Somewhere between the keynote, the show floor, and late-night tables with a few friends I've known for years and a bunch I just met, the conversations got real.
I flew to Berlin for the technology. Nvidia GTC is always a decent excuse to cross an ocean — the keynote, the silicon, the robots, the art of the possible. But the technology wasn't what I carried home.
It was the people.
The old friends who make any city feel like home, who sat across from me at dinner like no time had passed at all. The new ones who pushed how I think, who asked better questions than I had answers for. The hallway conversations that mattered more than any session. The shared GitHub repo that turned a good idea into something we could actually build. And one more drink than planned, because some conversations shouldn't end on schedule.
Here's what I actually came away with. The hardware story is impressive — but it's not the point. Physical AI and robotics have moved from demo to deployment, and that's real, and it matters if you run manufacturing or logistics. But the operating model, not the hardware, is where most of us will win or lose.
And the best learnings never happened in the sessions. They happened in the hallways, at dinner, over a shared repo, and over one more drink than planned.
The technology is the excuse to be in the room. The people are why you stay.
Grateful for old friends who make any city feel like home, and new ones who pushed how I think.
Berlin, danke.
Until the next run out — work hard, play hard.