantage: CEO Blake Scholl heard AI compute energy bottleneck and pivoted jet turbine tech to natural gas generation. Raised $300M solving bigger problem than supersonic flight
• Space data centers unlock: Seven times more solar in orbit, free cooling, unlimited land, no NIMBY opposition. Elon's rocket monopoly plus Starlink bandwidth makes him infrastructure layer winner
• Wage surge validates robotics: 30% construction wage increases from data center labor demand creates bigger ROI case for automation than any efficiency argument
• Alloy's 10x improvement: Non technical product managers mock interactive prototypes in 3 minutes vs 3 hours with Figma. Game changer for sales demos and client feedback...

BUILT 2 SCALE | TOOL OF THE WEEK | Episode 31 - November 28, 2025

Every week, Scotty and Matty break down the strategies, frameworks, and mental models that separate the world's best builders from everyone else.

This week's tools:

1. Embrace the Flywheel Effect

Your success operates like a business flywheel. All of your history and context from previous operations feeds into making your new product even better. Each win compounds the next.

2. Learn by Doing

Take a page from James Dyson's playbook: "Don't think too long about doing things, just go out and do them." When faced with a question, just go do it.

3. Curate Your Content Diet

Replace mindless scrolling with high-value content. Be ruthless about your triggers. If needed, start a fresh social media account focused on your domain expertise or entrepreneurship. Make your scrolling work for you.

4. Know Thyself Before You Hire

Ask yourself: What am I good at? Why me? What skills do I need around me? This clarity reveals whether you need a co-founder and helps identify your superpower.

5. Hire for Your Weaknesses

Hire for what is absolutely not your superpower. Early SpaceX had great rockets but was about to die until Elon hired a VP of sales to secure government contracts. Let go of the vine on non-superpower areas.

6. Clarify Your Vision in Writing

Put your vision in writing so new hires can take it away and explain it to their friends and family. As Mark Andreessen says, a CEO's greatest skill is the ability to tell a story. This attracts customers, talent, and capital.

7. Prioritize Foundational Roles

In the first three years of scaling, nail these three categories: Product (CTO), Brand (CMO), and Distribution (Head of Sales or Growth). Everything else can wait.

8. Block Out Thinking Time

Your role as a founder is to set the vision, not be completely operational. Block out sections of days with no tasks to do. Use this time to think about the vision or pivot into solving business problems.

Which tool resonates most with where you are right now?

Keen to stay ahead? Subscribe to Built 2 Scale on YouTube