Inside Travis Kalanick’s Wild New AI Company

**John Coogan** (0:00)
I forgot to ask Jason if he has opinions about resto mods for jet skis. I'll ask you, is there a jet ski that you'd recommend for somebody getting into it?

**Jordi Hays** (0:11)
I saw a wooden jet ski recently.

**Travis Kalanick** (0:12)
A wooden, that's good.

**Jordi Hays** (0:13)
Like a really classic jet ski.

**Travis Kalanick** (0:15)
Dude, don't get me excited, I'm into it. Look, these things go fast.
I think I went 70 miles an hour on my jet ski to work.

**Jordi Hays** (0:22)
Wow. To work.

**John Coogan** (0:23)
That's faster than most people commute, they're stuck in traffic.

**Travis Kalanick** (0:26)
I mean, I've got a five minute commute to work on a jet ski, unless it's raining.

**Jordi Hays** (0:29)
Yeah, unless it's raining, not in lightning conditions.

**Travis Kalanick** (0:31)
It gets a little weird, and you call an Uber. Is it helpful?

**John Coogan** (0:36)
Do you do your best thinking on the jet ski?

**Travis Kalanick** (0:40)
No. No.

**Jordi Hays** (0:43)
Does it clear the mind?

**Travis Kalanick** (0:45)
No, it's just, guys, it's a fucking notch on the belt. It's like, who else do you know is jet skiing to work?
Nobody. I'm the guy.

**Jordi Hays** (0:57)
You're that guy.

**Travis Kalanick** (0:59)
I looked it up on your guys' application, OpenAI, ChatGBT, on your guys' app.

**Jordi Hays** (1:05)
Yeah, that's our app.

**Travis Kalanick** (1:06)
Yeah, on your app.

**John Coogan** (1:07)
You're welcome, by the way.

**Travis Kalanick** (1:08)
Yeah. I want to thank you for all the great stuff that you guys are providing in ChatGBT.
But I think there's one or two other COs, but nobody at a major, nobody thousand person plus is a CO is commuting to work. On a jet ski.

**John Coogan** (1:26)
Only a Texas resident, right?

**Travis Kalanick** (1:28)
Texas resident. That's right. Primary residence.

**Jordi Hays** (1:31)
Let's go.

**John Coogan** (1:31)
Yes.

**Jordi Hays** (1:34)
Before we start, the last time you're on here, that was for me the best moment of making the show ever. John and I, it was totally surreal.
We really enjoyed the conversation. But to me, we left that and it was almost depressing because as somebody who started getting into startups in the 2010s, you were that guy.
Then I was realizing with the show, we had that conversation with you and it was a significant day for you. But it was depressing because I realized a moment like that would never actually come again where I got to basically interview. It will happen, guys. It will happen. It will happen differently, but a childhood hero having that conversation, that's one of one for me. I don't think it'll happen again. There'll be other. It was peak. It was good. But anyways, you've been busy since then. I've been busy.

**Travis Kalanick** (2:32)
Look, I'm super excited. It's my first Open AI podcast.
I'm very excited about it. Also, I want to let you guys know that if you need therapy sessions for what it's like to be a made man in retirement.

**John Coogan** (2:46)
Sure.

**Travis Kalanick** (2:47)
Like if that's a thing, I can help motivate you guys.

**John Coogan** (2:50)
Isn't step one of therapy in this situation just get a jet ski?

**Travis Kalanick** (2:52)
No, it's actually denial. You got to get over the denial.

**Jordi Hays** (2:56)
Okay.

**John Coogan** (2:57)
Over the denial.

**Jordi Hays** (2:57)
Just it.

**John Coogan** (2:58)
Then the acceptance.

**Travis Kalanick** (2:59)
Yeah. It's something I don't know about 12 steps.

**Jordi Hays** (3:02)
Yeah.

**John Coogan** (3:03)
Everyone just knows denial and acceptance.

**Jordi Hays** (3:05)
They don't know any of the other ones.

**John Coogan** (3:07)
Grieving, bargaining. There's a couple of others in there, but you do go through that. It's natural.

**Travis Kalanick** (3:11)
Yeah.

**John Coogan** (3:11)
It happens, but then you start building.

**Travis Kalanick** (3:14)
If you guys need advice, you need therapy, I'm here for you.

**John Coogan** (3:16)
I love it.

**Travis Kalanick** (3:17)
I know the retard maxing is you're not supposed to do therapy. I'm just saying there are benefits.

**Jordi Hays** (3:21)
Especially with your new partners. If they're one thing, they wrote into the fundraising round, they wrote into the docs, cannot go to therapy. That would be amazing.

**John Coogan** (3:29)
I guess our modern therapy for men, this is what men do. They don't go to therapy.

**Jordi Hays** (3:35)
You should have office hours for founders, but they have to just come out on a jet ski while you're going and you're going 70 miles an hour and you'll coach them.

**Travis Kalanick** (3:44)