The Closest I’ve Ever Been to Changing the World  (1) — New Series This is yet another series that I just can’t wait to start writing, because I really feel that this time, it might actually change the world! Originally, this series was planned to be released next year, in 2026. But because there’s a time window, and after talking with the founder, I truly feel this might be the closest I’ve ever been to participating in something that could change the world. So I thought — if you really want to make time, you can always squeeze some out...

Continuing from the last post, I asked Troy whether those AI data centers, big tech companies, and hyperscalers had given any feedback yet. He said they’re extremely eager. “Just this week, we were invited to bid on a 5-km project from one of the world’s largest tech companies; several well-known AI hyperscalers have also visited our site many times — mainly those based in San Francisco and Seattle. They’ve been sending teams of engineers in batches. Right now, everyone’s waiting for our tunnel robot field test, which will start in three weeks.” I said, “That’s exactly the case of ‘time...

Continuing from the last post, I asked him what projects he had done before and what his track record looked like. He said he has always been passionate about energy. His first company was in telecom, which he successfully sold. Later, in the 1990s, he founded Tradewind Energy, which he sold to an Italian energy giant. At the time of sale, it was worth several hundred million, and it later grew into a company valued around $35 billion — so technically, he’s already a decacorn founder 😂. After that, he built a biodiesel plant, sold it successfully, and then founded...

Continuing from the last post, Here’s how it all started: One night, he was having a conversation with his colleague who happened to be a former Navy SEAL member and was talking about a past mission — one that involved cutting through ships and submarines underwater. That suddenly reminded him of a thought he’d had as a child: Why can’t we build a power network underground? He said he has been working in the energy industry for decades, and the biggest bottleneck isn’t the energy itself, but instead, it’s the transmission lines — there simply aren’t enough of them. In...

Continuing from the last post, I asked him: “So what about approvals? Won’t you run into community hearings? Aren’t you being a bit too optimistic? ” He said: “Haha, our technology has no vibration, no noise, no pollution, no physical contact — and we’re operating under public roads, not private property. So the community isn’t involved at all — there’s no need for any public hearing! We’ve already been approved as a regulated telecommunication utility in 46 U.S. states, and obtained the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, which means we already hold a monopoly position.” “Oh really!” I said....

Continuing from the last post, Troy said they now have two business models. The first is called the BOOM model — Build, Own, Operate and Maintain. It’s essentially a real estate developer model: they dig the tunnels themselves and own the properties, just like building highways underground, and anyone/anything that pass through the tunnel has to pay. He said they currently have three private underground transmission projects using this model, which can deliver 6 gigawatts of clean energy to the grid, and they’re planning to expand to Europe and Asia afterward. I asked, “Is 6 gigawatts a lot?” He chuckled:...