In this episode of The Defiant Podcast, Vinny sits down with Ahmad Shadid—former quant trader turned founder—who redirected the 2022 GPU crunch into a decentralized GPU network and now leads a bold push toward “sovereign superintelligence”: an AI CEO framework that can govern, fund, and scale itself transparently.
We unpack vibe coding (building with AI at 20x speed), how zero-knowledge proofs and decentralized networks could reshape AI, and why security must keep pace in a world moving faster than audits. We talk leadership, the democratization of software, and the next wave of founders shipping products in days—not months.
We discuss:
How vibe coding empowers anyone to ship working demos fast
Where AI CEOs make sense—and where humans still matter
Why Web3 UX, wallets, and cross-chain could leap forward
The real bottleneck: security and audits in a 20x build world
Practical risks for builders and consumers—and how to stay safe
Chapters
00:00 The internet-magnitude moment for building
01:13 Sovereign superintelligence and AI CEO
01:38 Vibe coding: ship 20x faster
01:53 Speed vs. security: the new bottleneck
03:03 From GPU crunch to GPU networks
03:22 Why AI + Web3 will drive the decade
06:51 Will AI replace “managers” or leaders?
09:53 Vibe coding explained—anyone can build
14:05 Tools outpace human code reading
16:30 Building an AI-first product workflow
21:13 Build fast, but build safely
32:00 Toward decentralized AI-managed organizations
37:34 What’s driving the vibe coding wave
39:58 Democratization vs. industry gatekeeping
42:45 Anyone can start—opportunities everywhere