What Getting Laid Off Taught Him About Betting on Yourself | Chris Bommarito

Chris Bommarito runs Castor Engineering, a manufacturing automation company he built from scratch.He started the whole operation from the ground up after being suddenly laid off from a job he deeply cared about. It was a huge shock at the time, but it pushed him to build something of his own. Seven years later he has 20 employees, a growing AI practice inside his company, and an investment in an airline.What we covered:→ Why new entrepreneurs should stop trying to replace their previous income→ How Chris thinks about AI's impact on manufacturing and entry-level jobs→ The decision-making framework from the book How We Decide and when to trust your gut→ What it means to own "a piece of the machine" in an AI-driven economy→ His investment in Avelo Airlines and why he believes the frequent flyer loyalty game is a trapChris, thank you for showing up as yourself and sharing your story!Chapters0:00 - Introduction & How They Met1:13 - Meet Chris Bommarito3:38 - The Enigma Code and Alan Turing6:15 - AI, Black Mirror, and Reanimating the Dead8:00 - Entrepreneurship Is in the DNA13:03 - Family First: "My Wealth Is in My Family"15:10 - What Castor Engineering Actually Does19:36 - Chris's Career: From Intern to Founder28:38 - Getting Fired and the Toyota Call33:06 - The Fear of Replacing Your Income37:23 - On Mentorship and Why Chris Does It43:13 - Chris's AI Journey and Where It's Headed49:06 - The Innovator's Dilemma and AI Investment Risk58:38 - Who Really Controls AI? The Pyramid Theory1:06:04 - Investing in Avelo Airlines1:11:10 - Book Recommendation: How We Decide1:24:45 - Parenting Advice for New Dads1:28:25 - Outro~~~This episode is brought to you by AuxiomFind out more: https://auxiom.com/