How can being a playwright prepare one for designing social intelligence?

Jason Yuan is the CEO and founder of Hivemind. A former Apple designer, he pioneered MercuryOS, an early vision of intent-based computing, then cofounded Dot, a personal AI companion with long-term narrative memory. He now sets off to build a second AI startup inspired by the Madonna song “Future Lovers.”

In this conversation with Soleio, Jason explains why Hivemind runs on principles instead of rules, why every relationship is a story with shared authorship, and why his product motto is “for the plot.”

Jason makes the case that the best products, like the best stories, are based on truth. A truth that is fundamentally plural.

00:00 Own Your Story, Do It True

00:49 Costumes, Stages, then World-Building

03:03 Hivemind in the Wild

08:42 From MercuryOS to Dot

13:20 Did You Make a Startup to Fix Yourself?

16:47 Every Relationship is a Story

19:35 The Graveyard Before Hivemind

22:25 Can Jason See Gotham?

28:13 Do It for The Plot!

29:13 Designing the Hivemind launch

32:48 The Information Market

34:45 Making Work That Feels True

41:02 Being Known Is the Most Wonderful Thing

S3:E02 Jason Yuan: For the Plot

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What can a dragon painted in a single stroke teach us about software?

Guillermo Rauch is the founder and CEO of Vercel. Growing up in Argentina, he taught himself English in order to teach himself programming, then went on to create Socket.io and other foundational technology for the real-time web. Along the way, he developed a cunning designer’s eye that became the competitive advantage for what is now a multi-billion dollar venture.

In this conversation with Soleio, Guillermo explains why he designed Vercel’s first command line in Sketch before writing any code, why layout shift erodes trust, and why his company won’t commit any “random acts of AI.”

Guillermo makes the case for why he’s not just chief executive. He is also chief designer.

00:00 Human Effort Is Still Underrated

00:44 Chief Executive, Chief Designer

02:33 Two Bets: Software and English

05:15 Gmail Was My Siren Call

11:06 Exposure Hours

14:49 Layout Shift and the One Stroke Dragon

17:10 No Random Acts of Al

25:17 Can Agents Have Taste?

30:15 Software Factories and Agent Customers

34:59 Everything Is Communication

38:04 A New American Story

41:52 Lifemaxxing

S3:E01 Guillermo Rauch: One Stroke Dragon

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What do Anthropic, Facebook, Pinterest and Stripe all have in common?

Everett Katigbak has played a foundational creative role at some of the most iconic brands in technology. His film work documents the stories of seminal figures who have shaped culture, such as his documentary projects on Stewart Brand and Luis Valdez.

In this in-depth conversation at his beautiful San Francisco home, Everett describes the “golden thread” that weaves through his non-linear career path, the importance of humanizing infrastructure, and why he believes your side hustle is actually your “true form.”

As of this recording, Everett has set out on his own to develop an independent creative practice. After years behind the camera, tech’s “brand guru” steps out in front of it.

00:00 Intro: “Your side hustle is your true form”

03:01 Making Facebook Feel Human

05:04 Getting Hired Because You Don’t Fit

08:10 Why San Francisco? Place Before Job

11:33 Analog Research Lab origins & mantras

13:35 Propaganda, Self-Talk, and Shaping Company Culture

16:32 Designing for Engagement vs. Meaning

17:18 Living in Contradictions: Anachronist Meets Futurist

19:27 How to Pick the Right Company (A Nose for What’s Next)

21:03 Expansion vs. Mastery: A Different Kind of Career Path

24:00 Going Independent

26:24 Inside Cursor as a “Cultural Sleuth”

28:49 Stories of Unseen Figures: Luis Valdez, Stewart Brand

32:00 Closing: Advice for Future Pioneers

S2:E6 Everett Katigbak: Indie Streak

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