Hobby Explorer: AI, Tech and Startups

Magesh Vadivelu

Hobby Explorer is an AI and technology podcast from San Francisco hosted by Magesh Vadivelu, a former Amazon, Salesforce and Nextdoor engineer, TEDx speaker and founder who grew his YouTube channel to over 1 million subscribers. Episodes cover AI tools, tech news, startups and building in public, plus live Founders Debates where two founders argue opposite sides of one motion. For founders, builders and tech professionals who want to think clearly about the AI era.

Episodes

  1. Nov 3

    Levels of Self-Driving Explained in a Real Waymo Ride

    About the video: Soundarya and I set out to compare San Francisco’s two robotaxis: Waymo (Google) and Zoox (Amazon). Waymo showed up in a few minutes. Zoox? “It’s busy.” All afternoon. And every time since.So this became a full Waymo review instead. We rated it on availability, comfort, fear and price, explained the six levels of self-driving in a real ride, looked back at the night Waymos froze during the SF blackout, and fact-checked a 2012 Sergey Brin prediction. At the end, I found a way to actually get into a Zoox, which is coming in Part 2.Our Waymo ride: Civic Center to the Panhandle, 2.16 miles, 13 minutes, $15.30. Final scorecard:Availability: Waymo 9/10 · Zoox 0/10Comfort: Waymo 9/10 · Zoox, not rated until we ride itFear: Waymo 7/10 (autoplay song, no seatbelt reminder)Price: Waymo 2/10 · Zoox 10/10 (free… if you can get one)With Soundarya, author.Chapters:0:00 Trailer0:42 Waymo vs Zoox in San Francisco0:54 Google vs Amazon: quick context1:08 Our review criteria1:26 Waymo arrives in 30 seconds1:42 Getting in (and a surprise Tamil song)2:04 Fear, autoplay and no seatbelt reminder2:52 Ride comfort (and a Bose fact check)4:05 We miss Uber drivers4:38 The 6 levels of self-driving5:31 Why is there still a steering wheel? The SF blackout6:09 When do we get Level 5? Brin's 2012 prediction6:44 Tesla is still Level 27:23 Robotaxis feel normal now7:43 Nobody looks at Waymos anymore8:10 The Panhandle and the drop-off8:29 Ride one done: $15.308:48 Hunting for Zoox9:18 Waymo 1, Zoox 09:49 Every robotaxi except Zoox10:06 Zoox never came10:29 Final scorecard11:02 Part 2: the Zoox Rider's Lounge#Waymo #Zoox #Robotaxi #SelfDrivingCars #SanFrancisco #HobbyExplorer

  2. Nov 3

    I Let Grok Order My Food. It Picked... This.

    So here is what I did. I let GrokBot order my food on Uber Eats, and I didnt tell it the restaurant or even the cuisine. My only rules: keep it under $50, and tip the driver $5, but only if a human delivers it. If a robot shows up, no tip 🤖Grokbot then signed in to Uber Eats, handled the verification, checked out at $44.77, and even offered to set up a surprise breakfast for me every friday, lol I took it. And yes, the friday breakfast actually showed up, it's in this video too. Follow me on Instagram for whatever it orders next🍜 the food was truly good, both times. Nobody paid me to say this. Im sharing the links only because I would order from these places again, and local restaurants deserve the shout out:Kung Fu Dim Sum, Fremont: https://www.kungfudimsumusa.comBill's Cafe, Fremont: https://www.billscafe.com⏱️ Chapters0:00 Trailer0:36 I'm letting an AI order my food0:50 The rules: no cuisine, no restaurant, $50 max2:28 GrokBot signs in to Uber Eats3:03 Checkout: $44.773:18 Order placed + a Friday breakfast surprise3:33 Waiting… and my Halloween zombie zone3:56 The Honda Accord arrives4:09 What did GrokBot pick?4:55 Founders Debate: live event announcement5:24 Taste test6:26 Friday morning: GrokBot ordered again7:05 Unboxing the Friday breakfast7:38 Where's it from? Bill's Cafe7:52 See you next timeQuestion to you: would you let an AI order your food?Don't stay hungry, but stay foolish. See you in the next one! 🚀#AI #GrokBot #UberEats #AIAgents #FoodReview #HobbyExplorer.

  3. Nov 3

    How to Write a Book: Secrets from a 3x Published Author

    In this episode I sit down with Soundarya Balasubramani, a 3x author who reaches millions of people each month. She breaks down the complete process of writing, publishing, and selling your book, whether you go the traditional or hybrid publishing route.What You'll Learn:✓ The step-by-step process to write your first book✓ Traditional Publishing vs Hybrid Publishing (and which one pays more)✓ How to find and work with a literary agent✓ The real money behind book royalties and earnings✓ Common mistakes first-time authors make✓ Soundarya's personal journey: from idea to 3 published booksAbout Soundarya Balasubramani:Soundarya is the author of:ADMITTED - Your Guide to Studying AbroadUNSHACKLED - Navigate US Immigration for High-Skilled Professionals1000 DAYS OF LOVE - An upcoming novel in 2027 about love, loss, and chosen familyShe's a former Product Manager at Salesforce, Columbia University graduate, and founder of The Curious Maverick. Her work has impacted millions of aspiring students, entrepreneurs, and immigrants worldwide.Links Mentioned:🔗 The Curious Maverick: curiousmaverick.com📚 Books: Admitted, Unshackled, 1000 days of love📱 Follow Soundarya: https://www.instagram.com/thecuriousmaverick💪 Hobby Fit Club: https://hobbyfitclub.com?src=yt_howtowriteabook

  4. Nov 3

    I quit my tech job to pursue fitness coaching

    After spending years building a career in tech, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life: leaving my tech job to pursue fitness coaching full time.In this video, I share my journey from employee to fitness coach, why “follow your passion” is not always the answer, how im building Hobby Fit Club, and the lessons I learned along the way.I also touched on balancing two careers before quitting, rediscovering your identity, and how to know when it’s the right time to quit.💬 Have you ever thought about making a major career change? Share your story in the comments!--------------------------------------Links mentioned in this video: 💪 Hobby Fit Club Link: https://hobbyfitclub.com/?src=podcast_quit--------------------------------------Chapters00:00 Preview00:18 Why I Made This Video00:34 Meet Your Coach00:56 The Problem with "Follow Your Passion"01:13 Inside Hobby Fit Club Today01:42 Successful on Paper, But Unfulfilled02:20 Therapy, Fitness & Finding Balance03:11 From Employee to Fitness Coach04:31 Living Two Careers at Once05:07 How Hobby Fit Club Was Born05:57 The Biggest Decision of My Career06:57 Rediscovering My Identity07:26 The Future of Hobby Fit Club & Hobby Explorer08:36 Don’t Quit From Something, Quit Into Something09:40 Thank You, My Explorers#CareerChange #SiliconValley #TechToFitness #FitnessJourney #EntrepreneurJourney

  5. Nov 3

    DJ Builds His Own Website with Claude Code

    A San Francisco DJ needed a website before clubs would book him. We sat down for a 30-minute conversation and Claude did the rest. The site was live before lunch.DJ Fed told clubs he played lasers-and-techno sets, but without a website they wouldn’t book him. So we recorded a normal conversation about what he needed. Claude Design turned that conversation into a full design system. Claude Code built a Next.js site from it. The site was pushed to GitHub and deployed on Fed’s own Vercel account. Nobody typed a prompt by hand. The flyers came from the same design system for free.THE WORKFLOW, STEP BY STEPRecord the client conversation. Just talk about what they need, who books them and what they want people to feel.Turn the recording into a transcript.Give the transcript to Claude Design and let it build the design system: colors, type, imagery rules and components.Give the design system to Claude Code and let it scaffold the whole site.Open a pull request on GitHub.Deploy to Vercel on the client’s own account, so the client owns the site. Make flyers from the same design system.LINKSDJ Fed’s live site: https://dj-fed.vercel.appDJ Fed on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/federicobucchi/DJ Fed on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/federicobucchiClaude Code: https://claude.com/claude-codeClaude Design: https://claude.aiVercel: https://vercel.comGitHub: https://github.comFilmed at The Commons, San Francisco. Thank you for having us!https://www.thesfcommons.com | Instagram: @thecommons_sfCHAPTERS0:00 Trailer0:59 Intro: a website before lunch1:47 Why clubs won’t book him without a website3:18 What a club checks before booking a DJ6:17 No Stripe yet: keep the back end simple8:48 The setup where nobody types code9:38 30 minutes of talking, one spoken prompt10:57 When a hobby starts taking energy11:24 It heard lasers and designed this13:04 Claude Code builds the whole site13:33 Live in one click, on his own Vercel15:31 The one character that gives AI away16:36 Free flyers from the same design system16:50 Live by 12:30. Part 2: his first booking?YOUR TURNWould you let AI build your business website? Tell us in the comments.WANT ONE BUILT?Email build@hobbyexplorer.com with the subject “Build with Hobby”.COMING IN PART 2Fed’s first booking through the site, and getting paid through it.#ClaudeCode #AI #WebDevelopment #DJ #Vercel

  • 5 Episodes

About

Hobby Explorer is an AI and technology podcast from San Francisco hosted by Magesh Vadivelu, a former Amazon, Salesforce and Nextdoor engineer, TEDx speaker and founder who grew his YouTube channel to over 1 million subscribers. Episodes cover AI tools, tech news, startups and building in public, plus live Founders Debates where two founders argue opposite sides of one motion. For founders, builders and tech professionals who want to think clearly about the AI era.

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