The forge of Unicorns - by Michele Brissoni

• 🎙️ EP66 - The $1M AI Mercenary Problem

  💥 Your tech budget is burning—and hiring hype can kill your culture.Here’s the brutal truth:Boards are shelling out $1M+ to AI engineers—none of whom are scientists in the classical senseMeta’s Superintelligence Lab just dangled $100M–$300M packages for top AI talent, while tens of thousands of good people got laid offWorse: Investors are funding AI hires not to build software, but to create products that enable layoffs—fueling a toxic, nonsensical cycleIn this eye-opening episode, Michele Brissoni sits down with Sean Smith to reveal how hype hires destroy ROI, while true transformation demands behavioral discipline and operational mastery.🎯 What You’ll Discover:💸 The Meta Superintelligence paradox: sky-high compensation, no neuroscience depth🤡 Why the $1M AI hire is the ultimate mercenary—money in, culture out🧩 The blinding absurdity: “10 certified Scrum Masters shouting at one coder”🏎️ Why building like an F1 pit crew beats superstar hiring🔁 How small, disciplined steps produce real, sustainable ROI🗣️ Quotes That Hit Hard:“We are people from the market, providing them a lot of cash … not their culture.”“10 Scrum Masters screaming at one paddling engineer.”“This performance isn’t achievable with casual leadership.”💡 If You Care About…Keeping your team (and culture) alive during layoffsSpending on tools or people that actually deliver ROILeadership that doesn’t cheat the process…this episode cuts through the noise.🚀 Stop Buying, Start TrainingWant to stop lighting cash on fire?Cut through the hype. Cultivate behavior. Build talent from within—daily.Begin with a behavioral assessment and start evolving with the Unicorns’ Ecosystem.👉 https://unicorns-ecosystem.com/📥 Subscribe & Stay WokeDon’t miss the next episode—hit 🔔 and subscribe now.🏷️ Tags#DigitalTransformation #AI #Layoffs #Meta #EngineeringCulture #BehavioralEngineering #TechLeadership #Podcast #UnicornsEcosystem Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• 🎙️ EP65 - Vibe Coding: Beauty or Beast?

  AI was supposed to help us build organizations faster.Instead, it’s flooding the market with fragile MVPs and founders who lack the knowledge to scale.Welcome to Episode 65 of Forge of Unicorns, where illusions shatter and the ugly truths of software engineering are exposed.🎧 This week: Most Capital founders Kamila Michalkiewicz and Ágúst Berg Arnarsson join us to unpack the real risks behind AI-fueled hype in startups and web3 organizations.--- 🔍 What You’ll Learn:• Why most AI-generated MVPs are architectural disasters• How “vibe coding” is the new silent killer of early-stage investments• What investors should look for in technical due diligence• The rise of impostor CTOs and how to spot them• How Most Capital uses behavioral engineering + coaching to fix founder-team dynamics• Why scaling requires engineering mastery, not pitch decks--- 💣 Power Quotes:“It looked like a working product. But it was built with AI, and the CEO had no idea how to scale it.” Michele Brissoni, host“You can get an MVP out of the box. But when complexity shows up, the whole thing crumbles.” Ágúst Berg Arnarsson“We ask 40 questions. If we smell ChatGPT copy/paste, then we just have the first 🚩 red flag.” Kamila Michalkiewicz--- 🧠 If You’re a…VC or Private Equity partner:Learn how to spot technical red flags before your money vanishes in GenAI chaos.CEOs and Startup founders:Find out if your prototype is truly production-ready, or if you’re riding a timebomb of tech debt.CTO or Board Member:Discover how to protect your org from impostors, mediocrity, and code rot.--- 🛠️ Related Links:🔗 Subscribe to Forge of Unicorns Newsletterhttps://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-forge-of-unicorns-7184097792242458624/🔗 Learn about the Unicorns' Ecosystem and the Software Craftsmanship Dojo®https://unicorns-ecosystem.com/https://swcraftsmanshipdojo.com/🔗 Connect with Michele Brissoni on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michelebrissoni/--- 📢 Call to Action:✅ Like, comment, and share this episode to spread awareness.💬 Drop your story: Have you been burned by vibe-coded tech?🔔 Subscribe to stay ahead of the behavioral evolution curve.🚀 Let’s evolve your organization, leveraging our free assessment:https://swcraftsmanshipdojo.com/#get-started Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• 🎙️E64 - AI, Code, Care... When organizations stop guessing and start assessing.

  🤔 Startups pitch AI like magic. But what happens when vibe-coded prototypes crash in production?👉 Who’s inspecting the code, not just the pitch deck?In this Forge of Unicorns episode, Dr. Jeremy Krell—Managing Partner at Revere Partners—reveals how real VCs assess risk in a post-hype market. With 40% of Revere’s portfolio in software, Jeremy’s team doesn’t just bet on the founder—they inspect the architecture, the codebase, and the clinical impact.From the operating room to the terminal, Mike & Jeremy show us why engineering diligence is no longer optional.👉 Why most AI-first startups fail the production test👉 Why vibe-coded prototypes are a liability in regulated markets👉 How real VCs use software as a behavioral signal👉 And why Revere’s CTO has the final say on who gets funded⸻🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:• Why AI-generated code is failing real-world production tests• How clinical venture capital teams assess code quality and cultural alignment• Why behavioral due diligence matters more than resumes• How Roger Penrose’s Gödel argument debunks the myth of AI consciousness• Why Yoshua Bengio says agency + deception are the next wave of AI risk• What it takes to govern AI-first orgs beyond checklists and demos⸻🎙️ Key Quote from Jeremy Krell:“AI today writes code like a high school student. Useful as an assistant. Dangerous as an engineer.”⸻🧠 Why This Matters — Right NowAI-generated prototypes are flooding every industry.Most founders pitch speed—but ignore code quality, user impact, and long-term viability.And boards are still flying blind, unaware of the liabilities shipped to production.That’s why real due diligence must evolve—from checking resumes to assessing behavior, craftsmanship, and code.Because in healthcare and AI, the margin for error is gone.Revere’s model isn’t just about capital. It’s about care.⸻🛠️ Ready to See How You Compare?🎯 Want to benchmark your tech and software due diligence?👉 Start your free assessment⸻✅ Subscribe to the 🎥 YouTube Channel!💬 Comment: Is your software ready for investor-grade production?🪧 Subscribe to the LinkedIn Newsletter to stay up to date with our deep dives!⸻📖 Chapters & Timestamps00:00 – Intro01:00 – From dentist to VC: Jeremy’s unique edge02:46 – What Revere Partner is investing in07:23 – Why 40% of the portfolio is software14:59 – How to measure quality of: care & software21:49 – Due diligence beyond decks in the AI-era: what Revere really looks at26:18 – AI vibe coding is knocking at your door. Limits of AI code generated31:48 – AI in healthcare: the importance of data, AI-first approach limits45:42 – The duet Healthcare & Software: the CARE we need to embrace52:57 – Jeremy's call for action and final thoughts55:55 – Final salute⸻🔗 Hashtags & Topics#leadership #duediligence #audit #ai #behavioralengineering #vc #TechnicalDueDiligence #codequality #artificialintelligence #ethicalai #ProductionTest #cto #investing #aiethics #privateequity #ceo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• 🎙️ EP63 - Is the AI bubble coming? And if so… who do you trust to deal with it?

  🤔 Investors are pouring billions into AI. But what if this is dot-com bubble 2.0?👉 Who will spot the real risks — hidden inside the code, and inside the culture?In this Forge of Unicorns episode, Maria de la Puente, one of the most respected investor advisors, reveals why today’s boards must evolve fast — or risk flying blind.From the boardroom to the engineering floor, Mike & Maria expose the trust gaps no spreadsheet can fix:👉 Why trusted TECH advisors and NEDs are now critical to governance👉 Why behavioral signals are the new frontier for evaluating AI-driven organizations👉 Why the next bubble may already be inflating under our feet.⸻🎧 Episode 63: Is the AI Bubble Coming? Who Do You Trust to Deal With It?Boards must evolve fast — because AI bets can’t be governed the old way.You can’t govern code, architecture, or behavioral dynamics with spreadsheets alone.The smartest investors know it.They’re onboarding trusted TECH advisors and NEDs — and building governance that can scale with this new era.Will your board evolve — or be blindsided?⸻🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:• Why the next big AI risks are not technical — they’re behavioral• How to spot the trust gap in AI-driven companies• Why many AI founders are building fragile businesses• How smart boards and funds are changing their governance playbook• The role of behavioral signals (KBI) in de-risking AI investments• What it takes to build AI-ready governance — and avoid the next bubble⸻🎙️ Key Quote from Maria de la Puente:“We don’t want to repeat the same story of the dot-com bubble.We’re putting money into AI — but we don’t know about AI.And these people know about AI — but they don’t know about business.So how can we trust these investments?”⸻🧠 Why This Matters — Right NowThe AI bubble risk is real.And most boards are not ready.Governing AI-driven organizations requires more than dashboards.It requires behavioral governance, technical mastery — and the wisdom to see through the hype.The boards that evolve now → will lead.The boards that delay → will be left behind.In this episode, we show how to evolve — before it’s too late.⸻🛠️ Ready to See How You Compare?🎯 Want to benchmark your governance against Unicorn-grade orgs?👉 Start your free assessment: https://brix.consulting/contact/✅ Subscribe to the YouTube channel!🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@brixconsulting💬 Comment: How ready is your board to govern AI-driven organizations?📰 Subscribe to the LinkedIn Newsletter to stay up to date with our deep dives!🎧 Spotify🎧 Apple Podcast⸻🔗 Hashtags & Topics#ForgeOfUnicorns #AIBubble #AI #digitalgovernancemodel #bubble #BehavioralEngineering#PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #technical #NED #TechnicalNED #trustedadvisor #leadershipintech #cto #trending #advisor #investing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• 🎙️ EP62 - The Common Secret Behind Mining ⛏️, F1 🏎️ & MotoGP 🏍️ Evolution. Let’s Finally Bring It to Software!

  🤔 Why did Mining ⛏️, Formula 1 🏎️, and MotoGP 🏍️ evolve—and Software didn’t?In this episode of Forge of Unicorns, Nicolás Bañados, Managing Partner at Galgo Capital, helps us uncover the behavioral system behind industries that evolved from danger to precision—while the software world is still fighting over frameworks and labels.From mines to pitlanes, Mike draws the powerful parallel:In all those environments, people arrive as apprentices—and evolve into high-performance professionals through structured mentorship, feedback loops, and mastery.⸻🎧 Episode 62: The Common Secret Behind Mining, F1 & MotoGP EvolutionLet’s Finally Bring It to Software.Mine workers went from swinging pickaxes to piloting 50-ton excavators remotely.F1 and MotoGP engineers now prototype, test, and iterate at millisecond speed in some of the most regulated environments on Earth.And yet—they do it through engineering blended with craft, not checklists.They all did one thing software forgot to do:👉 Pair engineering with craftsmanship.💡 Engineering paired with craftsmanship is not a luxury.It’s survival—the only way to evolve without drowning in bureaucracy, tools, or hollow “transformation” initiatives.🧱 What Software Gets WrongWhile other industries evolved, we in tech bought templates.Frameworks. Acronyms. Certification schemes.We tried to outsource mastery with blueprints and SaaS tools—ignoring the reality:🧨 Digital transformation fatigue is real.It breeds burnout, disengagement, and leaves people too numb to embrace the next big change.But there’s another way.We found it.And it works.🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:• How high-risk industries evolved through mentorship and behavioral design• Why software teams burn out under rigid process instead of growing through real feedback• How to build true socio-technical systems using the Unicorns’ Ecosystem• The role of Nonviolent Communication in team and leadership transformation• What it takes to design an evolutionary path from apprentice to high-impact engineer🎙️ Key Quote from Nicolás Bañados:“The guy who used to dig in tunnels with a pickaxe can’t walk into a modern control room and succeed.He needs mentorship, time in the field, and behavioral evolution.Software is no different.”🧠 Why This Matters—Right NowAs we enter the AI-native era, software must evolve.But evolution isn’t a toolset. It’s a mindset.It’s time to stop rebranding frameworks—and start rebuilding mastery.We don’t need new labels.We need systems of care, precision, and unity.We’ve built that system.And in this episode, we’re showing it to the world.⸻🛠️ Ready to See How You Compare?🎯 Want to benchmark your teams against Unicorn-grade orgs?👉 Start your free assessment: https://brix.consulting/contact/✅ Subscribe to the YouTube channel!🎥 ⁨@brixconsulting⁩ 💬 Comment: What’s blocking evolution in your org right now?🪧 Subscribe to the LinkedIn Newsletter to stay up to date with our deep dives!📰 https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-forge-of-unicorns-7184097792242458624/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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