Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for Energy Bytes
Energy Bytes · Today · 1 hr 14 min

EP 88: Kevin Kong from Everstar

Building a nuclear reactor in America used to take three years. Now the paperwork alone can eat a decade. Kevin Kong, CEO and Founder of Everstar, went from scaling Bird scooters to using AI to untangle nuclear permitting, supply chains and robotic welding. We get into why large reactors can beat SMRs on cost, how the US lost its nuclear supply chain, the jobs a new reactor fleet could create, guarding export controlled data, and how they always knew when Shaq was riding a Bird. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 0:00 Intro 1:12 From Bird to Everstar 6:33 The library book that started it all 10:16 Nuclear myths and the Watts Bar story 13:49 How the US lost its nuclear edge 19:38 AI for nuclear permitting 27:05 Models, physics and regulation 32:58 SMRs vs large reactors 41:34 Data centers and nuclear jobs 44:05 Knowledge gaps and robotic welding 50:16 Security and export controls 53:43 Simulating plant operations 58:43 Building across teams 1:01:54 AI native energy companies 1:06:59 Scaling chaos at Bird 1:09:39 Book picks and where to find Kevin https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

0:00-1:14:27
Play in
Transcript file

transcript

No transcript — this publisher did not publish one.

show notes

Building a nuclear reactor in America used to take three years. Now the paperwork alone can eat a decade. Kevin Kong, CEO and Founder of Everstar, went from scaling Bird scooters to using AI to untangle nuclear permitting, supply chains and robotic welding. We get into why large reactors can beat SMRs on cost, how the US lost its nuclear supply chain, the jobs a new reactor fleet could create, guarding export controlled data, and how they always knew when Shaq was riding a Bird.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.


Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.
Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.
Apply today at collide.io


Click here to view the episode transcript.

0:00 Intro
1:12 From Bird to Everstar
6:33 The library book that started it all
10:16 Nuclear myths and the Watts Bar story
13:49 How the US lost its nuclear edge
19:38 AI for nuclear permitting
27:05 Models, physics and regulation
32:58 SMRs vs large reactors
41:34 Data centers and nuclear jobs
44:05 Knowledge gaps and robotic welding
50:16 Security and export controls
53:43 Simulating plant operations
58:43 Building across teams
1:01:54 AI native energy companies
1:06:59 Scaling chaos at Bird
1:09:39 Book picks and where to find Kevin

https://twitter.com/collide_ai
https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io
https://www.facebook.com/collide.io
https://www.instagram.com/collide.io
https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io
https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social
https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

links3

more episodes

All episodes