The Unreasonable People Building Our Robotic Future
I have a simple investment thesis: I bet on unreasonable people. The ones who look at the world and say, “I can make that better.” The ones who don’t just see problems, but see opportunities. The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world. Because, as I’ve learned time and time again, those are the ones who actually do.
When I was building RemoteTeam, people told me I was crazy. They said a fully remote, globally distributed team couldn’t possibly build a world-class product. We sold to Gusto. Before that, with MovieLaLa, they said we couldn’t compete with the big players in movie discovery. We were acquired by Gfycat. Every single time, the “unreasonable” vision won. It's a pattern I've seen so often it's become a core part of my mental model for investing and for life. The truly disruptive ideas, the ones that create new categories and change the way we live and work, almost always seem unreasonable at first. If they were obvious, everyone would be doing them.
That’s why I’m so fascinated by the work being done at Tesla on the Optimus robot. It’s another one of those “unreasonable” ideas. A humanoid robot that can perform tasks in the real world? It sounds like science fiction. But I’ve learned to bet on the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world. And I’ve put my money where my mouth is, with over 200 angel investments in companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI, all pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. These aren't just financial bets for me; they are bets on a future I want to live in. A future where technology empowers humanity to achieve more than we ever thought possible.
So, what does a day in the life of an engineer building this future look like? I’ve had the privilege of talking to some of these engineers, and let me tell you, it’s not what you think. It's not a 9-to-5 job with a clear beginning and end. It's a relentless, all-consuming mission to solve one of the hardest engineering challenges of our time.
The Morning Stand-Up: Where Reality Bites
The day for an Optimus engineer doesn’t start with a leisurely coffee and a review of stock prices. It starts with a stand-up meeting that’s more like a war room briefing. The robot fell over again last night. The new grasping algorithm is still dropping things. The simulation results don’t match the real-world tests. The list of problems is always long, and the pressure is immense.
It reminds me of the early days of my startups. I remember one time at RemoteTeam, we had a critical bug that was preventing our customers from running payroll. It was a classic “all hands on deck” moment. We were a small team, and we were up against a deadline. We worked for 36 hours straight, fueled by pizza and the fear of failure. But we found the bug, fixed it, and deployed the patch. That’s the kind of intensity that I see in the eyes of the Optimus engineers. It's a focused, determined energy that comes from knowing you're working on something that matters. Something that could change everything.
They’re not just writing code. They’re wrestling with the laws of physics. They’re trying to teach a machine how to navigate a world that is messy, unpredictable, and designed for humans. It’s a humbling experience, and it’s not for the faint of heart. Every day is a new set of challenges, a new set of problems to solve. And every day, they come back for more, driven by a shared belief in the mission.
The Mid-day Grind: Iteration is Everything
After the morning stand-up, the real work begins. The engineers split off into their teams and get to work on their specific problems. There’s a lot of trial and error. A lot of “let’s try this and see what happens.” It’s a process of relentless iteration.
This is where the magic happens. It’s not about having a single brilliant idea. It’s about having the discipline to test, learn, and improve, one small step at a time. It’s a lesson I’ve learned over and over again as an entrepreneur and an investor. The most successful companies are the ones that are the best at learning. They have a tight feedback loop between building, measuring, and learning. They are not afraid to admit when they are wrong, and they are quick to adapt to new information.
I’ve seen this firsthand with the companies I’ve invested in. The teams at Anthropic and OpenAI are constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with large language models. They’re not afraid to experiment, to fail, and to learn from their mistakes. That’s the only way to make progress in a field that is moving as fast as AI. The same is true for the Optimus team. They are constantly testing new hardware designs, new software algorithms, and new ways of training their robots. They are in a constant state of learning and improvement.
One of the biggest challenges with Optimus is the sheer complexity of the problem. You have to get so many things right. The hardware has to be robust and reliable. The software has to be intelligent and adaptable. And the two have to work together seamlessly. It’s a monumental task, and it’s one that requires a level of dedication and perseverance that is hard to find. It's not just about being smart; it's about being resilient. It's about being able to get knocked down and get back up again, day after day.
The Afternoon Breakthrough: The Human-Robot Dance
One of the most interesting things about the work on Optimus is the collaboration between humans and robots. The engineers are not just building a machine; they’re building a partner. They’re teaching it how to work alongside humans in a way that is safe, efficient, and intuitive.
This is where the real potential of robotics lies. It’s not about replacing humans. It’s about augmenting them. It’s about giving them superpowers. With RemoteTeam, we built tools that helped companies manage their global workforce more effectively. We were empowering people to work from anywhere in the world. We were giving them the freedom and flexibility to do their best work, regardless of their location.
I see the same thing happening with Optimus. These robots are not going to take our jobs. They’re going to create new ones. They’re going to free us up to do the things that we’re best at: creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Imagine a world where robots handle the dangerous, repetitive, and boring tasks, freeing up humans to focus on higher-level challenges. That's the world the Optimus team is trying to build.
I had a chance to see a demo of Optimus recently, and I was blown away. The robot was able to perform a series of tasks with a level of dexterity and precision that I had never seen before. It was still a long way from being ready for the real world, but the progress was undeniable. It was a glimpse into the future, and it was a future that I wanted to be a part of. It was a powerful reminder that the unreasonable ideas of today are the reality of tomorrow.
The Evening Reflection: The Why
As the day comes to a close, the engineers take a step back and reflect on the progress they’ve made. They’re not just building a robot. They’re building a better future. They’re working on something that has the potential to change the world.
It’s a feeling I know well. When you’re in the trenches, building a company, it’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day grind. But every now and then, you have to lift your head up and remember why you started in the first place. You have to remember the vision. The big, audacious goal that gets you out of bed in the morning and keeps you going when things get tough.
The vision for Optimus is a world where humans and robots work together to solve some of the biggest challenges facing humanity. It’s a world where we can build things that were once thought impossible. It’s a world where the only limit is our imagination. It's a world where we can create a future of abundance, a future where everyone has the opportunity to live a life of purpose and fulfillment.
I’m not an engineer on the Optimus team, but I’m a believer. I’m a believer in the power of technology to change the world for the better. And I’m a believer in the people who are crazy enough to think they can do it. The road ahead is long and challenging, but I have no doubt that they will succeed. And when they do, it will be a day that we will all remember. It will be a day when the unreasonable people once again prove that the future is what we make it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What experience informs this perspective?
This perspective comes from over a decade of building companies in Silicon Valley, two successful exits (RemoteTeam to Gusto, MovieLaLa to Gfycat), and investing in 200+ startups including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI. I write about what I've lived.
How has this view evolved over time?
My thinking on most topics has changed significantly over the years. Early in my career, I held many conventional views that experience proved wrong. I try to update my beliefs when the evidence changes.
How can I apply this thinking to my own situation?
Start by identifying the core principle behind the opinion, not the specific example. Then ask yourself: does this principle apply to my context? If yes, test it in a small, low-risk way before going all in.