The Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast: A Satirical-Scholarly Autopsy of American Capitalism's Death Sprint-Dispatches from the Chinese AI Century's Frontline

LinkedIn Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-mirror-messiah-when-nvidias-ceo-accidentally-truth-saji-epboe/

China is winning the AI race—not through better models, but superior infrastructure and long-term strategy. BIG4 Global Strategist Saji Madapat reveals why America's short-term thinking could cost us everything in the US-China AI competition, and what we must change now.

In this deep-dive episode of The Chris Hood Show, Saji Madapat—a technology strategist with 30+ years including at BIG4 firms and Clinton Global Initiative graduate—delivers a contrarian reality check on the US vs China AI race that challenges conventional Silicon Valley wisdom.

🎯 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

Why China's AI strategy focuses on infrastructure while America chases "dopamine-dealing" applications—and why that difference determines who wins the AI race long-term

How China's energy infrastructure (80-100% electricity reserves vs US 15%) creates an insurmountable advantage for AI data center buildout

The critical role of standardization in AI development that Western media ignores

Why cutting education budgets today means losing the China-US technology competition tomorrow

How cultural differences between Eastern long-term thinking and Western quarterly-results mentality shape the AI geopolitics landscape

What kind of leadership America needs to compete in the AI race (and why current approaches fail)

The "camel mentality" for sustainable strategy vs Silicon Valley's boom-bust cycle

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Introduction: The Global AI Race

Chris Hood introduces the geopolitical stakes of AI and guest Saji Madapat.

01:05 – Guest Background: From "God's Own Country" to Y2K

Saji discusses his origins in Kerala, the "business blunder" of Y2K, and his career evolution from ERP to AI strategy.

03:50 – Hunter vs. Farmer: The Strategic Mindset Shift

Comparing the US "quarterly report" short-termism against China’s 100-year "Century of Rejuvenation" strategy.

06:30 – China’s "AI Plus" & The Digital Silk Road

A breakdown of China’s 2027-2035 roadmap, partnering with the UN, and assembling a global coalition (BRI) while the US lacks a unified strategy.

10:55 – Infrastructure vs. Standardization

Chris argues the US focuses on infrastructure (hardware/energy), while Saji argues China is winning the critical battle for setting global AI standards.

15:30 – "Dopamine Dealers" vs. Applied AI

Saji critiques US Tech Giants for building "addiction/rage-based" algorithms while China restricts social media to focus on robotics and industrial sciences.

18:15 – The Illusion of "Can't" in Enterprise

Discussing corporate inertia and how the "Free Market" excuse often hinders necessary innovation and regulation.

20:30 – The Talent Crisis: Who is Building the AI?

Saji highlights the disparity in STEM graduates (1:8 ratio) and notes that a significant portion of the world's AI developers are of Chinese origin.

23:00 – Conclusion: The Need for "Shock Therapy"

Final thoughts on the need for a new "Square Deal" or "Rooseveltian" leadership to wake the US up from its "Gilded Age" slumber.

💡 KEY INSIGHT:

The United States has the talent, resources, and innovation capacity to lead in AI—but...

The Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast: A Satirical-Scholarly Autopsy of American Capitalism's Death Sprint-Dispatches from the Chinese AI Century's Frontline

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/we-gift-wrapped-our-uncle-sam-fedexd-xi-saji-haiqe/?trackingId=9AovdQ1rTFuKY4yLNLxD3g%3D%3D

Wall Street's priests told us offshoring was "win-win." Now McKinsey is laying off 10% of its workforce and China controls 90% of our rare earths, 80% of our solar panels, and the magnets in our F-35 fighter jets.

Whoops.

In this conversation with SBA lending expert Ray Drew, author Saji Madapat (The Gods Must Be Crazy II: A Rooseveltian Renaissance for Trump 2.0) unpacks the civilizational comedy of errors that turned American capitalism into a quarterly strip-mining operation—while China farmed for 2049.

We discuss:

00:00 Introduction: The $63 Trillion Heist

01:08 From "Cyber Coolie" to Boardroom Strategist

02:49 The "Hunter" Mindset: Why CEOs Strip-Mine Companies

06:24 The Quarterly Trap: Why Going Public Hollows Out Innovation

07:50 90 Days vs. 90 Years: China's "Farmer" Strategy

10:01 Root Causes: Milton Friedman, Ivy League Schools, and Short-Termism

12:39 Competing Against the State: The $63 Trillion Disadvantage

15:36 The Roosevelt Solution: A New Square Deal for SMEs

18:14 Lawyers vs. Engineers: Why Washington Misses the Point

21:14 The Fall of GE: Swimming Naked When the Tide Goes Out

23:20 Outsourcing National Strategy to TikTok Algorithms

25:05 America's Halftime: How We Engineer a Comeback

This isn't left or right. It's just forward.

🔗 RELATED CONTENT:

Read the book Wall Street's lawyers are definitely not concerned about:

► 📚 The Gods Must Be Crazy! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFX51PL3

📺 The Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcA7B8zy3sQbgU81qw2UNsR7ztFgbp-zT&si=q_YBwegceW8LSFwB

📢 Join the conversation: https://www.theyyam.us/podcast

🌐 Strategic consulting: https://www.theyyam.us/about

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/goodtogreat/

#ChinaStrategy #SmallBusiness #Geopolitics #EconomicPolicy #RooseveltRenaissance

The Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast: A Satirical-Scholarly Autopsy of American Capitalism's Death Sprint-Dispatches from the Chinese AI Century's Frontline

Corrections:

The communist government came into power in Kerala in 1957, not 1954.

I made a mistake with the number of gods (Muppathimukkodi (33 Crore) daivangal is a common phrase in Malayalam; “the Vedas, the term “33 koti devata.”)

Origin of the “33 Crore Gods” Idea:

• The common belief that there are “33 crore” (330 million) gods in India stems from an ancient Hindu text; the original Vedic tradition refers to 33 ‘koti’.

• The Sanskrit word ‘koti,’ which can mean both ‘type’ and ‘crore’ (ten million).

On this poignant 9/11 anniversary, I had the profound honor of joining Rick DellaRatta on The Jazz for Peace Podcast—a humanitarian artist whose peace-building mission earned personal endorsement from President Barack Obama.

00:00 Introduction: Jazz for Peace Meets Geopolitics

01:18 The Underrated Power of Music Diplomacy

03:13 God's Own Country: Kerala, Literacy, and Communism

06:40 Rick’s Nepal Story: Art, Cubism, and Connection

12:35 The "Cyber Coolie" and the Y2K Armageddon Code

14:28 The Sickening Reality of Financial Engineering & 2008

16:31 Bottom of the Pyramid: The Mystery of Capital

19:57 Writing "The Gods Must Be Crazy" & Surviving Cancel Culture

24:26 Big Tech Censorship & The Arbitration Trap

28:18 Shadowbanning and the 96% Peace Proposal Vote

34:36 The Cost of War vs. Education & Debt Relief

40:50 Musical Performance: "In the Ghetto" (Elvis Tribute)

48:02 AI, Job Loss, and a "Trickle-Up" Economic Solution

58:02 The Knowledge Economy: GI Bill vs. Modern Cuts

01:00:46 The Capitalistic Fractal: Profiting from Problems

01:03:00 Roosevelt's Legacy & The Hunter vs. Farmer Mindset

01:06:51 "The Gods Must Be Crazy II": Where to Buy the Book

📚 Amazon Best Seller: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFX51PL3

"By bringing Israeli, Palestinian and American Jazz musicians together, Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace have used the transcendent quality of music to promote peace and unity... the forces that unite us are far stronger than the forces that divide us." - President Barack Obama

Episode 46 weaves an extraordinary tapestry of East meets West. From Marx in Kerala's communist classrooms to the C-suites of Fortune 10 giants. From ancient Theyyam rituals to cutting-edge AI architectures. Across 40+ countries and three decades, my journey reveals the hidden patterns behind the rise and fall of empires—delivered with humor that makes geopolitics surprisingly entertaining.

This conversation sparked something magical: Rick's soul-stirring rendition of Elvis Presley's "In The Ghetto," connecting Memphis blues to global social justice through the universal language of music.

As a Clinton Global GIFT Fellow, Big Four transformation architect, and Kala Sreshta laureate, I offer a unique lens—part mystic, part management consultant—to decode our beautifully complex world.

🔗 RELATED CONTENT:

Read the book Wall Street's lawyers are definitely not concerned about:

► 📚 The Gods Must Be Crazy! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFX51PL3

📺 The Playlist:...