The CEO Retort with Tim El-Sheikh

In this live replay, I'm examining the AI-driven hype of today and how we're being pushed towards a crisis. It's a bit scary, but it's something we need to talk about.

Right now, we're facing a double whammy: water bankruptcy and an AI bubble spiralling out of control. Not to mention, a disturbing new report shows a record number of journalists killed in 2025, with Israel responsible for two-thirds of deaths.

Let me break it down for you. Water bankruptcy—what's that all about? Imagine living in a world where clean water is so scarce that it becomes a luxury product or a subscription-based commodity. Sounds dramatic? Join the conversation now.

This is a replay and remastered version of the live guest episode we held on February 26th, 2026. Join our free newsletter to get notified for future live sessions: https://newsletter.ceoretort.com/

Timestamps:
(00:00:00) – Preview
(00:00:58) – Quick intro of CEOR Live, on the last Thursday of every month
(00:02:44) – Launch of Retort Media and its mission, and the CEOR becoming part of the news ecosystem
(00:08:09) – The state of independent journalism, with journalists being targeted and murdered
(00:20:22) – Unhinged AI: The human element behind AI issues, with Sam Altman complaining about Humans needing more resources than AI and people losing their minds over 'AI Social Network'
(00:34:24) – The Role of AI in Amplifying Human Efforts
(00:38:34) – The real consequences of vibe coding -- AKA Poor software engineering practices
(00:42:29) – Debunking AGI and the Turing Test myth. Let's get rid of it once and for all to save AI!
(00:51:39) – Understanding AI's limitations, dangers and potential
(01:00:42) – The Future of AI: Localised models, edge AI and data sovereignty
(01:07:23) – UN's report on global 'water bankruptcy' and AI's impact, with the current obsession of building data centres. It's a Looming Crisis
(01:20:10) – The economic implications of AI and data centres

Episode Notes & Citations:
https://ceoretort.com/podcast/solo/2026/03/02/water-bankruptcy-journalists-killed-and-unhinged-ai-whats-next/

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Connect with Tim El-Sheikh:
LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/timelsheikh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Professor Sara M. Grimes is a prominent scholar and world-leading expert in children’s digital media culture, rights, and play.

Since August 2024, she has served as a Full Professor at McGill University, where she holds the Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy.

Her research examines the intersection of technology, commercialisation, and childhood, with a particular focus on digital games and virtual worlds.

Join our free newsletter to get notified for future live sessions: ⁠https://newsletter.ceoretort.com⁠

Timestamps:
(00:00:00) – Preview
(00:02:47) – 2025 Review in terms of children's rights online since Trump's election and his influence on Big Tech.
(00:14:25) – How does America's lax behaviour toward regulating big tech impact Canada as the next-door neighbour with deep dependency?
(00:20:06) – The big problem with Australia's recently introduced social media ban for under 16s. Why Tim and Sara fundamentally disagree with this approach.
(00:26:12) – How certain governments benefit from preventing young generations from accessing social media – ie, their only source of news and geopolitical events!
(00:30:34) – The impact of Silicon Valley's "move fast and break things" philosophy on children's online safety – a philosophy shared by Epstein!
(00:35:30) – The long-term impact of banning children from accessing online platforms on their education and the normalisation of dangerous trends, such as the manosphere.
(00:44:20) – Should social media platforms finally be treated and regulated as media outlets and content publishers?
(00:49:57) – Early signs of whether the Australian ban is effective, with emerging contradictory arguments.
(00:58:18) – Sara's direct response to critics who support tech restrictions for children and social media bans.
(01:04:16) – The surprising attitude of young people toward online privacy
(01:15:16) – How banning children further exposes their private data to big tech.
(01:20:02) – What has Sara learnt from her work with the United Nations about other countries' concerns about Trump's Silicon Valley and children's online safety?

Episode Notes & Citations:
⁠⁠https://ceoretort.com/podcast/guest/2026/02/19/sara-grimes-tech-restrictions-for-children-are-more-dangerous-for-their-safety/

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Professor Scott Lucas returns to our live guest episode to discuss the societal impact of the Epstein class and the deflections used by their political backers, apologists and the US justice system to evade responsibility.

And since we are focusing on political deflections, Donald Trump inevitably enters the conversation, but the broader issue is systemic. Pam Bondi’s shameful performance at hearings and media appearances often creates a spectacle of outrage rather than prioritising justice for the victims.

It is quite apparent that the survivors of Epstein’s abuse seem pushed to the margins by the Trump Administration.This is a replay and remastered version of the live guest episode we held on February 12th, 2026.

Join our free newsletter to get notified for future live sessions: https://newsletter.ceoretort.com

Timestamps:
(00:00:00) – Preview
(00:02:31) – The launch of The Retort news outlet in beta to address the problem of the broligarch mainstream media.
(00:06:16) – The context of where we are today, following the DOJ's latest release of 3 million Epstein "Data dump"
(00:24:44) – The dangerous role of Epstein and Trump apologists in governments and media who divert attention away from the obvious cover-up
(00:32:02) – The iconic moment in Pam Bondi’s House Judiciary Appearance, which confirms the administration has no interest in seeking justice for Epstein victims and survivors.
(00:40:36) – The stark reality that the Epstein Class was exposed thanks to only 4 politicians, not the FBI, the judges, or the police. Is the justice system now dead?
(00:56:02) – Why we should now accept that far-right movements, their funders, supporters, and apologists are the "Epstein Class", a term coined by Representative Ro Khanna.

Episode Notes & Citations:
⁠https://ceoretort.com/podcast/guest/2026/02/16/scott-lucas-the-epstein-class-proves-the-rule-of-law-doesnt-even-exist-for-victims/

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Connect with Tim El-Sheikh:
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Peter Geoghegan is an award-winning investigative journalist and broadcaster whose work has fundamentally changed the conversation around transparency in British public life and Western politics.

He is the founder and editor of Democracy for Sale, an independent investigative news outlet that recently secured the Specialist Journalism prize at the 2025 British Journalism Awards.

Peter is the former Editor-in-Chief of openDemocracy and the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics — a book that exposed how untraceable cash is warping our political systems.

From his deep-dive documentaries for BBC Radio 4 to his latest revelations on lobbying and 'black hole' campaign finances, Peter is one of the most tenacious voices in the industry today.

Timestamps:
(00:00:00) – Preview
(00:02:49) – The state of modern journalism in a corrupt political and digital ecosystem
(00:09:48) – Ad to help you navigate media bias
(00:11:54) – Why does Tony Blair and his TBI institute want to build an AI company like Palantir?
(00:02:49) – How Big Tech influences politics worldwide today?
(00:19:16) – The rise and influence of "oligarch politicians"
(00:24:42) – How 2016 and the pandemic were the turning point of the West selling democracy to broligarchs
(00:32:01) – How Trump's AI and Silicon Valley became the political media pumping up the AI bubble
(00:45:37) – Can real journalism and independent media survive against oligarch-driven media

Episode Notes & Citations:
https://ceoretort.com/podcast/guest/2026/02/05/peter-geoghegan-how-the-west-sold-democracy-to-the-corrupt-rich/

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Connect with Tim El-Sheikh:
LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/timelsheikh⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

We are joined by the prominent British political economist and campaigner, Richard Murphy, discussing the latest AI bubble turmoil and its role in a broader economic collapse – could be as soon as the end of 2026! It’s an energetic conversation that will open your eyes to the post-AI economics.

Richard is a highly active commentator, blogging daily at Funding the Future and on his YouTube channel  @RichardJMurphy  -- which has seen significant growth, reaching over 325,000 subscribers and 30 million views by the end of 2025.

Timestamps:
(00:00:00) – Preview
(00:02:35) – How being a twin shaped Richard's journey in political economics and campaigns
(00:10:22) – Ad to help you navigate media bias
(00:12:29) – Tim and Richard explore why one becomes interested in economic equality and the politics of care
(00:20:22) – What people don't get about economics and the problem with profit maximisation models
(00:23:38) – How did the damaging neoliberalism model take over the global economy and give rise to today's tech broligarchy, and its impact on the AI bubble
(00:37:40) – Why do people become ideologically attached to illogical and self-damaging economic narratives?
(00:43:46) – The absurdly illogical narrative of growing the economy with loss-making AI services while destroying millions of jobs, and pushing for UBI while expecting lower taxation!
(00:49:53) – Today, the AI bubble and Trump are completely linked and the clearest evidence that neoliberalism has run out of ideas. It's now a neoliberalism bubble.

Episode Notes & Citations:
⁠https://ceoretort.com/podcast/guest/2026/01/22/richard-murphy-the-ai-bubble-is-a-prelude-to-a-much-bigger-economic-collapse/

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