POV: building an AI empire in NYC

Key Concepts

AI companies, entrepreneurship, Rockefeller, Standard Oil, ambition, New York City, Vexal, AI agents, NA10, AI agent battle, productivity, MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue), APU (Active Paying Power User), LLMs (Large Language Models), Anthropic, AI researchers, rag (Retrieval Augmented Generation), vector database, N10 event, AI Asian e-sport, humanoid robot, startup advice, wealth disparity, technology, Grand Central, Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Week in the Life: European Villager in NYC

Initial Impressions and Observations

David Andre expresses a somewhat cynical view of New York City, describing it as chaotic and questioning its status as a "real civilization." He notes the prevalence of AI company advertisements, contrasting it with the lack of such ads in Europe. He attributes this to a more aggressive and entrepreneurial spirit in the US, where companies are willing to invest heavily in marketing.

Inspiration from Rockefeller

Andre visits Rockefeller Center and discusses John D. Rockefeller as a business inspiration. He mentions the biography "Titan" and highlights Rockefeller's strategies:

• Financial Acumen: "Making sure you know where your money is going."
• Competitive Strategy: Outcompeting rivals by hiring them and offering stock.
• Product Focus: Emphasizing the reliability and quality of Standard Oil, which enabled nighttime work for millions.

Andre reflects on the need to bring ambition and "thinking big" to Europe, while also acknowledging the downsides of New York City, such as visible poverty and crime.

Vexal and AI Automation

Andre discusses his company, Vexal, and its focus on AI-powered productivity tools. He emphasizes the importance of prioritizing tasks and ensuring that the team is working on the most critical aspects of the business.

A user of Vexal explains that he joined the community after watching Andre build an AI agent and is using it to automate tasks in fashion design. He also values the support group aspect of the community.

AI Agent Battle and N10 Event

Andre attends the NA10 event and the AI agent battle. Jack, another participant, mentions the upcoming NE10 event and the AI agent battle featuring Nate Herk.

Andre and Jack discuss the feeling of potential danger in New York City compared to Dubai.

Andre defends Vexal against the criticism that it's just a "glorified to-doist app," stating that he knows where it's headed and believes that a tool like this is essential in the multi-billion dollar productivity industry.

New York City Penthouse and Vexal's Progress

Andre showcases a luxurious New York City penthouse costing $10,500 per week. He contrasts this with the kind of luxury one could afford for the same price in Dubai.

He previews Vexal's upcoming "workflows" feature, an internal system for automating processes, including integrations with Gmail and other Google products.

Andre announces that Vexal has reached $10,050 in MRR again. He emphasizes the importance of "active paying power users" (APUs) who use the product at least four days a week and the value of direct customer feedback through 15-minute calls. "Talking to the customer" is the secret.

Sticker Campaign and LLM Discussion

Andre launches a sticker campaign across Manhattan, offering lifetime access to Vexal Pro to those who find the stickers and post photos on Instagram.

He discusses why Apple doesn't have the best LLM despite having the resources, attributing it to bureaucracy and a lack of focus on AI models and architecture. He contrasts this with Grok's rapid progress.

Making Money with AI and Anthropic

Andre suggests that building N10 agents and AI automations is a good way to start making money with AI, even for non-technical individuals.

He visits the NSA building and discusses Anthropic's success in retaining AI talent, noting that many researchers are leaving DeepMind and OpenAI to join Anthropic.

Diversity and Culture in New York City

Andre highlights the diversity and culture of New York City, suggesting that Europe may need to import more immigrants.

N10 Updates and Mobile App

Andre attends a presentation on new NA10 features, including quality-of-life improvements, simplification, scalability, and evals.

He learns that his brother-in-law is using Vexal and is encouraged to advertise the mobile app more, as it works "10 times better" than the web version.

AI Agent Battle Strategies and Secrets

Andre discusses strategies for the AI agent battle, including the use of rag and vector databases. He jokes about the "secret" to success being consistent effort, similar to getting fit.

He emphasizes the importance of the N10 community and the support provided by the N10 team.

During the AI agent battle, Andre observes that Nate is using a form trigger to ingest PDF documents into a rag. He recalls predicting this strategy in a previous vlog.

He reflects on a mistake he made during the evaluation, where the model outputted a different variable for its answer, resulting in zero points. He suggests that he would have used GPT-3.5 instead of Opus if he could do it again.

AI Asian E-sport and Humanoid Robots

The video showcases the AI agent battle, describing it as the "world's first AI Asian e-sport." The second challenge involves controlling a humanoid robot to complete a trivia challenge using N10.

The founder of GA, the company that makes the humanoids, envisions a future where labor is replaced by capital, with robots generating untold amounts of wealth.

Andre observes that Jack is using a different approach by changing the system prompt, while Andre would have written the system prompt himself.

Nate Herk Wins the AI Agentic Arena

Nate Herk wins the AI Agentic Arena and donates the $10,000 prize to charity. N10 matches the donation, doubling the prize.

N10's founder advises startup founders to pursue things they are excited about and to persevere, as building something amazing takes time and effort. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on the product and making decisions that are best for the product, even if it means taking risks.

He explains that New York is preferable to San Francisco due to the more manageable time difference with Europe.

Helicopter Tutorial and Final Sticker Deployment

Andre watches an 11-minute helicopter tutorial and jokes that he now knows how to fly. He deploys the final Vexal sticker at the heli spot, offering lifetime access to Vexal Pro to the finder.

He places the last sticker, combining Vexal and Bitcoin as the two main technologies of the last 20 years.

Reflections on Society and Technology

Andre expresses contempt for lottery tickets and scratch-offs, viewing them as attempts to cheat the rules of the universe.

He argues that technology is the only area where there has been progress in the last 80 years, citing the decline in culture and safety. He notes that the Empire State Building was built in the 1920s, highlighting the lack of comparable achievements in other areas since then.

He acknowledges that technology has created more opportunities for overachievers to get ahead, but believes that society as a whole is worse off due to inflation and the declining ability for young people to acquire homes.

Grand Central and Historical Context

Andre visits Grand Central Terminal, reflecting on its historical significance and its connection to figures like Cornelius Vanderbilt, Tom Scott, and Andrew Carnegie. He considers it a legendary piece of history in the modern era of business.

Conspiracy Theories and Personal Anecdotes

Andre makes a controversial statement about the collapse of the Twin Towers.

He shares anecdotes from his time in the military, including tours in Westpac, the Mediterranean, Australia, New Zealand, Okinawa, Japan, and Guantanamo Bay.

Synthesis/Conclusion

The video provides a glimpse into David Andre's life as a European entrepreneur in New York City, showcasing his business ventures, his thoughts on technology and society, and his participation in the AI community. It highlights the importance of ambition, perseverance, customer feedback, and community in achieving success in the rapidly evolving field of AI. Andre's observations on the differences between the US and Europe, the potential of AI, and the challenges facing society offer valuable insights for entrepreneurs and anyone interested in the future of technology.