DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 80 | He Ran for Mayor on Love | Helix Wolfson

What happens when a guy runs for mayor of Los Angeles on a platform of love?

Helix Wolfson did exactly that. He legally changed his name to Paul E. Amori, put on a three-piece red suit, and ran for mayor on one question: what would love do? He came in last. He also walked off a debate stage with a dozen people telling him he'd earned their vote, and he says it felt like winning.

That's one chapter. Helix grew up in the theater, made films, built stages at Burning Man and Lightning in a Bottle, and when COVID cancelled Burning Man he helped build the Infinite Playa, a virtual version of it. That project grew into Infinite Reality, a metaverse company that reached a $12 billion valuation. Then he walked away.

We talk about what survives when you move a sensory experience like Burning Man into a virtual world, the difference between the cutting edge and the bleeding edge, and why the people who start a company usually aren't the ones who end up running it. Then we get into AI, and his answer surprised me: he thinks we're not scared enough. We go back and forth about jobs, fulfillment, and what's happening in the workforce I see every day in my recruiting work, and we land on the one thing he believes technology can't replace: being in a room with other humans.

And stay for the Playlist Round: Helix shares some big personal news for the first time, right here on the show.

KEY TOPICS
Running for mayor as Paul E. Amori · Leading with love instead of fear · Career politics and liquid democracy · Building a virtual Burning Man · Amori's Casino and Burlesque · From startup to $12 billion, and walking away · Cutting edge vs. bleeding edge · Founders vs. operators · AI fear, AGI and superintelligence · Jobs, fulfillment and the changing workforce · What technology can't give us

SOUND BITES
"What would love do was my mantra."
"To become authentic while assuming a role is quite a feat."
"The bleeding edge… is as painful as it sounds."
"I'm not sure you'll like this answer, but I actually think we're not scared enough."
"Those are the places where we will always want to be in human connection."

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:12 Helix's thumbnail: theater kid, filmmaker, Burning Man builder
03:34 COVID, a cancelled Burning Man, and a $12 billion detour
05:35 Paul E. Amori and the Love Party
05:57 The alter ego came first: mayor of Lightning in a Bottle
08:05 Legally changing his name to run for mayor of LA
09:47 Trump wins, a dark night of the soul, and "what would love do?"
12:06 What a festival taught him about fear and love
13:44 3,300 votes: love came in last
15:06 Getting Candid with the Candidates over coffee
16:30 The debate nobody else would hold
20:23 Authentic in a wig: the night he earned their votes
21:26 What losing taught him about career politics
26:03 Liquid democracy and the most loving solution
27:59 Burning Man goes virtual: what survived the crossing
33:52 Amori's Casino and Burlesque
39:04 From a startup to $12 billion, and walking away
41:00 The cutting edge vs. the bleeding edge
43:22 Why founders leave what they built
44:52 Three new companies in a few months
47:05 AI and fear: "I actually think we're not scared enough"
50:29 AGI, superintelligence, and the robots
53:54 Jim's view from hiring: who shows up for work
56:22 Fulfillment: human work vs. machine work
59:14 Eighteen job changes in one career
1:02:06 What employers can do about it
1:03:40 What technology can't give us
1:07:14 Playlist Round: Bennie and the Jets
1:08:08 Reggae road trips, Toots, and a rubber chicken
1:10:24 Hip-hop, jazz, and anything with brass
1:11:53 Pump-up songs and a guilty pleasure
1:13:46 Sleeping at Last's "Saturn"
1:15:01 Tears for Fears in the desert
1:16:15 Big news: Helix is about to become a dad
1:17:56 Where to find Helix, and we drop the needle

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Meow Wolf (immersive art experiences)
Lightning in a Bottle (music festival)
Burning Man and its Ten Principles
The Midnight Mission, Skid Row, Los Angeles
Sleeping at Last, "Saturn"
Tears for Fears, "Rivers of Mercy" (2022)

CONNECT WITH HELIX WOLFSON
Website: https://heliximagen.ai
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helixwolfson/
Instagram: @helixalot

TODAY'S PLAYLIST
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2C1Isy7ZizMYackwMq4ukr

FROM YOUR HOST
Mentioned in this episode or just want to go deeper?
📖 Did I Just Have a Spiritual Awakening, or Was It Something I Ate? https://a.co/d/020nrzCH
🌐 jimalstott.com https://www.jimalstott.com
🎙️ dtnpodcast.com https://www.dtnpodcast.com

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#DropTheNeedle #HelixWolfson #BurningMan #ArtificialIntelligence #Metaverse #LeadWithLove #ImmersiveExperience #SpiritualAwakening