Escape Velocity with CK and Teng Yan: AI and Tech Podcast

Anand Iyer, a managing partner at Canonical and venture partner at Lightspeed, dives into his journey from Microsoft to venture capitalism. He discusses the current AI bubble, urging caution for investors and highlighting the importance of understanding market dynamics. Iyer emphasizes founder relationships and strategic hiring as keys to startup success. The conversation also touches on the exciting intersection of AI and cryptocurrency, examining the potential of Web3 technologies and the challenges innovators face in achieving product-market fit.

Join us on Escape Velocity as Teng Yan, founder of Chain of Thought Research, and CK, founder of Tensorplex Labs, welcome a truly sharp mind to the show: Fiskantes, CIO at Sigil Fund and Partner at Zee Prime Capital. Known for his uncanny ability to spot emerging trends and make early, successful bets on companies like Nvidia and Palantir, Fiskantes shares his extraordinary journey from paper trading stocks as an 18-year-old law student to becoming a professional poker player, and eventually managing substantial crypto funds.In this captivating episode, Fiskantes unveils his unique investment philosophy across both AI and crypto. Discover his strategy for identifying "undisputed market leaders" in the AI hardware space, and how he leverages AI daily, not just for professional insights but also for practical personal applications in health and fitness. Get ready for a candid discussion on AI's true impact on investing—from its current limitations in crypto research to its potential to replace junior analysts, and why he believes AI will amplify, not replace, human ingenuity in the long run.Fiskantes also offers his nuanced perspective on the intertwined fates of AI and crypto, explaining why he leans bullish on their synergistic relationship despite short-term capital flow challenges. He shares powerful contrarian views, including why the hype around AI trading bots might be "misplaced and overrated", why AI-driven entertainment is a significant, if "dark," area for investment, and why AI-focused cybersecurity represents a crucial, yet underlooked, investment opportunity.Whether you're a seasoned investor or just starting out, Fiskantes' "words of wisdom" provide invaluable guidance: emphasizing the critical importance of "general trend timing", navigating the current landscape for new entrants, and perhaps most uniquely, the essential skill of learning to "prompt AI well" to unlock its true potential. Don't miss this insightful conversation that charts the next trajectories in the dynamic worlds of AI and crypto!Timeline:00:00 Welcome to Escape Velocity & Guest Introduction01:27 Fiskantes' Unconventional Path: From Law to Poker to Crypto Investing04:15 Identifying Market Leaders: Fiskantes' Early AI Stock Investments in Nvidia, ASML, TSMC, AMD, and Palantir09:30 Evolving AI Usage: From Entertainment to Professional Tools, and its Limitations in Crypto Research13:45 AI's Practical Applications in Personal Health, Diet, Fitness, and Risk Management17:30 The Future of Investing: How AI Reshapes Human Edge Across Different Time Horizons22:00 The AI Boom's Net Effect on Crypto: Bullish Synergies vs. Zero-Sum Competition26:45 Capital Flows: Crypto vs. Equity Markets and the "Winners Keep Winning" Dynamic32:30 Navigating the AI/Crypto Intersection: Identifying Substance Amidst the Noise38:15 Contrarian Views: The Misplaced Hype of AI Trading Bots, the Rise of AI Entertainment, and the Untapped Potential of AI Cybersecurity43:00 Words of Wisdom for New Investors: The Importance of Trend Timing, Learning to Prompt AI, and Embracing Luck

In this episode of Escape Velocity, CK and Teng Yan dive into Meta's ambitious push into superintelligence, explore XAI's bold $10 billion bet and the release of Grok 4, and analyze Tesla's robotaxi launch and its implications for autonomous driving. They also discuss Apple's strategic shift toward partnering with OpenAI and Anthropic, instead of developing in-house AI models. Additionally, they cover recent intriguing AI developments, including China's autonomous soccer tournament, Claude’s experimental vending machine, and SoftBank’s futuristic Crystal Land mega-hub proposal.Timeline:01:27 Meta’s Superintelligence and Talent War09:50 Discussing True Intelligence in AI Models12:29 AI's Impact on Labor and Economy19:30 XAI's $10 Billion Fundraise and Grok 426:33 Apple's AI Strategy Shift33:07 Tesla's Robotaxi Launch38:48 China's Autonomous Soccer Tournament40:41 Claude’s Autonomous Vending Machine Experiment43:03 SoftBank's Crystal Land AI Mega-hub

In this episode of Escape Velocity, CK and Teng Yan discuss key AI announcements from Google I.O. 2025 and Anthropic's Claude 4.0, unpack OpenAI's ambitious move into hardware, explore the UAE's strategic collaboration with OpenAI, and tackle the pressing question of AI-driven job displacement. Plus, they look into the exciting possibilities of decentralized AI training and its implications for the future of work.Timeline: 00:07 Introduction to Escape Velocity00:50 Google I.O. 2025 Highlights04:42 Google's AI Integration Strategy10:17 OpenAI's Strategic Moves15:27 The Future of AI Devices22:14 Anthropic's Claude and AI Job Market28:27 The Impact of AI on Employment34:00 UAE's AI Initiatives42:48 Decentralized AI TrainingFollow us on X: x.com/EscapeVPod