2025-08-03: Gary Sheng Dinner with Travis Oliphant, Heather Clayton Staker, Allan Staker & Families

Date: August 3, 2025
Location: Allan and Heather Staker's home, Austin, TX
Participants: Gary Sheng (@gary-sheng.md), Travis Oliphant (@travis-oliphant.md), Heather Clayton Staker (@heather-clayton-staker.md), Allan Staker (@allan-staker.md), plus children and other families
Type: Social dinner gathering with families and theological/business discussion
Context: Gary visiting the Staker home for dinner, meeting Travis and discussing faith, technology, business, and family life

Executive Summary

This dinner gathering represents a significant convergence of Gary's Austin tech network with his growing LDS church connections. The evening combined family social time with substantive discussions about faith, technology ethics, business collaboration, and spiritual formation. Key themes included Gary's spiritual journey and AI ethics, Travis's business opportunities and podcast planning, theological discussions about LDS doctrine and missionary culture, and the intersection of faith and technology. The conversation revealed deep alignment on spiritual priorities while exploring practical collaboration opportunities.

Attendees & Family Dynamics

The Staker Family

Allan and Heather Staker (hosts):

• Heather: Education innovator, Guide School founder, Alpha Schools collaborator
• Allan: Previously worked in film/entertainment, went to Harvard Business School, had startup experience with movie-karaoke system ("U-Star")
• Children: Audrey (recently graduated, heading to BYU), Henry (junior year high school, just got driver's license), Grace (8th grade)

The Oliphant Family

Travis and Amy Oliphant:

• Travis: NumPy creator, OpenTeams CEO, government contractor, "Godfather of AI"
• Amy: Travis's wife, foundational to his career success
• Children: James (7 years old), Eli (15 months, previously wore corrective helmet decorated with Ohio State stickers)

Other Families Present

Michelle and Ryan (new to area from Utah/Florida):

• Daughters: Amara (senior at Dripping Springs High School), Callie (sophomore)
• Connection: Part of welcome dinner for new LDS families moving to area

Tyler and Sydney:

• Tyler: Works with Travis at company, previously unknown connection to Gary
• Sydney: Originally from Germany, moved to US at 19
• Children: Multiple young children mentioned

Key Themes & Discussions

1. Serendipitous Divine Connections

Gary's Amazement at Coincidences:

Gary: "It's super serendipitous and honestly felt divine. But it's been really nice to talk to people that think about what matters. That's really why these relationships feel special."

Multiple Connection Points:

• Gary and Heather connected through Alpha Schools work and shared faith discussions
• Gary spotted Tyler at church and realized he worked with Travis
• Heather invited Gary to meet Travis, not knowing they'd already been introduced
• All participants recognized divine orchestration in their meeting

2. Gary's Spiritual Journey and Gauntlet AI Success

Background Context:

Heather: "How did you get to the point where you're winning the gauntlet? Weren't you top of the class?" Gary: "Well, I think the best answer would probably come from the program directors that made that list. But because it wasn't just like, oh, number of hours work..."

Trauma to Transformation:

Gary: "I think my work ethic for a long time was through trauma and security before I came to Christ. I never thought that I was enough. I think that parental love is not enough... it's a completely different experience to feel God's love."

Recent Spiritual Depth:

Gary: "All this is making a lot more sense to me even since the day that I met Travis a few months ago. I'm just like this is the coolest thing that we get to partake in this reality that God created... everything has come true and makes sense if you're willing to hear and decipher it's gotten a lot deeper in the last few months."

3. LDS Missionary Culture and Doctrine

Allan's Missionary Heritage:

Allan: "We believe in the house of Israel. I've had a lot of Jewish friends and we've lived in L.A. And worked with a lot of groups in New York. And we hit it off really well. We believe in the Jews. The Jews are the house of Israel... It's part of our job to re-establish, gather the house of Israel."

Gary's Recognition of LDS Uniqueness:

Gary: "Do you know of any denominations of Christianity that have this rich of a missionary culture? No." Allan: "It doesn't even seem like they're living close. No. I don't know of anyone."

Seminary System:

Heather explained the LDS seminary system: "Seminary is an early morning Bible study class. But all the students get to sacrifice four years long. Either 6 to 7 in the morning or 7 to 8 in the morning... Usually it's 10 to 15 teenagers."

4. LDS Theology and Restoration Doctrine

Joseph Smith and Church Restoration:

Allan: "I think the cool thing about Joseph Smith is it wasn't his point at all. He was trying to decide which church to join. And then God and the Savior appeared to him and said, It's kind of none of them. The true church has been off the earth for a long time. And we're going to reestablish it now."

Book of Mormon as Test:

Allan: "But the cool thing about the Book of Mormon is it's either true or it's not. And there's not a lot of middle ground... If you read some of the Book of Mormon, try and think could a 14-year-old kid have written this? I mean, it's no righteous person would. No wicked person could write it."

Inclusive Approach:

Allan: "He said everyone should bring the light that they have, bring the knowledge that you have that's good, and see if this adds a little bit to it. See if this can fill in some holes."

5. Allan's Entrepreneurial Journey and Harvard Business School

U-Star Movie-Karaoke Startup:

Allan: "We went to the taping of it right after we got married. As we were driving home, we were talking about what is this with karaoke? It's such a phenomenon... I wonder if you could take that core experience and transpose it into movies."

Business Development and Challenges:

Allan: "I started ordering some weird parts. I wrote out some business plans and raised some money. I filed some patents. I did some deals with Hollywood Studios. Hasbro and Mattel were investing in it... They spent $75 million on it."

Divine Intervention in HBS Admission:

Allan: "Unless it's your will that I lose my kids and my wife homeless, bum on the street then help one of these jobs... And there was an email in my inbox and I got in. They let 900 people in I was number 900 of the class of 2009."

6. Faith-Based Business and Technology Ethics

Gary's Christ-Centered Work Standard:

Gary: "I don't want to work with anyone that's not Christ-centered anymore. And if they are not explicitly, they better have outstanding proof. That the fruits of their work and the way that they act is essentially Christ-centered."

Technology and Human Connection:

Gary: "I think that's why open source software is so cool Lego pieces you can assemble for the next Sacred Songs app right? I love it just because I love new songs... I think that's why open source technology is so cool."

7. Alpha Schools Transition and New Directions

Gary's Strategic Shift:

Gary: "What I would like to shift my efforts is because I know he doesn't want to create faith based Alpha Schools anytime in the next 10 years but I was like let me build a relationship where once you're ready that we can start doing that but he hasn't replied to my proposal."

Travis's Investment Interest:

Travis: "Why don't we just do something else? What would it take to put together a faith based school? Do you have a proposal? Oh like just outside of the Alpha I mean I mean I think the idea of Alpha is great but really we're going to need lots and lots of people producing lots and lots of school structures."

8. Business Opportunities and Collaboration

Travis's Current Projects:

Travis: "We're starting a new podcast... OpenTeams is pushing a Sovereign AI story. We're actually in contact with OpenTeams... I'm going to have to ask one of the people who are pushing the same thing."

Anaconda Stock Discussion:

Gary: "What kind of ballpark amount of anaconda stock are you trying to sell? What's a good outcome for you right now?" Travis: "$1080? That's great... Other things? Other investments? Other allocations?"

Immediate Collaboration:

Gary: "Would it be crazy for me to get an Airbnb nearby? So we can just chat this week about a bunch of stuff?" Travis: "I could be there tomorrow. Yeah, you could be. I'll come tomorrow."

9. Cultural and Spiritual Observations

Asian American Experience:

Heather: "My high school was 40% Asian, which is mostly Chinese-Americans... So all my friends were all born in the U.S., but their parents were from China... when I'm around Asian-Americans, I always feel like it's my people."

Jewish Prophecy Interest:

Heather: "There's all these things in the Bible and the Book of Mormon that say that Jewish people will eventually really come to Christ. And I just like I would love to see that day. Wouldn't that be interesting? If there were just like a mass..."

Cultural Wars and Suffering:

Heather: "That's how they'll eventually be resolved, is that when you're hungry and desperate, you don't care anymore what gender you are... when you're truly fighting for survival."

10. Family Life and Parenting

Eli's Helmet Story:

Travis: "Ten months, he was in this helmet... I decked it out with Ohio State stickers and I won the national championship. Maybe that's why. Maybe we should get another helmet for the fall season."

Mission Impact on Youth:

Allan: "He is a different man. Really? Yeah, he's a different man. He is just he's on fire. He is so he's so happy to be serving. He almost doesn't want to come home... our kids don't really listen to us. They listen to him when he comes home."

Family Recreational Activities

Charades Game: Multiple rounds of movie/character charades were played, including:

• Sound of Music
• Snow White
• Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Little Mermaid
• Frozen
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Back to the Future (Marty McFly)
• Fantasia
• John Wick
• Night at the Museum
• Harry Potter (Dobby's death scene)

Food and Hospitality

Make-Your-Own Sushi:

Heather: "So what we're doing is we're making like make your own sushi... just grab a piece of seaweed like this. And then you can just put the sushi rice on top of it, kind of spread it out. And then there's just various toppings for your sushi."

Other Dishes:

• Travis brought cornbread with honey butter
• Watermelon from another family
• Salmon (grilled outside to avoid house smell)
• Various sushi toppings including salmon and tofu

Strategic Outcomes and Next Steps

1. Immediate Collaboration Planning

• Gary considering getting Austin Airbnb to work with Travis this week
• Discussion of faith-based school development outside Alpha framework
• Travis offering investment capital for educational initiatives

2. Podcast and Content Development

• Travis developing podcast about open technology concepts
• Gary offering production team support
• Discussion of SciPy/NumPy documentary opportunities

3. Technology Integration Opportunities

• Gary's AI infrastructure needs
• Travis's sovereign AI initiatives
• Potential collaboration on educational technology

4. Community Building

• Continued integration with Austin LDS community
• Family-oriented social gatherings
• Faith-based professional networking

Key Quotes and Insights

On Divine Orchestration:

Gary: "It's super serendipitous and honestly felt divine. But it's been really nice to talk to people that think about what matters."

On LDS Community:

Allan: "When you're moving to a new city we've moved so many times and there's always someone helping us unload the moving van and having us over for dinner. I don't know how people do it that don't have that."

On Faith and Work:

Gary: "I really don't like it when they say well at least I'm now making I shouldn't always be seen as but like secular society has brought us the greatest meaning crisis and well-being crisis ever."

On Character Assessment:

Gary: "I think you should judge every tree by its fruits and I see a lot of very I see a lot of high character happy thoughtful members that come out of the church people that come out of the church."

On Technology Ethics:

Gary: "I think that's why open source software is so cool Lego pieces you can assemble for all kinds of calling all kinds of kingdom callings."

This dinner gathering successfully combined social fellowship with substantive spiritual and business discussions, establishing foundations for deeper collaboration while strengthening Gary's integration into the Austin LDS community and tech ecosystem. The evening demonstrated the power of faith-based relationship building and the potential for aligning spiritual values with professional opportunities.

Extended Theological and Business Discussions (Part 2)

11. Prophets, Revelation, and Authority

Joseph Smith as Revelatory Example:

Gary: "And Joseph Smith is an example, also, of somebody who was... Probably because of some genetic gift or some circumstance at the time. He was able to connect and see what their revelation direction was."

Individual vs. Institutional Revelation:

Travis: "This is why it's actually people who come to Christ individually who make the difference. And they do amazing things. Because the rest of us... But it's an individual thing. Nobody can be brought back to Christ alone on the back of somebody else."

Parable of the Ten Virgins Application:

Travis: "The parable of the 10 virgins and the oil and the lamps. The fire... They didn't have oil and lamps. They couldn't share with the fire... There's no way to... I'll share it with somebody else."

12. Cultural Critique and Spiritual Warfare

Educational System Spiritual Damage:

Gary: "We tell these kids when they go to school, Chop off your arm. Stab your eye. It's so true. And then try to figure out... And then try to figure out what's going on. And so you have emptiness."

Feminism as Cultural Warfare:

Gary: "The latest incarnation of feminism, which has been intertwined with the LGBT stuff too, is against the father. Against patriarchy. It's literally against the father... So it's pure chaos, right?"

Authority and Trust Crisis:

Gary: "How do you build a not-dictatorial authority that people want to... Trust and coordinate with?"

13. LDS Church Reform and Future Vision

Travis's Decentralization Philosophy:

Travis: "I'm in the opinion that we actually need to go back to what Joseph Smith actually created which was much more decentralized than it is today. Actually allow decisions to be made more locally and actually allow pools of money to allocate more locally."

Church Wealth and Leadership Mindset:

Travis: "This moment of the church actually has more money than it's had in 40 years. And a lot of the leaders of the church actually were... Began their leadership experience where the church was actually not very wealthy."

Integration vs. Isolation Strategy:

Travis: "There's actually for a lot of people... There's an incentive to create more holistic integrations. Like right now, I'd say the church is actually trying to integrate more and not do its own isolated things."

14. Missionary Work Innovation

Outdated Missionary Methods:

Travis: "We need to do it differently. Like we're still doing missionary work the way we did in the 50s with the fuller brushmen... You've got 80,000 young people all over the world and serving for 18 months to two years... But we don't, I don't think we use them very effectively."

BYU Pathway International Program:

Travis: "President Ashton is super inspiring because he's basically quoting Isaiah... Isaiah talks about how kings and queens will be the nursing mother, the Gentiles will be the nursing mothers to the kings and queens of the world."

15. Media Strategy and Public Relations

Long-Form Podcast Proposal:

Heather: "We should start participating in long-form podcasts. Have like the president... Have him be on Joe Rogan. Have him on Honestly. Have him on somebody's podcast... Tell the whole story. Tell the whole platform."

Joe Rogan's Spiritual Journey:

Gary: "Joe Rogan's a baby Christian actually... He's on a discovery journey right now. Well one of the churches that I sometimes go to I saw him."

Leadership Communication Challenges:

Travis: "President Nelson has been remarkably... He's been almost progressive, super progressive... Do we think President Nelson is like in good enough health to do a podcast? You might be challenging for him now. He's 100 years old."

16. Tech Conference and Community Building

Christ-Centered Tech Conference Concept:

Gary: "Is anyone doing like... Does anyone do LDS Tech Conferences? Should we organize them?... It could be a Christ-centered Tech Conference. Right? Well, kind of in the same way that Angel Studios is like kind of like a big tent for Christ."

Strategic Church Integration:

Travis: "I would say do it in a way that many can participate because one of the things that the church has been trying to do is create bridges of understanding to other groups."

17. Business Collaboration and Living Arrangements

Immediate Collaboration Plans:

Gary: "Would it be crazy for me to get an Airbnb nearby? So we can just chat this week about a bunch of stuff?" Travis: "I could be there tomorrow. Yeah, you could be. I'll come tomorrow."

Travis's Business Challenges:

Travis: "I was tired. I was telling people last year I got burned out. It's the first time I feel that in my life... I was spread too thin. A few bets on people haven't worked out... But being able to sell some anaconda shares gave me the ability to make a few good hires."

Partnership Adjustments:

Travis: "Matt Harward I've been partnered with for 15 years... We needed to adjust the partnership... his faith journey has adjusted over the past three years. And that's made it more challenging."

18. LDS Capital Markets and Investment

Faith-Based Investment Challenges:

Travis: "The way it works because the problem is there's definitely affinity. Challenges can occur in the LDS market. Like, people just go, oh, you remember the church? Great. Put some money in and things go badly... So you sacrifice merit and then it becomes a bad experience for people."

Market Integration Strategy:

Travis: "So, yes, there are definitely LDS people everybody has money from. But it's more... It's not because of LDS because they're just... you're just part of that market."

19. Dating, Relationships, and Spiritual Standards

Gary's Vow of Chastity:

Gary: "I'm going to take a personal vow of chastity. I'm serious... I think I upheld, and I use this almost disparagingly, Protestant standards for sexual relations over the past year. Pretty loosey-goosey. But I realized when you're engaging with people that are not serious about God, it just goes nowhere."

Equally Yoked Partnership Philosophy:

Gary: "I can't be dating this new-agey girl that has a real problem with masculine authority... I just had to have faith that God would connect me with an equally yoked, very aligned person that just makes life easier, not harder."

Faith-Based Partnership Requirements:

Heather: "I think there's so much synergy when you're on the same page with those things... It's the same thing with marriage, right? Like, if we were not rowing towards the same destination, where are we rowing?"

20. Wealth Stewardship and Kingdom Principles

Wealth Transfer Prophecy:

Gary: "In the Bible it says the wealth of the wicked will flow to the righteous or something like that, right?"

Stewardship Principles:

Travis: "Everything's God's, and if he finds people who are aligned with what he wants, then he'll direct resources to those people... It doesn't mean that everybody with resources is godly... It also doesn't mean that. When you don't have resources, you must not be with God."

Practical Stewardship Examples:

Gary: "I paid for my friend's flight to Lebanon. Journalist... To tell the stories of the Christians that are being persecuted by the Israelis... I've dedicated a few thousand dollars... for... I'm helping him with some distribution of whatever journalism he produces."

21. Plan of Salvation Theology

Pre-Earth Existence:

Heather: "We believe we lived before we came to Earth... Before we came to Earth, we lived as spirits... We're literally his spiritual children... And there's a heavenly mother. She's the mother of our spirit."

Earth as Testing Ground:

Travis: "This world was actually intended as a test away from God so that our spirits could grow. It's just a necessary experience. We grow by faith."

Suffering and Divine Purpose:

Travis: "The arrogance of that statement is really manifest. They're like, how can God be good if there's suffering? So, actually, when you flip that around, and like, oh, what can I learn about God if there is suffering, yet I have faith he's good?"

22. Spiritual Frequency and Divine Communication

Spiritual Frequency Reality:

Heather: "There is another dimension that we don't perceive through just our standard sensory world experiences, and unless you are willing to tune yourself to that frequency, you just miss it... I firmly believe that there is a spiritual frequency I can tune to and get answers to prayers."

Scientific Method and Faith:

Travis: "The scientific method properly applied is really a humility... I see that same methodology in Alma 32 where he talks about how you actually come to understand God."

Knowledge vs. Faith Progression:

Heather: "As soon as you have developed enough faith with enough evidence, it's not really faith anymore. And then you have knowledge... about that thing... But then some of the things where I'm like, I'm kind of acting on faith."

Immediate Next Steps and Collaboration

Moving and Living Arrangements

• Gary to move temporarily to Travis's place for immediate collaboration
• LDS community support for moving Gary's belongings
• Extended stay possibility depending on project development

Business Development

• Travis's $100M fundraising round with Joe
• Potential collaboration on educational technology initiatives
• Faith-based school development outside Alpha framework
• Podcast development and content creation

Community Integration

• Pool party invitation for following evening
• Continued integration into Austin LDS tech community
• Mastermind discussion group formation
• Strategic networking through faith-based connections

Additional Key Quotes

On Truth Claims and Ontology:

Gary: "Truth claims matter, right? Ontological claims matter. These are not like, oh, well... We agree to disagree. I guess we're all good people. And then it's like, good for what? It's like, according to who?"

On Spiritual Stewardship:

Travis: "If you can't administer the resources you have, you can't have more."

On Divine Appointments:

Gary: "I was mapping out the miracle moments in my life... Everything that you do triggers more openings, right? God's like, okay, well, cool. You recognize this blessing I gave you. Maybe more blessings, right?"

On Engineering and Faith:

Gary: "I'm called to minister to engineers that naturally think in ontologies. Because they're like, well, this is this class, and then this language, and this thing fits in this thing. If this happens, then this happens, right?"

This extended conversation revealed even deeper theological alignment and practical collaboration opportunities, while demonstrating the sophisticated integration of faith, business, and community building that characterizes Gary's approach to relationship development and strategic partnerships.