This episode features an interview with Yao Shunyu @ShunyuYao14 , Research Scientist at Google DeepMind. Yao has held research scientist roles at both Anthropic and Google DeepMind, contributing to the development of key models including Claude 3.7, 4.5, and Gemini 3. Yao Shunyu is not your typical nerd. Every now and then, he’ll catch you off guard with a flash of irreverence. “None of the old guard are your relatives — so if you think someone’s being dumb, they’re just being dumb. Say it. No big deal.” (laughs) “Everyone’s a surfer now, but what really matters is the wave — not the person riding it.” “AI doesn’t actually require that much brainpower — I mean it genuinely doesn’t — most of this is work any undergrad could do. The most important quality in this industry is reliability: being meticulous, and taking responsibility for what you put out.” “You don’t need to worry too much about ruffling feathers with your opinions. As long as your views are internally consistent — not just taking random shots at people, but grounded in your own genuine understanding — there are objective standards for how you’re doing in this field. People will respect you for it.” Let us have a little fun with this one! 😄​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​