Halcyon's founder: AI safety lacks founders, not capital
The Cognitive Revolution · rss · 2026-09-26
The Cognitive Revolution interviews Mike McCormick, founder and CEO of Halcyon. His core thesis: the primary bottleneck in AI safety, biosecurity, and cybersecurity is a shortage of experienced founders, not capital.
Halcyon's venture and nonprofit arms have supported 30 new organizations, including Goodfire, AIUC, and Transluce, often funding leaders before they pick a project. With critical timelines possibly unfolding over the next 1-4 years, he argues for urgently building independent capacity in interpretability, technical verification, and resilient governance.
The episode also covers mission-preservation governance, neglected safety areas, evaluating AI consciousness, institutional coordination, and how to transition into AI safety, stressing that technical solutions must pair with enforceable standards, commercial incentives, and capable institutions.
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