WTF is with Nikhil Kamath

I sat down with His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE’s youngest minister and the world’s first AI Minister, to unpack how modern governments think about the future and the role younger leaders play in shaping it. A last-minute conversation in Dubai that opened up a thoughtful discussion on youth in politics, leadership, and how AI is beginning to influence the way nations are governed. Big thanks to @IndiaGlobalForum for creating the space for conversations like this, and Manoj Ladwa, a dear friend and a rare connector between India and the rest of the world. People like him, through IGF are helping frame the ideas that will define this decade, and bring them to life

00:00 – Introduction 
01:24 – Why AI Changes the Power Balance Between Countries 
05:05 – Jobs, Intelligence, & What AI Takes Away From Humans 
13:20 – Why This Conversation Happened at IGF 
15:42 – Making of a Minister 
22:18 – Why does anything matter? 
24:42 – Machiavelli 
30:23 – Fear or love? How are Leaders Remembered? 
33:26 – UAE's Legacy & It's Perpetual Importance 
38:04 – How UAE goes about it's diasporic Governance 
48:13 – Taxes, Value Exchange, and What Citizens Expect 
55:09 – Education, Work, and the Path to Government 
1:12:19 – The Phone Call That Made Him AI Minister at 27 
1:14:22 – Corruption, Incentives, and Power Structures 
1:24:46 – AI & Governance 
1:27:55 – Global Neutrality, Building Bridges & Restraint 
1:37:49 – Blockchain, Discourse, and Closing Reflections 

#NikhilKamath Entrepreneur & Investor Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast
X: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 

#omarsultanalolama : Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications at Government of the UAE
Twitter - [https://x.com/OmarSAlolama]
LinkedIn - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-sultan-alolama-305b8366/?originalSubdomain=ae]

Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4nsm4ezn 
Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/yme92c59 
Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th 

#WTFiswithnikhilkamath #PeopleByWTF #WTFOnline

Came for a conversation, Left with a shift in perspective. A solid case to prove that age isn’t the barrier we think it is. A big thank you to  @IndiaGlobalForum  for hosting this dialogue. And to Manoj Ladwa, for being the bridge that makes conversations like this happen. 

#NikhilKamath Entrepreneur & Investor Host of 'WTF is' & 'People By WTF' Podcast
X: https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilkamathcio?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikhilkamathcio/ 

#omarsultanalolama : Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications at Government of the UAE
Twitter - [https://x.com/OmarSAlolama](https://x.com/OmarSAlolama) 
LinkedIn - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-sultan-alolama-305b8366/?originalSubdomain=ae](https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-sultan-alolama-305b8366/?originalSubdomain=ae) 

Watch 'WTF is' Podcast on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4nsm4ezn 
Watch 'People by WTF' Podcast on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/yme92c59 
Watch 'WTF Online' on Spotify https://tinyurl.com/4tjua4th 

#WTFiswithnikhilkamath #PeopleByWTF #WTFOnline

Three founders leading India’s skincare wave – Bhakti Modi (Tira), Shantanu Deshpande (Bombay Shaving Company), and Diipa Khosla (Inde Wild) join me to share the highs and lows of building beauty and skincare brands and the trends shaping this booming industry.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:39 - Bhakti’s journey & love story
05:14 - Diipa’s road to Inde Wild
10:34 - Persona’s role in brand building
15:07 - How Shantanu started
20:48 - Valuations & industry secrets
27:30 - Decoding the salon industry
34:58 - How Inde Wild made Champi cool again
38:01 - Market size & shifting narratives
45:14 - Marketing quality & building a community
52:41 - Why fragrance is exploding
1:00:42 - Community’s role in branding
1:08:04 - Cracking the BPC industry
1:22:26 - Omnichannel: A must-have?
1:27:15 - Tariffs, growth & social selling
1:31:00 - Can Indian brands go global?
1:34:51 - Cracking influencer marketing
1:42:15 - Sampling, distribution & minis
1:48:07 - Sustainability: Do founders still care?
1:52:54 - What’s the next wave?
2:04:39 - How the world perceives India
2:09:48 - Tech’s role in customising
2:16:10 - Nikhil’s & Diipa’s tattoos
2:18:14 - Why founders need grit
2:19:47 - Bhakti & Tira’s origin story
2:34:10 - Inside Tira: From concept to customer
2:38:34 - Do celebrity brands work?
2:44:51 - Why Diipa started Inde Wild
2:48:25 - Mass, premium, prestige: Which segment is winning?
3:05:45 - Quick commerce & Tier 2 markets
3:11:11 - Ayurveda: Still a novelty?
3:14:43 - The making of Bombay Shaving Company
3:21:39 - From idea to product: Manufacturing & patents
3:30:14 - Advice to aspiring skincare founders

#NikhilKamath - Investor & Entrepreneur
Twitter: [https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio] (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?even...)

Bhakti Modi - CEO, Tira
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bhaktim679/...
LinkedIn: / bhakti-modi-98a32293 

Diipa Khosla - Founder, Inde Wild
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diipakhosla...
LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/diipa-khos....
Website: https://india.indewild.com/?utm_campa...

Shantanu Deshpande - Founder, Bombay Shaving Company
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shantanudes...
LinkedIn: / shantanudeshpandebsc

Bhakti Modi (Tira), Shantanu Deshpande (Bombay Shaving Company), and Diipa Khosla (Inde Wild) joined forces to answer one question:

What should 25-year-old Dilip build next?

Bhakti Modi
CEO, Tira
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bhaktim679/...
LinkedIn: / bhakti-modi-98a32293 

Diipa Khosla
Founder, Inde Wild
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diipakhosla...
LinkedIn : https://in.linkedin.com/in/diipa-khos....

Shantanu Deshpande
Founder, Bombay Shaving Company
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/shantanudes...
LinkedIn : / shantanudeshpandebsc

In this unfiltered conversation, we discuss bad bets, overhyped markets, and where VCs should actually put their money. I sat down with Deedy Das (Principal, Menlo Ventures), Nikunj Kothari (Partner, FPV Ventures), and Niko Bonatsos (Early-Stage Venture Capitalist) to get their hot takes on industries.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:58 - Deedy’s journey & the Anthropic story
05:10 - Nikunj’s background
11:32 - Niko’s story
13:31 - Sectors to avoid as an investor
23:17 - Today’s hottest sectors
27:31 - Emerging AI trends
38:37 - Declining birth rates + AI’s role
48:19 - Abundance & capitalism
53:19 - Raising kids in an Instagram world
55:39 - No tech: the next big business?
1:00:55 - The future of dating apps
1:06:52 - Key predictions for the next frontier
1:10:14 - Will urbanisation continue?
1:13:51 - Longevity & wellness industry
1:16:01 - Which sector will boom by 2035?
1:25:59 - Rethinking senior living
1:32:52 - Content vs. product: what builds a brand?
1:43:50 - Individual vs. legacy brands
1:47:30 - EVs & mobility: the road ahead
1:58:03 - Opportunities in beauty & luxury
2:02:17 - Where live events are headed
2:06:14 - Climate tech & its impact
2:11:49 - Data centers: the best bet?
2:15:13 - Vices as an industry
2:24:18 - Wrapping it all together
2:29:02 - Legal AI: opportunities & challenges
2:32:29 - India in the global AI race

#NikhilKamath - Investor & Entrepreneur

Twitter: [https://x.com/nikhilkamathcio](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbm9WZVh3cHVTX3JEeGptVjlOZ1R3cW5rVkZJUXxBQ3Jtc0tuekFjWnRXME9XUUVLcDNCTk9YcHd5OU1MV1NMamE0cWE1T25meGJ4VWRMa21OY3VYLWM2T05iOUJtYTNWbWRSLW5YUXNzTTRHUUpjOGdZSGJzNEYxMkt2Y2hmWVNUeU51Nk5MRFVieVNtSTJwMkFXZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fnikhilkamathcio&v=wHQiewz8k9g)

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#DeedyDas - Principal, Menlo Ventures
Twitter: https://x.com/deedydas
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debarghyadas/

#NikunjKothari - Partner, FPV Ventures
Twitter: https://x.com/nikunj
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikunjk/

#NikoBonatsos - Early-Stage Venture Capitalist
Twitter: https://x.com/bonatsos
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonatsos/