Neon Protocol

Welcome to Neon Protocol — the show where we go inside the systems shaping what comes next. Each episode brings together members of the Neon Protocol team and a guest who’s actively building, researching, or governing the technologies transforming our world. Founders, engineers, researchers, policymakers, operators — people who aren’t just imagining the future, but constructing it. Together, we break down what’s working, what’s breaking, and what’s emerging across XR, AI, spatial computing, and the infrastructures that support them.The recurring Neon Protocol members form a multidisciplinary group exploring technology as a living system shaped by culture, constraints, and human behavior.Gene Feldman — XR Gene focuses on the evolution of extended reality and AI as a usable, durable medium, bringing historical context and practical insight into adoption and scale.Lucky Gobindram — Kinemeric Lucky works at the intersection of identity, intelligence, and computation, exploring how agentic systems and adaptive software reshape assumptions about users and interaction.Mark Grob — UPS Mark brings the enterprise‑scale view from one of the world’s most complex logistics networks, translating frontier tech into real‑world constraints, reliability, and operational scale.Aditya Mani — Yologram Aditya explores spatial computing, immersive platforms, and the future of presence — how new interfaces change collaboration, memory, and human experience.Emma (Middleton) Valdés — Lowercarbon Capital Emma connects deep tech with planetary outcomes, grounding speculative ideas in energy, carbon, infrastructure, and responsible scale.Damon Shackleford — Endeavor B2B Damon brings the growth‑stage operator lens: how emerging tech becomes real revenue, real teams, and real companies.Ron Thompson — CAIL Ron brings an entrepreneurial perspective on AI and XR, focusing on decision‑making and business outcomes in the enterprise.Mike Vann — Agents of Play Mike works where creativity meets systems design, using gamification, simulation, and experiential engagement to drive learning and behavior change.In this episode, Dr. Bob Stone joins the conversation for a wide‑open look at the current state of XR and AI. With decades of experience in human factors engineering, simulation science, and applied immersive research, Dr. Stone brings a perspective that cuts through hype and gets to what matters.Together, we explore how XR and AI are evolving in parallel, where they meaningfully intersect, and why human‑centered design remains the anchor point for both. The group digs into today’s spatial computing landscape — validation challenges, adoption friction, and the growing role of AI in shaping workflows, training, and real‑world decision‑making.