Jacob Effron

Managing Director @redpoint supporting @AbridgeHQ @wearelegora @tryaugie @tryramp @getgarner @AcuityMD @scribehow / AI pod: Unsupervised Learning

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

New Unsupervised Learning with Google AI researchers @NoamShazeer and @jack_w_rae on:

- Scaling test-time compute
- The power of the Mom eval
- The pace of Open Source / DeepSeek
- How AI research is where chemistry was in the 15th century
- Reactions to Ilya on how far test-time compute gets us and Yann LeCun on the limits of models today
- General vs. specialized models
- Implications of AGI and risks

YouTube: https://t.co/M1HsHUfKk3
Spotify: https://t.co/YrMpeAqjsf
Apple: https://t.co/NRZlluiXI0

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

@lukaszkaiser That was a ton of fun!

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

.@lukaszkaiser on why Anthropic was first to break through in coding:

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

I sat down with @lukaszkaiser to get into whether the architecture he helped invent is actually enough, and what's next in generalization, coding agents, RL and more. Lukasz co-authored "Attention Is All You Need," the paper that introduced the transformer and worked on reasoning models at OpenAI so he’s been a key part of major shifts in the field. We hit on:

▪️ The case for and against a new architecture coming after the transformer
▪️ What’s required for model generalization in the physical world
▪️ How much coding agents have improved his AI research productivity
▪️ The next domains for RL
▪️ Why Anthropic initially won coding
▪️ Future research directions he’s excited about

0:00 Intro
1:12 Transformers vs. Human Learning
8:37 How Do We Get Physical World Generalization?
10:52 What Comes After Transformers
13:59 How Much Have Agents Improved Lukasz's AI Research Productivity?
17:21 How Close Is an AI Research Intern?
26:06 RL Beyond Verifiable Tasks
35:38 App Companies: Build Models or Lean on Labs?
46:21 Multimodal Is Still Missing Something
49:46 OpenAI's Bet on Reasoning
55:26 The AI Coding Wars
59:26 Focus vs. Keeping Embers Burning
1:02:09 Open Source vs. Closed Source Gap
1:05:15 Quickfire

YouTube: https://t.co/wetErBD4B8
Spotify: https://t.co/FSYWR39ep2
Apple: https://t.co/j2omVI8xEa

[Ideogram @ideogram_ai]

Introducing Ideogram 4.0: the best open image model in the world.

Think it. Make it. Own it.

Download the weights, fine-tune on your own data, and run it on your hardware. Live on every Ideogram plan and the API today.

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

I sat down with @lukaszkaiser to get into whether the architecture he helped invent is actually enough, and what's next in generalization, coding agents, RL and more. Lukasz co-authored "Attention Is All You Need," the paper that introduced the transformer and worked on reasoning models at OpenAI so he’s been a key part of major shifts in the field. We hit on:

▪️ The case for and against a new architecture coming after the transformer
▪️ What’s required for model generalization in the physical world
▪️ How much coding agents have improved his AI research productivity
▪️ The next domains for RL
▪️ Why Anthropic initially won coding
▪️ Future research directions he’s excited about

0:00 Intro
1:12 Transformers vs. Human Learning
8:37 How Do We Get Physical World Generalization?
10:52 What Comes After Transformers
13:59 How Much Have Agents Improved Lukasz's AI Research Productivity?
17:21 How Close Is an AI Research Intern?
26:06 RL Beyond Verifiable Tasks
35:38 App Companies: Build Models or Lean on Labs?
46:21 Multimodal Is Still Missing Something
49:46 OpenAI's Bet on Reasoning
55:26 The AI Coding Wars
59:26 Focus vs. Keeping Embers Burning
1:02:09 Open Source vs. Closed Source Gap
1:05:15 Quickfire

YouTube: https://t.co/wetErBD4B8
Spotify: https://t.co/FSYWR39ep2
Apple: https://t.co/j2omVI8xEa

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

. @scmallaby on Demis’s response to Google sitting on the transformer for years:

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

.@scmallaby spent 30+ hours with Demis Hassabis in the back of a British pub. I sat down with Sebastian to chat about his recent book, The Infinity Machine, where he provides a fascinating history of DeepMind, Demis and the broader AI landscape. We hit on:

▪️ Whether the race between labs was inevitable
▪️ Project Mario: the secret plan to spin DeepMind out of Google
▪️ Why Google missed scaling the transformer despite inventing it and wasn’t first to ChatGPT and Claude Code
▪️ The personal history between Demis, Elon and Sam
▪️ The quasi-spiritual conviction Sebastian didn't expect to find underneath the science

0:00 Intro
2:04 Was the AI Race Inevitable?
4:03 The 2015 Safety Summit Backfire
11:27 Why Google Doesn't Make As Concentrated Bets
15:51 Project Mario: The Secret Spinout Plan
19:43 What Demis Actually Regrets
23:46 Venture Startups vs. Tech Behemoths
34:08 David Silver and the RL True Believers
38:21 Demis, Elon, and the Evil Genius Feud
42:39 Great Man Theory vs. Inevitability
45:00 What Demis Didn't Want Published

YouTube: https://t.co/g9c6igS9jO
Spotify: https://t.co/801242yROV
Apple: https://t.co/PKyOkijVHg

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

.@scmallaby spent 30+ hours with Demis Hassabis in the back of a British pub. I sat down with Sebastian to chat about his recent book, The Infinity Machine, where he provides a fascinating history of DeepMind, Demis and the broader AI landscape. We hit on:

▪️ Whether the race between labs was inevitable
▪️ Project Mario: the secret plan to spin DeepMind out of Google
▪️ Why Google missed scaling the transformer despite inventing it and wasn’t first to ChatGPT and Claude Code
▪️ The personal history between Demis, Elon and Sam
▪️ The quasi-spiritual conviction Sebastian didn't expect to find underneath the science

0:00 Intro
2:04 Was the AI Race Inevitable?
4:03 The 2015 Safety Summit Backfire
11:27 Why Google Doesn't Make As Concentrated Bets
15:51 Project Mario: The Secret Spinout Plan
19:43 What Demis Actually Regrets
23:46 Venture Startups vs. Tech Behemoths
34:08 David Silver and the RL True Believers
38:21 Demis, Elon, and the Evil Genius Feud
42:39 Great Man Theory vs. Inevitability
45:00 What Demis Didn't Want Published

YouTube: https://t.co/g9c6igS9jO
Spotify: https://t.co/801242yROV
Apple: https://t.co/PKyOkijVHg

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

@scmallaby on Demis’s response to Google sitting on the transformer for years:

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

.@scmallaby spent 30+ hours with Demis Hassabis in the back of a British pub. I sat down with Sebastian to chat about his recent book, The Infinity Machine, where he provides a fascinating history of DeepMind, Demis and the broader AI landscape. We hit on:

▪️ Whether the race between labs was inevitable
▪️ Project Mario: the secret plan to spin DeepMind out of Google
▪️ Why Google missed scaling the transformer despite inventing it and wasn’t first to ChatGPT and Claude Code
▪️ The personal history between Demis, Elon and Sam
▪️ The quasi-spiritual conviction Sebastian didn't expect to find underneath the science

0:00 Intro
2:04 Was the AI Race Inevitable?
4:03 The 2015 Safety Summit Backfire
11:27 Why Google Doesn't Make As Concentrated Bets
15:51 Project Mario: The Secret Spinout Plan
19:43 What Demis Actually Regrets
23:46 Venture Startups vs. Tech Behemoths
34:08 David Silver and the RL True Believers
38:21 Demis, Elon, and the Evil Genius Feud
42:39 Great Man Theory vs. Inevitability
45:00 What Demis Didn't Want Published

YouTube: https://t.co/g9c6igS9jO
Spotify: https://t.co/801242yROV
Apple: https://t.co/PKyOkijVHg

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

. @scmallaby on the personality and credentials gap that shapes how Demis Hassabis sees Sam Altman

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

.@scmallaby spent 30+ hours with Demis Hassabis in the back of a British pub. I sat down with Sebastian to chat about his recent book, The Infinity Machine, where he provides a fascinating history of DeepMind, Demis and the broader AI landscape. We hit on:

▪️ Whether the race between labs was inevitable
▪️ Project Mario: the secret plan to spin DeepMind out of Google
▪️ Why Google missed scaling the transformer despite inventing it and wasn’t first to ChatGPT and Claude Code
▪️ The personal history between Demis, Elon and Sam
▪️ The quasi-spiritual conviction Sebastian didn't expect to find underneath the science

0:00 Intro
2:04 Was the AI Race Inevitable?
4:03 The 2015 Safety Summit Backfire
11:27 Why Google Doesn't Make As Concentrated Bets
15:51 Project Mario: The Secret Spinout Plan
19:43 What Demis Actually Regrets
23:46 Venture Startups vs. Tech Behemoths
34:08 David Silver and the RL True Believers
38:21 Demis, Elon, and the Evil Genius Feud
42:39 Great Man Theory vs. Inevitability
45:00 What Demis Didn't Want Published

YouTube: https://t.co/g9c6igS9jO
Spotify: https://t.co/801242yROV
Apple: https://t.co/PKyOkijVHg

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

.@scmallaby spent 30+ hours interviewing Demis Hassabis in a British pub. He explains the thing that surprised him most:

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

.@scmallaby spent 30+ hours with Demis Hassabis in the back of a British pub. I sat down with Sebastian to chat about his recent book, The Infinity Machine, where he provides a fascinating history of DeepMind, Demis and the broader AI landscape. We hit on:

▪️ Whether the race between labs was inevitable
▪️ Project Mario: the secret plan to spin DeepMind out of Google
▪️ Why Google missed scaling the transformer despite inventing it and wasn’t first to ChatGPT and Claude Code
▪️ The personal history between Demis, Elon and Sam
▪️ The quasi-spiritual conviction Sebastian didn't expect to find underneath the science

0:00 Intro
2:04 Was the AI Race Inevitable?
4:03 The 2015 Safety Summit Backfire
11:27 Why Google Doesn't Make As Concentrated Bets
15:51 Project Mario: The Secret Spinout Plan
19:43 What Demis Actually Regrets
23:46 Venture Startups vs. Tech Behemoths
34:08 David Silver and the RL True Believers
38:21 Demis, Elon, and the Evil Genius Feud
42:39 Great Man Theory vs. Inevitability
45:00 What Demis Didn't Want Published

YouTube: https://t.co/g9c6igS9jO
Spotify: https://t.co/801242yROV
Apple: https://t.co/PKyOkijVHg

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

Reid Hoffman pledged $1B to back a secret DeepMind spinout from Google. Demis Hassabis used the leverage to pressure Google on safety oversight, but never told them the money existed and never exercised the threat. @scmallaby uncovered the story in his new book:

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

.@scmallaby spent 30+ hours with Demis Hassabis in the back of a British pub. I sat down with Sebastian to chat about his recent book, The Infinity Machine, where he provides a fascinating history of DeepMind, Demis and the broader AI landscape. We hit on:

▪️ Whether the race between labs was inevitable
▪️ Project Mario: the secret plan to spin DeepMind out of Google
▪️ Why Google missed scaling the transformer despite inventing it and wasn’t first to ChatGPT and Claude Code
▪️ The personal history between Demis, Elon and Sam
▪️ The quasi-spiritual conviction Sebastian didn't expect to find underneath the science

0:00 Intro
2:04 Was the AI Race Inevitable?
4:03 The 2015 Safety Summit Backfire
11:27 Why Google Doesn't Make As Concentrated Bets
15:51 Project Mario: The Secret Spinout Plan
19:43 What Demis Actually Regrets
23:46 Venture Startups vs. Tech Behemoths
34:08 David Silver and the RL True Believers
38:21 Demis, Elon, and the Evil Genius Feud
42:39 Great Man Theory vs. Inevitability
45:00 What Demis Didn't Want Published

YouTube: https://t.co/g9c6igS9jO
Spotify: https://t.co/801242yROV
Apple: https://t.co/PKyOkijVHg

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

.@scmallaby spent 30+ hours with Demis Hassabis in the back of a British pub. I sat down with Sebastian to chat about his recent book, The Infinity Machine, where he provides a fascinating history of DeepMind, Demis and the broader AI landscape. We hit on:

▪️ Whether the race between labs was inevitable
▪️ Project Mario: the secret plan to spin DeepMind out of Google
▪️ Why Google missed scaling the transformer despite inventing it and wasn’t first to ChatGPT and Claude Code
▪️ The personal history between Demis, Elon and Sam
▪️ The quasi-spiritual conviction Sebastian didn't expect to find underneath the science

0:00 Intro
2:04 Was the AI Race Inevitable?
4:03 The 2015 Safety Summit Backfire
11:27 Why Google Doesn't Make As Concentrated Bets
15:51 Project Mario: The Secret Spinout Plan
19:43 What Demis Actually Regrets
23:46 Venture Startups vs. Tech Behemoths
34:08 David Silver and the RL True Believers
38:21 Demis, Elon, and the Evil Genius Feud
42:39 Great Man Theory vs. Inevitability
45:00 What Demis Didn't Want Published

YouTube: https://t.co/g9c6igS9jO
Spotify: https://t.co/801242yROV
Apple: https://t.co/PKyOkijVHg

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

Garner Health is one of the fastest growing and under-the-radar companies in tech. On the heels of their Series E, @nikillinit and I talked with @nickpreber to dig into how @getgarner reached this scale and what comes next.

We’ve had the privilege of working closely with Nick for five years now and I think you’ll see in this conversation what makes him such a special entrepreneur. He’s had a consistently clear vision for improving US healthcare and relentlessly executed to do so. He’s incredibly thoughtful about how AI and data can be effectively used and we got into a lot of details around Garner’s approach to both.

Full episode below:
YouTube: https://t.co/uq0C2Qi4dE
Spotify: https://t.co/vX03X9M68L

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

@inherent_labs A huge congratulations - really excited about this!

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

Garner is a special company with an incredible team. Excited to work with our friends at Index and for everything ahead!

[Nick Reber @nickpreber]

Excited to announce @getgarner has raised $100M at a $2.74B valuation.

2.5M beneficiaries. 800+ employers. $1B+ saved for our customers. 12% lower plan costs on average.

With this funding, we continue to build the new AI front door to healthcare - starting with two new features that we are announcing today that transform our member experience and accelerate our understanding of clinical performance: Garner Assistant and Garner Research Agent.

Grateful to @ikeswetlitz and @Bloomberg for covering our story!

https://t.co/U1J5QXVymO

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

The GPT moment for video and images hasn't happened yet. @OriolVinyalsML on what he's still waiting for.

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

The day after Google I/O, I sat down with @OriolVinyalsML to get into the research behind the announcements and what's next in consumer agents, models, RL and more. Oriol co-leads the Gemini program, and has helped shape some of Google’s most consequential AI decisions. We hit on:

▪️ Why Google's AGI path runs through world models
▪️ The GPT moment for video and images, and why it hasn't happened yet
▪️ Why agent scaffolding being built now now will eventually get written by the model itself
▪️ How he thinks memory will be solved and drive the next paradigm shift in models
▪️ Where RL hits a ceiling,
▪️ What’s surprised him most in AI

YouTube: https://t.co/TNlbOZOQmX
Spotify: https://t.co/16RuX3wf2R
Apple: https://t.co/2vrK47LxIy

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

@jordan_segall 🚀

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

Demis said at I/O that AGI could come in the next few years.

@OriolVinyalsML on whether he agrees, what he's changed his mind on, and what's still missing.

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

The day after Google I/O, I sat down with @OriolVinyalsML to get into the research behind the announcements and what's next in consumer agents, models, RL and more. Oriol co-leads the Gemini program, and has helped shape some of Google’s most consequential AI decisions. We hit on:

▪️ Why Google's AGI path runs through world models
▪️ The GPT moment for video and images, and why it hasn't happened yet
▪️ Why agent scaffolding being built now now will eventually get written by the model itself
▪️ How he thinks memory will be solved and drive the next paradigm shift in models
▪️ Where RL hits a ceiling,
▪️ What’s surprised him most in AI

YouTube: https://t.co/TNlbOZOQmX
Spotify: https://t.co/16RuX3wf2R
Apple: https://t.co/2vrK47LxIy

[Redpoint @Redpoint]

The Redpoint InfraRed 100 is now live.

These are the companies building the infrastructure that powers everything happening in AI right now, from world models and agent runtimes to the sandboxes, databases, and security tools agents depend on.

Congratulations to this year's honorees!

Read the full 2026 InfraRed Report: our state of the union on AI and cloud infrastructure 👉 https://t.co/Y1y94ZwI5B

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

.@OriolVinyalsML on his favorite model evals: give them the instruction manual for a game like Civilization and have them play it.

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

The day after Google I/O, I sat down with @OriolVinyalsML to get into the research behind the announcements and what's next in consumer agents, models, RL and more. Oriol co-leads the Gemini program, and has helped shape some of Google’s most consequential AI decisions. We hit on:

▪️ Why Google's AGI path runs through world models
▪️ The GPT moment for video and images, and why it hasn't happened yet
▪️ Why agent scaffolding being built now now will eventually get written by the model itself
▪️ How he thinks memory will be solved and drive the next paradigm shift in models
▪️ Where RL hits a ceiling,
▪️ What’s surprised him most in AI

YouTube: https://t.co/TNlbOZOQmX
Spotify: https://t.co/16RuX3wf2R
Apple: https://t.co/2vrK47LxIy

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

.@OriolVinyalsML on what The Bitter Lesson predicts for agent architectures:

[Jacob Effron @jacobeffron]

The day after Google I/O, I sat down with @OriolVinyalsML to get into the research behind the announcements and what's next in consumer agents, models, RL and more. Oriol co-leads the Gemini program, and has helped shape some of Google’s most consequential AI decisions. We hit on:

▪️ Why Google's AGI path runs through world models
▪️ The GPT moment for video and images, and why it hasn't happened yet
▪️ Why agent scaffolding being built now now will eventually get written by the model itself
▪️ How he thinks memory will be solved and drive the next paradigm shift in models
▪️ Where RL hits a ceiling,
▪️ What’s surprised him most in AI

YouTube: https://t.co/TNlbOZOQmX
Spotify: https://t.co/16RuX3wf2R
Apple: https://t.co/2vrK47LxIy