#827: Pablos Holman — One of The Scariest Hackers I’ve Ever Met

Overview

This episode dives into the mind of Pablos Holman, a renowned hacker, inventor, and deep tech advocate. The conversation explores the hacker mindset, groundbreaking technologies, the future of energy and shipping, and the philosophy behind innovation. Pablos shares his journey from hacking to deep tech investing, emphasizing the importance of tackling humanity's biggest challenges with bold, unconventional ideas.

Notable Quotes

- You can't invent a new technology by reading the directions. – Pablos Holman, on the hacker mindset.

- Solve energy first. If you get nuclear reactors, you solve a lot of other problems for free. – Pablos Holman, on prioritizing global challenges.

- Be open to things that sound like complete bullshit but aren’t. – Pablos Holman, on the philosophy of innovation.

🧠 The Hacker Mindset

- Pablos defines a hacker as someone who asks, What can I make this do? rather than What does this do?

- His early years in Alaska, reverse-engineering an Apple II computer, shaped his approach to problem-solving through breaking and rebuilding.

- Hackers thrive on puzzles and creativity, often focusing on unconventional applications of technology.

- Pablos advocates for hackers to move beyond computer security and tackle larger global problems.

⚛️ The Future of Energy: Nuclear and Beyond

- Pablos highlights nuclear energy as the most critical lever for solving global energy challenges.

- He discusses innovative nuclear reactor designs, including borehole reactors that are safe, scalable, and cost-effective.

- The U.S. lags behind China in nuclear deployment, but recent regulatory changes are accelerating progress.

- He critiques the inefficiency of current energy practices, such as recycling powered by fossil fuels, and emphasizes the need for logical sequencing in solving problems.

🚢 Autonomous Shipping and Deep Tech Opportunities

- Pablos envisions a future of autonomous, wind-powered cargo ships that eliminate the need for fuel and crews.

- He critiques the shipping industry's resistance to innovation, comparing it to the taxi industry's initial opposition to Uber.

- Deep tech investing focuses on technologies with 10x improvements over the status quo, targeting trillion-dollar industries like energy, shipping, and manufacturing.

- Pablos emphasizes the importance of pairing inventors with entrepreneurs to commercialize groundbreaking ideas.

🌍 Geopolitics, AI, and China

- Pablos contrasts the U.S. and China, noting China's engineering-driven leadership and rapid implementation of technologies.

- He praises China's achievements in poverty reduction and infrastructure but critiques its lack of support for creative, renegade thinkers.

- AI is transforming decision-making, with countries like the UAE using AI to optimize legislation. Pablos sees this as a model for improving governance globally.

💃 Salsa, Aikido, and the Philosophy of Play

- Pablos shares how salsa dancing became a creative outlet and a way to connect with diverse communities.

- He compares salsa to Aikido, emphasizing physical communication and improvisation.

- His approach to learning salsa mirrors his hacker mindset: trial and error, discarding what doesn’t work, and creating a unique style.

- Dance serves as a metaphor for his broader philosophy of exploration and adaptability.