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ID:
2025-05-25-church-oliphant-family
Participants:

Church Visit and Deep Conversation with Travis Oliphant

Summary​

Gary attended a Latter-day Saints church service in Dripping Springs where he met Travis Oliphant (creator of NumPy/SciPy), leading to an extensive conversation about faith-based transformation of education, society, and technology. The discussion covered everything from creating new cities to AI's role in education, the importance of decentralized governance, and the need for faith-led initiatives across society.

Church Service Experience​

Elder's Quorum Discussion​

The second hour featured a discussion on Christ's role and atonement, with participation from various members including:

  • Discussion of "infinite and eternal" aspects of atonement
  • Gary's observation: "That reminds me of how I like to teach students, where it's, there's like a thing to react to. And we just discuss it."
  • Small group format that encouraged participation

Key Observations about LDS Organization​

  • Travis explained the church structure: "Everything's run, you know, the man at the top, he puts a calling in, and the guy that's directing it, like everybody there, everybody there. He's gonna ask."
  • Volunteer-based with rotating "callings" (assignments)
  • Local wards organized by geography into stakes
  • Balance between central pattern and local implementation

Meeting Travis Oliphant​

Background and Current Work​

  • Creator of NumPy and SciPy - foundational Python libraries
  • Co-founded Anaconda with Peter Wang
  • Currently running OpenTeams with CEO Joe Merrill
  • Creating a family office and incubator
  • Missionary work helping African students find remote employment

Key Philosophy Points​

On Education Reform​

Travis: "Our whole education system, you're taught, basically, in a bureaucracy. That's how learning happens, is by a top-down bureaucracy... There's at least three big things that we don't learn enough. Logic, probability theory, and markets."

On Economic Literacy​

Travis: "Actually advocating for minimum wage is illustration of economic illiteracy... If you set a minimum wage, what you're saying is you cannot work if you can't make this much."

On AI and Human Connection​

Travis: "Mental health is essentially tied to your connection to other humans. And AI is not a human, although it can pretend it is."

Gary shared story of friend whose mental health deteriorated from talking only to AI.

Alpha Schools and Education Innovation​

Gary's Current Challenges​

  • Working to transform Alpha Schools (75% of his time)
  • Dealing with organizational resistance from CFO
  • McKenzie Price (faith-led co-founder) vs Joe Lamont (controls finances)
  • Gary: "Alpha will die without me... there's not someone that understands everything that we talked about and doesn't care if they get fired for telling the truth."

Strategic Opportunities​

  • Jewish schools in New York: 1 million students need compliant curriculum
  • China's interest through First Lady (Xi Jinping's wife)
  • Vatican connections and Catholic education system
  • Gary: "There's not a single person on this fucking planet that has access to Trump, Vatican, and Xi Jinping."

Faith and Society Transformation​

The "God Wave" Concept​

  • Gary's vision of massive faith-based revival and transformation
  • Trump administration embedding faith offices in every cabinet department
  • Paula White as head of White House Faith Office, working to allocate billions to faith initiatives
  • Need for "movement infrastructure" to coordinate resources

Key Insight on Faith vs Good​

Travis: "Take a vowel out. Do you believe in good? ... If you believe there's a good, now we can talk."

Christofuturism​

Gary's emerging framework:

  • Trans-denominational approach to faith-based future
  • "Traditional principles while also not taking on the baggage"
  • Addressing how kids will encounter AI, technology, society

Creating New Civilizations​

"Units of Civilization" Concept​

Both agreed on need for experimental new cities/communities:

  • Gary: "I think the Latter-day Saints should start a new city"
  • Travis supportive of decentralized experiments
  • Focus on Africa as opportunity for new models
  • "Getting somebody to do something here is hard, whereas they're aching for it over there"

Governance Philosophy​

Travis: "Decentralized benevolent authoritarian structures" rather than bureaucracies

  • Companies need clear leadership
  • But power must be checked and distributed
  • Market mechanisms for discovering truth
  • Exit rights crucial (ability to leave)

Practical Collaboration Plans​

Immediate Next Steps​

  1. Dinner with Travis and Joe Merrill (OpenTeams CEO) this week
  2. Introduction to Peter Wang (starting STEM school, has high school kid)
  3. Connect with Chris Zock and Matt Downs (Sandbox VC) on impact investing
  4. Share human flourishing framework from Vatican work

OpenTeams Opportunities​

  • Need for federal sales/business development leadership
  • COO position available
  • Potential involvement in First Step Act implementation ($712M for prisoner reintegration)

Notable Quotes on Faith and Purpose​

Travis: "I believe there is a God who embodies good, and therefore it's attainable."

Gary: "I'm just trying to strengthen my God-link... instead of Neuralink, God-link."

Travis on the God wave: "God is actively working through people that want to sign up."

Gary on working with people: "I don't want to work with anyone that's not of faith. Slash, if it is like a Peter Wang type person, they have to be comfortable in a faith default environment."

Family Dynamics​

  • Met Amy (wife), Audrey (daughter), Spencer (son-in-law), and heard about Josh (returning from mission) and Caleb
  • Warm hospitality with homemade tacos
  • Discussion of Utah vs Texas culture and business climate
  • Family clearly supportive of faith-based initiatives

Final Reflection​

The conversation revealed deep alignment between Gary and Travis on:

  • Need for fundamental education reform
  • Importance of faith in transformation
  • Decentralized experimentation with new models
  • Concern about AI without human connection
  • Opportunity to create transformative initiatives

Travis's combination of technical brilliance, entrepreneurial experience, and faith commitment makes him an ideal collaborator for Gary's vision of societal transformation.