EPISODE · Apr 10, 2026 · 27 MIN
Stop Wasting Money on Big AI Models (Do This Instead)
from We Live to Build
Are your AI inference costs starting to eat into your startup's budget? In this episode, I sit down with Rob May to discuss the impending shift in the AI industry: moving from massive, expensive frontier models to optimized, task-specific workflows. Rob explains why using a massive model for a simple task is like paying an astrophysicist to balance your checkbook, and how routing requests to smaller models can significantly cut down on your token spend. We also dive into the realities of startup hiring, including why executives must network for talent months in advance and how "experienced" corporate hires can completely derail your early-stage systems. Finally, Rob shares his ultimate advice for founders: why cozying up to massive markets is the best way to de-risk your business. Check out the company: https://neuromatic.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▶ Book a Paid Advisory Session: https://welivetobuild.com/book-a-call▶ Startup Fundraising: https://welivetobuild.com/fundraising▶ Sponsor the Channel: https://www.welivetobuild.com/sponsorship---------------------------------------------👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN---------------------------------------------▶ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot▶ Inquiries: [email protected]🕒 CHAPTERS---------------------------00:00 - Why Founders Must Network Before Hiring03:45 - The $30,000 Corporate Hiring Mistake06:20 - Selling to IT Professionals vs. Sales Teams08:15 - The Alex Hormozi Free Content Strategy10:50 - How to Reduce High AI Inference Costs13:30 - Tasks vs. Models: The Future of AI16:45 - Moving AI Workflows to Microservices21:10 - The "Big Market" Secret to EntrepreneurshipLeave a Review (it truly helps us grow): https://welivetobuild.com/review Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
Are your AI inference costs starting to eat into your startup's budget? In this episode, I sit down with Rob May to discuss the impending shift in the AI industry: moving from massive, expensive frontier models to optimized, task-specific workflows. Rob explains why using a massive model for a simple task is like paying an astrophysicist to balance your checkbook, and how routing requests to smaller models can significantly cut down on your token spend. We also dive into the realities of startup hiring, including why executives must network for talent months in advance and how "experienced" corporate hires can completely derail your early-stage systems. Finally, Rob shares his ultimate advice for founders: why cozying up to massive markets is the best way to de-risk your business. Check out the company: https://neuromatic.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▶ Book a Paid Advisory Session: https://welivetobuild.com/book-a-call▶ Startup Fundraising: https://welivetobuild.com/fundraising▶ Sponsor the Channel: https://www.welivetobuild.com/sponsorship---------------------------------------------👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN---------------------------------------------▶ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot▶ Inquiries: [email protected]🕒 CHAPTERS---------------------------00:00 - Why Founders Must Network Before Hiring03:45 - The $30,000 Corporate Hiring Mistake06:20 - Selling to IT Professionals vs. Sales Teams08:15 - The Alex Hormozi Free Content Strategy10:50 - How to Reduce High AI Inference Costs13:30 - Tasks vs. Models: The Future of AI16:45 - Moving AI Workflows to Microservices21:10 - The "Big Market" Secret to EntrepreneurshipLeave a Review (it truly helps us grow): https://welivetobuild.com/review Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Stop Wasting Money on Big AI Models (Do This Instead)
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