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The Builders Don’t Know What They Built The people who created the AI models now powering half your workflow are publicly saying they don’t fully understand what they’ve made. Former employees from Anthropic and OpenAI — not critics, but the engineers who shipped these tools — are calling for government intervention because the acceleration is outpacing comprehension. For anyone in Palm Springs running a business that’s started leaning on Claude, ChatGPT, or automated systems, this isn’t a reason to panic, but it is a reason to stay skeptical. The tools work until they don’t, and the people who made them can’t always tell you why. The Retention Question No One’s Asking A ton of people are staying at OpenAI and Anthropic not because of mission alignment, but because there’s nowhere better to go for comp and career velocity. That’s a signal about the industry’s center of gravity — if you’re building anything in the Valley that touches AI, the talent you want is locked into two companies with golden handcuffs. The implication: the innovation you’re waiting for might not come from the labs. It’ll come from the people who leave, get bought out, or build in public once their equity vests. Claude Shipped the Infrastructure for This Test This recording was made possible by a long day of coding with Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant — a tool that’s now capable of helping non-engineers ship functional infrastructure in hours, not weeks. That’s not a product review; it’s a market condition. If you’re in Palm Springs and you’ve been waiting to build something digital because you “don’t have a developer,” that excuse expired sometime in the last six months.

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Local Radar

Coachella Valley Economic Partnership Q1 Briefing — CVEP typically hosts quarterly economic updates in mid-to-late February; check their site for exact dates and location. Worth attending if you’re tracking commercial real estate, workforce development, or regional infrastructure projects. Modernism Week Late Winter Programming — While the main event is over, several architecture and design talks continue through February at various Palm Springs venues. Good for builders, designers, and anyone thinking about adaptive reuse in the desert. City of Palm Springs Planning Commission Meetings — Monthly meetings usually fall mid-month; agendas posted 72 hours in advance. If you’re watching development, zoning changes, or short-term rental policy, this is where it happens before it hits the news. Desert Hot Springs Cannabis Business Licenses — The city has been issuing new retail and cultivation licenses on a rolling basis; applications and updates typically surface in city council packets available online. If you’re in the space or adjacent to it, this is worth monitoring. Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza Construction Updates — The $150M+ project in downtown Palm Springs is moving through phases; public comment periods and design reviews occasionally open up. If you care about what downtown looks like in 2027, now’s the time to pay attention.