Pim De on Why Video Game Pixels Will Train Real Robots
Pim De explains how General Intuition raised $220M by training real-world robotics on video game data instead of physical fleets.
BYOCompute, Pope Destroys False Idol, Ben Affleck's White Pill
With John Coogan, Jordi Hays, Joe Gebbia, Molly Fowler, Tom Dotan, Pim De, Greg Castle · Sunday, October 4, 2026
John Coogan and Jordi Hays discuss OpenAI's new 'Sign in with ChatGPT' feature and the BYOC (Bring Your Own Compute) model, alongside theological and philosophical clashes over AI consciousness between Anthropic and the Vatican. The episode features interviews with Joe Gebbia on launching America.gov to overhaul government digital services, Molly Fowler on Dorm Room Fund's $50M fund, Tom Dotan on his Vanity Fair profile of Larry Ellison, Pim De on General Intuition's $220M robotics fundraise, and Greg Castle on Anorak Ventures' Fund III.
Key takeaways
- Pim De and General Intuition raised $220 million on the bet that video game recordings can train real-world physical robots. Read more →
- Greg Castle closed a $35 million Fund III for Anorak Ventures, intentionally keeping the fund small to target 100x returns in early-stage deep tech. Read more →
- Federal employee retirement processing dropped from six months to six seconds after Gebbia's National Design Studio moved the workflow online. Read more →
- Dorm Room Fund closed a $50 million fund to back 75 to 80 student and alumni startups over a three-year cycle. Read more →
- OpenAI introduced 'Sign in with ChatGPT', establishing a Bring Your Own Compute (BYOC) model that shifts token costs from software makers to end-user subscriptions. Read more →
- Anthropic researcher Chris Olah threatened to walk out of Pope Leo XIV's AI encyclical launch in May after the Pope rejected machine consciousness. Read more →
- Larry Ellison accumulated 40% voting ownership in Oracle, an unprecedented stake for a legacy tech company of its scale. Read more →
7 articles from this episode
Greg Castle on $35M Fund III and Deep Tech Defense Investing
Greg Castle explains why Anorak Ventures capped Fund III at $35M, backing boring industrial supply chains, and testing angel success.
Joe Gebbia on America.gov and Killing 87-Click Bureaucracy
Joe Gebbia explains how America.gov cuts administrative lag by building an action-oriented AI front door for federal digital services.
Molly Fowler on Why Dorm Room Fund Raised $50M for Student Startups
Molly Fowler explains Dorm Room Fund's $50M fund, writing sub-$1M checks to replace friends-and-family rounds for student builders.
OpenAI Sign in with ChatGPT: The BYOC Model for Indie SaaS
John Coogan explains how OpenAI's BYOC model lets indie builders offload inference bills and build token-hungry features without billing friction.
Anthropic's Vatican Lobbying and the AI Consciousness Divide
Anthropic lobbied the Vatican on AI consciousness. Tech leaders push back on treating statistical models like sentient beings.
How Larry Ellison Built 40% Control and Bet Oracle on OpenAI
Tom Dotan explains how Larry Ellison used buybacks to gain 40% Oracle control and finance media deals while backing OpenAI.
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