China's Drone Monopoly is Ending (And This American AI is Why) | ROP #49
China's 70% monopoly on the world's drones is being broken by a new American "flying brain" with 300 trillion operations per second of onboard AI. In this episode, Flyby Robotics founder Jason Lu reveals the incredible challenge of building a high-performance drone with zero Chinese parts, what a 30,000-drone swarm attack actually looks like, and why an open, accessible platform is the key to unleashing decentralized innovation across America.
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He Sold His Startup to DoorDash. Now He Builds AI Guns. | ROP #48
After selling his software startup to DoorDash, most founders would cash out and relax. Steve Simoni decided to build an AI-powered machine gun instead. In this episode, Steve reveals his unbelievable journey from Navy nuclear engineer to successful software founder, and why the war in Ukraine convinced him to tackle the drone threat head-on. We dive deep into his AI turret "Bullfrog," how it turns a machine gun into a drone-killing sniper rifle, and his shocking prediction that the drone threat will increase 1000x in the next decade.
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Ex-SpaceX Engineer: His WATER Engine Will Conquer Space Faster Than You Think | ROP #47
After working on SpaceX's Starship and America's return to the Moon, Halen Mattison left to solve a key problem for a multi-planetary future: building a gas station on Mars. His breakthrough is a propulsion system that uses electrolysis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen—one of the most efficient chemical rocket fuels known. In this episode, we explore how this technology offers a safer, more powerful alternative to legacy fuels, unlocks the lunar economy by using water from the Moon, and will help humanity explore the solar system faster than you think.
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His AI Laser Destroys Drone Swarms for Pennies | ROP #46
Michael LaFramboise’s grandfather rose from sleeping in a Detroit bar booth to become Ford’s chief chemist. Today, Michael is building the AI-powered laser that will make million-dollar missiles obsolete. In this episode, we explore how his system destroys drone swarms for pennies, why a $10M tank is now worthless against cheap drones, and how this new generation of directed energy weapons could soon protect everything from military bases to Super Bowl stadiums.
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This School Teaches a FULL DAY in 2 HOURS (And Kids Excel & Love Learning) | ROP #45
What if you could get a full day's A+ education in just 2 hours? It’s not a hypothetical - it’s happening right now at Alpha School, the school we all wish we had growing up. In this episode, we explore their revolutionary model: using AI to maximize learning so students are free by 10 AM. But it's what they do with the rest of the day that's truly incredible. With no homework and afternoons free, kids explore their passions, build real-world skills like grit and financial literacy, and launch projects that were once unimaginable for their age.
Say no to fearmongering and join us every Friday for the Rational Optimist Podcast. You'll discover incredible things happening that everyone should know but most people don't... from the revival of supersonic flight and nuclear power, to the revolution in biotech now underway. You'll also get authentic opinions on today's headlines from the perspective of two guys (Stephen McBride and Dan Steinhart) who unapologetically love humanity, technology, capitalism, and prosperity.
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