Kidbean

Building a technology conglomerate to compound value and impact in the long run

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@SourishJasti @ZoeyTang_1007 @intelchentwo @vishnuman0 Incredible work!

[Sourish Jasti @SourishJasti]

1/ General-purpose robotics is the rare technological frontier where the US / China started at roughly the same time and there's no clear winner yet.

To better understand the landscape, @zoeytang_1007, @intelchentwo, @vishnuman0 and I spent the last ~8 weeks creating a deep dive on humanoid robotics hardware and flew to China to see the supply chain firsthand.

Here's everything we've created + our takeaways about the components, humanoid comparisons, supply chains, and geopolitics👇

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@sourcesandmuses What are your thoughts on dealing with owners directly vs brokers/bankers? I feel like directly talking to owners leads to better economics in deals, but bankers do a decent job keeping things more structured and moving

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@kenanhsaleh @a16z @speedrun Congrats dude!

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@ConnorAbene Any recs for awesome bookkeepers?

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@munroceo @ahmedshubber25 Difficult to incentivize in what way?

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@JacklouisP How do they do it?

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@MFG_SMB Agreed - I acquire software companies and see this all the time. How easy is it to "upgrade' the business post close (e.g. processes, introduce new automation solutions / AI-powered robots, etc.). If you know you can improve margins post close - allows you to pay up too.

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@MFG_SMB Maybe integrators need to lead/push this modernization of factories too? But I guess it's an incentive problem. Easier to stick to what they know, keep it old school and complicated so they can maintain long-term service contracts...

I wonder how you fix that structure...

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@ahmedshubber25 Early venture had its background in hardware, and for good reason - I wonder if/when the pendulum will swing back

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@JacklouisP Happens in enterprise/on-prem software all the time!

I think the key is to incentivize an upgrade (examples: increasing prices for legacy due to higher maintenance cost, providing whiteglove upgrade help, or making new versions so much better that it's a no brainer to switch)

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

Agreed. Think there’s two aspects for deployments - first use training teleops + sim data to get bots working enough to get early adopters to start rly using.

Second (and the harder part imo), integrate them rly well into environments + service them well operationally; otherwise things become a huge mess. I think servicing Physical AI will look different to servicing traditional robots due to the embodied nature of the new machines

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@chris_j_paxton Teleops almost feels like a video game sometimes. Someone should build a teleops ranking/leveling system to certify how good someone really is

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@samanfarid How long does it take to train people?

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

I’m curious how the OEMs will want to handle this reality - American robotics companies like to own as much as possible themselves.

Will they run their own centers and try to own the full experience like Tesla?

Will they outsource early - and will it look more like Uber (where tasks are dynamically allocated to independent contractors), or will OEMs partner with select high quality local service firms and give them contracts?

Or will independent firms arise to handle servicing who will struggle to access the proprietary APIs of the OEMs but will make do anyways?

Im curious about what the next gen robot services firm looks like…and who will end up building it

[Kidbean @_kidbean_]

@JacklouisP Let's chat in DM? Been thinking a lot about the same...