In a powerful new episode of the Moonshots podcast, Peter Diamandis is joined by futurist Salim Ismail (OpenExO) and AI venture capitalist Dave Blundin (Link Ventures) to explore how AI is reshaping entrepreneurship, industry, and human potential. With humor, insight, and urgency, the trio breaks down the most pressing technological shifts and investment opportunities of 2025.
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Here’s a thorough breakdown of the major areas of discussion.
🚀 00:00 – AI’s Impact on Startup Growth
Startups today are reaching billion-dollar valuations faster than ever, thanks to AI. In just the first half of 2025, 36 new AI unicorns have emerged. Speed to revenue has also accelerated:
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Time to $1M ARR has dropped from 16 months to just 5.
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Time to $5M ARR is now around 13 months: down from over 40.
This transformation isn’t just about valuation. Start-ups are becoming stable and cashflow-positive earlier. AI is also enabling smaller teams to do more. As Dave Blundin notes, “Startups today are built by 30 – 50 people, not 200, and they’re more productive than ever.”
💸 11:08 – Navigating Investment Opportunities in AI
The trio discusses how investors can get in early. While access to giants like OpenAI or Anthropic is limited, Dave Blundin recommends investing in seed-stage funds that offer pro-rata rights to later-stage rounds.
For everyday investors:
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Identify a domain you know well, then back early-stage AI startups in that space.
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Join networks or funds with inside access to emerging companies.
There’s also a cultural shift: “Vibe valuations” (backing promising AI startups without traditional financials) are replacing old metrics. Blundin warns, “We can’t keep up with our pro-rata rights anymore as the growth is that fast.”
🤖 16:45 – The Future of AI Models and Technologies
The release of Grok 4 and the anticipation of GPT-5 signal a leap in AI capability.
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Grok 4 scores 35% on “Humanity’s Last Exam” that is a brutal test across 100 subjects.
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With its reasoning module, Grok scores 45%, outperforming most competitors.
But there’s nuance. Salim Ismail argues that “reasoning” in AI is often just iterative refinement, not real human creativity. Still, he and Diamandis agree that tools like Grok are evolving into something akin to Iron Man’s Jarvis: powerful assistants that can accelerate design, coding, and scientific discovery.
⚡ 33:46 – The State of AI Infrastructure and Power Needs
The demand for AI compute has grown so fast that power, not chips, is becoming the bottleneck. Elon Musk’s X.AI is building out data centers powered by private gas turbines and aims to run 1 million GPUs by year’s end.
Peter calls it “first-principles thinking.” Rather than wait for government permits or public utilities, Musk bought an entire power plant.
Expect to see:
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Energy startups (especially geothermal)
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Private power sourcing
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Real estate around AI compute hubs
become the next frontier for investors.
👶 44:59 – The Rise of Young Entrepreneurs
Thanks to AI tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT, teenagers are launching billion-dollar companies.
Blundin’s firm, Link Ventures, backed Mercor, founded by an 18-year-old. It’s now valued at over $2 billion and that may soon 5x. Most successful founders in this space are now 20 – 23 years old, not 30 – 40.
Why?
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No legacy systems or reputational baggage.
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Native to digital tools and AI workflows.
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Able to build fast with small teams and vibe.
🧠 50:58 – The Talent War in AI
The top AI labs: OpenAI, Meta, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind, are locked in a brutal fight for elite talent.
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Meta has reportedly offered $100M+ compensation packages.
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One rumored candidate turned down $1 billion.
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OpenAI spent $4.4 billion on talent compensation, that is more than compute costs.
Founders and engineers who can optimize training runs, avoid bugs, or improve model efficiency are now some of the most valuable individuals on the planet.
🌐 58:41 – Superintelligence: The Next Frontier
The AI conversation is shifting from AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) to ASI (Artificial Superintelligence). But what does ASI mean?
Peter offers a working definition:
“An AI system smarter than any human in everything.”
Dave and Salim agree we’re already seeing superhuman performance in narrow domains:
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Language translation
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Protein folding
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Data synthesis
Still, “true” ASI remains undefined and that’s part of the challenge. For now, the sweet spot may be where AI excels at tasks humans struggle with, without replacing human creativity.
🎵 01:07:35 – The Rise of AI Music and Virtual Bands
In a lighter segment, the hosts explore how AI is reinventing music. From creating new genres to launching virtual bands, AI-generated art is exploding.
Expect:
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Personalized theme songs
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AI artists with millions of followers
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Real-time remixing based on user mood or biometrics
Virtual entertainment is becoming more interactive, more customizable and more human.
💼 01:15:08 – Job Displacement and AI’s Impact on Employment
AI is eliminating some jobs while empowering others. As Dave says, “The people who win in this new era aren’t the strongest or smartest, but the fastest to adapt.”
Advice for workers:
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Upskill constantly.
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Learn how to use AI as a collaborator.
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Lean into creativity, emotional intelligence, and decision-making.
Salim suggests a future where an AI assistant manages your schedule, wardrobe, vacations, even surprise-and-delight gifts. That is freeing humans to focus on higher-level purpose.
🧬 01:24:24 – Breakthroughs in Brain-Computer Interfaces
BCI is accelerating. Peter shares the impact of AI in analyzing MRIs, offering insights within seconds versus weeks. The group discusses how brain-computer interfaces could help:
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Restore lost function
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Enhance cognition
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Interface directly with AIs
It’s one of the most promising paths toward human-AI symbiosis.
🦾 01:32:41 – Humanoid Robots and Future Innovations
The future of robots isn’t just automation, it’s embodiment. Expect humanoid robots to become:
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Home assistants
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Factory workers
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Scientific collaborators
Musk’s Tesla Bot and other humanoid designs may pair with AI brains like Grok or GPT-5, unlocking real-world agency. The trio suggests we’re in a pre-industrial phase of a robotic revolution that will fundamentally redefine work and daily life.
🔚 Final Thoughts
This episode of Moonshots reminds us that the future is arriving faster than expected. AI is more than a tool: it’s a force multiplier for every industry, every entrepreneur, and every ambitious human being.
“This is the biggest wealth creation moment in modern history,” Diamandis concludes.
“And it’s just beginning.”