China Blocks Manus Sale, Rick Caruso in the Ultradome, Zak Brown from McLaren Joins | Will Hurd, Anush Elangovan, Augustus Doricko

April 27, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The April 27, 2026 episode of TBPN, live from the Ultradome, blends quick tech headlines with in-depth interviews from leaders in motorsports, construction, AI software, weather modification, and real estate. Guests including Zak Brown of McLaren Racing, Will Hurd of ICON, Anush Elangovan of AMD, Augustus Doricko of Rainmaker, and Rick Caruso share practical strategies for scaling businesses amid rapid tech shifts, emphasizing culture, partnerships, precise tech integration, and local knowledge.

Headlines: AI Lawsuits, Partnerships, and Geopolitical Blocks

Elon Musk's $134 billion lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman heads to jury selection in Oakland, alleging OpenAI shifted from nonprofit roots to profit-driven Microsoft alignment. Separately, OpenAI updates its Microsoft deal for multi-cloud flexibility, enabling use of Google TPUs or Amazon Trainium chips. China blocks Meta's $2 billion acquisition of AI platform MANUS (relocated to Singapore), despite integration progress; regulators cite Beijing's investment rules, with team detentions and family ties as leverage points. Meta also partners with Overview Energy for 1 GW space-based solar power beamed to Earth and Noon Energy for long-duration batteries.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Intro and Key Headlines** - Hosts introduce show from Ultradome, preview guests, cover Musk-Altman lawsuit, OpenAI-Microsoft changes, China blocks Meta-MANUS deal, Meta space solar plans
2 (03:31) **Zak Brown Early Racing Career** - McLaren CEO shares karting origins from 1981 Long Beach GP, Wheel of Fortune winnings, first sponsorships via mom's TWA barter
3 (05:51) **Zak Brown on Motorsports Business Shift** - Transition from racing to agency advising corporations on F1/NASCAR/IndyCar partnerships, focusing on business needs over logos
4 (12:05) **Zak Brown on F1 Leadership and Culture** - Managing emotional F1 seasons via people-first philosophy, staying calm post-pit errors, serving the team
5 (19:31) **Zak Brown on F1 Tech Cycles and AI** - Data (1.5TB/week, 50M simulations), constant prototyping, AI strategy via Gemini; paranoia on IP/security amid 3D scanning bans
6 (34:03) **Will Hurd Background to CIA** - Grew up biracial in San Antonio, Texas A&M student gov/digital campaigns, CS major inspired by robotics internship
7 (39:11) **Will Hurd Congress Run and Icon 3D Printing** - Shocked by congressional ignorance (e.g., Sunni-Shia basics); now pres. Icon Prime for 3D-printed barracks/military housing

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

(02:02) - China Blocks Manus Sale
(03:38) - Zak Brown, an American motorsports executive and former professional racer, is the CEO of McLaren Racing. In the conversation, he recounts his early passion for racing sparked by attending the 1981 Long Beach Grand Prix, leading him to karting and eventually founding Just Marketing International, a motorsports marketing agency. Brown emphasizes the importance of aligning corporate sponsorships with business objectives, fostering partnerships that benefit both McLaren and its sponsors.
(34:03) - Will Hurd, a former CIA officer and U.S. Representative from Texas, discusses his upbringing in San Antonio, his early interest in computer science, and his transition from the CIA to politics. He highlights his role as president of Icon Prime, a division of the 3D-printing construction company Icon, focusing on building military barracks and exploring construction solutions for space exploration. Hurd emphasizes the potential of 3D printing to revolutionize construction by reducing costs and improving efficiency, aiming to address housing shortages and enhance military infrastructure.
(01:00:12) - Anush Elangovan, Vice President of AI Software at AMD, joined the company through its acquisition of Nod.ai, where he was co-founder and CEO. In the conversation, he discusses AMD's open-source approach to AI software, emphasizing the integration of AI to enhance performance optimization and the importance of a unified hardware and software strategy. He also highlights AMD's commitment to supporting developers by providing seamless, heterogeneous runtimes and compilers, enabling efficient utilization of CPU, GPU, and NPU resources.
(01:18:19) - Augustus Doricko, CEO of Rainmaker Technology Corporation, discusses his company's pioneering efforts in cloud seeding, highlighting their success in modifying weather patterns to produce precipitation in regions like Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and the Middle East. He explains the process of cloud seeding, which involves introducing materials into clouds to induce rainfall, and emphasizes the advancements in precision and reliability achieved through their drone technology. Doricko also addresses public concerns about the safety of cloud seeding agents, noting the company's shift towards using naturally occurring proteins as alternatives to traditional chemicals like silver iodide.
(01:53:16) - 𝕏 Timeline Reactions
(02:28:59) - Rick Caruso is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist, known for founding Caruso, one of the largest privately held real estate companies in the U.S., and for his significant contributions to Los Angeles' urban landscape. In the conversation, Caruso discusses his focus on family well-being, recent ventures including expanding the Commons in Calabasas and acquiring a golf course, and his strategic push into markets outside California due to challenges in the state's busine