High Bit

Max Prilutskiy, CEO of Lingo.dev, and Veronica Prilutskaya, CPO, discuss transforming product localization with cutting-edge technology. They explore how Lingo.dev automates multilingual user interfaces using LLMs, making translation seamless for teams. The duo delves into the challenges of past localization efforts, the evolution of translation quality, and the innovative compiler that allows easy integration for developers. Plus, they touch on the concept of 'vibe coding' and how AI is reshaping engineering workflows, ultimately boosting productivity.

Benjamin Schleuniger, Cofounder and CEO of Orbital Operations, shares his impressive journey from NASA to leading innovation in cryogenic spacecraft. He discusses the growing need for satellites that can maneuver in space and how cryogenic propulsion is revolutionizing orbital mobility. The episode explores cutting-edge technologies like refrigeration systems that prevent propellant loss in orbit and the intriguing strategy of using water for refueling. Benjamin also highlights the role of AI in future spacecraft, ushering in a new era of space logistics and exploration.

“Robots are the only way my business survives, but it’s not viable for me.”Formic founder and CEO Saman Farid joins Brett Gibson, managing partner at Initialized to unpack why that mindset keeps factories from adopting automation and how Formic closes the gap. They cover: de-risking with financing, productizing complete robot work cells, and running fleets with teleoperation, intelligent error recovery, and careful staging to hit factory-grade uptime. You’ll hear why palletizing is the ideal first beachhead, how the team cut deployment costs roughly in half, and why they say no to one-off requests until they can be productized. Saman also shares how the company resists “fun” engineering in favor of scale, injects controlled chaos into his company, uses daily 8 a.m. meetings for problem solving, and bridges the culture gap between the manufacturing and software industries.Subscribe for more builder-level deep dives from High Bit.Follow Formic and Saman for more:Formic: https://x.com/goformic Saman: https://x.com/samanfaridContent00:00 “It’s not viable for me”—closing the adoption gap00:44 What Formic does & where robots work today02:24 Engineer → VC → founder: why start Formic04:38 Adoption vs flashy demos. Solve one task well05:47 De-risking with financing; manual first, then automate08:23 The playbook: scope, build modules, deploy, operate10:36 Work cells, not just arms 13:38 99.9% uptime15:01 Why palletizing was the first beachhead16:49 Cutting costs per deployment18:08 Saying “no” & expanding scope the right way21:15 Resisting “fun” engineering to serve more factories22:07 Injecting chaos into your company23:34 Daily 8am to crack hard problems25:40 Culture clash: manufacturing × software27:24 Evaluating new robots, regional rollouts31:24 Where AI helps across the org37:11 What’s next: more robots, more tasks, more factories

Daksh Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Greptile, reveals how AI is transforming code review and bug detection. He argues that human reviews are often insufficient and explains why separating code generation from code review is crucial. The conversation dives into the complexities of teaching AI to discern between minor and severe issues. Gupta warns that companies resisting AI adoption risk falling behind, while exploring the future relevance of code legibility in an AI-driven world. This insightful discussion highlights the need for a fundamental shift in software practices.

AyJay Lasater, cofounder and CTO of Albedo, joins Brett Gibson on High Bit to talk about the challenge of building satellites for one of the toughest places to operate in space: very low Earth orbit (VLEO). He shares how the idea took shape, the importance of avoiding fear-based calls, why they decided to bring key systems in-house, and the physics-driven design choices that shaped their approach. Along the way, AyJay walks through the mirror mishap that could have delayed them a year, the supply-chain chess it took to recover in just two weeks, and what it means to take on a mission where there’s no playbook to follow.Follow Albedo on X for more.Chapters00:00 – Knowing Everything – Why total system knowledge is the only way to do something that’s never been done00:59 – Albedo’s Mission – Getting drone-quality imaging from space04:21 – The Spark – From Lockheed to startup. How a single tweet ignited the VLEO idea09:29 – Inside VLEO – Why it’s one of space’s toughest environments14:46 – Breaking Down the Impossible – Applying first principles to the hardest orbit18:17 – Ditching the Bullet – Rethinking design from physics up21:09 – Make vs. Buy – The decision to take control in-house28:55 – No Fear – Avoiding fear-based calls when stakes are high35:37 – The Mirror Crisis – Saving a year’s work in two weeks47:11 – 4D Supply Chain Chess – Creative problem-solving under pressure50:38 – The Fun and Stress of Knowing It All – Why no detail can be left to chance51:32 – What’s Next – Albedo’s path to VLEO and its first 10 centimeter images

Amir Elaguizy, cofounder and CEO of Poker Skill, shares his extensive experience with AI in the gaming industry. He discusses how he leveraged AI to build his startups and emphasizes that AI isn't just a tool but a partner in creativity. Amir dives into the importance of adaptability and selecting the right tools for effective AI implementation. He also highlights the transformative potential of AI in e-commerce and influencer engagement, and reveals his exciting new venture with an AI-driven poker platform.

Brett Gibson hosts Sol’s Ben Chelf and John Boiles on the "High Bit" podcast to discuss their groundbreaking work on the Sol Reader, the world’s first wearable e-reader. They dive into the unique engineering challenges of integrating e-ink technology into a head-mounted format, the intricate development process of creating their own e-ink driver, and the importance of optimizing for user comfort and the reading experience.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction02:16 - The Birth of Sol Reader: From Idea to Prototype05:19 - Comparing Sol Reader to Other Wearable Technologies09:59 - Technical Challenges and Innovations in E-Ink Displays20:30 - Manufacturing and Quality Control Processes23:12 - Software Development and Optimization33:40 - Future Plans

Vince Chu, cofounder of HomeVision, joins the "High Bit" podcast to discuss how his team is automating real estate valuations at scale. From overcoming technical challenges to scaling AI-powered underwriting, Vince explains how HomeVision is changing the game for both lenders and appraisers.

Our managing partner, Brett Gibson, spoke with Playground AI founder Suhail Doshi about advancements in AI-driven image generation and their new Playground v3 image foundation model. Suhail shared Playground’s mission to make graphic design more accessible, enabling users to create items such as T-shirts, logos, social media posts, and even memes. They discussed the gap between language and image models, as well as the underinvestment in AI for images. Check out the new Playground here: https://playground.com/design Playground’s white paper introducing their image foundation model Playground v3 here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.10695

On the latest episode of our podcast “High Bit,” Brett Gibson spoke with Pratap Ranade, CEO of Arena, about the intricacies of using AI to convert data into real-time simulations for optimizing sales, pricing, and marketing strategies. Pratap explained how Arena navigates the complexities of large-scale enterprises, including those in the consumer goods and advanced manufacturing industries. He also shared insights from his background in quantum physics and machine learning and discussed future partnerships and product developments for Arena. 00:00 Introduction 00:47 Meet Pratap Ranade, CEO of Arena 01:58 Understanding Arena’s core functionality 02:44 Challenges in building Arena 05:03 Consumer goods and advanced manufacturing 07:09 The importance of abstraction and metadata 13:50 Pratap's journey and vision 19:35 The future of Arena