The Generalists

Raz Kotler & Michael Smith Jr.

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Technology
Updated twice weekly

The hosts Raz Kotler & Michael Smith Jr., interview people around how they arrived in Singapore, their careers, their personal journeys and how the concept of being a Generalist influences their life and career. All episodes currently filmed F2F in the Poddster Singapore studios.

4 days ago

Ice Bath Club & Blue Ocean Strategy (ep 94)

Andrew Collins, founder and CEO of The Ice Bath Club, joins The Generalists to discuss what it takes to build a category-defining business from Singapore. 🤝 Sponsored by https://TAP4SRV.com - Quickly find local Service Providers on WhatsApp! 🤝 After building and exiting a global sports media company, Andrew decided to start over in an industry he knew almost nothing about. The conversation explores why entrepreneurs need to relearn failure, how to build companies around value instead of money, why timing matters more than perfect planning, and how AI is fundamentally changing how companies should operate. Andrew also shares why every business should consider building its own operating system, how he's using Claude Code despite having no software engineering background, why community has become his competitive advantage, and how focus, category leadership, and disciplined execution have helped The Ice Bath Club expand rapidly across multiple markets. If you're building a startup, scaling a company, or trying to understand what AI-native businesses will look like over the next decade, this episode is packed with practical lessons from an entrepreneur building for the long term. 🔥 Watch Our Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_dknB50qM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eitqzpiqUs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJDZg3mr684 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H24ck-is5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW2bxHjUl-Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzdzT_L8zAw 🔔 Listen and Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4 • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-generalists/id1756861150 What You'll Learn: • Why building value always comes before chasing revenue. • How successful founders must relearn entrepreneurship after an exit. • Why accepting failure makes you move faster. • How serendipity has shaped Andrew's biggest business decisions. • Why AI lets every company build its own operating system. • How Andrew built internal software with Claude Code despite not being a developer. • Why owning your internal tooling creates long-term enterprise value. • The importance of category leadership over direct competition. • How to hire, retain, and reward exceptional talent. • Why focus and disciplined execution outperform constant opportunity chasing Links: • The Ice Bath Club: https://theicebathclub.com • Blue Ocean Strategy: https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/ • The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: https://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing/dp/0887306667 • The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding: https://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Branding/dp/0887309992 • Setting the Table (Danny Meyer): https://www.amazon.com/Setting-Table-Transforming-Hospitality-Business/dp/0060742763 • Unreasonable Hospitality: https://www.amazon.com/Unreasonable-Hospitality-Remarkable-Giving-People/dp/0593418573 • The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger): https://www.amazon.com/Ride-Lifetime-Lessons-Creative-Leadership/dp/0593134109 • Shoe Dog (Phil Knight): https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-NIKE/dp/1501135910 • Daily Provisions: https://www.dailyprovisionsnyc.com/ • Claude Code: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code • Modern Wisdom Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernWisdomPodcast #IceBathClub #BlueOceanStrategy #FounderMindset
30 Jun

Hard Truths from an Indonesian in the Startup Scene (ep 93)

Owen Kosman, co-founder and CTO of Standard Form, joins The Generalists to talk about building AI-era healthcare software, why physician scheduling is still run on spreadsheets, and why San Francisco remains the center of gravity for ambitious software founders. 🤝 Sponsored by https://TAP4SRV.com - Quickly find local Service Providers on WhatsApp! 🤝 https://youtu.be/0H24ck-is5Y In this episode, Owen shares how growing up in Indonesia, studying in Singapore and Oxford, and building in London shaped the way he thinks about risk, opportunity, and entrepreneurship. The conversation explores why he is building for the US healthcare market, what makes hospital scheduling such a hard technical and trust problem, and why AI tools like Claude Code are changing how small teams build software. Owen also reflects on San Francisco hacker houses, the culture of giving first, the difference between startup scenes in the US, UK, and Indonesia, and why Indonesian founders need to think clearly about purchasing power, real customer needs, and what kind of businesses actually fit the market. 🔥 Watch Our Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_dknB50qM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eitqzpiqUs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJDZg3mr684 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H24ck-is5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW2bxHjUl-Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzdzT_L8zAw 🔔 Listen and Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4 • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-generalists/id1756861150 What You’ll Learn • Why San Francisco is still the world’s startup epicenter in the AI era • How Claude Code enables two founders to build like a much larger team • Why trust, not just code, is the biggest moat in healthcare AI • How physician scheduling still relies on Excel inside many hospitals • The rise of hacker houses and why founders are flocking to them • Why Owen chose to build for the US instead of Indonesia • The realities of building a startup as an Indonesian founder abroad • Why Indonesia’s 300 million population doesn’t automatically create a software market • Whether AI is changing the need for venture capital and large startup teams • Owen’s advice for young Indonesian founders on curiosity, ambition, and building globally 👤👤 Hosts • Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/ • Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/ 👤 Guest • Owen Kosman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owenkosman/ 🔗 Resources • Standard Form: https://www.heystandard.com/ • Creative Selection by Ken Kocienda: https://creativeselection.io/ • The Way to Love by Anthony de Mello: https://www.amazon.com/Way-Love-Meditations-Anthony-Mello/dp/038524939X • Claude Code: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code • Cursor: https://cursor.com/ • Corgi: https://www.corgi.insure/ #AIAgents #HealthcareStartups #GeneralistFounder
26 Jun

Nansen Gives Every Employee Their Own AI Agent (ep 92)

Alex Svanevik, co-founder and CEO of Nansen⁠, joins The Generalists to talk about agentic finance, AI-native companies, autonomous trading agents, crypto infrastructure, and why he believes every asset will eventually move on-chain. 🤝 Sponsored by https://TAP4SRV.com - Quickly find local Service Providers on WhatsApp! 🤝 In this episode, Alex explains how Nansen has evolved from an on-chain analytics platform into a full trading ecosystem powered by AI agents. He shares how the company deployed more than 75 internal AI agents, why every employee now works alongside AI teammates, and what they’ve learned from spending billions of tokens per employee each month. 🔔 Listen and Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4 • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-generalists/id1762807842 What You’ll Learn • Why Nansen deployed more AI agents than employees • How AI-native companies are changing the way work gets done • What agentic trading is and why it could reshape investing • Why Alex believes every asset will eventually move on-chain • How model routing helps balance cost, speed, and intelligence • The difference between algorithmic trading bots and inference-based AI agents • Why retail investors may benefit more from AI than institutions • The concept of the “experience tax” and how it slows AI adoption • Why young workers may have an advantage in the AI era • How to build quality gates that prevent AI-generated slop • What separates AI-native organizations from companies simply using AI tools • Why culture matters more than technology during AI transformations • How Nansen measures AI adoption across the company • Why remote-first companies may have an advantage in the age of agents • The emergence of a K-shaped workforce driven by AI 👤 Guest • Alex Svanevik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asvanevik/ 👤👤 Hosts • Michael Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/ • Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/ 📚 Resources • Nansen: https://www.nansen.ai • Anthropic Claude: https://www.anthropic.com • AWS Bedrock: https://aws.amazon.com/bedrock/ • Hyperliquid: https://hyperliquid.xyz • MoonPay: https://www.moonpay.com • MetaMask: https://metamask.io • Phantom: https://phantom.app • Solana: https://solana.com • OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai/ • Fridtjof Nansen: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fridtjof-Nansen
23 Jun

AI Doesn't Replace Builders. It Amplifies Them. (ep 91)

Ajey Gore, former Group CTO of Gojek, reveals why AI doesn't replace builders — it amplifies them. In this episode of The Generalists, Ajey breaks down why generalists will outperform specialists in an AI-first world, the rise of AI coding agents, and the dangerous trap of "vibe coding" without engineering fundamentals. 🤝 Sponsored by TAP4SRV — Quickly find local Service Providers on WhatsApp: https://TAP4SRV.com Drawing from his experience scaling Gojek through hypergrowth and advising startups as Operating Partner (Technology) at Peak XV Partners, Ajey explains why the next generation of builders needs product sense, business fluency, and AI literacy — not narrow specialization. He also shares why complacency is becoming the biggest career risk, how Southeast Asian founders can build global products, and why building intuition may be the single most important skill in the age of AI. The conversation covers Ajey's current focus on family, self-discovery, mental health initiatives, and opensource projects — a rare, candid look at what comes after leading one of Southeast Asia's most iconic engineering organizations. 🔔 Listen & Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4 • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists/id1764435934 🔥 Watch Our Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_dknB50qM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eitqzpiqUs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJDZg3mr684 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H24ck-is5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW2bxHjUl-Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzdzT_L8zAw 👤👤 Hosts • Michael Smith: linkedin.com/in/smittysgp • Raz Kotler: linkedin.com/in/razkotler 👤 Guest • Ajey Gore: linkedin.com/in/ajeygore | ajeygore.in 📚 Resources • Peak XV Partners: peakxv.com • Gojek: gojek.com • NUS Enterprise: enterprise.nus.edu.sg • Hello Ally: helloally.io • Claw Station: clawstation.ai #Generalist #AI #Gojek
12 Jun

Is AI a Bubble? WEKA's Chief AI Officer Answers (ep 90)

Val Bercovici, Chief AI Officer at WEKA, breaks down agentic AI, AI infrastructure, and why DeepSeek changed the economics of artificial intelligence. If you're building in AI, the bottleneck isn't compute anymore — it's memory. 🤝 Sponsored by ⁠⁠https://TAP4SRV.com⁠⁠ - Quickly find local Service Providers on WhatsApp! 🤝 In this episode, Val explains why AI is not a bubble despite the capital flood, how agentic systems differ from chatbots, and why KV cache has become the silent bottleneck killing AI performance at scale. The conversation spans AI memory architecture, cybersecurity AI agents, AI factories, token economics, model routing, and the infrastructure race between hyperscalers and challengers like DeepSeek. Val also shares contrarian takes on government regulation, why software development is about to be unrecognizable, and the one shift every founder needs to make: execution is getting cheaper, but imagination is becoming the scarcest resource in AI. 🔔 Listen and Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4 • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists 📖 What You’ll Learn • Why Val believes AI is not a bubble despite unprecedented capital spending • How modern AI agents differ from traditional chatbot experiences • What KV cache is and why memory has become AI’s biggest bottleneck • Why DeepSeek has earned so much respect from AI researchers and engineers • How model routing is changing the economics of AI applications • Why token costs are falling while overall AI demand continues to explode • How cybersecurity teams should prepare for AI-powered attacks • What AI factories and token warehousing mean in practice • Why memory infrastructure may become more important than raw compute power • How Claude Code, Codex, Hermes, and other coding agents compare • Why guardrails are becoming critical for autonomous AI systems • How governments should think about AI regulation and governance • Why AI is removing tasks rather than entire jobs • Why founders should focus on ideas as execution becomes cheaper • Why the next few years of AI progress may be impossible to predict 🔥 Watch Our Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_dknB50qM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eitqzpiqUs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJDZg3mr684 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H24ck-is5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW2bxHjUl-Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzdzT_L8zAw 👤👤 Hosts • Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/ • Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/ 👤 Guest • Val Bercovici: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentinbercovici/ 🔗 Links and Resources • WEKA: https://www.weka.io/ • OpenRouter: https://openrouter.ai/ • SemiAnalysis: https://semianalysis.com/ • TBPN: https://www.tbpn.com/ • DeepSeek: https://www.deepseek.com/ • Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/ • OpenAI: https://openai.com/ • Claude Code: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code • Codex: https://openai.com/codex/ • NVIDIA: https://www.nvidia.com/ • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure: https://www.oracle.com/cloud/
5 Jun

Supabase, SoftBank & Asia's Power Shift (ep 89)

GNA 5 is back with another Asia-focused breakdown of the biggest stories in AI, chips, developer platforms, semiconductors, capital markets, and startup geopolitics. 🤝 Sponsored by https://TAP4SRV.com - Quickly find local Service Providers on WhatsApp! 🤝 📖 What We Cover • Supabase’s $500M raise, GIC’s lead role, and why employee liquidity may become a startup hiring advantage • SoftBank overtaking Toyota and what it says about Japan’s shift from car manufacturing to AI infrastructure • Samsung, SK hynix, HBM memory, and why Korea’s AI chip boom is creating new wealth-sharing debates • NVIDIA doubling down on Taiwan despite the geopolitical risk around chips, TSMC, and China • DeepSeek’s $7.4B raise, founder ownership, state capital, and why it now looks more like a national AI asset than a startup • Shadow AI, open-source model risk, package risk, and why some teams may isolate Chinese models before testing them • Huawei’s push to reduce dependence on ASML and why lithography remains one of the hardest parts of the chip stack • China’s tightening controls on AI talent, algorithms, travel, IP, and startup exits after the Manus situation • AI chip smuggling and why physical demand for chips makes the “AI bubble” argument harder to defend • ByteDance, China AI pricing, and why AI companies may need to shift from SaaS subscriptions to consumption pricing • Twilio, outcome-based pricing, and why AI-era software may need new pricing models • Airwallex, China engineering optics, US market trust, and what founders should think about when building global companies from Asia 👤👤 Anchors • Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/ • Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/ 🔔 Listen and Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4 • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists 🔗 Resources and Links • Supabase: https://supabase.com • GIC: https://www.gic.com.sg • SoftBank Group: https://group.softbank/en • Arm: https://www.arm.com • OpenAI: https://openai.com • Samsung: https://www.samsung.com • SK hynix: https://www.skhynix.com • NVIDIA: https://www.nvidia.com • TSMC: https://www.tsmc.com • DeepSeek: https://www.deepseek.com • Tencent: https://www.tencent.com • Huawei: https://www.huawei.com • ASML: https://www.asml.com • Twilio: https://www.twilio.com • Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com • Stripe: https://stripe.com • SuperAI: https://www.superai.com
1 Jun

Recover Like an Athlete, Decide Like a CEO (ep 88)

Chris McUtchen joins Thrive Episode 1, a new series from The Generalists exploring how ambitious people can perform sustainably across Health, Money, Time, and Relationships. 🤝 Sponsored by https://TAP4SRV.com - Quickly find local Service Providers on WhatsApp! 🤝 Chris has spent years working with executives, founders, athletes, and leadership teams on human performance. In this conversation, he explains why modern professionals should think of themselves as corporate athletes, why most companies focus on performance but ignore recovery, and why long-term success depends on managing energy rather than simply managing time. In this first episode of Thrive, Michael Smith Jr. sits down with Chris McCutchen to explore sustainable performance in work and life. The conversation covers the corporate athlete framework, behavior change, habits, purpose, energy management, family relationships, founder resilience, gratitude, and why many successful people still struggle to feel fulfilled. Chris shares practical lessons from decades spent helping leaders perform at a high level without burning out. 🔔 Listen and Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4 • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists 📖 What You'll Learn • Why executives should think of themselves as corporate athletes • The biggest differences between athletes and corporate professionals • Why most professionals spend too much time performing and too little time training • How sustainable performance differs from short-term success • The four dimensions of human performance • Why energy management matters more than time management • How habits are formed and why most behavior change fails • The role purpose plays in building lasting motivation • Why founders need recovery as much as execution • How burnout slowly develops in high performers • Why gratitude can improve resilience and perspective • The difference between being busy and being productive • How to stay connected with family while managing a demanding career • The power of active listening in relationships • Why authenticity becomes more important as you get older • What it means to "live wide" rather than simply live long 🔥Watch Our Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_dknB50qM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eitqzpiqUs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJDZg3mr684 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H24ck-is5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW2bxHjUl-Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzdzT_L8zAw 👤 Host • Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/ 👤 Guest • Chris McUtchen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-mcutchen/ 📚 Books & Recommendations • Black Box Thinking: https://www.amazon.sg/Black-Box-Thinking-People-Mistakes-But/dp/1591848229 • Rebel Ideas: https://www.amazon.sg/Rebel-Ideas-Power-Diverse-Thinking/dp/1250769914 • Antifragile: https://www.amazon.sg/Antifragile-Things-that-Gain-Disorder/dp/0141038225 • Awe: https://www.amazon.sg/Awe-Science-Everyday-Wonder-Transform/dp/1984879685 #Burnout #BurnoutRecovery #StressManagement
25 May

Nir Eyal Live: Beyond Belief in Singapore (ep 87)

Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Hooked, Indistractable, and Beyond Belief, joins The Generalists live in Singapore to talk about why beliefs shape what we see, feel, and do, why motivation is not just about willpower, and how limiting beliefs can quietly stop people from doing the things they already know they should do. 🤝 Sponsored by https://TAP4SRV.com - Quickly find local Service Providers on WhatsApp! 🤝 In this live episode, Nir explains the core idea behind Beyond Belief: the biggest obstacle is often not information, discipline, intelligence, or resources, but the beliefs that determine whether we persist or quit. The conversation explores the motivation triangle, why people fail to act on advice they already understand, how beliefs shape perception, why entrepreneurs see opportunities others miss, and why positive thinking or manifesting can actually backfire. 🔔 Listen and Subscribe • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistsPodcast • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2apfGY403NGr1EyTNkJfG4 • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/the-generalists 📖 What You’ll Learn • Why Nir believes the real bottleneck is often belief, not information or discipline • How Beyond Belief grew out of people reading Indistractable but not applying it • Why people often fail to do what they already know they should do • How the motivation triangle connects behavior, benefit, and belief • Why persistence matters more than intelligence, resources, or raw willpower • How beliefs shape what we see, what we feel, and what we are able to do • Why the rat persistence study reveals how quickly people can quit too early • Why entrepreneurs often see opportunities that other people miss • How beliefs filter reality through predictive processing • Why lucky people and unlucky people can experience the same world differently • Why manifesting and positive thinking can become harmful when they replace action • How athletes actually use visualization by preparing for obstacles • Why pain is data but suffering is interpretation • How Nir reframed ADHD from a limiting belief into a liberating belief • Why beliefs should be treated as tools, not truths • How prayer can have psychological benefits even when someone has doubts about faith 👤👤 Hosts • Michael Smith Jr.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smittysgp/ • Raz Kotler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razkotler/ 👤 Guest • https://www.linkedin.com/in/nireyal/ 🔗 Links and Resources • Nir Eyal: https://www.nirandfar.com/ • Beyond Belief: http://geni.us/beyondbelief • Indistractable: http://geni.us/Indistractable • Hooked: http://geni.us/hooked • Instagram: http://instagram.com/nireyal • Free Belief Guide: http://www.nirandfar.com/beyond-belief-live • Bonus Book Content: http://nirandfar.com/beyond-belief

The hosts Raz Kotler & Michael Smith Jr., interview people around how they arrived in Singapore, their careers, their personal journeys and how the concept of being a Generalist influences their life and career. All episodes currently filmed F2F in the Poddster Singapore studios.

Creator

Raz Kotler & Michael Smith Jr.
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

94
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2024
Show Website

The Generalists

Technology

Technology

Updated weekly
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