Ep 9: Will Sam Altman Own the Future?

What happens when your job, and maybe your whole economy, gets eaten by AI?

I sat down with my long-time friend Mike Halsall, a former construction guy turned tech thinker, to unpack some pretty wild (and slightly scary) ideas. From AI building cities to the collapse of labour value, Mike doesn't hold back.

We talk about why makers never get depressed, whether democracy is broken, and what it really takes to stop ourselves from… well, destroying ourselves.

This one made me think hard. I think it will for you too.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:30) What if we’re building the tech that ends us?

(03:18) What's a construction guy doing at Singularity?

(05:47) One mistake, one week, mind blown open forever.

(12:23) He bet on the UK. Then quietly gave up.

(19:36)  What if labour dies, and no one needs to work?

(22:24) Would you still work if money didn’t matter anymore?

(25:03) Is Sam Altman building the future—or owning it?

(32:11) Why do smart people refuse to run the world?

(37:21) If we know what’s wrong… why aren’t we fixing it?

(41:27) The real fix might be collaboration, not code.

Mike Halsall

Global strategic consultant with over 35 years’ experience in real estate, construction, software development, government, academia and geopolitics, including considerable experience in UK and overseas real estate investment and development, founding and exiting businesses, development and sales of emerging technologies, enhancing entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs by developing their skill-sets and running innovation programmes.

I’m an advocate of life-long learning, and to putting considerable effort back into the community. My powerful and extensive problem solving abilities have been obtained by working on a team basis.

I have worked with AXA, Amadeus Capital Partners, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey Milan, NASA, Singularity University, University College London, UK Government, Crown Estate, Ministry of Defence.

Our Host

Peng is venture building defensible AI-powered companies that will change how we live. He is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of VC firm Monk’s Hill Ventures, operating out of Southeast Asia. Prior to Monk’s Hill Ventures, he was a Venture Partner at GSR Ventures in China.

As an entrepreneur, Peng co-founded a series of successful companies including Match.com, Interwoven and Encentuate, whose products even today combined generate over USD$1 billion in revenues annually.

https://sg.linkedin.com/in/pengtong 

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About the Embracing Singularity Podcast

What happens when technology rewrites the rules of work, wealth, and meaning?

In this series, investor Peng T. Ong and tech founder Wei Qing Jen sit down with technology trailblazers to explore the future we’re hurtling toward—one shaped by AI, zero marginal cost, and radical shifts in how society functions. Get ready for bold ideas, deep insights, and the urgent questions we all need to ask before the future arrives!