The Loneliness Crisis for Young Adults to Build Friendships Through Offline Events with Gabor Kadas

In this episode of The Dark Arts of Team Optimization, hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo sit down with Gabor Kadas, Chief Executive Officer at Friending Inc, President & CEO at Human Soft Inc and Member of Casino and Gambling Advisory Board at Game Connection. They explore the growing loneliness epidemic and the role technology plays in both causing and solving it. After decades building games and digital experiences, Gabor is now building a platform designed to do the opposite of most social apps: get people off their phones and into real-world interactions. The conversation covers verified identities, accountability in social platforms, remote team management, the future impact of AI on human relationships, and why meaningful connection requires more than digital engagement.Gabor Kadas is a software entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in game and software development, Gabor has contributed to projects including Tomb Raider, Pac-Man, SpongeBob, and multiple Disney titles. Today, he is focused on combating social isolation through Friending, a platform that prioritizes real-world connections, identity verification, and community-building over screen time and engagement metrics.Expect to Learn:Why Gabor shifted from building games to tackling loneliness through technologyHow Friending is designed to move users from online interactions to real-world meetingsThe importance of identity verification in creating safer online communitiesWhy accountability and confirmed in-person interactions matter for social platformsLessons from managing distributed software teams for nearly three decadesHow AI and emerging technologies may accelerate social isolationWhy meaningful human connection cannot be fully replicated through digital experiencesTimestamps00:00 - Teaser01:09 - Introduction to Gabor Kadas02:21 - From Building Games to Building Human Connections04:39 - Designing a Social App That Encourages Less Screen Time06:26 - How Friending Moves Users from Online to Offline08:51 - Creating Sustainable Value Beyond App Engagement10:40 - Why Universal Identity Verification Matters12:30 - Building Accountability Through Real-World Interactions14:11 - Designing for Safety and Trust20:30 - Lessons from 30 Years of Remote Software Development22:48 - Is Technology Responsible for the Loneliness Epidemic?24:11 - AI, Virtual Companions, and the Future of Human Connection26:27 - The Rise of Digital Detox and Offline Communities28:32 - Why Online Connections Aren't the Same as Real Relationships31:32 - Raising Capital for a Mission-Driven Social Platform35:08 - Closing ThoughtsDisclosure: “Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.”📱 Follow the Guest Gabor Kadas:👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaborkadas/👉Company LinkedIn:- Friending Inc: https://www.linkedin.com/company/friending/- Human Soft Inc: https://www.linkedin.com/company/human-soft-inc/about/- Game Connection: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/game-connection/👉Company Website:- Friending Inc: https://friending.com/- Human Soft Inc: https://www.humansoft.com/- Game Connection: https://www.game-connection.com/👉Company Instagram:- Game Connection: https://www.instagram.com/the_gameco/📱 Follow the Hosts Kyle Johnson and Franz Aliquo:👉 Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleclaytonjohnson/👉 Franz’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franz-aliquo/📱 Follow Holonic:👉 Website: https://www.becomeholonic.com/👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/becomeholonic/👉 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@holonic👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becomeholonic📱 Follow The Podcast:👉Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg1W9it4iJByADOiZTet0RA👉Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3wHRfjI84ZxPRcENynJmyK?si=101cc3baf20d4b1c👉 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dark-arts-of-the-team-optimization/id1858255862