🚨 MTF’s MOMENTUM: Cirilli’s new daily show with Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, syndicates more than 100 radio programs and services to more than 8,000 radio affiliations and reaches a quarter billion listeners monthly.
—> BOOKMARK THE FUTURE: Say HELLO, FUTURE to our new daily show. Bookmark iHeart | iTunes | Spotify | Amazon | Pandora
“We’re thrilled to welcome ‘Hello Future’ to the network,” said Premiere Networks President Julie Talbott. “With years of experience as a journalist covering global affairs, technology and policy, Kevin has the unique ability to connect the dots between science and the future for listeners who crave bold ideas and fresh perspectives on what’s ahead.”
OPENAI BECOMES THE BIGGEST STARTUP EVER: OpenAI, the company that made ChatGPT, just sold some of its shares for a lot of money—$6.6 billion! This makes OpenAI worth $500 billion, more than any other startup, even beating Elon Musk’s SpaceX. People like Thrive Capital and SoftBank bought the shares.
—> WHY IT MATTERS: OpenAI is a leader in making super smart computers called AI. This deal shows how important AI is for jobs and new inventions. It also helps OpenAI keep its workers happy so they don’t leave for other companies like Meta.
—> WHAT’S NEXT: OpenAI might change how it runs to make more money with help from Microsoft. But some people, like Elon Musk, aren’t happy about these changes because OpenAI used to focus only on helping people, not making money.
SOURCES: Bloomberg | Crunch Base
EXCLUSIVE: Space is the next economic frontier: In the latest HELLO FUTURE, we talk with Space Foundation’s RICH COOPER about the skyrocketing space economy—projected to hit $1 trillion by 2032.
—> 🌕 FROM LUNAR MINING TO MEDICAL MIRACLES: Private industry is driving breakthroughs in everything from commercial space stations to harvesting resources on the Moon. The ripple effects? Advancements in healthcare, communications, and defense here on Earth.
—> WHY YOU CARE: Space tech is bolstering national security, advancing medicine, and cementing America’s global edge. LISTEN UP: iHeart Media.
hello, future. it’s me, kev.
…and this is a dispatch from the digital frontier. It’s time to meet the future NOW — with the latest on markets, tech, and freedom. The day is 275. The year is 2025. The planet is Earth.
The planet has complete 75.34 percent of its orbit around the Sun. My name is Kevin Cirilli —> LinkedIn. Spotify. Sign-up to receive the future in your inbox here.
Back to the future...
SPACE
ASTEROID 2025 SU4: A CAR-SIZED ASTEROID SLIPPED PAST EARTH WITH JUST 24 HOURS’ NOTICE. On October 1, a stealthy asteroid—only 2–5 meters wide—zipped past Earth at satellite altitude, just 22,000 km away. Scientists didn’t spot it until less than a day before impact, underscoring how many cosmic surprises are hiding in plain sight.
—> WHY YOU CARE: Though too small to cause damage, 2025 SU4 was the 4th closest flyby of the year, racing at over 20,000 mph. Russian researchers called it a wake-up call for stronger asteroid defense. No return threat, but astronomers are doubling down on detection tech to avoid a real-life blockbuster scenario.
QUANTUM // ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
CHICAGO BREAKS GROUND ON AMERICA’S QUANTUM FUTURE. In South Chicago, shovels hit the ground this week for the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, a $500 million bet that quantum technology will be the next great economic engine. Built on the site of a long-abandoned steel mill, the park promises billions in private investment, thousands of jobs, and a rebuilt neighborhood economy. Gov. JB Pritzker says Illinois isn’t playing catch-up in quantum — it’s setting the pace.
—> WHAT IS QUANTUM, REALLY? Quantum mechanics sounds abstract, but its rules already power the chips, lasers, and GPS signals we use daily. At its core is the idea that particles can exist in multiple states at once, and that pairs of particles can become “entangled” — linked in ways that seem impossible. This “spooky action at a distance,” once mocked by Einstein, is now the foundation of quantum computers, unbreakable encryption, and sensors more precise than anything built before.
—> WHY THIS MATTERS FOR AMERICA: China and Europe are pouring billions into quantum labs, but Chicago’s new park is a statement that the U.S. is in the race to win. Companies like PsiQuantum, IBM, and Infleqtion are anchoring the site, aiming to build the world’s first utility-scale quantum computer on American soil. Policymakers see it as more than tech: it’s about securing the next wave of manufacturing, cybersecurity, and even drug discovery for U.S. workers, not foreign competitors.
—> THE BIG PICTURE: FROM STEEL TO SPOOKY ACTION: The site once employed 20,000 steelworkers. After decades of decline, it now represents a pivot from heavy industry to frontier science. If successful, the Illinois Quantum Park will become not just a research hub but a symbol of American reinvention — proof that communities hollowed out by the past can anchor the future.
Sources: The Conversation, Capitol News Illinois
ROBOTS
CHINA ADDED MORE ROBOTS THAN THE REST OF THE WORLD COMBINED: Beijing’s state-backed factories switched on 295,000 new robots last year, giving China more than two million in operation — the largest robotic workforce in history. That’s nearly 10 times the U.S. total, according to the World Robotics 2025 Report.
—> WHY YOU CARE: While China automates at warp speed, America added just 34,200 robots in 2024 — a 9% drop from the year before. The gap highlights the stakes for U.S. workers and manufacturers as Chinese exports gain a robotic edge.
—> WHAT’S NEXT: Washington is turning to tariffs and tech investment to keep American factories competitive. The race isn’t over — it’s just beginning.
Sources: NY Post, ZME Science
ONE MORE THING
Nobody puts Delco in a corner…
With gratitude,
Kev
ABOUT mtf.tv’s meet the future: mtf.tv’s meet the future is a cutting-edge platform focused on addressing key challenges at the intersection of national security, technology, and business. With a mission to embrace freedom to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities, mtf.tv offers forward-thinking media offerings and forums.
mtf.tv’s meet the future founder Kevin Cirilli.
Washington AI Network founder Tammy Haddad speaks at the inaugural AI Honors in Washington. Source: Getty.
Tammy Haddad and Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth, eighth Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Source: Getty.