The Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman Feud, USAID insanity and hiring for tech roles in 2025

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/0f/1e/42/0f1e4298-c087-d39c-2e12-f70ca5d3de94/mza_17050667941820385462.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

WORK IN PROGRESS

Wes Botman, Ian Piepenbrock

22 episodes

6 days ago

WORK IN PROGRESS is a raw, unfiltered look at the grind of building and scaling in tech and services. Hosted by founders Ian Piepenbrock and Wes Botman, it’s for those in the trenches—still learning, still failing, still pushing. Each episode dives into the reality of running a business: the wins, the losses, and the lessons earned through hard work and constant experimentation. If you’re scaling, building, or just obsessed with the process, WORK IN PROGRESS delivers insights from founders in it, day in and day out.

Entrepreneurship

Business

RSS

All content for WORK IN PROGRESS is the property of Wes Botman, Ian Piepenbrock and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Entrepreneurship

Business

https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_episode/42264917/42264917-1739400349368-13b79096eb471.jpg

The Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman Feud, USAID insanity and hiring for tech roles in 2025 - Episode 16

WORK IN PROGRESS

47 minutes 48 seconds

8 months ago

The Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman Feud, USAID insanity and hiring for tech roles in 2025 - Episode 16

In this episode of WORK IN PROGRESS, Ian and Wes break down:Hiring in 2025 – Why the job market has changed, how AI is reshaping hiring, and why some candidates still show up unprepared.Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman – The OpenAI lawsuit, the drama behind its transition from nonprofit to for-profit, and the bigger picture in the AI war.Why UX wins the AI race – ChatGPT, Grok, Claude… which one is actually winning? Ian explains why UX plays a bigger role than most people think.USAID’s unhinged capital allocation – From funding LGBTQ festivals abroad to bizarre health initiatives, how government spending spirals into absurdity.The reality of government corruption – Pelosi’s insane net worth, politicians trading stocks, and how taxpayer money keeps disappearing.Can Europe have a “Doge” moment? – Will someone in the EU expose government inefficiencies the way Elon is doing in the U.S.?The pendulum swing in media control – Will mainstream media regain control of the narrative, or are we entering a new era of decentralized information?This episode is a mix of AI, politics, business, and a healthy dose of skepticism.Timestamps:(0:00) Intro & Valentine's Day discussion(3:20) Hiring challenges & workplace mentality(7:40) Job market shifts & the AI factor(12:20) Why work at Eli5? Company culture & roles(13:08) Best beat ever? Ian’s tweet & personal news(18:21) Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman feud(24:00) The AI race: competition & UX matters(27:00) X.AI employee quits over Grok 3 leak(31:45) The USAID spending scandal(36:40) Clown world & government corruption(40:00) Can Europe have its own “Doge” moment?(41:45) Media control & information monopoly(44:50) The pendulum swing: where are we headed?(47:20) Wrap-up & sign-offThe WORK IN PROGRESS podcast hosted by Ian Piepenbrock and Wes Botman, two founders who are scaling and refining their businesses every day.Wes Botman is founder and CEO at ⁠⁠Eli5⁠⁠ (https://eli5.io), a software studio making complex ideas simple and accessible.Ian Piepenbrock is CEO at ⁠⁠Noco⁠⁠ (https://noco.agency), an agency dedicated to helping B2B SaaS and tech companies grow through strategic web design and branding.Watch/listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cOqBRMjjgcXKSDDIboKrt?si=6990da66e09e4ef2Follow us on X for more raw insights, thoughts, and a good dose of founder reality:Wes: ⁠⁠@wesbotman⁠⁠ (https://x.com/wesbotman)Ian: ⁠⁠@lamswolprins (https://x.com/lamswolprins)