Divot

Derek Andersen

Divot brings you weekly conversations with the people building the future—founders, creators, athletes, and visionaries pushing the limits of business, technology, sports, and entertainment. We go beyond success stories to explore the real moments that define a journey—the risks, the failures, the breakthroughs, and the lessons that can help you on your path. Stories of people making their mark, and how you can too. New episodes every Wednesday. #DivotPodcast #Business #Tech #Sports #Entertainment #Innovation

  1. 4d ago

    Blackbox AI’s Bet: Cheaper AI Without Giving Up Privacy

    Robert and Richard Rizk co-founded Blackbox AI with their brother Roger, taking a coding search engine into enterprise AI infrastructure. The engineers are tackling a problem bigger than model intelligence: how to make AI affordable without giving up control of sensitive data. Their approach combines open-weight models, encrypted inference, and more efficient use of NVIDIA GPUs at scale. In this episode with Derek Andersen, the brothers explain why the cheapest AI endpoint can carry risks beyond its price, how hosting changes the privacy equation for DeepSeek, and why open-weight models can coexist with OpenAI. They also break down the difference between zero data retention and encryption, and how generating more tokens from the same GPU could unlock wider AI adoption throughout the enterprise. The conversation goes deeper than technology. Robert and Richard reveal how three brothers turn trust and disagreement into an advantage, why Navy SEAL discipline inspires their culture, and how they approach problems others avoid. Their lesson for founders: choose work worth doing, then tackle the hardest parts one step at a time. Follow BlackBox.ai - X (Twitter): https://x.com/blackboxaiFollow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen Episode Partners:Google for StartupsIf you’re building a company, join Google Cloud and the DeepMind team on November 4 and 5 for a briefing on Gemini 4 Argon, exploring what it could make possible for your business and how to start building with it. Includes live Q&A. Register your interest at https://goo.gle/gemini4_briefing Timestamps:01:05 — AI Inference: Why More Tokens per GPU Matter04:08 — Open vs. Closed AI: Why Businesses Want Both09:54 — DeepSeek and Data Privacy: Where Your AI Runs Matters18:43 — Encrypted AI vs. Zero Data Retention: What’s the Difference?25:40 — NVIDIA GPUs: Lowering AI Costs Without Adding Hardware31:06 — Why Smarter Models Still Need Better Infrastructure38:01 — Three Brothers, One Company: The Blackbox Origin Story43:14 — How Trust and Disagreement Help Founders Move Faster47:00 — The Navy SEAL Mindset Behind Blackbox’s Culture01:01:28 — Overcoming Hard Problems: One Decision at a Time Follow Divot:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivotpodX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg Hashtags:#BlackboxAI #AIInference #AIPrivacy #NVIDIA #DeepSeek #OpenAI #AISecurity #OpenWeightModels #AIInfrastructure #StartupFounders #DivotPodcast

    Blackbox AI’s Bet: Cheaper AI Without Giving Up Privacy

  2. Oct 21

    The $1B Startup Betting on Software’s Next Users: AI Agents

    Ivan Burazin is the co-founder and CEO of Daytona, the AI infrastructure company building computers for AI agents. His 16-person engineering team rebuilt its product with a radical rule: no manually written code. With engineers directing up to 15 agents at once, he offers a firsthand look at the future of software development, where human judgment matters more than typing every line. In this episode with Derek Andersen, Ivan makes a bold case: the next software revolution will be built for agents, not humans. He explains why SaaS could become infrastructure, how AI agents explore multiple paths in parallel, and why GPU access can become a financing problem. His challenge to startup founders: look beyond adding a chatbot and rethink who your software is built to serve. The conversation goes deeper than technology. Ivan explores why AI could widen inequality, why founders delay hard decisions, and why human relationships still matter. From his repeated failures to his gratitude for family, he shares a different measure of success. It is not about feeling happy every day, but about ending it content that you did something difficult, meaningful, and worth the effort. Follow Ivan - X (Twitter): https://x.com/ivanburazinFollow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen Episode Partners:Google for StartupsIf you’re building a company, join Google Cloud and the DeepMind team on November 4 and 5 for a briefing on Gemini 4 Argon, exploring what it could make possible for your business and how to start building with it. Includes live Q&A. Register your interest at https://goo.gle/gemini4_briefing Timestamps:01:49 — AI Agents vs. Chatbots: What’s the Difference?06:09 — Why Daytona’s Engineers Stopped Writing Code11:49 — How Many AI Agents Can One Person Manage?18:22 — Inside Daytona: Giving AI Agents a Computer21:07 — The AI “Multiverse”: Testing Multiple Paths at Once23:45 — Why AI Infrastructure Needs Split-Second Speed26:25 — Build for AI Agents, Not Just Humans28:43 — Salesforce and the Future of SaaS34:59 — Inside the GPU Wars: The Cost of Scaling AI45:04 — AI’s Biggest Risk? The Widening Divide49:10 — Why Ivan Moved to San Francisco for AI56:49 — Hard Decisions, Resilience, and Defining Success Follow Divot:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivotpodX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg Hashtags:#AI #Superintelligence #IvanBurazin #Daytona #ArtificialIntelligence #SoftwareEngineering #SoftwareDevelopment #AIAgents #AIInfrastructure #Entrepreneurship #FutureOfSoftware #FutureOfWork #DerekAndersen #DivotPodcast

    The $1B Startup Betting on Software’s Next Users: AI Agents

  3. Oct 14

    Ex-Facebook Engineer & Former Dropbox CTO: Is the Superintelligence Era Here?

    Aditya Agarwal helped build early Facebook and scaled Dropbox’s engineering team from 25 to 1,000. The former Dropbox CTO is now a General Partner at South Park Commons, a venture firm with $2 billion in assets under management whose portfolio includes Baseten, valued at $13 billion in June 2026. His career spans the rise of social media, cloud software, and now artificial intelligence. In this episode with Derek Andersen, Aditya makes a bold case: the superintelligence era is already here. He explains why AI is reshaping software engineering, recalls a 15-second AI diagnosis he estimates would have taken him hours, and reveals why coding alone is no longer enough. As Big Tech builds the infrastructure, he sees an extraordinary opening for small teams with ambitious ideas. The conversation goes deeper than technology. Aditya challenges founders to stop following predictable paths and give their biggest ideas room to grow. From early Facebook to the lessons of building startups, he explores curiosity, patience, and the courage to begin without every answer. His message is a challenge to every builder: don’t let what you’ve already achieved limit what you dare to attempt next. Follow Aditya - X (Twitter): https://x.com/adityaagFollow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen Episode Partners:Google for StartupsIf you’re building applications with generative media or considering it, Google just released a brand-new technical guide. You can download it at https://goo.gle/genmediaguide Timestamps:06:27 — From Oracle to Facebook: Betting on the Unknown17:23 — Why Contrarian Startup Ideas Face Rejection18:58 — South Park Commons: Finding What’s Worth Building29:41 — AI Is Changing the Value of Coding33:15 — The 15-Second AI Diagnosis That Surprised a CTO37:15 — Why the AI Revolution Is Still Early39:43 — Why He Believes Superintelligence Is Already Here40:39 — Can Small AI Startups Compete With Big Tech?42:08 — AI Safety: Can We Really Slow Down?45:26 — Imposter Syndrome: Learning Beats Knowing46:37 — Beyond Success: What Actually Matters Follow Divot:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivotpodX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg Hashtags:#AI #Superintelligence #AdityaAgarwal #Facebook #Dropbox #ArtificialIntelligence #SoftwareEngineering #AIStartups #SouthParkCommons #SiliconValley #Entrepreneurship #StartupFounders #FutureOfWork #DerekAndersen #DivotPodcast

    Ex-Facebook Engineer & Former Dropbox CTO: Is the Superintelligence Era Here?

  4. Sep 23

    Steve Young: Why Super Bowls Don’t Define His Legacy & How He Measures a Successful Life

    Steve Young is a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, two-time NFL MVP, and Super Bowl MVP who threw six touchdown passes to lead the San Francisco 49ers to victory in Super Bowl XXIX. From eighth on BYU’s quarterback depth chart to the NFL’s biggest stage, he built a career under extraordinary pressure. His book, The Law of Love, explores what success means beyond the scoreboard. In this episode with Derek Andersen, Steve reveals what Bill Walsh understood about building winning teams: talent and strategy need trust, love, and accountability. He explains why great players struggle in broken cultures, how chasing credit damages relationships, and why facing hard things helped him grow. He also shares his father’s blunt response when he wanted to quit BYU. The conversation goes deeper than football. Steve admits he spent much of his life believing worry was the price of success, and explains why he is now questioning that belief. Through his reflections on faith, selfless love, and the fear of failure, a different measure of greatness emerges: the healing you bring to others, and the person you become when there is no credit to claim. Follow Steve - X (Twitter): https://x.com/SteveYoungQBFollow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen Episode Partners:Google for StartupsIf you’re building applications with generative media or considering it, Google just released a brand-new technical guide. You can download it at https://goo.gle/genmediaguide Timestamps:06:59 — Why Great Players Lose in Broken Cultures10:29 — Bill Walsh’s Formula for Building Winning Teams19:31 — Staying Grounded Through Fame, Money, and Power24:03 — Why Steve Young Almost Quit BYU31:07 — The Law of Love: Caring Without Keeping Score38:41 — Practicing Selfless Love When Patience Runs Out47:45 — The Childhood Failure That Taught Him Resilience50:17 — Why Fear of Failure Isn’t the Price of Success54:37 — The Legacy Steve Young Values More Than Trophies1:00:06 — Facing Hard Things: Why Steve Young Chooses to Lean In Follow Divot:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivotpodX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg Hashtags:#SteveYoung #SanFrancisco49ers #NFL #BillWalsh #TheLawOfLove #Leadership #TeamCulture #FearOfFailure #Resilience #SelflessLove #PersonalGrowth #Legacy #DerekAndersen #DivotPodcast

    Steve Young: Why Super Bowls Don’t Define His Legacy & How He Measures a Successful Life

  5. Sep 16

    How Google X Makes Radical Innovation Repeatable by Rewarding Intelligent Failure

    Astro Teller is the entrepreneur, AI scientist, and Captain of Moonshots who has led X, Alphabet’s moonshot factory, for more than 15 years. Under his leadership, X helped incubate Google Brain, Waymo, Wing, and Verily, breakthroughs spanning artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, drone delivery, and precision health. In 2026, Waymo alone raised $16 billion at a $126 billion valuation. In this episode with Derek Andersen, Astro explains how X makes radical innovation repeatable. Teams brainstorm deliberately terrible ideas to unlock creativity, pursue opportunities with only a 1% chance of success, and attack the hardest assumptions before wasting years on comfortable progress. The goal is not to win every bet. It is to build an intellectually honest process that consistently turns uncertainty into learning. The conversation goes deeper into why innovators must detach identity from outcomes. Astro reveals when to kill a promising project, how Loon’s shutdown created the “moonshot compost” that became Taara, and why the ideas nobody cares about today may become technologies everyone chases in 15 years. His challenge to leaders is radical: reward intelligent failure, stop confusing progress with learning, and become a card counter of innovation. Follow Astro Teller - X (Twitter): https://x.com/astrotellerFollow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen Episode Partners:Google for StartupsIf you’re building applications with generative media or considering it, Google just released a brand-new technical guide. You can download it at https://goo.gle/genmediaguide Timestamps:02:03 — Why Bad Ideas Unlock Breakthrough Creativity08:55 — Why Great Innovators Ignore What Everyone Is Chasing12:30 — The Card Counter Strategy for Intelligent Failure16:21 — When to Kill a Project, and When to Keep Going23:23 — Your Technology Works. But Does It Matter?26:14 — How Waymo’s First 1,000-Mile Moonshot Began29:55 — “Be Yourself on Purpose”: Astro’s Leadership Rule35:10 — How Project Loon’s Failure Created Taara41:05 — The $1 Million vs. $1 Billion Innovation Test43:59 — Why Google X Intentionally Underfunds Moonshots52:58 — Why Winning Is Not Necessarily Good Follow Divot:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivotpodX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg Hashtags:#AstroTeller #GoogleX #XTheMoonshotFactory #RadicalInnovation #MoonshotThinking #IntelligentFailure #InnovationStrategy #BreakthroughInnovation #Leadership #Creativity #Waymo #GoogleBrain #Entrepreneurship #FounderMindset #DivotPodcast

    How Google X Makes Radical Innovation Repeatable by Rewarding Intelligent Failure

  6. Sep 9

    From His Darkest Moment to 50M Followers: How MDMotivator Turned Pain Into Purpose

    Zachery Dereniowski, better known as MDMotivator, left medical school after the pandemic, a devastating breakup, a torn ACL, and crushing isolation pushed him to the lowest point of his life. Today, his videos about kindness, mental health, and human connection reach more than 50 million followers, have generated over 40 billion impressions, and helped raise more than $5 million for strangers. In this episode with Derek Andersen, Zachery reveals how two strangers saved his life by sitting with him in the rain for 30 minutes, why he walked away from medicine to hug strangers on the street, and how those encounters became a global movement. He explains why people with the least often give the most and why being seen can matter more than money. The conversation goes deeper than viral generosity. Zachery explains why it can feel “selfish to be selfless,” why millions of apparently strong men are suffering silently, and why unprecedented digital connection has left us profoundly alone. His message is both urgent and practical: call your family, listen closely, show more love, and never underestimate the life-changing power of one small act of kindness. Follow MD - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdmotivatorFollow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen Kindness / Nonprofit:Zach is currently raising funds to support his ongoing givebacks through his nonprofit, and we’d love to include this link in the episode description/resources: https://slingshot.giving/kindness Contact:For anyone who wants to reach Zach or his team regarding stories, opportunities, partnerships, etc., please include: Zachery@onefluent.com & Sarah@onefluent.com Episode Partners:Google for StartupsIf you’re building applications with generative media or considering it, Google just released a brand-new technical guide. You can download it at https://goo.gle/genmediaguide Timestamps:003:22 — Medical School, Isolation, and His Darkest Night06:50 — The 30 Minutes in the Rain That Saved His Life07:22 — From Blindfolded Hugs to a Global Movement10:51 — Why Men Hide Their Mental Health Struggles12:59 — The Selfish Reason Kindness Feels So Good19:01 — “I’m Not the Kind Person”: MDMotivator’s Real Mission25:15 — Victor and Queen: The Kindness That Raised $1 Million37:48 — What the Happiest People Understand About Life41:32 — Why Zachery Tells Every Stranger “I Love You”46:29 — The Micro-Goal Method Zachery Uses for Depression49:39 — The Loneliness Paradox: More Connected, More Alone52:00 — How $100 Became a Multimillion-Dollar Kindness Machine59:14 — The Hardest Lesson: You Are Already Enough1:03:04 — The Legacy He Wants: Alive, Valued, and Loved1:07:18 — How One Viewer Turned Inspiration Into Real-World Kindness Follow Divot:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivotpodX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg Hashtags:#MDMotivator #ZacheryDereniowski #Kindness #KindnessChangesEverything #MentalHealth #HumanConnection #KindnessIsCool #Selflessness #Generosity #Inspiration #Purpose #YouMatter #Divot #DivotPodcast

    From His Darkest Moment to 50M Followers: How MDMotivator Turned Pain Into Purpose

  7. Sep 2

    The Lean Startup's Creator on Why Good Companies Go Bad & How to Make Yours Incorruptible

    Eric Ries created the Lean Startup methodology and wrote "The Lean Startup," a New York Times bestseller that has sold more than a million copies in over 30 languages, teaching a generation of founders the MVP and build, measure, learn. He later founded the Long Term Stock Exchange, an SEC-approved exchange that has raised over $170 million, and just published his newest bestseller, "Incorruptible." In this episode with Derek Andersen, Eric explains why "Lean Startup" has held up in the AI era, why AI has made building software nearly free while learning what customers truly need remains the real bottleneck, and why founders chasing AI-generated demos are skipping the customer validation that actually determines survival. "The learn step," he says, "has always been the rate-limiting step." The conversation goes deeper into "Incorruptible," Eric's new book on why good companies get taken over, gutted, and hollowed out once their founders lose control. He reveals the sentence hidden in nearly every corporate charter that legally forces companies to maximize shareholder value over mission, and lays out the purpose, coherence, and integrity every founder needs to build something that lasts. Follow Blaine - X (Twitter): https://x.com/ericriesFollow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen Episode Partners:Google for StartupsIf you’re building applications with generative media or considering it, Google just released a brand-new technical guide. You can download it at https://goo.gle/genmediaguide Timestamps:02:05 — Why "Build, Measure, Learn" Still Wins in the AI Era04:18 — The One Thing AI Still Can't Speed Up: Learning05:57 — Why Software Is Getting More Expensive, Not Less10:01 — Why Talking to Customers Is Still the Rate-Limiting Skill13:20 — What "Incorruptible" Actually Means19:21 — The Sentence Hidden in Every Corporate Charter20:52 — Would You Sell to the Company You Hate Most?25:33 — How the Credo Collapsed Into a Cover-Up28:13 — The Tylenol Recall That Built a Century of Trust30:36 — The Blueprint: Purpose, Coherence, Integrity31:41 — What a Public Benefit Corporation Actually Does34:10 — Anthropic's Mission Guardian and the Companies That Copied It42:57 — How Eric Ries Measures His Own Life Follow Divot:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivotpodX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg Hashtags:#EricRies #LeanStartup #Incorruptible #BuildMeasureLearn #LongTermStockExchange #PublicBenefitCorp #JohnsonAndJohnson #StartupFounders #FounderMindset #AIandStartups #CorporateGovernance #MissionDriven #Entrepreneurship #DivotPodcast

    The Lean Startup's Creator on Why Good Companies Go Bad & How to Make Yours Incorruptible

  8. Aug 26

    The Modern Dating Problem No One Is Actually Talking About Honestly - Shark Tank Dating Coach

    Blaine Anderson is the Shark Tank dating coach for men who built Dating by Blaine from a COVID-forced career pivot into a company with 7,000 clients and over 1 million followers. She accepted Mark Cuban's $100,000 offer on stage and became the first credible female voice on social media telling men the truth about what is actually going wrong in their dating lives. In this episode with Derek Andersen, Blaine breaks down why the most accomplished men often have the worst dating lives, and what it costs them. She explains why dating apps are designed to keep you searching rather than matched, how the checklist approach to first dates kills attraction before it starts, and the real reason high-achieving men get ghosted after dates that felt genuinely great. The conversation goes deeper than dating tips. Blaine argues that the real problem is a life built without room for another person, career optimized, routine locked in, checklist assembled, and no understanding of why that approach fails in relationships. The episode leaves you with something harder to ignore than any tactic: what you are building right now either makes love possible or makes it harder. Follow Blaine - X (Twitter): https://x.com/datingbyblaineFollow Derek - X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen Episode Partners:Google for StartupsIf you’re building applications with generative media or considering it, Google just released a brand-new technical guide. You can download it at https://goo.gle/genmediaguide Timestamps:03:43 – Why Fewer People Are Getting Married Than Ever Before05:44 – Why Dating Apps Are Making Commitment Harder12:14 – "I Felt Like He Was Interviewing Me"14:18 – The Real Reason She Disappeared After a Great Date15:47 – What a First Date Is Actually For23:22 – How to Approach a Woman You Don't Know31:38 – Why "Nice Guys" Actually Finish Last34:41 – The Investment Areas Framework36:21 – Why You're Texting Yourself Out of Dates39:23 – The Uber Text That Went Viral49:43 – The Age Men and Women Should Start Taking Dating Seriously54:44 – Why Building the Perfect Life First Backfires1:02:28 – The Pretzel Bar That Ended a Date Before It Started1:08:20 – What Nobody Tells You About Pitching on Shark Tank1:10:39 – The Failure That Accidentally Built Her Company1:18:04 – One Idea She'd Implant in Everyone on Earth Follow Divot:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivotpodX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/divotdotorgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/divotpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divotpodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divotdotorg Hashtags:#DatingAdvice #DatingCoach #ModernDating #RelationshipAdvice #DatingByBlaine #BlaineAnderson #SharkTank #MarkCuban #DatingApps #HowToAttractWomen #MenAndDating #Divot #DerekAndersen #LoveAndRelationships

    The Modern Dating Problem No One Is Actually Talking About Honestly - Shark Tank Dating Coach
See All (71)

5
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

Divot brings you weekly conversations with the people building the future—founders, creators, athletes, and visionaries pushing the limits of business, technology, sports, and entertainment. We go beyond success stories to explore the real moments that define a journey—the risks, the failures, the breakthroughs, and the lessons that can help you on your path. Stories of people making their mark, and how you can too. New episodes every Wednesday. #DivotPodcast #Business #Tech #Sports #Entertainment #Innovation

Information

  • Creator
    Derek Andersen
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    71
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Derek Andersen
  • Show Website
    Divot

You Might Also Like