This episode features Dalton & Michael discussing why AI is going to create more successful founders in the world. They explore how new technologies historically create opportunities for entrepreneurs who understand these tools early, drawing parallels between past technological shifts and the current AI revolution.

Throughout the conversation, they emphasize that when revolutionary technologies emerge, costs decrease dramatically, barriers to entry fall, and entrepreneurial-minded people who recognize these opportunities can build successful businesses without needing traditional employment.

"This is Dalton plus Michael and today we're going to talk about why AI is going to create more successful Founders in the world." - Dalton"

Dalton and Michael reflect on how they've observed new tools entering the market and creating explosions in the number of founders who can create value. They've witnessed this pattern repeat with various technological advances.

When the internet was new, people who could build basic websites suddenly started making significant money from that skill. Similarly, those who figured out how to sell on eBay could arbitrage products for substantial profits.

"I certainly noticed when the internet was new people that knew how to build websites were suddenly able to make lots of money from the skill and it was like really basic stuff high school kids were making tons of money." - Michael"

These entrepreneurs weren't just running hustles—they were building legitimate businesses by recognizing how new tools enabled entirely new business models. They point to examples like open-source software that allowed them to build Justin.tv, and cloud computing that eliminated the need to rack physical servers.

Dalton and Michael believe we're currently on the cusp of another revolutionary shift in technology that will create numerous opportunities for successful businesses.

They use the example of Flappy Bird—an app created by a developer in Southeast Asia that generated approximately $20 million in two months after the iPhone's release—to illustrate how unpredictable these opportunities can be.

"If you watch iPhone Steve Jobs on stage some guy in Southeast Asia building Flappy Bird that's like wild never would have guessed." - Michael"

They argue that when powerful new technologies emerge, the people who quickly understand them and build businesses using these tools have a unique opportunity to create wealth. In the case of AI, they suggest it could allow individuals to accomplish tasks that would typically require much larger teams.

"What we're arguing is that when brand new technologies come out that are that are powerful the people that are on the cusp of understanding them and that quickly build businesses or build useful things using those tools have a very unique view of creating businesses and wealth." - Dalton"

A critical aspect of technological shifts is how they dramatically reduce the cost of starting certain types of businesses—often by as much as 10x.

Before online selling platforms like eBay, opening a retail business required renting a physical storefront. Prior to Airbnb, entering the hospitality business meant buying property or even an entire hotel. These barriers made entrepreneurship inaccessible to most people.

"What's cool is anytime one of these Technologies shifts happens the cost of starting a business some set of businesses reduces by up to like 10x." - Dalton"

New platforms and technologies eliminate these barriers, making entrepreneurship accessible to anyone with the right vision.

The entrepreneurs who recognize the potential of new platforms early and position themselves accordingly often reap extraordinary rewards.

Early Airbnb hosts who saw the platform's potential and turned hosting into a business made significant profits. Similarly, early adopters of Shopify and other emerging platforms found themselves with powerful leverage to build businesses.

"When Shopify was a brand new thing like all these platforms the people that were the first to recognize that these were gave them leverage those entrepreneurial-minded people did really well." - Michael"

Dalton and Michael emphasize that these opportunities allow ambitious, attentive people to control their own destiny without needing traditional employment or bosses. While these moments don't occur frequently, those who act quickly when they do can achieve remarkable success.

Dalton shares a specific example of Whatnot, an online live shopping platform where even high school students are building successful businesses.

These young entrepreneurs have figured out the format, built a user base on the platform, and are generating enough income to potentially set themselves up financially for life—simply by recognizing a new platform and capitalizing on it early.

"What not the online live shopping thing I still talk to the founders a lot and they have I think like high school aged kids selling stuff on there money and making just again I don't want to say the numbers but they figured out the format they understand how to use whatnot they built a user base there and they're basically they're killing it." - Dalton"

They note that Twitch created a similar phenomenon, essentially spawning an entire new industry of content creators.

An important point Dalton and Michael emphasize is that these technological shifts create opportunities at every scale—from potentially billion-dollar venture-backed companies to smaller operations that provide a comfortable living.

"We're talking about things that can be venture-backed maybe billion dollar companies one day but we're also talking about things that can just set you up so that you can pay your rent and live a good life." - Dalton"

They stress that when genuine technological shifts occur, they affect businesses across the entire spectrum. The opportunities aren't limited to the types of companies that would attract venture capital investment.

One fascinating observation they make is that when you're on the cutting edge of a new technology, traditional educational institutions won't help you—they typically teach what was relevant 10-20 years ago.

Instead, the people who discover and capitalize on these opportunities are often "weirdos on the internet" who share information and compare notes with each other, ultimately creating entire new industries.

"Like the only way to find these opportunities and learn about them is to find weirdos on the internet that are also into this thing and they're figuring it out too and you can kind of compare notes and this is how new Industries are created literally by weirdos on the internet." - Michael"

They joke that many major industries of the future will have started in some obscure subreddit where enthusiasts gathered to discuss emerging technologies and opportunities.

In their conclusion, Dalton and Michael encourage listeners who might be hesitant about starting a business to reconsider, suggesting that the present moment is particularly opportune for entrepreneurship.

They argue that structural changes in the economy suggest that a smaller percentage of the population will need traditional employment, as more people will be able to leverage new tools to become self-employed and run their own businesses.

"The final argument is there's a good case where a smaller percentage of the population will need to get jobs and more people will be able to use tools like this to be self-employed in some way." - Dalton"

They contrast this positive vision with the often depressing narratives around technology replacing jobs, instead highlighting how new tools enable people to create value independently without needing to be part of a company.

"I think the story is always this kind of depressing story of like oh maybe you won't need it you won't be needed anymore as opposed to here's a set of tools you could do things that people couldn't think of doing affordably before Like You Could Be Your Own Boss you even need to be inside of a company to create value." - Michael"

• New technologies create waves of opportunity where early adopters can build successful businesses
• AI may enable individuals to accomplish tasks that would normally require large teams
• Major technological shifts reduce business startup costs by up to 10x
• Opportunities exist at all scales - from venture-backed startups to comfortable self-employment
• Traditional education won't teach you about cutting-edge opportunities; you need to connect with "internet weirdos"
• Early platform adopters (eBay, Airbnb, Shopify, Whatnot, Twitch) often achieve extraordinary success
• The narrative should shift from "technology replaces jobs" to "technology enables self-employment"
• Current AI advances represent a particularly opportune moment to start a new business
• Being on the bleeding edge means less competition and "green field" opportunities
• New tools allow people to create value independently without needing traditional employment