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The TechMobility Podcast
Can America Still Compete? Robots, China Speed, ADHD Research, and the Future of U.S. Manufacturing
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25,000 robots. That number stops you for a second because it’s not a sci-fi thought experiment. It’s a real manufacturing strategy, and it raises a blunt question: can U.S. automakers compete in a world where cost, quality, and speed increasingly come from automation? I break down Hyundai’s push to scale humanoid robots through its Boston Dynamics connection, explain why building key components like actuators matters, and show how a plant that runs closer to 24-6 changes the entire math of production.
Then we zoom out to the competitive threat many still underestimate: what's referred to as "China Speed". Legacy automakers used to squeeze suppliers for the “China price,” but now the challenge is product development cycle time. We discuss why Chinese automakers can bring vehicles to market faster with less investment, how supplier relationships and streamlined specifications reduce friction, and why standardizing common parts can unlock both cost advantages and rapid iteration in automotive manufacturing.
We then shift to a very different kind of technology story with real human stakes: brain imaging research identifying three ADHD subtypes, including a severe combined presentation linked to emotional dysregulation. I walk through what that could mean for parents, schools, clinicians, and diagnosis, and explain why experts still urge caution about using scans at the individual level.
Finally, if you’re hoping “manufacturing in America” means a return to 1950s job growth, the modern reality is more complicated. I take a deep look at what it will take to move manufacturing back to America - Part II of a limited series I will be doing over the next few weeks.
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SPEAKER_00I'm Ken Chester. On the docket, can domestic automakers match China speed? Brain scans reveal three ADHD subtypes and part two of ramping up manufacturing in America. To add your voice to the conversation, be it to ask a question, share an opinion, or even suggest a topic for future discussion. And people do, and I do consider that and occasionally do that. Call or text the TechMobility Hotline. That number, 872-222-9793. Or if you prefer, you can email the show directly. Talk at techmobility.show. And I do check those. I do read and check that email every day.
Hyundai’s 25,000-Robot Manufacturing Push
SPEAKER_00From the Tech Mobility News Desk. This is from Automotive News. I'm sorry, no, this is from Interesting Engineering. I I apologize. Here's the title. 25,000 robots. 25,000. They're gonna do that. Now remember, you might not realize Hyundai actually bought Boston Robotics a few years back. So they have a robotic subsidiary that they own, and they're developing this. Let's get let's just talk about why this is happening because Hyundai is not the only one that's not only employing robots, but they're going to build them and the components. They're talking about also building 300,000 US-made actuators, and that's the key component that power robot joints and movement. Why are they doing this? Let me give you a quick capitalism lesson. It's all about the money. Case in point. You build a robot, you sell a robot. The fixed cost is what you paid for it. You're not going to pay anymore. Other than maintenance over the life of the robot, assuming it was engineered well, you pretty much can predict what the maintenance cost is going to be per year, per month, over time, and the cycles. Robots don't get sick. Robots don't show up late. Robots do not vary in their task. And if they do, they have internal diagnostics that will let the operator know that it's operating outside of the specified parameters that it's been set and would be shut down or adjusted on the fly. Also, with a robot, advanced diagnostics where we are, particularly with AI and everything going into them nowadays, they can also predict when parts are getting near or outside of specifications in advance so that they can be proactive with respect to equipment on the line. It means it will lower over time the cost of production on the line. Because I don't care how good the humans are on that assembly line, I don't care how long they've been doing the job, I don't care how much knowledge they have about the job they're doing. Being human means that even if you're perfect, you are going to be variant. You're not going to do it the same. If you do it 100,000 times, you're not going to do it the same exact way 100,000 times. Depends on the day, depends on the season, depends how old you are, depends on how you're feeling that day. And that's assuming you're doing the job as consistently as you know how, but we're human. We aren't as consistent as a programmed, maintained robot. The industry is going in that direction. And this is really the symptom of a larger conversation than I am trying to have, and we will have later in this program about what it takes to manufacture in America. In this case, Hyundai is saying that doing this developed by robots that were developed by their Boston Dynamics subsidiary, that they expect to make 30,000 robots a year. And key components. And that's by 2028. So that's less than two years from now. Which means they are ramping up those assembly lines as we speak. So why are they doing it? The deployment forms part of Hyundai Motor Group's phase strategy to integrate humanoid robots into core mana automotive manufacturing operations. Uh translation, they cost less over time to operate and the more consistent. I can get higher quality for less money over time. Yes, it costs more to put it on the line to buy it, but my operating costs are down. And the more I can use it, if I can run a plant 24-7 with this same set of robots, then my overhead goes down because I can spread the overhead over more units compared to the same human workers. In a 24-hour period, I'm going to have two or three workers on that particular job in rotation. With a robot, I've got one. One. Fixed charges, no medical, no retirement, no bonuses I have to pay. Put the thing in. Now, in fairness, the auto industry has been doing this for years. This is not new. Up till now, they've used robots in the more dangerous work, in the where pollution or safety, typically in welding, which is both dangerous and requires a lot of precision. And when you had folks breathing in lead fumes and tin fumes and sparks all over the place, it was dangerous. Fooling with heavy steel items job after job, hour after hour, day after day, breaks people down. So in most assembly plants now, you see robots welding vehicles together, adhesing using glue and gluing them together because they're more accurate and they're more consistent. And they can be programmed to run different types of vehicles on the same line based on the programming. You don't need new training. And with everything that's going on now, these robots can be designed to recognize the different types of jobs on that line and respond accordingly, consistently. Trust me when I tell you, a factory that maybe has 75% robots that can run 24-7 or at least 24-6, assuming that you have a day for maintenance and cleanup, is way more effective than a typical automobile assembly plant that can run two shifts 10 hours. You're running 20 hours a day, there's still four hours you're not running. With these, one robot, 20 hours or even 23 hours a day if you want to go there. That brings out more output, makes more money for the company, and lowers the cost. It's really about that. And everybody's looking at it. Um they're expecting, at least in Hyundai's case, to implement these humanoid robots at their motor group MetaPlant America in Georgia in 2028. They're looking at their Kia plant, also in Georgia, West Point, uh the following year. And then they will review other factories within their system for whether or not this makes sense. But trust me, it makes sense. And this is the part I think a lot of people who rah-rah, yay, yay, about let's bring let's bring work back, let's bring manufacturing back to America. That's great. But you need to remember something. This ain't 1950. It's not 1960. And what that means is there's not going to be necessarily a correlation increase of jobs like in the old days. That's not going to happen. Because it makes economic sense to automate as much as you can for consistency, price, and quality. And those things are what consumers demand right now. And you got to do it, and you have to do it in the most profitable way possible. Because wages are so much higher in the United States, automation really is the only way to go. It really is. So we'll see. Twenty-five years ago, domestic automakers challenged suppliers to meet the China price. Now the automakers have to match China at speed. You are listening to the Tech Mobility Show. But the one thing I've also learned in more than three decades in business is this. Most people never start because they think they don't have enough time. That's why I wrote Two Hour Entrepreneur, practical guide for building a real business in just two focus hours a week. Available now on Amazon, Kindle, Goodreads.com, and Kenneth J Chester.com. Two Hour Entrepreneur, because your future deserves two hours.
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SPEAKER_05In business, opportunity doesn't wait, and neither should you. At Playbook Investors Network, we connect visionary entrepreneurs with the strategies, resources, and capital they need to win. Whether you're launching, scaling, or reimagining your business, our network turns ambition into measurable success. Your vision deserves more than a plan, it deserves a playbook that works. Playbook Investors Network, where bold ideas meet bold results. Visit pincommunity.org today.
SPEAKER_00Quick question: What could your life look like one year from now if you invested just two focused hours a week into building something of your own? That's the idea behind my new book, Two Hour Entrepreneur. No hype, no hustle culture, just practical steps to help busy people finally move from idea to action. Available now on Amazon Kindle, goodreads.com, and KennethJchester.com. Two hour entrepreneur. Start where you are.
SPEAKER_03In the beginning, we just had one car, and we would fight over who got to drive it. So the rule was whoever was driving the furthest would get the Tesla.
SPEAKER_04And now we've added a Model X to our family. We're a very busy family, so we have to travel a lot every day.
SPEAKER_03Paige drives a lot. We never know exactly where she's going.
SPEAKER_04I do a lot of conference calls. Autopilot lets me do that when it's bumper to bumper. I can put up an autopilot and know that we're gonna be safe. Charging has never been a problem. Todd likens it to charging your cell phone when you get home at night, you plug in your cell phone. That's how we do it with our cars. I don't think that there's another car out there that gets better the longer you own it.
SPEAKER_03The performance is amazing, the technology is amazing.
SPEAKER_04That's a huge testament to what's important to me for my family. That's why we like Teslas because they keep up with us. And I love that. I'm Paige, and my family is an electric family.
SPEAKER_00I bet you didn't know Tesla actually had commercials. And that's a commercial back in 2018 for the Tesla Model X, believe it or not. The first SUV they had, which had problems because it had the winged doors that were so much trouble in manufacturing. It's funny, the smaller Model Y SUV, the second one, is actually way more popular than Model X was. But an electric family, I didn't know that Tesla even had one, but I wanted to share that with you because I thought you'd get a kick out of it. Said, what? Tesla has commercials? Yes, Tesla had commercials. Now you
From China Price To China Speed
SPEAKER_00know. Twenty-five years ago, 2001, America's domestic automakers challenged their supply chain, all three tiers, tier one, tier two, tier three, with many in the lower tiers being family-owned and operated suppliers that have worked with Detroit for decades to match the price that their Chinese suppliers were offering, or lose the business. Automotive news had a headline and it said to the industry, GM the suppliers, China price or else. Needless to say, that wreaked havoc across the auto industry. There were a lot of restructuring rings and bankruptcies from about 1998 right up to the automakers got in trouble in 2005. It was a mess. And while the automakers have had a variety of reckonings over the years, from lean manufacturing and the deming system of quality control in the 80s to AI and automation now, it's apparent that their current business model is no longer sustainable. It's time for a reset. This is topic A. I was looking at a column by a friend of mine, John McElroy, who is the president of Blue Sky Productions, and he produces Autoline Daily and a longtime opinion columnist for Ward's Auto, an industry publication. His views here. And I read them. John's mostly right, but honestly, well, I'll explain. His point is, and I'll just read it. The rise of China's auto industry isn't just because of low wages, government subsidies, or a brutal 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. work schedule six days a week. It's because China has rewritten the rule book on how to design, develop, and manufacture new cars. It's called China Speed, and it represents an existential threat to legacy automakers. Let me give you some context what he's talking about. 2025 study by Alex Partners shows that Chinese automakers can develop new products twice as fast with 40 to 50% less investment and a 30% cost advantage. How did we get here? Let's talk about the approach to automobile manufacturing. In the United States, the legacy manufacturers, and we're talking about GM and Ford, and to a lesser extent, um Stellantis, and even Japanese companies that do it here, like Toyota and Honda and Nissan, they have legacy systems, legacy staff, legacy engineering, the way they've always done it. Now, to be fair to the industry, they have had to evolve. And they have. Most people today do not remember back in the day when automotive design meant new sheet metal every single year. The 1960 models didn't look like the 59s, and the 61 models didn't look like the 60s. They changed the sheet metal every year, even though the underlying vehicle was largely the same. Automakers have been doing that for some time. Even today, automakers share platforms with other models. If you're Stillantis, and back in the old Chrysler Corporation days, you had to, GM's whole success from the 1920s onward was built on that concept. That they had families. There was a reason why. A 1991 Chevy Celebrity, a 1991 Pontiac 6000, a 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra, and a 1991 Buick Century looked the same because under the skin they were. And very often built in the same factories. So it's not like Detroit hasn't done this. Detroit has gotten away from the daily, from the yearly model change, saved money. They've lengthened product runs from three years to six. But the issue is China's taken the game and mashed the pedal. And they're taking that to a whole new level that Detroit's not at. He gives you an ex a further example. Consider how a legacy original equipment manufacturer talks to its Tier 1 suppliers. And in case you don't know the jargon, Tier 1 suppliers are the larger suppliers that work with the smaller deployers that the automakers work directly with. Typically, the Tier Ones roll up processes, procedures, and assemblies from smaller Tier II and Tier III suppliers, and then together put that module and deliver it to the automaker. The automaker will hand the Tier 1 a phone book sized document containing upwards of 20,000 hyperspecific technical specifications for a single component. It specifies the exact bread of steel, the precise radius of a bracket, and the exact software architecture. It takes months just to negotiate the paperwork, let alone validate it. Now that has come through years and years of years and years and trial and error, and some of that stuff they learn the hard way. But in China, a newer OEM will hand over a sheet with roughly 600 specs, and they don't tell the supplier how to build a part. They tell them what the part needs to do. They specify performance, the dimensions it must fit, the cost target. Then they get out of the way. And they have an organization that parts that the consumer doesn't see, for example, a window motor, um, different sort of common parts that don't add value or uniqueness to the vehicle. They work through something called the China Automotive Technology Research Center. They standardize those types of parts, and everybody uses them aggressively, religiously for a long, long time. They get tremendous value out of it. Once it's perfected, they leave it alone and they use it over and over. They don't reinvent the wheel every time, unlike Detroit. And that's where a lot of the cost is coming. And they gotta wake up because uh this is where the world is going. They gotta step it up or get lost. While most people recognize the classic image of a child with ADHD, there's a more extreme type that's marked by emotional deregulation. This is the Tech Mobility Show. Quick question: What could your life look like one year from now if you invested just two focused hours a week into building something of your own? That's the idea behind my new book, Two Hour Entrepreneur. No hype, no hustle culture, just practical steps to help busy people finally move from idea to action. Available now on Amazon Kindle, Goodreads.com, and KennethJchester.com. Two Hour Entrepreneur. Start where you are.
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SPEAKER_00As
Brain Scans Reveal ADHD Subtypes
SPEAKER_00they say, now it's time for something completely different. When somebody mentions ADHD, it's the classic image that comes to mind. Usually a spacey kid staring out the window. Distracted by squirrels. The fidgeter who can't sit still, a leg rattling under the desk. However, parents and teachers also describe a more extreme type that stumps them. Kids who erupt, collapsing on the floor, screaming, crying, even sometimes throwing or breaking things when overwhelmed. Advances in brain imaging are pushing scientists beyond symptom-based labels towards biologically grounded classifications and neurological conditions. And it's about time. This is topic B. I can't even imagine parents back in my day, if you will, a kid showing out like that, they would think that the kid was just acting up and would discipline them accordingly. But what we're finding out in this article that was in the Washington Post a few months ago, that there is actually a biological basis for this sort of behavior. They wasn't sure if it was a symptom of the ADHD or if the child was actually somewhere on the autism spectrum. They did not have the tools to try to figure out what this is and more importantly, how to treat it. That was then. But now what they're looking at is that recently researchers grouped three forms of ADHD identified in the imaging because they're now doing brain scans. They're doing brain imaging. And those three are in the familiar. Here's the one that you need to pay attention to, and one less familiar. Here are the categories predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive slash impulsive, and a more severe combined presentation, marked by emotional dysregulation or difficulty managing and responding to emotions in a controlled, appropriate way. I'm having some difficulty myself right now when I look at this. I would make assumptions. All of my assumptions would be wrong. Because when we came up, kids are supposed to behave, and if they're not, they're wilding out you handled it appropriately, and it wasn't with medication. Because there's no way you're gonna show out in a store like that. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no. No. My parents wouldn't have been able to handle this, particularly if it was a problem. Uh-uh. But here's the kicker. Those clinicians in the field did not have the tools or ability to identify that more extreme behavior. They didn't know what it was, they didn't know how to classify it, and because they had that problem, they did not know how to treat it or how to approach it. And the worst part, this idea, they knew there was something there, but they couldn't get to it. Had been around for about 20 years. But now it's becoming more credible. And this these findings are part of a broader shift. Advances in brain imaging are pushing scientists beyond symptom-based labels towards biologically grounded classifications, as I said earlier. An approach already reshaping autism research, where a study published last year identified four distinct subtypes. ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurodevelopmental conditions. Get this, affecting roughly one out of nine US children, almost 10% of kids. They say about 11%. And this is according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ADHD is real. And this more extreme version of it that they're just now coming to grips with. And this prevalence is reshaping classrooms and placing growing demands on schools, clinicians, and families to provide adequate support and resources. How do you treat somebody that is in the extreme? Are they acting out, or is there a biological reason for what's going on right there? Can we treat it? How do we deal with it? Here's the problem. Yet treating it remains complex. While effective medicines exist, the condition often overlaps with other disorders and presents in diverse ways, complicating diagnostic diagnosis and care. It's not just one problem, usually. Do you prescribe existing medicines for the other types of ADHD, hoping it will affect this? It won't necessarily do it. In the new study, the first two categories map neatly under the way ADHD is currently diagnosed. All is well, dividing along a well-established line between difficulties with focus and problems with higher act hyperactivity and impulse control. Yeah, for those two. But the third one pushes the field into new territory. This extreme subtype exhibited the most extensive changes across the brain of the kids they looked at, a total of 45 abnormal areas versus the 26 each for the other two subgroups. Almost double. Almost double. And they're just now coming to grips with this. Brain imaging suggests that this subtype is just not more ADHD with a higher degree of changes, but something meaningly, meaningfully different. There was an excessive disruption between the two across the two areas tied to emotion and control, the medial prefrontal cortex and the palladium. This points to a distinct pattern, not simply a greater degree of the same disruption. A distinct pattern. Actual biological disruption. Okay? But here's the thing. Having said that, there are other professionals to say, yes, brain imaging is important and yes, it's giving us some new ground, but you still really can't use it on a one-on-by-one basis because of all the variations that can impact it. So while they're getting closer, they're still far away. Because there's no diagnosis specific to dysregulation. And they don't really want to give you the more related labels. Disruptive move dysregulation disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Unspecified moves disorders that clinicians often hesitate to use because they can be stigmatizing. And it doesn't always capture what they're seeing. I want to leave you with this because there's a paper out, and if you're dealing with this, you may want to make yourself available, avail yourself to this for more information. It's part of the working group for something called the DSM 5, the latest diagnostic manual for psychiatric conditions, that was first released in 2013 and updated in 2022. At that time, there was pressure to be cautious because the science back then was not strong enough to support major changes to redefine ADHD. The United States share of manufacturing has declined over the last 50 years, but we're not alone. We are the Tech Mobility Show.
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SPEAKER_00You know, after years of hosting these programs and talking with entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders, I realized something a lot of people are liking ideas, but they're lacking a realistic path to start. That's why I wrote To Our Entrepreneur. It's for people with jobs, families, responsibilities, and dreams that have been sitting on the shelf for too long. Watching now on Amazon KindleGootreach.com and KennethJchester.com. To our entrepreneur, progress start small.
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SPEAKER_00Over the
Can Manufacturing Ramp Up in America? Part I of a Limited Series
SPEAKER_00past 50 years, manufacturing as a share of U.S. GDP has declined. While other countries have experienced a similar trend, the speed and depth of manufacturing's decline in America stands out. As production shifted from the United States to emerging markets, the U.S. imports of manufactured goods grew substantially. Over the last 20 years, they've increased by about 40% to about 10% of GDP gross domestic product. As a result, imports now make up about 35% of U.S. goods consumption, up one-third over the past two decades. How can we turn this around? This is topic C. This is part two of a conversation that you and I need to have about manufacturing in America. And being a year where bringing back good paying jobs to America seems to be a mantra that a lot of people are using, and that sounds great. But it's also not accurate. Because what you're assuming when they make that statement that they want to return to the 1990s, the 1980s, shoot, the 1970s, when manufacturing was much more a big deal here relative to size. The problem is we don't live in that world anymore. And whether you like it or not, where we're at is cost always follows the least expensive denominator. If you are producing screws, just garden variety screws, you sell them by the ton, it's called a commodity. There's nothing unique about them, nothing that is protected by pattern. There's screws. You need them, but if you're willing to pay $15 a ton and it cost me, if I keep it in the United States, $20 a ton, then I got to do something or I won't be making screws anymore. So I'm going to move my screw making machines to somewhere where I can make them, still get them delivered, where I can make some money. If you're willing to pay $15 a ton with shipping and everything, I've got to be about $7.50 a ton to produce them. Down from 20. That's the economics. Here's the thing no matter what they say, even the most patriotic business people, it's got to make economic sense to bring it back. They got to make money doing it. Problem is you're in a squeeze. What the market's willing to pay, that means you and me and the companies and businesses we frequent versus what it costs to produce if you're going to pay decent wages and taxes and benefits. And in some cases, whether you like it or not, the numbers don't work. They don't. That's the problem. Plus, the same people talk about bringing back good paying jobs to America, there are millions, if not billions, of dollars that will have to be spent. And here's another problem. We talked about this a little bit last week. You need a workforce that has the skill set for the factory I'm going to build. The days, I said this last week, the days of graduating high school, walking into a plant, and making middle class wages is over. Those folks that have manufacturing jobs today in this great new environment have a level of education that's specialized, whether you're working with computer controlled machines, or whether you're working with software to operate the machines or doing sort of maintenance, you need to know more. And that's a thing. And then it depends on where you put the plant. Because where the land is, where the people is, sometimes it's very different. Here in Iowa, we have a very low unemployment rate. And in fact, we've lost some opportunities over the last 20, 30 years because we couldn't guarantee the number of people available, ready to go to work. There weren't enough folk. Just flat out, weren't enough people to satisfy the needs of the plant. That was back then. Now, what people expect to make, you've got to look at the numbers. Not everything you're going to be able to bring back. And that's where there's a problem. Let me give an example. In 2025, the United States imported about $1.3 trillion of what they call critical manufactured goods, and defined as those central to resilient supply chains and national security. For example, advanced semiconductors are required to run power grids and telecommunications. Specific active pharmaceutical ingredients are necessary to produce life-saving antibiotics. Specialized high-capacity batteries keep our transportation and defense systems operational. If these products disappeared tomorrow, the modern American economy would be at least heavily disrupted, if not ground to a halt. But let me tell you this. Let me build on that. Let me give you some very specific examples. Rare earth magnets are a prime example of Achilles' heels. The United States imported only 220 million worth in 2025, but the products they're used in, including electric vehicles, wind turbines, and defense applications, would not run without them. More than 90% of that material is produced in China, which supplies more than 80% of U.S. imports. Another example, and you didn't know this, is pharmaceuticals. China supplies more than 90% of U.S. imports by volume for a range of both finished drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients, including antibiotics and vitamins. Indeed, at least 12 types of antibiotics are estimated to be solely sourced from China. It also plays a critical role in global production of some intermediates for drugs like statins, as well as making many helper chemicals such as regents and solvents used in producing pharmaceuticals. Let me skip to the chase here. Let me get to the point. There is so much going on. I talked earlier about population. I'm part of the baby boomer generation, meaning I was born between 1946 and 1964. At what time, at our height, we were one-fourth of the entire U.S. population. One-fourth. That's 77 million people. We're retiring and we're dying off. The groups coming behind us aren't as big. So you're starting with a structural problem of just population. I mean, who's going to work in these plants? Who's going to have the right, and are you going to have the right skill set when you do it? Let me throw you something else at. This study, and I'm I'm referring to a McKinney and company study. And it talked about ramp-up factors. Ramp up factor is one, it's one to five. One is running current assets at 100% productivity. And the industries that if you were optimized at 100%, you could meet the need. There are a lot of other things, textiles and apparel, electronics, metals, chemicals, and machinery that are for anywhere from four to twenty times that. And that does not count the supply chain you've got to build in order to make that happen. It ain't that easy, people. There's a lot of moving parts. Do we have the intestinal fortitude to tough this out and answer those questions? Because every single industry is different and has different needs and different requirements. That moment probably isn't coming, but two focused hours a week? Yeah, most of us can find that. In my new book, To Hour Entrepreneur, I'll show you how small, consistent effort can create real momentum toward building something meaningful. Launching now on Amazon Kindle, Goodreads.com, and Kenneth JCester.com. Two Our Entrepreneur built for real life.
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