MTS Best Of 5/11/26 | AI Deployment, Wasian Identity, China's STEM Advantage
May 12, 2026
Steven Glenner, CEO of Sphere Semi, builds AI-designed mixed-signal chips for defense. Catherine, organizer of the Wasian meetup, turned online culture into a 3,700-person IRL community. Sheel Mohnot, a venture investor, explains OpenAI’s new deployment push with consulting partners. They discuss AI deployment strategies, viral IRL community growth, and why bespoke chips matter for national compute advantage.
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Look For Earnings Evidence Not Just Announcements
- Watch corporate earnings and vendor case studies for real evidence of AI-driven outcomes rather than press releases.
- Sheel suggests early signals will show up in results companies tout in quarterly reports and implementation metrics.
Wajian Meetup Scaled From Partiful To Real Community
- Catherine organized a Wajian meetup that drew ~3,800 RSVPs and ~1,700 attendees over four hours, seeded via Partiful and a viral influencer video.
- The event converted into WhatsApp and subgroups, spawning local organizers and plans for merch at citizensofweja.com.
Niche Identity Creates Powerful IRL Belonging
- Mixed-race attendees reported feeling seen because Wasian identity is both rare and visibly diverse, producing strong belonging.
- Catherine noted people formed sub-communities on-site (Blasian, Gajian) and started organizing city chapters immediately.