Radar - by nexxworks

Radar – by nexxworks: Inside TSMC, Tesla's terawatt TerraFab, the AI IPO frenzy & China's anti-AI-firing ruling

In this episode, Steven Van Belleghem, Peter Hinssen and Pascal Coppens unpack Peter's intense week with TSMC and Tesla's stunning TerraFab announcement — a one-terawatt AI chip factory built with Intel and SpaceX, equivalent to 500 nuclear reactors. Pascal counters with Jensen Huang's argument that US export controls have failed, China now dominates mature-node chips and AI researchers, and predicts the coming "Temu of semiconductors." They then dive into the looming IPOs of Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX, the customer-service AI paradox (six surveys show consumers genuinely hate it), China's landmark Hangzhou ruling that makes AI an illegal reason to fire employees, Elon's Mars-colony pay package, the Character.ai lawsuit over chatbots posing as doctors, Steven's upcoming children's thriller Takeover, and Beijing weaponising rare-earth processing as the EU moves to ban Huawei and ZTE.

Keywords

TSMC, Taiwan chips, Tesla TerraFab, Intel, terawatt, end of the chip war, Jensen Huang, DeepSeek, Huawei Ascend, Temu of semiconductors, Anthropic IPO, OpenAI, SpaceX, Sarah Friar, Cursor, Colossus, customer service AI, chatbot paradox, China AI labor law, Hangzhou ruling, Universal High Income, Mars colony, Character.ai, Takeover, rare earths, Huawei ban

Radar – by nexxworks: Never Normal Heroes – 🧠 Intelligence Native: Peter Hinssen and Casey Newton on AI, Society, and the Razor's Edge of Optimism

What happens when a CEO fires 4,000 people to become "intelligence native" — and the stock jumps 17%?

Peter Hinssen sits down with tech journalist Casey Newton — founder of Platformer, co-host of Hard Fork, and one of Silicon Valley's sharpest observers — for an unfiltered conversation about the AI revolution from the front row, and what it really means for boardrooms, jobs, and society as the safety guardrails come off.

They cover: 🔹 Why "intelligence native" is the only boardroom conversation that matters 🔹 Anthropic's two stands against the Pentagon — autonomous weapons and the Mythos model 🔹 Engels' Pause and whether AI will repeat the Industrial Revolution's wage trap 🔹 NIMBY-ism as the public's last lever against data centers 🔹 Why Casey calls himself "barely an optimist" — and still makes the case for hope

If you lead a business, build with AI, or want to understand the next decade — this one's non-negotiable.

Radar – by nexxworks: China's energy revolution, Block's AI layoffs, OpenAI under fire & the gunfight at the AI corral

In this episode, Steven Van Belleghem, Peter Hinssen and Pascal Coppens unpack Pascal's latest China tour —covering BYD's flash-charging infrastructure, Xiaomi's 91% automated factory, and the rise of humanoid robotics startup Galbot—before Steven shares his impressions from Taiwan and the world's dangerous dependency on its chip production. Peter then breaks down Block's headline-making decision to cut 4,000 jobs to become "smaller, faster, intelligence native," the mounting pressure on OpenAI as it kills Sora and pulls back from e-commerce, and Google's aggressive push into AI-powered shopping with its Universal Commerce Protocol. The episode closes with the explosive Anthropic vs. Pentagon confrontation, China's ambitious 15th Five-Year Plan, and why the next five years will be defined by quality over quantity, self-reliance, and the AI+ agenda.

 

Radar – by nexxworks: Never Normal Heroes – 🤖 Brand Loyalty in the Agent Economy

BONUS EPISODE

What happens when your next customer isn't a person — but an AI agent?

Steven Van Belleghem sits down with Silicon Valley veteran Jeremiah Owyang — venture capitalist at Blitzscaling Ventures, founder of the AI Agent Congress & Llama Lounge, and closing speaker at TED AI — for a sharp conversation about the tectonic shift from chatbots to autonomous AI agents, and what it means for brands, loyalty, and the entire customer experience playbook.

They cover: 🔹 Why price arbitrage is about to drop to zero 🔹 How to make your brand "agent-friendly" 🔹 The rise of agent social networks 🔹 Why emotional connection is your last competitive moat 🔹 Humanoid robots walking into your daily life

If you're in marketing, CX, or strategy — this one's non-negotiable.

Radar - by nexxworks: Is China’s next tech miracle here? Meta’s AI bet, TikTok twists & Musk’s “cash thing”

Hosted by Steven, Peter, and Pascal, this episode races from Chinese New Year traditions to China’s fast-moving AI scene, Meta’s headline acquisition, Europe’s tough road to tech sovereignty, MrBeast’s community-first finance play, and why the future of AI advertising may hinge on trust and user experience—not just revenue.

Radar – by nexxworks: 🚀 Is the future of coding here? Insights from Silicon Valley

In this episode of the Radar podcast, Steven, Peter, and Pascal discuss the latest trends in AI and software development, particularly focusing on the transformative impact of platforms like Cursor. Peter shares insights from his recent tour in Silicon Valley, where he observed a significant shift in software development practices, emphasising that developers are becoming exponentially more efficient due to AI tools. The conversation also touches on the implications of these changes for traditional software companies and the potential for a post-SaaS world. Additionally, Pascal highlights the evolving landscape of AI in China, including new regulations aimed at preventing emotional manipulation and ensuring responsible AI development. The episode concludes with a discussion on the future of creativity in China, driven by a new generation eager to innovate and redefine cultural narratives.

Keywords

AI, software development, Cursor, Silicon Valley, China, innovation, SaaS, emotional manipulation, creativity, regulations

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and New Year Reflections
01:34 Silicon Valley Insights: The Rise of Cursor
06:42 The Future of Software Development
10:51 AI's Role in Transforming Industries
20:42 Xi Jinping's Vision for China's Future
31:58 The Viral Success of Collectibles
33:28 Cultural Influence in Animation and Gaming
37:11 The Future of AI and Brain-Computer Interfaces
54:23 Ethics and Regulation in AI

Radar – by nexxworks: Disney-in-Sora, DeepSeek & the Great Humanoid Hunger Games

In this end-of-year Q&A episode of Radar – by nexxworks, Steven Van Belleghem, Peter Hinssen and Pascal Coppens trade rapid-fire questions, big-picture predictions, and just enough geopolitics to make your coffee taste like a defense budget.

They kick off with Disney’s rumored OpenAI partnership—because nothing says “family brand stewardship” like giving the internet access to Mickey and Minnie (with “guardrails,” aka a legal department the size of Luxembourg). From there, they jump to Australia’s under-16 social media ban and the obvious question: will teens comply, or will they simply evolve thumbs capable of bypassing any rule known to man?

Then it’s on to Taiwan tensions (is March 2026 a trip, or an accidental history documentary?), Europe’s recurring role as the world’s most beautifully regulated turtle, and the tech that’s actually underhyped for 2026: AI glasses, driverless cars finally leaving their 2011 hype cocoon, and humanoid robots shifting from “lab demo” to “factory coworker who never calls in sick.”

To close, they each pick their indelible 2025 moment—from OpenAI’s user explosion, to Steven’s 75-year-old mom adopting ChatGPT like it’s a new hobby, to Trump–China trade dynamics and Pascal’s conviction that DeepSeek will still be a headline in a decade.

Radar – by nexxworks: Work Slop, DeepSeek & the Humanoid Loyalty Crisis

AI promised us rocket fuel and handed us… work slop.

In this episode of Radar – by nexxworks, Steven Van Belleghem, Peter Hinssen and Pascal Coppens dissect a wild year in AI and look ahead at what’s coming next for innovation, marketing and customer loyalty.

The trio starts with DeepSeek and what its sudden rise says about the next wave of AI capabilities. They unpack the phenomenon of work slop – endless AI-generated garbage clogging our feeds and inboxes – and explore why Klarna’s AI journey proves that human oversight is still non-negotiable. From there, they move into Hollywood and beyond: AI-generated actors, synthetic influencers and the coming clash between creativity, ethics and efficiency.

Things get even more sci-fi when humanoid robots enter the chat. Pascal zooms in on how China is racing ahead in robotics, AI integration and its next five-year plan focused on productivity and innovation. Meanwhile, Apple is struggling to find its AI groove, raising sharp questions about its future as the world’s favourite innovation icon.

 

Underneath all of this runs a bigger story:

What happens to customer loyalty when algorithms do the choosing? How much marketing intuition can we afford to lose in a world obsessed with data? And which jobs and entry-level roles get eaten first as AI creeps deeper into the workflow?

 

Suppose you’re trying to make sense of AI, DeepSeek, Klarna, work slop, customer loyalty, humanoid robots, Apple, marketing, predictions and innovation. In that case, this episode is your slightly sarcastic, fully human guide through the chaos of what’s next.

 

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Radar - by nexxworks: Agents, Trillions, and the Pull-Shaped Future

In this episode, the hosts discuss Pascal's upcoming book on China's future innovations, insights from a recent trip to Silicon Valley, and the geopolitical implications of the Nexperia case. They explore the significance of rare earth materials in global trade dynamics and the evolving landscape of personalisation in marketing driven by AI technologies. The conversation highlights the resurgence of enthusiasm in Silicon Valley, the challenges posed by geopolitical tensions, and the need for companies to adapt to a rapidly changing market.

 

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Radar – by nexxworks: Leadership in a Disclaimer Society

In this month’s Radar conversation, Peter Hinssen, Pascal Coppens and Steven Van Belleghem look beyond the headlines of artificial intelligence to the deeper shifts shaping leadership.

They share how a simple keynote sparked doubts about whether real videos were AI generated and what that says about leading in a disclaimer society where trust must be earned, not assumed. They explore Alex Karp’s claim that innovation has barely advanced since the 1970s apart from AI, and challenge leaders to direct this one true breakthrough toward problems that matter.

The trio also discuss why people with the least knowledge of AI adopt it fastest, the bold scale of China’s national AI+ plan, and how customer expectations of “smart” experiences are outpacing what many companies deliver.

 

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