Shows / Going Direct Conversations
Going Direct Conversations
Going Direct explores the decentralization of the real economy and how new technologies can bring us closer to the products we buy and the people who make them.
goingdirect.substack.com
Episodes
Going Direct Conversations#80 Ben O’Hanlon: The Intelligence Revolution Will Be Decentralized
I sit down with Ben O’Hanlon, the author of the Ecosystem Operator Substack, to walk through his five-part essay series on why the intelligence revolution will…
Going Direct Conversations#79 Douglas Rushkoff: Remaining Human In The AI Age
I sit down with Douglas Rushkoff, author and media theorist who studies human autonomy and how we can remain connected in a digital age. He has written 25…
Going Direct Conversations#78 Ben Cartwright: The Second Life of AI Hardware Will Become a Big Market
I sit down with Ben Cartwright of Cirkadis to talk about a part of the AI infrastructure buildout that very few people are discussing: what happens to the…
Going Direct Conversations#77 Nikhil Gupta: Mining Isn't the Chokepoint. Refining Is.
I sit down with Nikhil Gupta, founder and CEO of Determinant Materials, to talk about the metal refining process he’s invented to help bring back critical…
Going Direct Conversations#76 Mollie Claypool: Building Affordable Housing That’s Beautiful.
I sit down with Mollie Claypool, co-founder of Automated Architecture (AUAR) to talk about their shipping-container-sized microfactories used by homebuilders…
Going Direct Conversations#75 Tom Joseph: The Real Gatekeepers Of American Primary Elections
I sit down with Tom Joseph, founder of America's Main Street Party, to talk about something we don't cover much at Going Direct: politics. The problem with…
Going Direct Conversations#74 Sue Helper: Re-industrialization Starts With Coherent Strategy
I sit down with Sue Helper, economics professor at Case Western Reserve University, to discuss America’s lack of coherence in industrial policy. We dig into…
Going Direct Conversations#73 Inside Going Direct: Gen Z vs Millennial Debate On The Future Of Work
I sit down with Duncan Young, founder of Saorsa Growth Partners and writer of the Substack Conduit of Value. We dig into why the future of work looks…
Going Direct Conversations#72 Rajat Bhageria: The Only Thing Keeping American Food Onshore Is Robot Labor
I sit down with Rajat Bhageria, founder and CEO of Chef Robotics, to discuss why he believes robot labor is the only way to keep American food supply chains…
Going Direct Conversations#71 Maria Intscher-Owrang: Pour It, Mold It, Wear It - A New Way To Make Clothing In America
I sit down with Maria Intscher-Owrang, co-founder and CEO of Simplifyber, to discuss their completely new way to produce soft goods with natural fibers. Her…
Going Direct Conversations#70 Avalo: Using AI To Build A New Deal For American Farmers
I sit down with Mariano Alvarez and Brendan Collins, co-founders of Avalo, to talk about how they are using their plant breeding technology to rebuild the US…
Going Direct Conversations#69 Kat Scott: First They Laugh, Then They Fight, Then You Win, Open-Source Robotics
I sat down with Kat Scott, Developer Relations Engineer at Intrinsic AI (a Google company), who’s spent her entire 20+ year career in robotics. Kat is the…
Going Direct Conversations#68 Fabien Cros: Decentralized AI Is Winning Inside the Enterprise
I sit down with Fabien Cros, who runs the AI practice at Ducker Carlisle, to talk about how he is seeing decentralized AI models inside organizations work much…
Going Direct Conversations#67 Roya Amini-Naieni: Building the Self-Driving Biology Lab
I sit down with Roya Amini-Naieni, co-founder and CEO of Trilo Bio, to talk about why 77% of biologists fail to reproduce their own experiments — and why…
Going Direct Conversations#66 Tom Chi: The Capitalist Case for Cleaning Up Industry
I sit down with Tom Chi, founder and general partner of At One Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage, deep tech companies focused on…
Going Direct Conversations#65 Jay Acunzo: Storytelling & Becoming Irreplaceable in the Age of AI
I sat down with Jay Acunzo, author, speaker, and storytelling consultant, to discuss how to matter more and make people care in a world drowning in mediocre…
Going Direct Conversations#64 Simon Owens: Business Of Content, $100 Billion Middlemen, & Future of Media
I sit down with Simon Owens, an independent media industry journalist and specialist on the business of content. Simon breaks down the “Ozempic Effect” in…
Going Direct Conversations#63 Duncan Young: Jobs Are Dead. Long Live The $10 Million Niche.
I sit down with Duncan Young to discuss an essay he recently published on Substack that went a bit viral: “Jobs are dead, long live the $10 million niche.”…
Going Direct Conversations#62 Brian Morrissey: The Great Decentralization of Media & New Media Energy
I sit down with Brian Morrissey, and independent journalist and the founder of The Rebooting, to discuss a recent piece he wrote called, “New Media Energy” and…
Going Direct Conversations#61 INSIDE GOING DIRECT: What, “Going Direct” Actually Means
I sit down with Rafik Kheffache, founder of Heliosand, for our first-ever in-person episode in Paris. This was a different kind of episode where Rafik asks me…
Going Direct Conversations#60 Aleks Gampel: America Needs High Quality, Affordable Homes
I sit back down with Aleks Gampel, the co-founder and COO of Cuby, to talk about why construction has become less productive over time, why skilled labor…
Going Direct Conversations#59 Will Fry: The Great Wealth Transfer And Saving Small Business Ownership in America
I sat down with Will Fry, founder and CEO of American Operator, to talk about one of the biggest questions in the U.S. economy: who will own the next…
Going Direct Conversations#58 Aaron Feigelman: A New Model for Food Distribution in America
I sit down with Aaron Feigelman, the head of food systems at Cultured Supply, to discuss the hidden monopoly of broadline food distributors and the need to…
Going Direct Conversations#57 Scott Porter: America Runs on This $80 Billion Industry
I sit down with Scott Porter, founder of Dynamic Green Products (DGP), to unpack an overlooked, unsexy corner of the real economy that literally keeps…
Going Direct Conversations#56 Andra Keay: 5 Ethical Laws of Robotics & The Future of Automation
I sit down with Andra Keay, a researcher on human-robot culture and head of Silicon Valley Robotics. We discuss the importance of ethical design in robotics…
Going Direct Conversations#55 Toby Shorin: Financialization & The Death Of Culture
I sit down with Toby Shorin, a researcher, writer, and technologist, to discuss his popular essay “Life After Lifestyle.” We dig into why the lifestyle brand…
Going Direct Conversations#54 Saman Farid: America Doesn’t Have a Robot Problem. It Has a Deployment Problem.
I sit down with Saman Farid, founder of Formic, to get real about what it takes to deploy industrial robots in practice. We go deep into robotics-as-a-service…
Going Direct Conversations#53 Jan Liphardt: The Battle Over Who Controls The Robots
I sit down with Jan Liphardt, founder of OpenMind and Stanford professor, to discuss an important question that will shape the future: who should control…
Going Direct Conversations#52 Meta Prime: Rebuilding The Social Structure in America
I sit down with Meta Prime, a writer and online network builder whose work I discovered on Substack. Meta Prime and I do a deep dive into a recent essay he…
Going Direct Conversations#51 Sam Lessin: A VC’s Take On Why Decentralization Is Inevitable
I sit down with Sam Lessin, Cofounder and General Partner at Slow Ventures, to unpack why he believes decentralization is inevitable. Sam is an original…
Going Direct Conversations#50 Onye Ahanotu: Reinventing The World’s Oldest Wine
I sit down with Onye Ahanotu, founder of Ikenga Wines, to unpack his wild idea of creating an entirely new beverage category in the U.S. Onye has invented a…
Going Direct Conversations#49 Oren Falkowitz: Moving The Farm, Not The Food
I sit down with Oren Falkowitz, co-founder and CEO of Area 2 Farms, to discuss how he’s working to fix America’s food system by building hyper-local…
Going Direct Conversations#48 Brett Bivens: Production Capital For The New Industrial Age
I sit down with Brett Bivens, an active angel investor and Research Partner at July Fund, a venture capital firm focused on backing new technologies that…
Going Direct Conversations#47 Andy Hunter: Anti-Amazon Tech Platform Reviving Independent Bookstores
I sit down with Andy Hunter, founder and CEO of Bookshop.org, to unpack how their e-commerce platform operates as one big affiliate network to support…
Going Direct Conversations#46 INSIDE GOING DIRECT: Diving Into Industrial Bio-manufacturing
I sit down with my co-host Reiss to break down different decentralized production models - 3D printing, mini-mills, upcycling, and bio-manufacturing - and dive…
Going Direct Conversations#45 Kary Bheemaiah: Robotics Hype vs. Reality
I sit down with Kary Bheemaiah, VP and Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Capgemini Invent, to unpack the real-world challenges behind next-generation…
Going Direct Conversations#44 Nic Radford: The Case For Industrial Humanoid Robots
I sit down with Nic Radford, co-founder & CEO of Persona, to discuss the current labor shortage in heavy industries, declining fertility rates, and how…
Going Direct Conversations#43 Chris Paxton & Michael Cho: Robopapers And Future Of Robot Learning
I sit down with Chris Paxton and Michael Cho, the hosts of the @RoboPapers podcast, to geek out on all things robotics. We dive deep into the massive data gap…
Going Direct Conversations#42 Alan Perlstein: Reinventing Chocolate Production
Description I sit down with Alan Perlstein, founder and CEO of California Cultured, to discuss how they are reinventing the chocolate supply chain from the…
Going Direct Conversations#41 Jenny Kan: Investing In The Future Of Bio-manufacturing
I sit down with scientist-turned-investor Jenny Kan, co-founder and general partner at Juniper VC, to talk about why bio-manufacturing is critical to making…
Going Direct ConversationsOctober 2025 Recap Show
Tiny and I break down the why life in America is starting to feel like Fee City — from exploding housing, healthcare, and education costs to the middlemen…
Going Direct Conversations#40 INSIDE GOING DIRECT: Building The Going Direct Economy
Reiss and I break down the 3 pillars that need to be built to decentralize the real economy. We discuss how AI, robotics, and the creator economy are all in…
Going Direct Conversations#39 Liz Muller: Micro Nuclear Energy Reactors; Powering The AI Boom
I sit down with Liz Muller, co-founder and CEO of Deep Fission, to discuss their underground micro nuclear reactors, decentralized energy, and solve the…
Going Direct Conversations#38 Karol Hausman & Kevin Black: Building A Brain For Any Robot | AI Eating The Physical World
I sit down with Karol Hausman and Kevin Black of Physical Intelligence (Pi) to unpack how they are building a general-purpose robot brain so any robot can…
Going Direct ConversationsSeptember 2025 Recap Show
Tiny and I discuss the main blockers to going direct at scale, why we must endure short-term pain for long-term gain, and highlight this past month’s video…
Going Direct Conversations#37 INSIDE GOING DIRECT: AI, Robotics, & Decentralizing Our Economy
Reiss and I discuss how over-centralization is hollowing out many of our local economies and sense of connection. We explore why rebuilding decentralized…
Going Direct Conversations#36 Gaurab Chakrabarti: Breaking the Chemicals Monopoly; Re-Industrializing America
I sit down with Gaurab Chakrabarti, co-founder & CEO of Solugen, to discuss how the company is building mini chemical plants across the U.S. — without…
Going Direct Conversations#35 IGD: Gen Z’s Fight Against Gatekeepers & Centralization
Jordan sits down with Reiss Jones to explore how centralization and decentralization shape our economies, cultures, and daily lives. From the food supply chain…
Going Direct Conversations#34 Jamie Gull: From SpaceX to VC; Investing In The Next Industrial Revolution
Jordan sits down with Jamie Gull, founder and solo GP of Wave Function Ventures, to explore investing across aerospace, energy, and robotics to drive the next…
Going Direct Conversations#33 INSIDE GOING DIRECT: Capitalism in America vs Europe - Part 2
Jordan sits down with Reiss Jones to discuss capitalism in America vs Europe. This is the second of a 2-part conversation where we discuss the European system…
Going Direct Conversations#32 Kuba Graczyk: 3D Printer Factories, AI & U.S. Shoe Production
Jordan sits down with Kuba Graczyk, founder & CEO of Koobz, to explore how AI, 3D printing, and automation are transforming footwear manufacturing. Kuba has…
Going Direct Conversations#31 Dimitry Gershenson - Non-Dilutive Funding for Entrepreneurs; Capitalism’s Role In Building The New Economy
Jordan sits down with Dimitry Gershenson, Co-Founder & CEO of Enduring Planet, to discuss the importance of non-dilutive funding for early-stage entrepreneurs…
Going Direct Conversations#30 INSIDE GOING DIRECT: Capitalism in America vs Europe - Part 1
Jordan sits down with Reiss to discuss capitalism in America vs Europe. This is part 1 of a 2-part conversation. They unpack: Why American capitalism feels…
Going Direct Conversations#29 Bernt Bornich: AI & Robots Solving General Labor; Humanoids In The Home
Jordan sits down with Bernt Bornich, founder & CEO of @1X-tech , to discuss how humanoid robots and AI will transform the way we work, produce, and live. Bernt…
Going Direct Conversations#28 Dr. Manan Shah — Surgeon-Turned-Founder Helping You Breathe Again
Jordan sits down with Dr. Manan Shah, ENT surgeon and co-founder of Wyndly, to talk about his radically more effective and direct approach to treating…
Going Direct Conversations#27 This Will Change How You See Capitalism Forever | Reiss Jones
Jordan sits down with Reiss for a deeper dives into the ideas behind Going Direct. Reiss is an inventor, technologist, and recent Thiel Fellow whose work is…
Going Direct Conversations#26 Joe Cross - From, ‘Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead’ To Building Nama Alongside Micro Creators
Jordan sits down with Joe Cross, a globally recognized nutrition advocate, thought leader, author and filmmaker who created a lifestyle revolution around the…
Going Direct Conversations#25 Luca Prosperi — Stablecoins Are The Cryptocurrency Set To Replace Banks
Jordan sits down with Luca Prosperi, founder of M0, a universal stablecoin platform. They dive deep into why Luca believes that everything in the future is a…
Going Direct Conversations#24 Alex Barrett: The Canadian Going After Corporate Health Care In the US
Jordan sits down with Alex Barrett, founder of Meroka, a company on a mission to rebuild independent medical care in the U.S. They are focused on helping…
Going Direct Conversations#23 Dr. Spencer Nadolsky: Doctor-Creator-CEO Bypassing The Healthcare Gatekeepers
Jordan sits down with Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, a physician, creator, and founder of Vineyard, a virtual clinic focused on obesity. They dive into America’s broken…