What happens when one of the most legendary minds in tech delves deep into the real workings of modern AI? A 2-hour long masterclass that you don’t want to miss.
Bret Taylor, current chairman of OpenAI, unpacks why AI is transforming software engineering forever, how founders can survive acquisition (he’s done it twice), and why the true bottlenecks in AI aren’t what most think. Drawing on his extensive experiences at Facebook, Google, Twitter and more, he explains why the next phase of AI won’t just be about building better models—it’s about creating entirely new ways for us to work with them. Bret exposes the reality gap between what AI insiders understand and what everyone else believes.
Listen now to recalibrate your thinking before your competitors do.
(00:02:46) Aha Moments with AI
(00:04:43) Founders Working for Founders
(00:07:59) Acquisition Process
(00:14:14) The Role of a Board
(00:17:05) Founder Mode
(00:20:29) Engineers as Leaders
(00:24:54) Applying First Principles in Business
(00:28:43) The Future of Software Engineering
(00:35:11) Efficiency and Verification of AI-Generated Code
(00:36:46) The Future of Software Development
(00:37:24) Defining AGI
(00:47:03) AI Self-Improvement?
(00:47:58) Safety Measures and Supervision in AI
(00:49:47) Benefiting Humanity and AI Safety
(00:54:06) Regulation and Geopolitical Landscape in AI
(00:55:58) Foundation Models and Frontier Models
(01:01:06) Economics and Open Source Models
(01:05:18) AI and AGI Accessibility
(01:07:42) Optimizing AI Prompts
(01:11:18) Creating an AI Superpower
(01:14:12) Future of Education and AI
(01:19:34) The Impact of AI on Job Roles
(01:21:58) AI in Problem-Solving and Research
(01:25:24) Importance of AI Context Window
(01:27:37) AI Output and Intellectual Property
(01:30:09) Google Maps Launch and Challenges
(01:37:57) Long-Term Investment in AI
(01:43:02) Balancing Work and Family Life
(01:44:25) Building Sierra as an Enduring Company
(01:45:38) Lessons from Tech Company Lifecycles
(01:48:31) Definition and Applications of AI Agents
(01:53:56) Challenges and Importance of Branded AI Agents
(01:56:28) Fending Off Complacency in Companies
(02:01:21) Customer Obsession and Leadership in Companies
Bret Taylor is currently the Chairman of OpenAI and CEO of Sierra. Previously, he was the CTO of Facebook, Chairman of the board for X, and the Co-CEO of Salesforce.
Newsletter – The Brain Food newsletter delivers actionable insights and thoughtful ideas every Sunday. It takes 5 minutes to read, and it’s completely free. Learn more and sign up at fs.blog/newsletter
Upgrade — If you want to hear my thoughts and reflections at the end of the episode, join our membership: fs.blog/membership and get your own private feed.
Watch on YouTube: @tkppodcast
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#154 Emily Balcetis: Setting and Achieving Goals
Social psychologist Emily Balcetis has devoted her career to understanding how people’s perceptions of the world fuel their motivations and life goals. In this episode she goes in-depth on that wealth of research, what she’s…
#153 Keith Creel: Lessons from Life on the Railroad
Keith Creel calls on nearly a decade of experience working with the Canadian Pacific Railway to discuss his strategies for leadership and how he’s turned the company around over five years in charge. We…
#152 Tobi Lütke: Calm Progress
My guest today is Shopify co-founder and CEO Tobi Lütke. We discuss the differences between founders and professional managers, how he’s scaled with Shopify, the constant fight against bureaucracy, how he thinks about innovation in…
#151 Alan Mulally: The Power Of Working Together
Widely regarded as one of the top business leaders of his generation, Alan Mulally joins the show to discuss the formation of his leadership strategy and how you can apply his lessons to your life…
#150 TKP Insights: Making (Even) Better Decisions
This episode is packed with wisdom from previous guests on the art of making better decisions. We discuss the three types of decision-makers, how to control your emotions when making decisions, why it’s crucial to…
#149 Neil Pasricha: Simple Rules for Happiness
Shane’s guest on this episode of the show is New York Times bestselling author Neil Pasricha, who returns for his second appearance on The Knowledge Project. We discuss the importance of gratitude and how simple…
#148 Kenneth Stanley: Set The Right Objectives
Artificial intelligence researcher and author Kenneth Stanley has argued that “as soon as you create an objective, you ruin your ability to reach it.” So what should you consider when thinking about your objectives, and…
#147 Reid Hoffman: Better Decisions, Fewer Mistakes
Few figures have shaped the way we think about business over the past 20 years more than Reid Hoffman. The co-founder of LinkedIn and former PayPal executive is also a wildly successful venture capitalist, author…
#146 Barbara Tversky: Action Shapes Thought
My guest today is acclaimed psychologist and longtime Stanford University professor Barbara Tversky who calls on her nearly 50 years in the field of cognitive psychology for an in-depth discussion about how our minds work.…
#145 Les Snead: Building a Super Bowl Champion
LA Rams General Manager Les Snead dives deep into some of the strategies that made the Rams a Super Bowl Champion, including assessing character, how to draft the right player, the complicated nature of trading…