
The Joe Reis Show · 2026-06-05 · 14 min
In this Freestyle Friday episode, Ryan Dolly and I record straight from the historic Guardian Building in downtown Detroit to talk about life, tech, and data outside the San Francisco bubble. We had an amazing time connecting at the Data in the D town hall and exploring a city undergoing massive revitalization. Detroit was once the Silicon Valley of its time, peaking at nearly 1.9 million residents. Now, the city has a tangible "comeback" energy, moving past its history of empty fields and boarded-up buildings to build something entirely new. We discuss why building a career away from the coasts offers incredible lifestyle advantages, especially if you want to avoid the hyper-focus on AI software tools and work with real-world physical assets like automotive, mobility, and robotics. I'm excited about Detroit's potential and plan to spend more time here. ️ SPONSORSRevify - surprise Snowflake bills? One customer cut theirs 50% in 48 hours.→