Oct 20, 2026 · 1h 34m
Anthropic debates public wealth as Clone Robotics builds androids
Anthropic Gives Away 5% of Its Shares, Clone’s Muscle Robot, ElevenLabs Steals Podcaster's Voice
The episode connects AI’s distribution problem to the practical and ethical challenge of building affordable, humanlike robots.
- 1Anthropic’s proposed public-benefit fund prompts a debate over discretionary giving versus direct public ownership of AI wealth.
- 2Clone Robotics is pursuing human-scale androids powered by hydraulic artificial muscles, with enterprise pilots potentially beginning in 2027.
- 3The hosts weigh AI safety, simulated minds, spirituality, and voice-cloning disputes against the technologies’ commercial promise.
Don't miss
Dhanush Radhakrishnan explains how Clone Robotics’ pressurized-fluid artificial muscles contract like human muscles and could power human-scale androids.
The brief
Anthropic’s plan to place 5% of its stock in a public-benefit fund raises a sharper question: should AI’s gains be managed philanthropically or distributed through direct ownership?
Clone Robotics CEO Dhanush Radhakrishnan describes Myofiber muscles that use pressurized fluid instead of conventional motors, aiming to give androids human proportions and practical strength.
Radhakrishnan says Clone will target enterprise deployments before completing a full android, relying on foundation models while developing its own valves and hydraulic systems.
The hosts widen the frame through Odyssey’s simulated fruit-fly brain, arguments over AI safety and spirituality, and the possibility that software can create convincing artificial worlds.
An allegation that ElevenLabs copied podcaster Chris Williamson’s voice turns the discussion toward confusion, liability, and how licensed celebrity voices are priced.
What was said on this episode
37 statements · 26 positive · 10 negative · 1 neutral
Anthropic’s initial stock contribution is valued at approximately $100 billion.
“that first 5% that they're pledging alone is worth around $100 billion.”
Listen at 20:30
Elon Musk’s proposed SpaceX-share donations would continue annually for ten years.
“He's going to do this every year for 10 years.”
Listen at 22:27
Anthropic’s fund could potentially reach about $1 trillion over time under extreme valuation growth.
“over 20 years, if this becomes a $100 trillion company or a $20 trillion company, we could be talking about- potentially a trillion dollars in both cases over time.”
Listen at 23:21
Michael Dell has committed $6 billion of personal wealth to philanthropy.
“Michael Dell. You know why Michael Dell has done a great job? It's because he put $6 billion of his own money”
Listen at 24:58
People without equity ownership feel worse about the economy.
“People who don't feel great, they don't own equities. They don't own a piece of the prize.”
Listen at 25:36
Jobs that can be automated are eventually eliminated.
“Bad jobs that can be automated always get retired.”
Listen at 25:55
Directly distributing SpaceX shares would solve the economic problem caused by automation.
“Just give people directly some goddamn shares of SpaceX and the entire problem is solved.”
Listen at 26:27
Equity exposure to AI companies would improve public attitudes toward AI.
“you would see. opinions about ai generally shift a lot if people felt like i stand to earn a little money if grok does better”
Listen at 26:58
Anthropic’s public-benefit structure could become a slush fund.
“it's going to be a slush fund”
Listen at 31:04
Anthropic’s leadership will control how the public-benefit money is spent.
“the people who run Anthropic are going to decide what they want to spend that money on.”
Listen at 31:23
Anthropic’s discretionary fund could favor some groups and increase social division.
“This group of people is going to get special treatment. This group of people is going to get left out, and it could create more division.”
Listen at 31:56
Trump and his family should donate half their term-related wealth increase.
“President Trump and his family should give half the increase in their net worth during this term”
Listen at 33:24
Trump could donate $500 million in Truth Social shares.
“I'm going to give a half billion in Truth Social shares.”
Listen at 35:31
Jason predicts President Trump will make the proposed donation.
“I think President Trump will do it.”
Listen at 35:43
Clone Robotics is developing lifelike, highly intelligent androids.
“we are pioneering lifelike super intelligent androids”
Listen at 41:05
Clone Robotics claims it created the world’s most human-level robotic hands.
“we managed to create the most human-level robotic hands in the world.”
Listen at 42:00
Clone Robotics invented a hydraulic artificial musculotendon unit.
“at clone we invented a hydraulic musculotendon unit”
Listen at 44:35
Clone’s braided sleeve converts fluid pressurization into linear muscle contraction.
“it causes a linear contraction as a result.”
Listen at 47:27
Clone’s hydraulic muscles can fit within a humanlike robot silhouette.
“with muscle technology, with our hydraulic muscle technology, that we'd be able to be well within the human silhouette”
Listen at 53:29
Clone Robotics expects to deploy human-level torsos in enterprise applications next year.
“i expect we'll deploy uh our first human level torsos uh next year in enterprise applications first”
Listen at 55:23
Clone Robotics expects to complete its android in roughly six to twelve months.
“it'll probably take us another like you know uh six to twelve months to get to the um to the complete android”
Listen at 55:36
Clone Robotics may deploy complete android robo-butlers within two to three years.
“i see the robo-butlers at least probably like, you know, two, three years out is fair game to deploy like complete Androids.”
Listen at 55:59
Clone’s artificial-muscle humanoids can cost one-tenth as much to produce.
“it can be done at a tenth of the cost to produce of these motor actuary humanoids.”
Listen at 56:33
Radhakrishnan expects Clone to obtain much robot intelligence from external AI progress.
“that is the bet I've taken to date is that we're going to get like a huge amount of this for free”
Listen at 57:51
Robot intelligence models may have an effective six-to-twelve-month half-life.
“the models would end up having like six to twelve month like half-life in effect”
Listen at 58:31
Radhakrishnan intends to work on Clone Robotics for several decades.
“We're in this for the long haul. So I'm going to be working on this for a few decades”
Listen at 1:01:45
Clone Robotics expects its first enterprise pilots as early as Q1 2027.
“Probably 2027. Wow. It'd be as early as, you know, Q1 2027. We'll deploy our first pilots”
Listen at 1:03:29
Clone Robotics plans to produce an android model affordable to everyone.
“i will definitely make a model that's you know affordable to everybody”
Listen at 1:04:59
Clone Robotics plans to make affordable household robots widely available.
“we'll make an affordable unit so that everybody has one”
Listen at 1:06:00
Future world models, VR, and games may become indistinguishable from reality.
“world models, VR, video games are gonna get so good, so refined, that if you were in one, you wouldn't know it.”
Listen at 1:13:02
Anthropic may plan to create an AI church linked to its public-benefit structure.
“I think that's a non-zero chance that that's their plan.”
Listen at 1:16:24
AI research should be approached logically and with evidence rather than religious overtones.
“You should be approaching it in a very like logical, evidence-based way.”
Listen at 1:16:48
Jason rejects a 10% probability that AI will cause human extinction.
“You're not going to convince me that 10% chance humanity is going to die from this.”
Listen at 1:19:09
Jason considers a Skynet-like AI catastrophe extremely unlikely.
“I think it's like the smallest possibility possible that Skynet happens.”
Listen at 1:19:30
Jason claims ElevenLabs copied Chris Williamson’s voice and is culpable.
“It is 100% based on his voice. Eleven Labs is guilty here.”
Listen at 1:23:54
The Archer voice allegedly caused listeners to mistake it for Williamson’s work.
“people in the comments of that video and people were sending him information that, hey, I saw you did this. Is this you?”
Listen at 1:25:56
ElevenLabs should compensate Chris Williamson with $100,000 in shares.
“the Eleven Lab CEO should do the right thing. They should compensate Chris Williams. They should give him $100,000 in shares”
Listen at 1:27:08
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
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