As a founding team member of Google X with deep expertise in autonomous systems, I'm here to tell you why we’re choosing the wrong path for robotics—and what we can to to change course.

Join Marcius and Tom for the second part of their conversation about "planet positive investing". Tom explains why he thinks we are actually approaching climate solutions from the wrong perspective. Then, he and Marcius discuss the role of AI in climate tech, and the importance of cultural and community considerations in environmental efforts, and the history of solar energy. Let us know what you think at podontherise@gmail.com! 00:00 Introduction 01:51 Building A Discipline for New Climate Solutions 05:25 Cultural Continuity and Multi-Generational Goals 13:08 The Intersection of AI and Climate Solutions 17:52 The Depth of Design vs. Generative AI 20:25 AI's Environmental Impact 23:36 Understanding Truth: Categories and Their Implications 26:52 Objective Truth? 29:07 Why is the Climate Change World So White? 36:40 Indigenous Voices in Environmental Restoration 38:23 Somehow We're Talking About Music Streaming 39:21 Investing in a Sustainable Future 40:30 Tom Attempts to Explain Planet Positive Business to A 10-Year-Old 42:31 Marcius' Attempt 43:28 The Need for Continuous Innovation 44:21 A Brief Journey Through the Development of Solar 48:33 Closing Thoughts Episode credits: Stefano Dozza, videography | https://www.fourthact.xyz/ Show credits: Vishrudh Sriramprasad, Producer Claire Davis, Theme Music (Long Gone, Get It Right)| @clairedavismusic Kheya Patel, Art | https://kheyapatel.com/ Keywords: climate investment, solar energy, AI and climate, technology innovation, environmental solutions, venture capital, community, culture, sustainability, climate tech On The Rise w/ Marcius Extavour is a production of Extempo Media, copyright 2026.

Renowned investor, engineer, and physicist Tom Chi joins Marcius for part 1 of a conversation about "planet positive investing" and what that might possibly mean. Marcius opens with his thoughts about venture capital ("VC") before Tom shares his unique perspective on climate innovation, venture capital, and the importance of a true first-principles based analysis method. Let us know what you think at podontherise@gmail.com! 00:00 Theme and Introduction 00:40 Where Do Climate Solution Ideas Come From? 14:05 How Can Capitalism for The Planet Possibly Work? 14:35 Addressing Skepticism in "Planet Positive Investing" 17:23 Value of Climate Outcomes Relative to Other Priorities 19:05 Solving a Problem At The Source 21:10 What Drives Sales for Companies in Tom's Portfolio? 21:42 The Challenges of Fundraising in Climate Ventures 22:43 How Are the Vibes While Fundraising in Climate These Days? 24:45 Physics as a Guide in Investment Decisions 27:59 Is Silicon Valley Too Enamored with Physics? 31:04 Navigating Psychological Realities in Climate Work 32:31 The Green Premium Should Be Called Green Penalty 34:23 Tom's Personal Feelings Workin on Climate Right Now? 36:56 Maybe Solving Climate Is A Marathon, Not a Sprint 38:12 Responding To A Teenager Who's Losing Hope on This 41:46 Building the Climate Discipline Through Generations 44:32 Postmodern Climate Thinking: Does Language Matter More than Physical Reality? 46:20 How Effective Is Popular Climate Activism? 47:54 Marching in the Streets Is Not the Only Way to Do This 48:46 What is the 1.5C Target and Where Did It Come From? 50:49 Translating Science Into Leadership Is Tricky 51:53 Why The Climate Movement Has No Swag 53:16 Building a New Discipline for Climate Solutions 54:34 The Climate Problem Gets More Expensive Every Year 55:03 We've Only Scratched the Surface of Our Potential 56:06 Closing Thoughts Episode credits: Stefano Dozza, videography | https://www.fourthact.xyz/ Show credits: Vishrudh Sriramprasad, Producer Kheya Patel, Art | https://kheyapatel.com/ Claire Davis, Theme Music (Long Gone, Get It Right) | @clairedavismusic Keywords: climate innovation, venture capital, physics, sustainability, first principles, environmental economics, deep tech, climate solutions, investment strategies, systemic change On the Rise is a production of Extempo Media, copyright 2026.

A new book by Google X founding member, Tom Chi, reexamines nature as a regenerative technology investment -- climate capital.

What if green technology was actually just more profitable? Today, we're talking to Tom Chi, Google X Co-Founder and Founding Partner at At One Ventures, about his new bestselling book, Climate Capital.

What if the thing that pushed you toward your life's most important work wasn't inspiration, but tragedy? Tom Chi, a founding team member of Google X and named inventor on 77 patents, joins Sean to share how watching a coral reef collapse outside his Hawaii home in a matter of weeks set him on a path to investing in climate tech. In this conversation, you'll hear how Tom built a career around actually making things rather than just patenting ideas, why he believes tragedy creates more lasting commitment than inspiration ever could, and how his inventor's mindset shapes the way he works with founders today. Tom also unpacks what it really means to learn something and build something every single day, and why that philosophy has guided everything from self-driving cars and Google Glass to his current work on planetary-scale problems. Check out the company: https://www.atoneventures.com ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 📚 NETWORK BEFORE YOU NEED IT (6 LESSONS THAT MADE SEAN $15M) ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Get my brand new eBook free - https://welivetobuild.com/network ────────────────────── 📋 WORK WITH ME ────────────────────── ▶ Buy 300 Lessons From 300 Founders: https://welivetobuild.com/300-lessons-ebook ▶ Sponsor the Channel: https://www.welivetobuild.com/sponsorship ────────────────────── 🔗 CONNECT WITH SEAN ────────────────────── ▶ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot ▶ Inquiries: welivetobuild@gmail.com ────────── 🕐 CHAPTERS ────────── 00:00 - Tom Chi's Tragedy-Driven Path into Climate Investing 02:55 - Coral Reefs Extinct by 2055: Tom's Wake-Up Call 08:38 - Physical Monopolies Beat SaaS's 11th Option 11:53 - 4 Industries Behind 90% of Water Pollution 13:28 - Tom's "Triad" Framework for Deep Tech Bets 14:40 - Green Premiums Never Change Industrial Defaults 15:40 - The CapEx Inertia Trap Parity Can't Escape 18:00 - Checking Physics via Matter, Energy, Time, Space 22:50 - Why Software Diligence Is Just Faith and Belief 25:35 - Late Lab Bench: Tom's Science-Risk-Free Entry Point 27:50 - Cold Fusion and Superconductors as Cautionary Tales 30:10 - Every Day Learn Something, Every Day Build Something

A surprisingly common argument about climate change sounds completely reasonable—until you spot the massive category error making everyone dumber.

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Stable pricing, phased transitions and direct incentives are more effective than carbon credit-based systems

Tom Chi was a founding member of Google X — the team behind self-driving cars, Google Glass, and deep learning AI. At the peak of that career, he watched a coral reef die outside his home in Hawaii. In eight weeks, it was gone. That moment changed everything. In this episode, Tom breaks down why the climate crisis is not a political debate — it's a physics problem. And physics doesn't negotiate. ⭐ Sponsored by Podcast10x - Podcasting agency for VCs - https://podcast10x.com We cover: - The calculation Tom ran in 2012 that predicted mass fires, floods, and displacement by 2022 — and why nobody was talking about it - Why "green premium" is a myth, and how AT1 Ventures finds climate tech that is cheaper than the incumbent - The physics framework he uses to evaluate every deal: matter, energy, time, and space - Why Venezuela is a live case study in what the petrol-first worldview actually produces - The difference between sustainable, net zero, and net positive — and why only one of them is the right target - Why freshwater scarcity is a management problem, not a supply problem - What ancient civilizations in Hawaii and South Asia got right about working with nature — that we've completely forgotten Tom is also the author of Climate Capital: Investing in the Tools for a Regenerative Future (Wiley, Feb 2026). Timestamps: (00:00) - Why Tom Chi left AI and robotics to focus on climate change. (00:32) - Disagreeing with Bill Gates' "green premium" concept. (01:09) - Introduction to Tom Chi's background and AtOne Ventures. (02:54) - Tom Chi on his career and the mission of AtOne Ventures. (03:58) - The personal story of watching a coral reef die and how it changed his career path. (08:00) - Using physics to predict the rise in climate volatility a decade ago. (10:45) - The realization that climate change is a time-sensitive problem that can't be delayed. (12:38) - Discussing global inaction and the influence of the fossil fuel industry on geopolitics. (14:32) - Contrasting the US's fossil fuel policy with China's dominance in green technology. (18:25) - Why climate change is a physics problem, not a political debate. (20:47) - The thesis that green technology must be cheaper, not more expensive, to scale. (21:54) - The investment framework: Using physics to find economic advantages in green tech. (26:08) - How green energy can compete against the policy influence of the cash-rich oil industry. (29:15) - The difference between "sustainable" and "net positive." (31:52) - Is freshwater scarcity a real and urgent global risk? (32:11) - Reframing the water crisis as a mismanagement of hydrological cycles, not a scarcity issue. (36:08) - The real choice: Deciding the level of human misery, not "saving the planet." (39:34) - Rapid-fire round: Investment sectors and regions. (41:19) - Typical stage and check size of investments. (42:23) - How to get in touch with Tom Chi and AtOne Ventures. (43:16) - Final thoughts on the "category error" of treating scientific truth as a political debate. 🎧 Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts — links below. --- LINKS Website: atoneventures.com Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thegoodtomchi/ Connect with Prashant: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/choubeysahab Subscribe to VC10X newsletter - ⁠https://vc10x.beehiiv.com⁠ Subscribe on YouTube - ⁠https://youtube.com/@VC10X ⁠ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts - ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vc10x-investing-venture-capital-asset-management-private/id1632806986⁠ Subscribe on Spotify - ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/7F7KEhXNhTx1bKTBFgzv3k?si=WgQ4ozMiQJ-6nowj6wBgqQ⁠ VC10X website - ⁠https://vc10x.com⁠ For sponsorship queries, reach out to prashantchoubey3@gmail.com Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of family office investing, private markets, and emerging trends in wealth management.

The company behind the dire wolf comeback hopes to restore Africa's bluebuck, once hunted to extinction by colonialists.

By building reactors in shipyards, Blue Energy says it will tame nuclear power's cost problems, giving it access to cheaper financing.

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We can meet the challenge of passing on the best world we can

Some of the thorniest problems of our time won’t be solved with the tools and systems that we currently use, but that doesn’t make them beyond our capacity to solve. Tom Chi has spent his career at the center of innovation and process design — that includes at Google X, the moonshot factory inside Google. […]

Google X founding member Tom Chi says our climate, tech, and economic systems are breaking. His new book shows entrepreneurs how to regain agency in an unstable century.

New Pulse of AI Podcast! Tom Chi joins Pulse of AI Podcast Host Jason Stoughton to talk about his new book, his investment thesis at his deep tech venture firm At One Ventures as well as his time at Google X leading the teams that created autonomous cars, wearable augmented reality and deep learning.As a renowned physicist/innovator turned venture capitalist, Tom was a founding member of GoogleX where so many of the recent groundbreaking discoveries in AI

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