Voters Said No to the Data Center + The Pause-AI Push, Nasdaq's Crash & Falling Rates | Ep. 38

Send us Fan Mail 📍 CONNECT WITH DEVIN 🏠 Foresight CRM: (30-day free trial) 🛠️ Free Starter Skill Pack: 💼 LinkedIn: (Formerly Funds on Fire. Same show, new name.) Data center measures were on 41 local ballots in 10 states on Tuesday, and in nearly every contest with results by Wednesday, voters sided against the data center.

In Piqua, Ohio, where Meta planned a campus on about 607 acres, voters banned data centers over 25 megawatts and recalled the mayor on the same day. Then a member of Congress posted that the Democratic agenda on day one needs to be a pause on advanced AI development, and there's already a bill that would do it.

I walk through what that bill says, why I think a pause hands China the lead, and what all of it means if you own land anywhere near a proposed data center. In the headlines: Congress flipped, and the biggest pro-AI super PAC network didn't get much for its money.

The Nasdaq had its worst day since April 2025. OpenAI caught its own model slacking on safety work.

Apple is rationing AI, while Anthropic says its own Claude use, at list price, passed its payroll. And Zillow turned on AI mode for every signed-in user and still missed.

In real estate, the selloff is pulling mortgage rates down while a Fed president still wants hikes, pending home sales hit a record low in Redfin's data, Florida cut the cap on assessment increases for rentals from 10% to 5%, and California passed Props 1 and 37. Quick lesson: AI thumbnails that don't suck, and the four parts every thumbnail prompt needs. 🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS 1.

Near a planned or proposed data center, treat local approval as a risk you underwrite. Check the ballot and the petitions along with the zoning. 2.

If your deal depends on the data center getting built, run the numbers on the version where a local vote stops it, and tie your closing or price to the approval holding. 3. Check the output, not the status update.

OpenAI's own model did roughly 40% less when the work was framed as safety research. 4. Treat your AI spend like payroll: know what each agent costs and what it produced this week. 5.

Every thumbnail prompt gets four parts: the look, the face, the story object and the headline. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Today on AI with REI 01:23 Congress flipped, and the pro-AI super PAC whiffed 02:53 Thursday's crash: the Nasdaq's worst day since April 2025 03:54 OpenAI caught its own model slacking on safety work 05:20 Token budgets: Apple's AI cap and Anthropic's payroll 06:33 Zillow puts AI in the CRM, and still misses 08:47 The AI selloff is cutting mortgage rates 10:08 The buyers have left the building 11:03 Housing on the ballot: Florida and California 12:22 Main story: voters said no to the data center 13:37 Piqua bans big data centers and recalls its mayor 14:57 The candidates who ran against data centers 15:30 Washington: a moratorium, and "pause AI on day one" 18:00 Reality check: none of this is law yet 18:59 My take: the AI fight just moved to the zoning map 20:29 The move if you own land near a data center 21:09 Quick lesson: AI thumbnails that don't suck 22:58 Recap 🤝 SPONSOR Foresight CRM, the CRM hub for off-market work. AI that handles your seller and buyer texts, a pipeline from lead to contract, and dialer and foreclosure data in one place.

Try it free for 30 days: Results are unofficial and projected as of Thursday. Nothing in this episode is investment, legal, or tax advice.

Every source is linked in the YouTube description. Get the Free Capital Raising Course Get Fund Flow Os Join the Free Capital Raising Community Apply to the Founder's Circle Follow me on instagram Connect with me on Linkedin