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Late Afternoon Tour & Discussions at Alpha School

Date: April 18, 2025 (Friday Late Afternoon) Location: Alpha School, Austin Participants: Gary Sheng, Carson (Guide), Mahaveer Dharmchand, Arpan Gupta, Bjorn Pagen, Chloe (Guide), MacKenzie Price (briefly), Johnny Rapp, Emily Villa, Noble Grant, Chris Schaas, McCartney (Prospective Student), Devin (McCartney's Mom)

Overview​

Continuing from the earlier tour, Carson leads Gary and Mahaveer, who are joined by Johnny Rapp and others. They meet the engineering team (Arpan, Bjorn), guide Chloe, and later connect with prospective student McCartney and his mother Devin. Discussions cover the Alpha model, student motivation, future plans, and invitations to upcoming events.

Key Discussion Points​

Tour Continuation & Alpha Model​

  • Carson finishes explaining the Alpha model, emphasizing flexibility, catching students up if needed (even over summer), and the optional nature of extended hours driven by intrinsic motivation.
  • Discussed the "Honors Track" vs. standard program and flexibility for external activities.

Meeting Prospective Family (McCartney & Devin)​

  • Gary and Johnny engage with McCartney (interested in skateboarding/fashion) and his mother Devin.
  • Devin explains dissatisfaction with the traditional "factory school system" and desire for McCartney to find his passion.
  • Gary emphasizes the freedom Alpha provides for exploration and encourages McCartney to pursue skateboarding.
  • Johnny Rapp offers mentorship/connection given his fashion/creative background.
  • Gary shares his own non-linear career path as an example of following passions.
  • Devin and McCartney are invited to the Wednesday dinner at Zach Levi's ranch.

Engineering Team ("Superbuilders") & Platform Development​

  • Gary introduces Arpan Gupta and Bjorn Pagen as key engineers building platforms to automate school management.
  • Bjorn showcases their project generating AI-driven marketing pages for students.
  • Discussed the need for better feedback loops between engineers and guides/users.
  • Gary suggests they build a resource page to explain Alpha School ("grok Alpha").

Other Interactions & Discussions​

  • Continued casual conversations with Johnny Rapp, Emily Villa, Noble Grant, Chris Schaas.
  • Gary discussed plans for a high-powered dinner on Wednesday at Zach Levi's ranch, inviting several people including Devin and potentially Chris Locke.
  • Talked about flying out friends/contacts (movement leaders, political influencers, sports connections) for the dinner and future events.
  • Briefly discussed specific individuals Beef Jones is bringing for the Wednesday dinner (Claire Holt, Jimmy Chris, Emil, Anwar Carrots).
  • Gary and Johnny discuss the power of AI, social alchemy, and movement engineering.
  • Gary outlines vision for America 2.0 Summit funding model (sponsorships).
  • Philosophical discussion on Future's music (stronger vs weaker influence).
  • Plans for weekend (pool hangout) and potential shopping trip.

Follow-up Actions​

  • Carson to continue guiding/supporting students.
  • Arpan/Bjorn to potentially build Alpha School resource page and continue platform development.
  • Gary to finalize details and confirm attendees for Wednesday dinner.
  • Gary/Johnny to potentially collaborate on creative/cultural initiatives.
  • Gary to potentially rent an Airbnb for visiting collaborators ("Alchemy House").