GameStop CEO: The Machines Are Already Smarter Than Us | Ryan Cohen

SPEAKER_1 (0:01)

This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required compatibility and availability varies 18 plus.

Ryan Cohen (0:26)

I don't think that the machines would ever attack us, but I think ultimately there's a risk that we get so fed up by how productive and how much smarter the robots are than us that we end up attacking the machines and then they attack us and it ends up being man versus the machine, whether that ends up being World War III. I don't know, but I do get a lot of concerns over artificial intelligence.

Anthony Pompliano (0:56)

So when I think about the rise of artificial intelligence, you run a company that has a lot of physical stores. How do you think about any company, regardless of whether they are an AI company or not, can use this stuff internally to become more productive for themselves as a CEO, for their employees, et cetera? Like, are you guys mandating anything? Are you encouraging the use of this technology in any way?

Ryan Cohen (1:21)

Yeah, we're using a lot of it across the entire org. And I'm super fascinated at how quickly the technology is developing. Every single time, I think one company is in the lead, another company comes out with a more advanced model.

I get very worried about the technology. It's hard to not imagine the worst outcome in terms of high unemployment. And ultimately, I don't think that the machines would ever attack us, but I think ultimately, there's a risk that we get so fed up by how productive and how much smarter the robots are than us, that we end up attacking the machines, and then they attack us, and it ends up being man versus machine. Whether that ends up being World War III, I don't know, but I do get a lot of concerns over artificial intelligence.

Anthony Pompliano (2:34)

What do you think is the most likely concern you have to actually come into fruition? Is it something that is like physical security, or is it more of like cyber, there's hacks, there's like that type of stuff?

Ryan Cohen (2:48)

The pace at which the technology is developing, and how much smarter the machines are than humans.

It really puts us in a position where we have very little utility. And ultimately, if that leads to high unemployment, that affects consumer demand, and obviously that can have a domino effect that is not good. But it's hard for us to compete against the machine. And so it's already too advanced. Like everything that we can do, the machine is better at.

Anthony Pompliano (3:31)

So it's interesting. I was talking earlier with Jordy Visser about, he's got this theory of machine time versus human time. And the machines are speeding up. And every executive I talk to pretty much is like, I feel like things are moving very quickly here. You mentioned new models are coming out at a fast pace, et cetera. How do you think about spending your personal time right now?

Do you change what you're doing inside the business? Do you change what you're doing in your time off from the business? Like, how is that evolving with the rise of all this technology?

Ryan Cohen (4:02)

Well, everything we're doing at the business is AI, I've heard. And it's been that way now for at least the past few quarters.

I spend all my time on GameStop at this point, or a majority of my time, and focused on making the business as productive as possible.

Anthony Pompliano (4:23)

Have you changed anything? Because you would have told me that six months ago. Has anything changed in that time period?

Ryan Cohen (4:29)

In terms of my time?

Anthony Pompliano (4:31)

Yeah. Let's just say, let's do a day in the life of Ryan Cohen, right? You have a lot of responsibilities. You obviously have employees, you have product, you have to deal with financing, balance sheet, corporate development type stuff. You got to deal with shareholders, although you don't really do a lot of talking to the shareholders is what I gather.

How do you think about spending your time? And then inside of that, I'll give you maybe an example for me. I built a custom piece of software to start to merge together a bunch of information and systems we have. So I could just be more efficient because now, I masquerade as a software engineer and can vibe code stuff. Like have you built any tools internally? Are you changing what you're doing on a day-to-day basis?