HomePoolside CEO: Most Companies Should Avoid Building Foundation Models
Poolside's co-founder and CEO, Jason Warner, didn't hold back at the HumanX AI conference in Las Vegas. He's pretty clear that most companies should ditch the idea of building their own foundation AI models and focus on creating applications instead. After all, Poolside itself is an AI-powered software development platform, so he knows what he's talking about.
Warner told the crowd that he believes intelligence is as crucial as electricity, and if you don't get that, you've got no business messing with foundation models. He put it this way: "If you’re one of those people, if you want to take one side of the fence, you’re a printing press for cash unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the world. Or if the other side of the fence, you’re basically changing and bending the arc of humanity in a way that we’ve not done before. And I believe that to be true."
He went on to say that Poolside is literally chasing after AGI through their software. And if you're just looking at foundation models as a way to score some VC money, Warner suggests you should just slap a wrapper on an existing model and call it a day.
But here's the thing: Warner thinks that even if you're building a foundation model, it shouldn't be your whole product. It should be just a piece of it, especially as the competition heats up.
He said, "In my view, if I’m going to go build this type of business, I’m building on one side, going after intelligence on compute, I need to go after the hardest environment. You can’t do simple on one side and hard on the other. It doesn’t really make sense, because if you’re going to go for everything, go for everything."
That's why Poolside is tackling tough sectors like defense and working with the government. But don't worry, they've got plans to launch a consumer app down the line, too.
Poolside, based in San Francisco, was started in 2023 by Warner, who used to be the CTO at GitHub and a managing director at Redpoint, along with Eiso Kant, a serial founder. They've managed to raise over $620 million in venture funding and are now valued at a cool $3 billion.
Related article
OpenAI Secretly Changes Charter to Make Removing Altman Harder
Following the 2023 coup-like incident, OpenAI has further solidified protections for CEO Sam Altman by updating its corporate bylaws. Recently released court documents reveal that Altman's position is now rock-solid, with substantially higher barrier
Meta AI now responds to buyer messages on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace introduces new Meta AI features, including automated replies to buyer inquiries, the company announced Thursday. The platform also leverages AI to accelerate item listings, summarize seller profiles, and now lets sellers offer sh
OpenAI outlines AI economy with public wealth funds, robot taxes, and four-day week
As governments struggle to manage the economic impact of superintelligent machines, OpenAI has released a set of policy proposals outlining how wealth and work could be reshaped in an "intelligence age." The ideas blend traditional left-leaning mecha
Related Special Topic Recommendations
Productivity
AI Personal Wellness & Focus Coaches: Manage Burnout & Boost Mental Energy Levels
Discover the 2026 best AI personal wellness and focus coaches on XIX.AI. Our curated rankings feature top-rated, game-changing tools to manage burnout and boost mental energy. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your path to peak productivity and well-being today.
10 tools
xix.ai
chatbot
Top-Rated AI Romantic Chatbots: Build Long-Term Relationships with Consistent Personalities
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI romantic chatbots for building genuine, long-term connections. Our curated list features powerful, consistent personalities, free vs paid comparisons, and real-world tests. Find your perfect companion and start building today at XIX.AI.
10 tools
xix.ai
Education and Learning
Best AI Data Science Mentors: Master SQL, Pandas & Machine Learning Workflows
Discover the 2026 best AI data science mentors to master SQL, Pandas & ML workflows. Explore our top-rated, curated selection at XIX.AI for powerful, game-changing guidance. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your data science mastery today.
10 tools
xix.ai
chatbot
Best AI Flirting & Conversation Trainers: Improve Social Charisma and Confidence in Real-Time
Discover the 2026 best AI flirting and conversation trainers on XIX.AI. Our curated, top-rated selection helps you build social charisma and confidence in real-time. Explore must-try, game-changing tools with free vs paid comparisons and weekly updated rankings. Unlock your social edge today.
10 tools
xix.ai
code
Best AI Tools for Automated Unit Testing: Generate Jest, PyTest & JUnit Test Cases in One Click
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI tools for automated unit testing. Our curated selection features powerful, game-changing solutions to generate Jest, PyTest & JUnit test cases instantly. Compare free vs paid options with real-world tests and weekly updated rankings on XIX.AI. Unlock your AI edge and boost development productivity today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Data Analysis
Best AI Data Visualization Tools: Auto-Generate Interactive BI Dashboards from Raw Files
Discover the 2026 best AI data visualization tools at XIX.AI. Our curated, top-rated selection helps you auto-generate powerful, interactive BI dashboards from raw files instantly. Compare free vs paid options with real-world tests and weekly updated rankings. Unlock your data's potential today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Comments (14)
0/500
![StevenNelson]()
Foundation Modelsを自社で作ろうとする企業が多いけど、プールサイドCEOの意見には納得。GPUリソースもデータも限られている中で、すべての会社が同じことをする必要ある？むしろアプリ開発に集中した方が現実的かも。でも、この流れだと大手テック企業だけが基盤モデルを支配することにならない？🤔
![WalterBaker]()
Jason Warner's take is spot-on! Most companies chasing foundation models are just burning cash. Focus on apps that solve real problems, not reinventing the AI wheel. 🛠️
![RalphThomas]()
Jason Warner's take at HumanX is spot-on! Most companies chasing foundation models are just burning cash. Building apps with AI is where the real value is—leave the heavy lifting to the big players. 🧠💡
![StevenMartin]()
Jason Warner's take is spot-on—most companies chasing foundation models are just burning cash. Focus on apps, not reinventing the AI wheel! 🚀
![WilliamRamirez]()
Jason Warner's take at the HumanX AI conference was spot on! Most companies really shouldn't waste time and resources on building their own foundation models. Focus on apps, like Poolside does, and you'll be much better off. It's practical advice that saves a lot of headache!
![DanielWalker]()
这CEO说得太直接了！大部分公司别瞎折腾基础模型了，专心做应用多好。Poolside自己就是个例子，感觉AI应用市场会更火！😎
Poolside's co-founder and CEO, Jason Warner, didn't hold back at the HumanX AI conference in Las Vegas. He's pretty clear that most companies should ditch the idea of building their own foundation AI models and focus on creating applications instead. After all, Poolside itself is an AI-powered software development platform, so he knows what he's talking about.
Warner told the crowd that he believes intelligence is as crucial as electricity, and if you don't get that, you've got no business messing with foundation models. He put it this way: "If you’re one of those people, if you want to take one side of the fence, you’re a printing press for cash unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the world. Or if the other side of the fence, you’re basically changing and bending the arc of humanity in a way that we’ve not done before. And I believe that to be true."
He went on to say that Poolside is literally chasing after AGI through their software. And if you're just looking at foundation models as a way to score some VC money, Warner suggests you should just slap a wrapper on an existing model and call it a day.
But here's the thing: Warner thinks that even if you're building a foundation model, it shouldn't be your whole product. It should be just a piece of it, especially as the competition heats up.
He said, "In my view, if I’m going to go build this type of business, I’m building on one side, going after intelligence on compute, I need to go after the hardest environment. You can’t do simple on one side and hard on the other. It doesn’t really make sense, because if you’re going to go for everything, go for everything."
That's why Poolside is tackling tough sectors like defense and working with the government. But don't worry, they've got plans to launch a consumer app down the line, too.
Poolside, based in San Francisco, was started in 2023 by Warner, who used to be the CTO at GitHub and a managing director at Redpoint, along with Eiso Kant, a serial founder. They've managed to raise over $620 million in venture funding and are now valued at a cool $3 billion.
OpenAI Secretly Changes Charter to Make Removing Altman Harder
Following the 2023 coup-like incident, OpenAI has further solidified protections for CEO Sam Altman by updating its corporate bylaws. Recently released court documents reveal that Altman's position is now rock-solid, with substantially higher barrier
Meta AI now responds to buyer messages on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace introduces new Meta AI features, including automated replies to buyer inquiries, the company announced Thursday. The platform also leverages AI to accelerate item listings, summarize seller profiles, and now lets sellers offer sh
OpenAI outlines AI economy with public wealth funds, robot taxes, and four-day week
As governments struggle to manage the economic impact of superintelligent machines, OpenAI has released a set of policy proposals outlining how wealth and work could be reshaped in an "intelligence age." The ideas blend traditional left-leaning mecha
Discover the 2026 best AI personal wellness and focus coaches on XIX.AI. Our curated rankings feature top-rated, game-changing tools to manage burnout and boost mental energy. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your path to peak productivity and well-being today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI romantic chatbots for building genuine, long-term connections. Our curated list features powerful, consistent personalities, free vs paid comparisons, and real-world tests. Find your perfect companion and start building today at XIX.AI.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 best AI data science mentors to master SQL, Pandas & ML workflows. Explore our top-rated, curated selection at XIX.AI for powerful, game-changing guidance. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your data science mastery today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 best AI flirting and conversation trainers on XIX.AI. Our curated, top-rated selection helps you build social charisma and confidence in real-time. Explore must-try, game-changing tools with free vs paid comparisons and weekly updated rankings. Unlock your social edge today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI tools for automated unit testing. Our curated selection features powerful, game-changing solutions to generate Jest, PyTest & JUnit test cases instantly. Compare free vs paid options with real-world tests and weekly updated rankings on XIX.AI. Unlock your AI edge and boost development productivity today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 best AI data visualization tools at XIX.AI. Our curated, top-rated selection helps you auto-generate powerful, interactive BI dashboards from raw files instantly. Compare free vs paid options with real-world tests and weekly updated rankings. Unlock your data's potential today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Foundation Modelsを自社で作ろうとする企業が多いけど、プールサイドCEOの意見には納得。GPUリソースもデータも限られている中で、すべての会社が同じことをする必要ある？むしろアプリ開発に集中した方が現実的かも。でも、この流れだと大手テック企業だけが基盤モデルを支配することにならない？🤔
Jason Warner's take is spot-on! Most companies chasing foundation models are just burning cash. Focus on apps that solve real problems, not reinventing the AI wheel. 🛠️
Jason Warner's take at HumanX is spot-on! Most companies chasing foundation models are just burning cash. Building apps with AI is where the real value is—leave the heavy lifting to the big players. 🧠💡
Jason Warner's take is spot-on—most companies chasing foundation models are just burning cash. Focus on apps, not reinventing the AI wheel! 🚀
Jason Warner's take at the HumanX AI conference was spot on! Most companies really shouldn't waste time and resources on building their own foundation models. Focus on apps, like Poolside does, and you'll be much better off. It's practical advice that saves a lot of headache!
这CEO说得太直接了！大部分公司别瞎折腾基础模型了，专心做应用多好。Poolside自己就是个例子，感觉AI应用市场会更火！😎
