Épisodes

  • The $100 Million AI Talent War: Meta vs OpenAI
    Jul 4 2025
    Episode Summary

    Scott and Matt dive into the biggest tech stories of the week, covering Meta's aggressive talent acquisition spree, XAI's massive $10B funding round, Neuralink's breakthrough presentations, and the escalating race to artificial superintelligence. Plus: robot soccer leagues, Dyson's strawberry venture, and why AI nerds are now being traded like professional athletes.

    Key Topics CoveredThe AI Talent Wars
    • Meta's billion-dollar talent poaching - Zuckerberg offering 9-figure packages to lure top AI researchers from OpenAI
    • Alexander Wang acquisition - Scale AI founder becomes Meta's Chief AI Officer for $12B
    • Viral memes - "I used to pray for the day nerds would be traded like athletes"
    • OpenAI's response - Leaked Slack messages reveal employee burnout concerns

    XAI's Monster Round
    • $10 billion funding - Half equity, half debt structure
    • Star-studded investors - A16Z, Sequoia, Fidelity, BlackRock, Nvidia, AMD, and the Saudis
    • Elon's strategy - Building "truth-seeking AI" with vertical integration across his companies
    • Smart investor selection - Learning from past PayPal coup experience

    Neuralink's Bandwidth Revolution
    • Human bandwidth bottleneck - Average person limited to 1KB/second (8MB/day) through thumbs
    • 100x improvement promise - Direct brain-computer interface eliminates typing constraints
    • Strategic approach - Starting with disability and disease to navigate privacy concerns
    • Vision restoration - Literally curing blindness as next product launch

    Other Headlines
    • Trump's F-word diplomacy - How swearing apparently ended a conflict
    • Dyson's strawberry crisis - Vacuum legend pivots to fruit farming
    • Posting to product head - How Nikita Bier memed his way to head of product at X
    • China's AI glasses war - Xiaomi vs Meta in wearable AI race

    Robot Rundown
    • Amazon's million-robot army - Quiet deployment of massive automation infrastructure
    • Genesis AI's $100M bet - Becoming the "GPT for robotics" (but maybe don't challenge Nvidia)
    • K-Bot home delivery - $9,000 household robots ready for pickup in San Francisco
    • Robot soccer betting - New AI football league creates gambling opportunities
    • Australia's innovation attempts - First AI robotics accelerator launches

    Enterprise AI Moves
    • Campfire's $35M accounting disruption - AI-first tool challenging Oracle NetSuite and Xero
    • Microsoft's medical superintelligence - Claiming AI models better than GPs
    • Google's education push - Notebook LM integration into classrooms
    • Big Tech bundling strategy - Using ecosystem lock-in to crush startups

    Tool of the Week

    Chef by Convex - AI-powered development tool competing with Replit and Bolt, highly recommended by Matt's business partner for internal tool development.

    Memorable Quotes

    "I used to pray for the day nerds would be traded like athletes. That day is finally here and it's effing glorious."


    "Your dad kept getting poached back and forth by the top AI labs, and he actually never did any work."


    "They've been fighting for so long. They don't know what the f** they're doing. And then it stopped."*


    "The average human can only produce 8 megabytes a day of throughput......

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    59 min
  • $2B for No Product, Robots Under $3K & Australia's Massive Miss
    Jun 27 2025
    Title: $2B for No Product, Robots Under $3K & Australia's Massive Miss

    Hosts: Scott Wilcox (W & Elycium) & Matt Perrott (BuildPass)


    This week, Scotty & Matt explore the seismic shifts in AI talent acquisition, humanoid robots reaching consumer price points, and Australia's untapped potential to become a tech superpower.


    Episode Highlights

    The Great AI Talent Migration

    • Thinking Machines raises unprecedented $2B seed round at $10B valuation with no product, just talent
    • OpenAI leadership exodus creating billion-dollar startups overnight
    • The new reality: buying teams vs traditional hiring in AI

    Wearable AI Revolution

    • Limitless pendant deep dive: AI coach vs note-taker reality check
    • Future convergence of analog watches and AI technology
    • De-optimization movement challenging data-driven lifestyle tracking


    Robotics Breakthrough

    • Hugging Face humanoid robots priced under $3K (cheaper than MacBooks)
    • Open-source revolution democratizing robotics development
    • Tesla robo-taxi milestone: 20+ rides with zero interventions

    Australia's Trillion-Dollar Missed Opportunity

    • Energy policy crisis: shipping coal while paying 10% more for domestic power
    • Darwin/Geelong innovation hub vision as "Australian Shenzhen"
    • Cultural barriers: tall poppy syndrome vs American business optimism

    Key Segments

    Headlines & Hot Takes (00:00)

    • Limitless pendant early impressions
    • Noosa beach remote work setup
    • Thinking Machines $2B mystery round breakdown

    AI Tool Showdown (32:50)

    • 11 Labs conversational AI vs ChatGPT voice mode
    • Y Combinator AI startup school insights
    • Elon's 12-month AGI prediction analysis

    Tool of the Week (48:35)

    iPhone home screen optimization for AI-powered productivity

    Robot Rundown (52:20)

    • Sub-$3K humanoid robots changing the game
    • SoftBank's $1T Arizona AI manufacturing hub
    • Autonomous vehicle update: Tesla vs Waymo strategies

    Australia Tech Policy Deep Dive (01:02:15)

    • Energy crisis impact on tech competitiveness
    • Innovation hub strategy discussion
    • Cultural transformation needed for tech leadership

    Companies & Resources Mentioned

    AI Startups:

    • Thinking Machines (Mira Murati)
    • Cluely AI (A16Z-backed)
    • Limitless (AI pendant)
    • Eleven Labs

    Major Players:

    • OpenAI, Y Combinator
    • Hugging Face, Tesla, Waymo
    • SoftBank Vision Fund, TSMC
    • A16Z (Andreessen Horowitz)

    Key Figures:

    • Mira Murati, Sam Altman, Elon Musk
    • Masa Son (SoftBank)

    Why This Episode Matters

    The AI talent wars are reshaping venture capital, with teams commanding billion-dollar valuations before building products. Meanwhile, open-source robotics and autonomous vehicles are hitting critical adoption thresholds. Australia sits at a crossroads - blessed with resources but held back by policy and culture.


    Perfect for: Founders, VCs, tech operators, and anyone tracking the intersection of AI, robotics, and geopolitics.


    Built 2 Scale delivers weekly deep dives into the tech trends reshaping business. Subscribe for founder-focused insights on startups, AI agents, robotics, and the future of work.


    Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

    Subscribe: @built2scale

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    1 h et 34 min
  • Is ARR a Myth?
    Jun 19 2025
    Episode Snapshot

    Scott returns from China with a chipped tooth and eye-opening insights into Shenzhen's tech dominance, while Matt reports from Vegas conferences. This week: Zuckerberg's $15B talent grab, Jensen's European roadmap, the reality behind viral ARR growth, and why Tesla's $40K robo-taxi approach might crush Waymo's $180K strategy.

    Quick Episode Guide

    Timestamp Segment

    00:00:00 Headlines — The mystery week off, China revelations, talent wars

    00:01:19 Scott's Shenzhen dental disaster (cardboard water box incident)

    00:04:07 Limitless pendant returns + DIY AirTag hack strategy

    00:04:51 Talent acquisition mania: Alexander Wang's $15B vs Johnny Ive's $6.5B

    00:08:10 Apple intern's "LLMs are stupid" research paper

    00:10:49 China Deep Dive: Hong Kong's 4,000 towers vs Sydney's 50

    00:15:45 Manufacturing tour: half-price + not automated yet

    00:19:27 Dual-stack strategy: Huawei backend, Nvidia frontend

    00:21:09 Matt's Vegas conference intel—Premier partnership breakthrough

    00:28:42 ARR speed-running: quality vs viral growth metrics

    00:31:01 Impulse tool purchasing—the Hawk Tuah of SaaS revenue

    00:32:49 AI News: Google VO3 & Flow viral video generation

    00:40:28 Jensen in Paris: NVIDIA's full-stack Europe awakening

    00:46:28 ChatGPT tools integration vs Slack's data restrictions

    00:53:02 Perplexity Labs: Greg Eisenberg's 5-job replacement tweet

    00:58:00 Tool of the Week: ChatGPT Projects upgrade for client pitches

    01:07:31 Robot Rundown: Tesla $40K vs Waymo $180K robo-taxi costs

    01:13:14 Autonomous drones beat world champion human pilot

    01:17:19 Next Week Preview: Building Australia's own Shenzhen

    Key Themes
    • Peak AI Bubble Behavior – Buying talent without products
    • China Manufacturing Dominance – Shenzhen's 40-year transformation
    • ARR Quality vs Quantity – Viral growth vs sustainable revenue
    • Data Ownership Wars – Big Tech fighting for your information
    • AI-Native Workforce – 18-year-olds eating everyone's lunch
    • Custom GPT Enterprise Strategy – Turning AI into sales weapons
    • Autonomous Vehicle Economics – First principles vs bolt-on approaches

    Resources & Mentions
    • Alexander Wang / Scale AI ($15B Meta acquisition)
    • Jensen Huang Paris GTC speeches
    • ChatGPT Projects tool integration
    • Perplexity Labs capabilities
    • Notebook LM research synthesis
    • Tesla Robo-taxi vs Waymo cost analysis
    • DJI autonomous drone championships
    • Built 2 Scale incubator concept

    About Built 2 Scale

    Founders Scott Wilcox (construction/property) and Matt Perrott (BuildPass) explore startups, AI, manufacturing, and the intersection of physical + digital innovation. Fresh insights drop weekly.

    Follow & Subscribe
    • YouTube: @built2scale
    • Spotify / Apple: Built 2 Scale
    • Social: @built2scale

    Enjoying the show? Rate us, share with a friend, and tell us your biggest takeaway on social.

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    1 h et 15 min
  • They built a 100-mile highway without humans...
    Jun 5 2025

    Episode Snapshot

    Scotty and Matt blitz through the week’s wildest tech headlines—from Google’s eye-watering $400/mo Ultra plan and Perplexity’s Samsung coup to China’s 100-mile, zero-human freeway. Along the way: domain names purchased under the influence, why Notebook LM might replace your MBA, and the very real rise of remote robot workers.

    Quick Episode Guide

    Timestamp Segment

    00:00:00 Cold-open headlines — Scotty.inc, Google Ultra, China’s 100-mile robot freeway

    00:01:14 Personal branding: Scotty grabs Scotty.inc

    00:03:00 Drunk-domain confession — PES tells all about late-night URL shopping

    00:05:00 Google Ultra first week: $8–$10 per prompt (!)

    00:07:05 100 % male YouTube audience — where are the women in tech?

    00:07:58 Limitless pendant keynote & “Find My” face-palm

    00:08:54 VC satire: raising at your kid’s school play

    00:11:10 Perplexity Labs, WhatsApp bot & Samsung default deal

    00:14:44 Rick Caruso shouts-out Aussie AI (Archistar) on Fox News

    00:16:44 Notebook LM workflow: overnight research → morning podcast

    00:19:26 A16Z: AI up-ends $140 B research industry

    00:22:14 DIY MBAs & why campuses must pivot to community hubs

    00:26:32 Starship “Gigabay” & manufacturing gets sexy again

    00:30:30 North-Star thinking: shoot for Mars, fix your API

    00:32:06Google AI Edge — local models & privacy as luxury

    00:36:00 Tool of the Week: N8N + Claude agentic workflows

    00:40:06 Automation as a sales pitch (back-office demo wins deals)

    00:44:51 Robot Rundown: China completes 100-mile freeway with zero humans

    00:49:48 Lumina’s autonomous electric bulldozers (SF)

    00:52:26 Remote tele-ops: stacking Tokyo shelves from India & robot surgery

    00:55:42 Founder Files: the pain of scaling across time-zones

    01:00:43 Systems, processes & “surface area” for founder freedom

    01:04:57 Anthropic’s 50 % job-loss headline—opportunity vs. fear

    01:08:15 Live on air: OpenAI Codex gets Internet + free-tier Memory


    Key Themes

    • Cost vs. Value in AI Subscriptions – Google Ultra’s sticker shock
    • Application-Layer Wins – How Perplexity keeps shipping past the majors
    • AI Fast-Tracking Construction – Archistar in California wildfire rebuilds
    • Edge Computing & Privacy – Why on-device models matter
    • Agentic Workflows – Screenshot → Claude → fully-wired automation
    • Robot Infrastructure – China, Lumina, and the future of heavy machinery
    • Scaling Globally – Time-zone pain, founder relocation, and systems that set you free

    Resources & Mentions

    • Google Ultra / Gemini Advanced
    • Perplexity Labs & WhatsApp bot
    • Archistar AI
    • Notebook LM (Google)
    • A16Z “AI & Research” post
    • Nvidia Jetson & edge hardware
    • N8N + Anthropic Claude
    • Lumina Autonomous Dozers
    • OpenAI Codex + Memory update

    About Built 2 Scale

    Founders Scott Wilcox (Scotty.inc) and Matt Parrott go deep on startups, AI, robotics, and the future of construction & manufacturing. New conversations drop every week.


    Follow & Subscribe
    • YouTube: @b2spod
    • Spotify / Apple / Google...
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    1 h et 11 min
  • How to make every Australian a MILLIONAIRE
    May 30 2025
    Built 2 Scale — Episode 11

    Title: How to make every Australian a MILLIONAIRE

    Hosts: Scott Wilcox | Matt Perrott

    Runtime: ≈ 58 min

    Release Date: 2025-05-30

    Quick Synopsis

    How do you turn $20 trillion of natural resources into $1 million per Aussie? Scott Wilcox & Matt Perrott unpack Google IO hacks, Jony Ive’s OpenAI deal, the rise of “just-in-time” software, AI agents in your workflow, must-have tools, robot rundowns, and a blueprint for abundance.

    Chapter Markers (Clickable on players that support them)

    Time Segment

    00:00 Cold Open — headlines & 1080p ear-hair jokes

    00:30 Parenting Tech Fail: the red-glow white-noise machine

    01:02 Google IO recap: Gemini Ultra + $250/mo omnipass

    04:23 Running two tech lives: Microsoft vs Apple + Google

    06:45 OpenAI × LoveFrom: why a $6.5 B “design brain” matters

    09:13 Anthropic “Code for” & Rick Rubin’s The Way of Code

    18:33 Google Stitch—UI in one prompt

    19:18 Just-In-Time software (goodbye, legacy bloat)

    20:11 Live demo: podcast KPI dashboard in < 5 min

    33:20 Tool of the Week: Den (chat + docs + agents)

    39:00 Robot Rundown I: Dyson’s fluffy-cone vacuum love letter

    41:01 Robot Rundown II: Tesla Optimus learns household chores

    47:10 Home Power: Cybertruck as generator, edge compute dreams

    49:00 $20 T → $1 M each: the resource-backed wealth plan

    57:39 What’s Next & Sign-off

    Key Takeaways
    1. Gemini Ultra isn’t cheap—but it turns every Google surface into an agent hub.
    2. Split-stack living is here: run Microsoft Copilot and Apple/Google gear to hedge innovation risks.
    3. OpenAI + Jony Ive = hardware renaissance. Expect Apple-grade devices with GPT brains.
    4. Just-In-Time apps kill single-purpose SaaS. If you’re shipping software, ship the outcome, not the dashboard.
    5. Dyson & Tesla prove physical product still wins hearts—marry great engineering with AI or be forgotten.
    6. National-resource monetization is a realistic abundance play, not sci-fi economics—if you treat energy and compute as public utilities.

    Links & Resources
    • Google IO 2025 Recap: https://io.google/
    • Gemini Ultra Pricing: https://blog.google/products/google-io-2025
    • LoveFrom (Jony Ive): https://lovefrom.com/
    • Anthropic Code for: https://www.anthropic.com/
    • Rick Rubin on “The Way of Code”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Rubin
    • Google Stitch: https://stitch.withgoogle.com/
    • Den (YC 2025): https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/den
    • Dyson Vacuum Launch Video: https://youtu.be/dyson-fluffycones
    • Tesla Cybertruck Power Support:
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    58 min
  • Google I/O 2025 AI Bombshell, Nvidia’s $50 Trillion Robot Bet & Coinbase Hacked
    May 23 2025

    Segment Highlights & Takeaways

    00:00 - Founder-life Banter 1080p ear-hair, distribution hacks, and why humor matters for reach.

    08:30 - Delegation vs “Founder Mode” Why Zuck, Chesky & Musk still get their hands dirty—plus a 3-step audit to decide when you should delegate.

    18:55 - Coinbase HackAnatomy of a social-engineering breach and why Brian Armstrong spent $400 M instead of paying a $20 M ransom. Security checklist included.

    28:50 - Google I/O 2025 RecapGemini 2.5, Veo-3 video AI, Project Astra live demo. What “Agent Mode” means for Apple’s walled garden.

    37:40 - MCP & the Agentic WebMeet HTTP’s heir for AI agents. Translate “MCP packets” into traction for your startup.

    47:15 - 1-Person Unicorns OpenAI Codex + cloud infra = solo dev superpowers. Case study: 6-week MVP → $8 M seed.

    55:00 - Tool Stack SprintRelevance AI, NotebookLM app, DripMax style-rater, Cal.ai macro tracker—who should test what, and why.

    1:02:00 - Nvidia Isaac GR00T & Omniverse Physics-true sims, synthetic data, and Jensen Huang’s “infrastructure is compute” manifesto.

    1:08:20 - Robot RundownFigure AI’s factory deal momentum and the grand-slam TAM math behind the $50 T humanoid economy.

    1:13:45 - Snack-Size Philosophy“You are only your next token.” How to run life like an LLM—practical mindset reframes.

    Key Topics / SEO Tags

    AI news • Google I/O 2025 • Gemini 2.5 • Project Astra • MCP protocol • Agentic Web • OpenAI Codex • Nvidia Omniverse • Isaac GR00T • Figure AI • Humanoid robots • $50 T robot economy • Coinbase hack • Founder delegation • Venture capital strategy • Startup tooling

    Resources & Links

    • Google I/O: https://io.google/
    • Gemini 2.5 (DeepMind): https://deepmind.google/technologies/
    • Project Astra: https://deepmind.google/blog/project-astra
    • Veo-3 Video AI: https://deepmind.google/technologies/
    • Nvidia Omniverse: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/omniverse/
    • Nvidia Isaac (GR00T): https://developer.nvidia.com/isaac
    • Figure AI Humanoids: https://www.figure.ai/
    • Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/
    • OpenAI Codex: https://openai.com/research/codex
    • MCP primer: https://agentprotocol.dev/
    • Relevance AI: https://www.relevanceai.com/
    • NotebookLM: https://notebooklm.google/
    • Cal.ai: https://www.cal.ai/
    • DripMax (beta): https://dripmax.app/


    TL;DR Action Items
    1. Audit your delegation stack: Use Scott’s “80/20 Founder-Mode Test” to decide today what to offload.
    2. Start agent-proofing your product: Map one...
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    1 h et 14 min
  • Full-Stack AI, Zapier MCP & Limitless Pendant | $10 M Boring Tunnels
    May 16 2025

    This week on Built 2 Scale: Scott loses his brand-new Limitless pendant (turns out “Find My” isn’t included), Matt explains why Zapier’s new MCP server might let interns run the office, and the guys dissect YC’s “full-stack AI” memo. They roast Google’s Gemini branding fumble, cheer OpenAI’s Sheryl-Sandberg-style hire, and marvel at Elon’s autonomous boring machine that digs tunnels for 1 % of Melbourne-Metro costs. Plus: stealth AR teleprompter glasses, trillion-dollar TAM math, and a $10 K “Founder OnlyFans” riff. Quick hits, sharp insights, and robot-enhanced banter—tune in or get left behind!

    Topics:


    Limitless pendant lost: wearables & “Find My” fails

    YC’s full-stack AI vision & Elysium’s talking-walls dream

    Brett Weinstein on AI consciousness (“no-pilot” mode)

    OpenAI taps Fidji Simo to monetize ChatGPT

    Google Gemini branding crisis & search erosion

    Sequoia says AI TAM = trillions from day one

    Zapier MCP: 8 000-app super-connector for agents

    Even G1 AR glasses: TED talk, no teleprompter

    Boring Co. tunnels at 1 % of legacy cost


    0:00 Cold open – pendant saga & Hank-the-dog coworker mix-up

    2:35 Tool-stack drama – Notion, Slack & Assembly takeover

    4:03 Founder-OnlyFans riff – Nikita Bier’s $10 k Zoom calls

    4:29 Charging for meetings chat & Limitless pendant unboxing

    6:29 Pendant lost – discovers “no Find My” flaw

    10:30 YC’s “full-stack AI” post sparks vertical-integration talk

    16:58 Elysium vision – talking walls & home-robotics roadmap

    17:56 “Thanks for Watching” intro – Brett Weinstein setup

    19:45 AI consciousness debate – the looming “no-pilot” phase

    24:50 OpenAI hires Fidji Simo – ads & App-Store layer ahead

    29:19 Google’s Gemini branding crisis & search-share erosion

    34:43 Sequoia on AI TAM – trillions from day one

    42:12 PE roll-ups & equity alignment for automation

    47:48 MCP deep dive – Zapier’s 8 000-app unlock

    54:55 Even G1 AR glasses – stealth teleprompter demo

    57:28 Boring Co. tunnels – $10 M/km autonomous TBM reveal

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    1 h et 2 min
  • Jensen Huang Tops CEOs, Archistar Lands LA, Australia Wary on AI, Productivity Hacks Unpacked
    May 8 2025

    This week on Built 2 Scale, Scott’s caffeine shakes are finally under control, Matt’s new Mac has quit gas-lighting him, and Australia tops a brand-new chart—for fearing AI more than any other country. From a paralyzed creator who edited a YouTube video with his thoughts to Stripe’s surgical strike on Apple’s 30 % cut, the lads unpack the future of robots, regulation, and founder productivity in one fast hour.

    Topics

    Australia’s AI trust gap – only 30 % of Aussies believe the benefits outweigh the risks; why the dread?

    Archistar × LA wildfire rebuild – Sydney prop-tech picked to slash permit times with generative zoning AI.

    OpenAI + Windsurf – $3 B coding-assistant grab to cement Sam Altman’s “Apple of AI” stack.

    Stripe’s 2.5 % escape route – Epic v. Apple ruling lets devs dodge the App Store toll booth.

    “Smartest CEOs” list – NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang tops linguistic IQ rankings; Demis Hassabis, Reed Hastings, and Patrick Collison follow.

    Neuralink telepathy – patient edits and uploads a full YouTube video using only brain signals.

    Physical Intelligence’s $400 M laundry bots – Bezos backs household chore automation.

    Tool Hacks

    NotebookLM → spin any doc pile into a walk-and-learn podcast

    Granola note-taker → one-click transcript ➜ templated minutes

    MyMind → screenshot-to-second-brain for visual thinkers

    HiDock H1 recorder → AirPods-powered voice capture ➜ AI task list

    Limitless Pendant → always-on memory and meeting summaries


    Robot Rundown

    Unitree G1 sticks the first standing side-flip (on a $16 K bot).

    Single-purpose chore bots—from folding tees to bussing tables—are everywhere.

    DJI Dock 3 gives warehouses an always-ready drone workforce. Insights Home

    NVIDIA Omniverse & Isaac Sim are where the next robot brains are growing up.

    Why capturing SOPs today protects your craft in a robot-tomorrow world.


    Resources & Mentions

    KPMG AI Trust Study – https://kpmg.com/au/

    Archistar – https://archistar.ai

    Windsurf – https://windsurf.ai

    Stripe In-App Kit – https://stripe.com

    Neuralink – https://neuralink.com

    Physical Intelligence – https://physicalintelligence.company

    Unitree G1 – https://unitree.com/products/g1

    NotebookLM – https://notebooklm.google

    Granola – https://granola.ai

    MyMind – https://mymind.com

    HiDock H1 – https://hidock.com

    Limitless Pendant – https://limitless.ai/pendant

    NVIDIA Omniverse / Isaac Sim – https://developer.nvidia.com/isaac/sim


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    1 h et 10 min