Why Humans Matter in the Age of AI with Dara Ladjevardian

[00:00] At M&T Bank, we're continuously working to provide value to our customers. Like Lou, the CEO of Ufos, a revolutionary footwear brand. I think the thing I like most about working with M&T Bank is knowing they care. They sincerely care about us as a company. It's not just about the business transaction. They personally care about our business and our success. And would make decisions that go above and beyond to achieve that. See what Banking Together can do for you at mtv.com slash together. Member FDIC. [00:31] You're listening to Mick Unplugged, hosted by the one and only Mick Hunt. This is where purpose meets power and stories spark transformation. Mick takes you beyond the motivation and into meaning. Mick. [00:43] helping you discover your because and becoming unstoppable. I'm Rudy Rush, and trust me, you're in the right place. Let's get unplugged. [00:58] Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of McUnplugged. And today I have one of my friends, someone whose product I've been using for close to a year that has changed my life. And we're going to talk about [01:09] how we can change yours. So from building is first AI startup. [01:13] and selling it in just eight months to creating Delphi, a platform that captures your mind and scales your wisdom. He is redefining mentorship, [01:23] including mine. [01:24] for the digital age. Get ready to meet the visionary, the profound, one of the brightest minds that I know, Mr. Dara.

[01:31] Lajavardian. It's great to be here. Dude, I am honored to have you on. We met about a year ago when I had this problem, right? I was like, Dara, man, like AI and digital mind and cloning is all great. I don't know how to get it out there. I don't know what to do. And you were like, well, Mick, [01:49] Guess what I created? And he showed me this platform and, [01:53] And I've been hooked ever since. But... [01:56] I want to talk about, obviously, the platform. But before we get there, dude, I want to talk about your purpose, that thing that's deeper than your why. I call it your because, right? That reason that gets you out of bed, that keeps you motivated, that holds you accountable. So if I were to say, Dara, man, in 2025, what's your because? [02:26] My parents immigrated from Iran. My dad had me working out of his office at 11 years old. He believed you got to work early, you got to build a work ethic. I remember, I remember [02:36] My grandfather, who was this larger than life guy, before the Iranian revolution, he had 30,000 employees. He was, you know, one of the largest business owners in the country. But then he was put on the hit list. And he had to start in the US from scratch. And I remember being an 11 year old coming to this office. And there's this 86 year old guy who's at the office before me, and leaves the office after me. And he has like more energy than me as like a kid. And I think that just really imprinted an impression on me on how work didn't have to be something that you're stressed about all the time.

[03:06] rather something that you can be excited about and excited about the opportunities you give for others. And, you know, fast forward in 2021, when I'm starting my first company, and I have no mentors, I picked up a book about my grandfather's life in Iran. And I was reading it and I was like, wow, I got I wish I could ask him questions. But by that time, he had had a stroke. So I couldn't ask him directly myself. And I ended up creating a digital version of him that I could talk to. [03:36] information that's personalized to me from someone that I respected and trusted, that meant a lot. And, you know, that sort of got acquired. And now I'm trying to make that experience available for everyone. Amazing, man. Like, I didn't know that story. [03:50] You didn't know? [03:52] It's my why. It's my because. [03:54] Yeah, I love that. And, you know, we've had so many conversations and obviously selfishly, I didn't want to ask you. [04:01] Because I knew I'd ask you on the podcast, but I didn't know the depth of that, man. And so what you're doing with Delphi. [04:09] Um, [04:10] is beyond compare. And I told you when I met you, right? Like I looked at a few services and [04:16] platforms but [04:18] Delphi felt like home and you're continuously improving and staying ahead of the curve. Why is that mission continuously important for you? Yeah, I think with my grandfather's experience, it got me thinking about the ways in which we learn from other people. You know, we can read books, watch YouTube videos, look at a website, but none of these things adapt to us. We change all the time. Knowledge stays static. And so,

[04:44] I thought, could we create a new form of media? You know, these are all forms of media that allow you to scale yourself, that allows people to scale their time in a way that's interactive. And many studies have shown that the best way to actually learn something or engage with an idea is through conversation. Most people don't have access to people, either because they're too expensive or because there's just no time. You can only be in one place at one time. So we started Delphi before ChatGPT. And at the time, the big why was... [05:13] I would be a user of this product. Like there's so many people that I want to learn from. But then what also became a why, as ChatGPT and Claude proliferated, I just began to see, [05:24] There's all this generic information on a lot of these AI tools. And I think we trust humans. Like we read books over reading Wikipedia pages. We follow people on Twitter versus, you know, reading the Sparknotes. And I think as ChatCBT is teaching people to consume information through conversation, we'll go back to our roots of wanting to consume information through conversation with actual people. So I view Delphi as a very, you know, we're not automating humans. We're putting AI and power in the hands of humans. That's awesome, dude. [05:54] That's awesome. And for everybody that's listening, that's watching this entire episode right now is sponsored by Delphi, just so you know. [06:03] We're going to have clickable links everywhere. We're going to have things rolling. Like definitely it is the product. [06:09] That not just me, but my team, my companies use more than anything. I mean, the fact that you can build closed source information to only your data set or your information lake, as we like to call it, to have conversations, to talk.

[06:25] build your company best practices and ask it questions because, Daria, here's what I know. Most companies, [06:32] are struggling to recruit, retrain, retain modern employees. [06:37] right? Who, and that doesn't mean age. That just means we all as humans have modernized, right? Like if I have a question, forget if I'm at work, if I have a question going online, I'm going to [06:49] Chad GBT, I'm going to Delph. I'm going somewhere to find the answer. [06:52] And I want the answer. [06:54] Right. Like I don't want to have to research it. I don't want to have to click through 15 file folders to figure out where this document is and then interpret the document. So if that's how I'm doing outside of work. [07:06] Inside of work, I should be able to do the same thing. And Delphi has allowed us to do that. Right. Again, we can take what used to be Google folders or those that are on Microsoft or SharePoint and all that. [07:17] We just build it in Delphi now, right? We've built our own digital mind, our digital... [07:22] SOP, we can ask questions. If we need a specific document, we can ask the right trigger and get that specific document brought back. So my question for you, Dara, is this. Did you know, [07:32] that you were going to change not just how individuals work, [07:36] But did you have this idea that you were also going to change how businesses could evolve as well? It came as I grew as a CEO and I realized how much I myself needed to scale. [07:46] you know, so many customers wanting my time, [07:49] team members wanting my way of thinking about things. And that's when I started to become a user of the product from the other side, where actually my digital mind is now making customers happy, talking to new customers. People who want to work for my company will talk to my Delphi and it'll let me know if they're good for company culture. We just created a new culture deck.

[08:07] And I added it to my Delphi, specifically the version that my team has access to. So that, you know, culture is what people do when you're not in the room. And so when I'm not in the room, now my Delphi can help also make people with me. [08:21] better decisions. So that's been, that's been great as a user of the product myself. Yeah. [08:26] Yeah. So with the rise of AI and AI generated content, [08:31] Talk to the viewers and listeners about how Delphi has differentiated itself from other platforms. Yeah, I think from the beginning, again, we started before ChatGPT. We never started this company to be some AI opportunistic startup. We started it to solve a problem. [08:46] a very human problem. And that has kind of grounded the entire journey. You know, we only let you create a digital version of yourself. You own all your data. We're not training models on your data. And then also, how can we actually make this useful versus it just being like a shiny object? So I think, you know, utility and being human first have really been the things that have driven our product roadmap up until now. Yeah. And, you know, again, when you [09:16] about. [09:17] the human interaction, the ethical ways that your product is used. Talk to us about why the human viewpoint, being human-centric, is at the core of who Delphi is. Yeah, I mean, I think technology changes so fast, but humans don't change as fast. [09:35] There are certain things about humanity that stay the same, whether it's

[09:39] our ambition, our... [09:40] trust in other human beings. You know, you have AI that is better than the best chess player in the world. We still watch human chess players. Why is that? Because, you know, they have lived experience. [09:51] And also at the same time, I think AI is freaking people out. You know, a lot of people's life work is now just getting consumed by some of these models. [09:59] At Delphi, we think you should be able to own your IP. You should be able to own what makes you unique, which is your mind. And you should control who has access to that. You should control the rules. It's your model. It's your mind. It's your rules. [10:11] I just want to be on the right side of history. And I think a lot is going to change. Humans still matter in a post-AGI world. That's kind of the bet we're making as a company, that it, [10:20] If that statement is wrong or humans don't matter, then Delphi is not going to succeed. I love it. So let's let's add on to that. You say things are going to change or AI tech society is going to change. What are some of the changes that you think are going to be happening soon? Yeah. So I try not to think about what changes are happening today, but like where is the puck inevitably going? Like on the other side of all this acceleration, what is what it's going to be? You're going to have an AI model that is pretty much smarter than the collective of every human being on the planet. [10:50] it's really really fast it's pretty much free it can take actions for you on your behalf and I work backwards from there I was like what matters in that world [10:59] Mm-hmm. [11:00] And, you know, a lot of people will say, like, [11:02] Oh, you know, all jobs will be automated. But again, I think one of those core things about human nature is that we the reason you like reading a book is because there is a human with a lived experience on the other side. It is something inherently psychological to place trust in something that comes from from a human. And when information is abundant, when you have pretty much infinite information at your fingertips, what you want is curation and trust.

[11:32] from someone that I trusted. That made it impactful. Love that, dude. I love that so much. When things are running smoothly, security usually is on top of mind. Cars are working, expenses are getting paid, everything feels fine. But that's usually when the issues slip through. That's why the American Express corporate program has fraud protection and added security built into everyday spending with monitoring and real people there when something doesn't look right. So even when you're not thinking about it, you have tools and support designed to help protect [12:02] So let's talk about you a little bit. You were born and raised in Houston, right? [12:13] Yeah. [12:14] Yeah, Houston. So growing up, when did you know that you had this? When did you know that... [12:21] The curiosity, the problem solving, the... [12:26] creating solutions. When did you know that that was a part of who you were? To be honest, I don't, [12:32] think I ever knew. I don't even think I know now. I think it's a constantly evolving process. I think the first time [12:39] Hindsight is 20-20. I think like looking back, and this actually isn't something that I've spoken about on a podcast. I grew up in a very, I was like one of the few Middle Eastern people in like a very, very white school in Houston, Texas. And when I was like 13, I got like severely bullied. You know, you're going to celebrate 9-11. You're going to go like bomb a building. And that like really struck me as a kid. And I think that's...

[13:04] the there's a bright side to everything I think the thing that that actually pushed me to thinking about is how I'm never going to be like in the in group and it really encouraged me to just like feel free to think differently um and I and I and I bring up this story because you know when we started Delphi everyone thought it was like a dumb idea and everyone thought it was stupid and [13:25] And even for a while, we were like, this is not going to work. But I almost feel like I had built the muscle to be okay to, [13:32] not being in the end group, like to be okay, thinking things or being different. So I think that actually had a big impact on me feeling comfortable going after crazy ideas. Okay, I like it. And so now Dara, the entrepreneur, Dara, the leader, what are some of your core values when you talk about, you know, bringing on team members, when you talk about, you know, leading companies, what are the core values that you personally have? [13:57] Yeah, I mean, our first employee was the 17 year old Belgium kid who had reached out to me on Twitter and he was like, I got to work for you. And I was like, who is this kid? We're not we're not going to hire a 17 year old kid who's still in high school. But. [14:11] He was very persistent and we flew him out to, [14:13] to the office and we ended up hiring him and it was one of the best hiring decisions we've made. And we have a couple other stories like that. And I think [14:21] It is much better to invest in people [14:24] who have high slope, who have a lot of energy than people who are like extremely experienced and potentially entitled. So I think I try to pay attention to what motivates you. Where do you want to be five years from now? Like, are you ambitious? And why do you do what you do?

[14:41] A controversial question that I ask in our interview process that some people have not liked is I ask, what is the greatest hardship you've ever experienced in your life? And how did you deal with it? Because I think building a company is hard. [14:53] And you want to bring people who aren't going to run away at this first sign of uncertainty, but rather are aware like, oh, this is normal. This is part of the path. If you're going to be doing something special, you're going to have hardship. Okay. I like it. So 17-year-old is still on the team? Yeah, he's 20 now. There you go. [15:11] So going back to Delphi now, what are some of the roadmap items? Like, you know, looking at where the hockey puck is going, where is Delphi going? [15:23] Not everyone has a podcast like yourself. How do you allow people to create a digital version of their mind if they don't have an online presence? So we have this interviewer that asks you questions about yourself. [15:33] that you could use and be like, hey, I want to get all my opinions about XYZ into my Delphi. And it'll ask you questions about those things so that it can get smarter. We're also... [15:43] personalization is a big thing. [15:45] As someone speaks to your digital mind, it becomes more personalized to them. So instead of question they may ask may be different than a question I may ask. And then eventually you can imagine there being a. [15:57] an ability to discover people based on their knowledge and what they know and how they think. Right now, we can only discover people based on what they look like on Instagram or where they've worked, like on LinkedIn. But there's no way to actually find people based on their values, how they think about the world, what they know. And those are often the best connections and relationships and opportunities to learn from people. So that's something that we're thinking about. I love it. For the entrepreneurs and leaders that are listening, and everyone's

[16:27] your influence because as we move forward in a digital and social age, influence is kind of the thing. And that's what, [16:35] That's what matters. And that's not a bad thing, by the way. Like growing your influence is a good thing. What steps do you think that entrepreneurs and leaders can take to start to scale their influence now? Yeah, I mean, I think there's a reason that Mark Zuckerberg has spent so much time on his personal brand over the last couple of years. Like he's a lot front and center. You see him kickboxing. And it's because he knows that humans connect with humans, not faceless entities. And I think as AI continues to improve that. [17:03] authenticity, that realness of a human is going to be that much more attractive. You see companies even hiring like chief influencing officers and where they're like the face of the brand. So I think [17:13] Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. I think vulnerability is key, especially, you know, [17:17] customers are getting pitched. Consumers are getting pitched left and right from all these really fake AI slop ads. And people are just desperate for something genuine and authentic. So I think you should not be afraid to put yourself out there. You should document what you know so that you can leverage that information from your mind to scale it when you need to scale it, whether it be with customers, with new hires. But yeah, I think it's just it's OK to start putting yourself out there. I have this. [17:43] My phone background is a text where it says, I'm afraid of putting myself out there. And the response is, cringe is in. You got to like be uncomfortable for a little bit and then it will start to feel more normal. No, you're totally right. And you're on point. I tell some of my clients that same thing. They're looking to grow their brand and to grow their scale. And I have to remind them that as the CEO, you actually are the brand now.

[18:08] Because it used to be in the 70s, 80s, 90s, even the early 2000s. With the exception of the extremely popular CEOs and probably like the Fortune 500s, [18:20] 100 companies. [18:22] you didn't know who the CEOs of companies were. Like you might know the name, [18:25] but you never knew the face, right? And you might know the picture, but you don't know who they are. You don't know what their values are. And so I tell everyone to start with this. State your core values and just talk about your core values. Because to me, that's how human connections are. So when I know what DARA stands for, either I connect or I don't. [18:44] And if I do connect, [18:46] now I'm probably going to follow. And now if I know how Dara thinks and I can use Delphi AI to interact with Dara, [18:55] Now I feel like I really know Dara. [18:57] And so now when Dara goes and does a social post, I get it. I know where he's coming from. And I'm anticipating the next one. And if I say, Dara speaking at this event, I want to go because now this person that I followed, I can actually meet in person. And to me, that's the true evolution of human connection. And I think, again, your product does that amazing. Thank you. Yeah. And I think you could see a tweet and a lot of people will project their own world. [19:27] And you can make all your own assumptions about. I think the great thing about having a digital mind is it almost allows people to immediately empathize. Because as soon as you can have a conversation, then you really start to understand, oh, this is not what they actually meant. So, yeah, it's been actually really cool to see a lot of our customers talk to my Delphi. And then when I meet them in person, they already know the basic questions that I've answered over and over again. So we can have a more in-depth conversation. Right.

[19:51] What advice would you give to someone that's hesitant about embracing good AI? And I'm going to put an emphasis on good AI. [20:02] What advice would you have? I mean, one, Pandora's box is open. It's never going to be closed. So I think that's very important to think about. Two, [20:10] is start with the end in mind. There's a lot of shiny objects left and right. You shouldn't plan around what's possible today. You should think about what's possible a year from now and work backwards from there. That's gonna set you up for the most success. And then three... [20:24] Use AI to automate things that you don't like doing, but don't forget what makes you human, as those are the things that allow you to connect with people. And to own your data, make sure you're using platforms that aren't using your data to train models. So those are my four tips. [20:39] Good stuff. Good stuff. All right. I know how busy you are. I know you have a lot going on. I'm going to get you out of here on my quick five, my rapid five. So let's do it. Ready? [20:48] Yeah. [20:50] Growing up in Houston, now you live in the Bay Area. Who has better food? [20:53] Texans. [20:55] Houston, okay. Yeah, for sure. What's your favorite meal? [20:59] Houston-based. Man, I mean, my parents' home-cooked meal, uh... [21:04] But in Houston, Houston has the best Tex-Mex Vietnamese, but I can't, nothing competes with homemade Persian food. Good stuff. [21:13] Good stuff. What is your go-to productivity app? Notion. My entire life is on Notion. Huge fan of Notion. Also one of our advertisers on the show. So shout out to Notion AI. Like, love them dearly. Changes everything that we're doing right now. What's a hobby or activity that you use or go to to unwind after a busy week? To be honest, I just hang out with friends and family. I don't really do hobbies. I read books.

[21:37] But, [21:38] Whenever I have free time, I use that time to spend it with the people that are important to me. I love it. I love it. When the story of Dara is being written and we're at the last chapter, last paragraph, last sentence, what's one word you want to define your legacy? This is a really good question. One word. Resilience. [21:58] I love it. [21:59] Because my man keeps going. That's what I love about you, bro. Even when I talk and sometimes I know I challenge you with, hey, can we get this feature added or can we do this? Like, you're always resilient, right? Like, you always keep going. Whenever there's obstacles, you always fight to overcome. And I think that's what I probably appreciate about you the most is because I have that same... [22:19] That same fire instinct. I know you have it. So I appreciate you, brother. Appreciate that, Mick. Yes, sir. So where can people find and follow both the real Dara and then also the digital mind of Dara? Yes. So on X, D-A-R-A-L-A-D-J-E. And then to chat with my Delphi, you can go to delphi.ai slash D-A-R-A. Great stuff. I'm going to have links to all of that in the show notes and description. I'm not saying do me a favor. I'm saying do yourself a favor. [22:49] on Delphi AI right now, look at the product. Not only am I an advocate, I'm a proud user and subscriber. Dara, I have what, like four businesses that we all have different business accounts that are on the platform. That's how much I care about it and what we do. If you care about legacy at a minimum, you should have a product with Delphi AI. If you want to pass down generational information,

[23:13] You should have a product on Delphi AI. If you're a business owner, business leader, your business is, [23:20] should definitely look at utilizing Delphi AI. Dara, brother, I appreciate you more than you know. Always honored when I can bend your ear and chat with you a little bit. So thank you for being on the show today, man. Thank you so much, Mick. And for all the viewers and listeners, remember your because is your superpower. Go unleash it. [23:38] That's another powerful conversation on Mick Unplugged. If this episode moved you, and I'm sure it did, follow the show wherever you listen. Share it with someone who needs that spark [23:50] people can find their because. I'm Rudy Rush, and until next time, stay driven, stay focused, and stay unplugged.