Episode 2 · Recording Prep

Seth Interviews Ian

Thursday Feb 6, 11am EST / 5pm CET · Riverside

Format: Interview (~45 min) + OpenClaw tutorial (~15 min)

📝 Ian's Note on Framing

  • Go light on biography — refer people to the Rick Rubin interviews on Tetragrammaton or The Monty Report for the full arc
  • Tell the Rick vibe code story — let Ian reference his interview with Rick because “he says it best”
  • Focus on the journey building — Ian has analogies to add
  • Skip Ledger Agent Intents — big pivot today, save for next week (will be cooler then)
  • OpenClaw tutorial — general advice on setup, not a specific project walkthrough
Opening3 min

Quick Context

Seth sets the stage (brief!)

Ian Rogers — Chief Experience Officer at Ledger. Before that: Topspin, Beats Music, Apple Music, LVMH.

For the full story: Tetragrammaton (Rick Rubin) or The Monty Report. We're not doing the biography today.

• Where is Ian today? (Turin, Paris?)

• Quick Episode 1 callback — how did it land?

• What did you build this week?

Act 120 min

The Rick Vibe Code Story

Seth asks: How did this start?

Key Reference

Ian's interview with Rick on Tetragrammaton. Rick says it best. Let Ian tell it in his words, then point people to the full conversation.

Rick Rubin & “The Way of Code”

  • → “You interviewed Rick Rubin about The Way of Code. How did that come about?”
  • → Does Rick actually code? What's his setup?
  • → You said Rick texts you every day about vibe coding. What are those texts like?
  • → What is Rick building?

The Pro Tools Parallel

Ian was actually there for Pro Tools. This is his analogy from Ep 1 — now go deeper.

  • → What does it feel like to see the same pattern twice?
  • → Is this actually bigger than Pro Tools?
  • → What's the same? What's different?

The BA in CS

Ian has a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science. This degree doesn't exist anymore.

  • → What did that degree mean? Computers as creative tools.
  • → We're coming back to that now with vibe coding.
Act 215 min

The Journey Building

Seth asks: What have you built? What did you learn?

What Ian has shipped:

  • • betteratliving.com — personal wellness apps
  • • letsvibe.fm — this podcast
  • • OpenClaw setup — his AI assistant
  • • Various experiments — learning in public

Questions to explore:

  • → What surprised you most about building this way?
  • → What's harder than expected? Easier?
  • → How do you think about architecture when you're not writing code?
  • → What does your daily practice look like?

Ian's Analogies

Ian has analogies from music, business, 30 years of building. Let them emerge. He'll add to whatever Seth sets up.

Closing5 min

Big Picture

Where does this go?

→ Why is vibe coding interesting?

→ Who is this for?

→ What changes when everyone can build?

→ Where does this go from here?

🚫 Parked for Next Week

Ledger Agent Intents / Hackathon Project

Big pivot today. Save for next week when the story is more complete.

After ~45 min

→ Transition to OpenClaw Tutorial

General advice on setup — not a specific project walkthrough.

See: /plan/ep2

Before You Hit Record

Water
Headphones (wired if possible)
Phone on airplane mode
Close unnecessary apps
Good lighting
Join Riverside at 10:45am EST
Breathe. This is a conversation between friends.