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ID:
2025-12-04-gary-perry-nelson-google-africa-ai
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Call Summary: Former Google Colleagues Reconnect on AI for Social Good

Overview​

Gary reconnected with Perry Nelson, his first intern host at Google NYC in 2014, after approximately six years. Perry shared his journey from burning out at Google US to becoming Research Lead at Google Africa, while Gary updated him on his path through civic tech, Web3, and Applied AI. The conversation revealed deep alignment around using AI for meaningful social impact.

Key Topics Discussed​

Perry's Journey Back to Ghana​

  • Immigration Fatigue and Identity: "I had been in the US a very long time... you're very young, you want to go to America, you want to succeed, and you just kind of go off of that momentum for years and years. And then... you've kind of forgotten what it is that you're supposed to be doing."
  • Decision Catalyst: Trump's election and COVID isolation crystallized his desire to return home: "Amidst all the chaos, I wanted to be home."
  • Timeline: Started feeling the pull around 2017, burned out at Google in 2019, returned to Ghana in February 2022
  • Area 120 Success: Led project bringing Google ecosystem to Ghana merchants, which was acquired by GPay with "nice stock bonus"
  • Ghana's Economic Reality: "Everyone in Ghana said, don't do it... The economic realities are harsh and real"

Google Research Africa - AI for Social Good​

  • Current Role: Research Lead and Site Lead for Google's Accra office, managing team of ~10 with capacity for 70
  • World-Leading Projects:
    • "The world's leading flood forecast is built by part of our team"
    • Hunger forecasting partnership with UN
    • "Two guys here... have now built the best weather forecast in Africa"
    • Building detection from satellite imagery (now in Google Maps, open source)
  • Team Philosophy: "It's completely non-cynical... it filters out to people who really, truly care"
  • Collaboration Over Competition: "All the barriers fall away. There's no competition. Like, it's all collaboration"
  • Educational Impact: LearnLM initiatives helping rural Ghanaian students who "couldn't read, couldn't understand stuff"

Fatherhood's Transformative Impact​

  • Watching Development: "It's like you watch this blob becoming a person... watching this little large language model train itself"
  • Priority Shift: "She's shot right up to the top of my priorities. I think about everything in terms of what's best for her"
  • Life Changes: "It's kind of helped me with, like... drinking too much or being reckless. I just think, like, I want to live long for her"
  • Work-Life Balance: "Yesterday she had a performance at school. Like, cancel all the meetings. Like, there's nothing more important"

Gary's Journey Since Google​

  • Post-Google Path: Four years on Google Cloud, then founded Civics Unplugged (Forbes 30 Under 30)
  • Web3 Era: Worked with Vitalik Buterin's team, participated in Zuzalu pop-up city in Montenegro
  • Vatican Project: Digital transformation work for Pope Francis (ultimately stalled due to his health)
  • Current Focus: Applied AI community building with Travis Oliphant (NumPy creator) as mentor
  • Spiritual Journey: Recently baptized, integrating faith with technology work
  • Mission: "Helping real businesses that maybe not tech first... learn how to integrate AI"

Shared Philosophy on Fearless Problem-Solving​

  • Perry on Gary: "The Gary approach - you have this kind of fearlessness to look at the big problems and just go for it"
  • Gary on Perry: "The Perry way where you're just feeling it out... almost like with your Qi energy"
  • Perry's Reflection: "In the moment it's all panic... in retrospect, yeah, trusting what feels right"
  • Both Share: Intuitive decision-making that appears planned in retrospect but is actually following authentic impulses

Key Quotes​

  • Perry: "It's intoxicating, right, to think about, what if... what if we could solve this? Let's try this."
  • Perry: "I'm just watching him go back and forth on an email thread with the head of weather forecasting at NASA"
  • Gary: "Everyone's just trying to get into Y Combinator to start like a SaaS company... but I think one thing that would make me happy is if a lot of great young Africans were like, I want to help my local communities"
  • Perry on Google's AI approach: "The company line is AI Optimism, so it's almost like you're not allowed to [work on deepfake detection]"

Action Items / Takeaways​

  • Gary to potentially introduce Perry to Travis Oliphant for NumPy/Python AI collaboration
  • Discussed Gary visiting Perry in Ghana as part of planned 2026 Africa mission trip
  • Potential collaboration on Applied AI Society chapter in Ghana
  • Perry expressed strong interest in meeting the "founder of NumPy" - "That would be incredible"
  • Both committed to staying connected on AI for social good initiatives
  • Knowledge exchange opportunities between US Applied AI community and African implementation

Strategic Alignment​

The conversation revealed deep alignment between Perry's AI for Social Good work at Google Africa and Gary's Applied AI community building vision. Perry's non-cynical approach to solving real problems with technology mirrors Gary's desire to move beyond typical Silicon Valley SaaS ventures toward meaningful application of AI for humanity. The potential for cross-continental collaboration, especially with Travis Oliphant's involvement, presents significant opportunity for both parties.