Can AI actually reduce cloud costs — or does it just create better dashboards?

In Episode 27 of Built This Week, Sam Nadler and Jordan Metzner are joined by Ben, CEO of Espresso AI, to break down a real production system that uses machine learning to actively optimize data warehouse compute in real time.

We walk through a live demo built specifically to expose hidden inefficiencies inside Snowflake and Databricks environments — from over-refreshing dashboards to duplicated queries and underutilized clusters. Then we go deep on how Espresso AI works under the hood: proxy-based routing, workload-aware ML models, and fine-grained compute orchestration that runs without changing application code.

This is not FinOps theater. This is AI actively rewriting how compute is allocated.

We also discuss:

• Why most teams overpay for convenience in the cloud
• How real-time query routing beats manual cost controls
• Where AI helps engineers — and where it absolutely does not
• The limits of vibe coding for serious infrastructure
• Gemini powering Siri and what it means for voice assistants
• Meta’s massive GPU buildout and the future of hyperscalers

No hype.
No theory.
Just what happens when you put AI in control of real infrastructure.

New episodes every Friday.

Timestamps

(0:00) Why modern AI understands code differently
(0:45) Episode 27 kickoff and guest introduction
(1:30) Live demo: diagnosing hidden warehouse inefficiencies
(3:00) Why dashboards refresh far more than they are viewed
(4:30) The real cost of duplicated queries across teams
(6:00) What Espresso AI actually does (in plain English)
(7:45) Kubernetes for data warehouses, powered by ML
(9:30) How real-time query routing works
(11:30) Why most companies are not “doing it wrong”
(13:00) Transformers and deep code understanding
(15:00) Where AI helps engineers today
(16:30) Why AI cannot yet run core infrastructure autonomously
(18:00) Productivity gains without replacing engineers
(19:30) Gemini, Siri, and the next generation of voice assistants
(21:00) Meta’s massive GPU investments explained
(23:00) Will Meta become a hyperscaler
(24:30) Final thoughts and closing

Links Section

Built This Week
New episodes every Friday

Jordan Metzner
https://x.com/mrjmetz

Sam Nadler
https://x.com/Gravino05

Espresso AI
https://espresso.ai

Can AI actually beat prediction markets — or does the house always win?

In Episode 26 of Built This Week, Sam Nadler and Jordan Metzner kick off 2026 by breaking down a real AI trading bot Jordan built for prediction markets like Kalshi, using live market data, whale detection, coordination signals, and confidence scoring.

Jordan walks through the full system — backend, frontend, live alerts, and execution logic — and shares the honest results: a 66 percent win rate that still lost money once fees and market dynamics were factored in.

The takeaway is not hype. It is reality.

The episode also dives into:

• Why prediction markets feel like gambling but are regulated differently
• How insider-like signals emerge from coordination and volume behavior
• Why bots end up trading against bots
• Where real alpha might exist (and where it does not)

We also cover:

• Google NotebookLM as a serious education and onboarding tool
• Turning documents into infographics, slide decks, and audio learning
• Nvidia entering autonomous driving and competing with Tesla
• Nvidia’s new Rubin architecture and why it matters
• Tesla vs Waymo economics and the future of Full Self Driving
• Why Anthropic and Claude Code are becoming developer defaults

This is not theory.
This is what happens when you actually deploy AI systems into real markets.

Timestamps

(0:00) Why prediction markets are exploding
(1:07) Episode 26 kickoff
(2:00) Why build a trading bot at all
(4:30) Kalshi vs Polymarket APIs
(6:00) Live market signals and whale detection
(9:30) Win rate vs profitability
(12:00) Why fees destroy returns
(14:30) Bots trading against bots
(17:00) Where real alpha might exist
(18:00) NotebookLM for learning and onboarding
(21:00) Nvidia enters autonomous driving
(24:00) Tesla vs Waymo economics
(27:00) Nvidia Rubin chips explained
(28:30) Anthropic and Claude Code momentum
(29:30) Final thoughts

Links

Built This Week
New episodes every Friday

Jordan Metzner
https://x.com/mrjmetz

Sam Nadler
https://x.com/Gravino05

Car dealerships are losing inventory — and most don’t realize why.

Consumers now expect instant pricing, zero friction, and immediate engagement, yet most dealers still rely on slow callbacks, manual workflows, and outdated acquisition models. The result? Cars go straight to Carvana or CarMax.

In this episode of Built This Week, Sam Nadler and Jordan Metzner sit down with Anthony Monteiro, CEO & Founder of Auto Acquire AI, to break down how AI is fundamentally changing how dealerships acquire vehicles directly from consumers.

Auto Acquire AI gives everyday car dealers — small, medium, and large — the same capabilities as Carvana: instant offers, automated inspections, AI-driven pricing, and real-time engagement, without massive engineering teams or bloated operations.

Jordan also walks through a live AI workflow he built for Auto Acquire, showing how dealerships can automatically analyze inbound intent, score leads, and trigger the right action — SMS, email, or phone — without tying up staff.

This is not theory. This is AI running real dealership operations today.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why dealers can’t compete at auctions anymore
• How AI enables instant vehicle pricing without human intervention
• Turning web forms into real-time SMS conversations
• Using intent scoring to decide when to text, email, or call
• Why engagement speed determines who wins the trade
• How computer vision automates vehicle inspections from a phone
• Why structured automotive data is perfect for AI
• How dealers already have inventory sitting in customer driveways
• Why most “AI companies” aren’t actually using AI
• The real difference between demos and production AI systems

We also dive into autonomous vehicle news, including:
• Waymo’s $15B raise at a $110B valuation
• Tesla vs Waymo: cameras vs lidar
• Why Tesla may license Full Self-Driving to other manufacturers
• The reality behind “Full Self-Driving” marketing claims

⏱️ Timestamps

(0:00) Why car dealers are losing inventory
(0:38) Welcome to Built This Week
(1:07) Introducing Auto Acquire AI
(1:42) How Auto Acquire works
(2:24) AI workflow demo: intent → action
(3:11) Automated SMS conversations
(4:55) Why AI removes staff bottlenecks
(6:29) Dealership behavior by geography
(7:38) Why instant pricing wins
(10:34) AI-powered vehicle inspections
(12:03) The real pain point in dealer inventory
(13:31) Why dealers already own the data
(14:46) What “real AI” actually means
(17:00) Structured data and real-time pricing
(18:05) Waymo raises $15B
(19:03) Tesla vs Waymo economics
(21:44) Will Tesla license FSD?
(24:29) Is “Full Self-Driving” misleading?
(27:09) Final thoughts and wrap-up

🔗 Links

Auto Acquire AI
https://autoacquire.ai

Built This Week
New episodes every Friday

🎙️ Hosts

Jordan Metzner
https://linkedin.com/in/jordanmetzner
https://x.com/mrjmetz

Sam Nadler
https://linkedin.com/in/sam-nadler-1881b75
https://x.com/Gravino05