TBT is Pakistan's fastest-growing podcast show covering conversations around Art, Culture & Technology. Tune in thrice a week to be a part of our community!
We upload every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Are AI and automation going to kill the Pakistani remote work dream, or is this the biggest opportunity to earn in dollars? In this episode of the Thought Behind Things podcast, I sit down with Reyhan Khan, founder of Recruiter GTM, who went from earning Rs. 25,000 at the Islamabad Airport to making $8,000/month as a remote systems integrator and eventually moving to Lisbon, Portugal.We dive deep into the reality of the global job market, why AI isn't going to replace you (but someone using AI will), and the exact skills you need to become irreplaceable to foreign clients. Rehan shares his…
https://muzamilhasan.com/podcast/applyAre electric vehicles actually taking over Pakistan, or are drivers suffering from severe "range anxiety"? In this episode of the Thought Behind Things podcast, I sit down with Fahad Hassan, a self-taught developer who dropped out of A-Levels, spent a decade freelancing on Upwork, and used AI to build "ChargePK"—Pakistan’s premier EV charging aggregator app—in just 5 months.While everyone is busy chasing speculative crypto coins or generic AI hype, Fahad focused on a real, physical problem: helping EV owners find chargers, check live availability, and…
https://muzamilhasan.com/podcast/apply Is the era of "free VC money" over, or is Pakistan's tech ecosystem finally maturing? In this episode of the Thought Behind Things podcast, I sit down with Ali Fahad, Founder and CEO of PakLaunch, to decode the shifting dynamics of global capital, AI data centers, and why overseas Pakistanis are aggressively investing back home. While the mainstream media focuses on political instability, a massive shift is happening behind closed doors. From local family offices funding Silicon Valley AI startups to businessmen using Pakistan to bypass US-China…
Are AI tools taking your jobs, or are you just not building fast enough? In this episode of the Thought Behind Things podcast, I sit down with 25-year-old developer Raheel Siddiqui, the creator of pakistangov.online.After seeing the US launch a central AI hub for government services (america.gov), Raheel used Claude and his coding skills to build a Pakistani equivalent in just 30 minutes! Running on $0 infrastructure, the site blew up on Twitter, pulling in over 30,000 users and even catching the attention of the IT Minister. We discuss how students can survive the AI wave, the power of…
How did a Pakistani mobility startup achieve profitability in a sector that destroyed giants like Airlift, Uber, and Swvl? In this episode of the Thought Behind Things podcast, Maha from Bus Karo returns to share the untold reality of surviving Pakistan’s brutal public transport graveyard amidst skyrocketing fuel prices.While the tech ecosystem celebrates funding rounds, we are taking a hard look at the macro-economic nightmare of running a real, operational business in Pakistan. Maha breaks down the absurd reality of the country's taxation system—where unprofitable startups are forced to…
Is the internet dying? With AI bots and "slop" projected to make up 99% of web traffic, the need for verified, authentic data has never been more critical. In this episode, Ahmad Manzoor returns to the Thought Behind Things podcast to reveal how Blockchain is secretly fixing the AI data crisis, the evolution of NADRA's digital identity system, and what the global push for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) means for Pakistan's economy. Five years ago, we warned you about the crypto and NFT bubble. Today, the hype is dead, but the underlying technology is quietly transforming the global…
Can a beginner with zero technical background actually make thousands of dollars using AI? In this episode of Thought Behind Things, I sit down with Badar Munir, founder of Aghaaz and one of Pakistan's top AI educators, to break down the exact roadmaps, workflows, and client acquisition strategies working right now. Join the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and being early to what's coming: https://muzamilhasan.com/inner-circle Read the thesis, the one idea behind everything I'm building: https://muzamilhasan.com/thesis My website: https://muzamilhasan.com From building apps…
Why is Pakistan growing a crop that causes diabetes, consumes 17% of our water, and brings in zero dollars? In this episode of Dil Ki Baat, I expose the dark reality of Pakistan's Sugar Mafia, the elite political families controlling the agriculture sector, and why the salaried class is forced to foot the bill while billionaires pay almost zero tax.Article 1: https://weeklycuttingedge.com/cotton-to-cane-how-sugar-barons-hijacked-pakistans-agricultural-future/Article 2: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2610094/sindh-opposes-immediate-sugar-deregulationThis episode is sponsored by Taptap…
Will AI data centers really drink all of Pakistan's water? In this episode of Dil Ki Baat, I break down the viral myths surrounding water scarcity in Pakistan and reveal the shocking truth about where our water actually goes. From the reality of agricultural water waste to the controversial need to price water, we explore the macroeconomic facts you need to know. This episode is sponsored by Taptap Send. Download Taptap Send using the following link: https://taptapsend.onelink.me/Lrab Use code 'MUZAMILPK' for a first time bonus Join the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and…
The rupee just keeps devaluing, and I've felt it personally: my own net worth was cut in half the last time it moved from 170 to 320. So this episode is about the one legal, regulated way I've found to fight back. Mohammad Ijaz runs one of Pakistan's largest REIT (real estate investment trust) platforms, including Dolmen Mall, and he breaks down how you can own a real, income-generating stake in commercial property starting at roughly Rs 10 a unit, fully regulated by the SECP, none of the "file" trading that's made a small number of people rich while leaving construction unfinished. Join the…
Last episode I argued Pakistan must build sovereign AI. This episode is the accounting: the real numbers on where the world's compute is, how far behind Pakistan actually is, and a year-by-year plan that gets us to 5 gigawatts in 10 years without breaking the economy. This episode is sponsored by Taptap Send. Download Taptap Send using the following link: https://taptapsend.onelink.me/Lrab Use code 'MUZAMILPK' for a first time bonus Watch my AI podcast with NoodleSeed Studios, where we cover what in AI actually lasts: https://www.youtube.com/@NoodleSeedStudio Join the Inner Circle, my weekly…
Half the world is building sovereign AI. In this episode I defend the claim with data: what Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the EU, Japan, India and Indonesia are each spending, why Pakistan's electricity problem is actually the case FOR local data centers, and the three-layer stack Pakistan must own. This episode is sponsored by Taptap Send. Download Taptap Send using the following link: https://taptapsend.onelink.me/Lrab Use code 'MUZAMILPK' for a first time bonus Join the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and being early to what's coming: https://muzamilhasan.com/inner-circle Read…
Tanveer Nadla, founder and CEO of iSkills, has taught more than 20,000 students in Pakistan. We talk about the 86 dollars that started his journey, the first batch of 54 students he says are mostly crorepatis today, and why he believes SEO and digital skills matter more, not less, in the AI era. Join the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and being early to what's coming: https://muzamilhasan.com/inner-circle Read the thesis, the one idea behind everything I'm building: https://muzamilhasan.com/thesis My website: https://muzamilhasan.com Tanveer Nadla started with $86 from…
Why Pakistan must build local AI infrastructure now, before dollar-pegged intelligence makes it unaffordable for 220 million people.This episode is sponsored by Taptap Send.Download Taptap Send using the following link: https://taptapsend.onelink.me/LrabUse code 'MUZAMILPK' for a first time bonusJoin the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and being early to what's coming:https://muzamilhasan.com/inner-circleRead the thesis, the one idea behind everything I'm building:https://muzamilhasan.com/thesisMy website:https://muzamilhasan.comThis episode walks through a thought…
Join the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and being early to what's coming: https://muzamilhasan.com/inner-circle Read the thesis, the one idea behind everything I'm building: https://muzamilhasan.com/thesis My website: https://muzamilhasan.com Will the new Sky47 AI Data Center drink all of Pakistan's water and destroy our power grid? In this episode of Dil Ki Baat, [FIX THIS SENTENCE — your paste scrambled it. Suggested: I break down the panic that erupted across Pakistan and expose the actual math behind data center water consumption.] From solving our crippling grid…
Join the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and being early to what's coming:https://muzamilhasan.com/inner-circle?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=inner-circle&utm_content=emEGz99UQxcRead the thesis, the one idea behind everything I'm building:https://muzamilhasan.com/thesisMy website:https://muzamilhasan.comFollow my AI Focused Podcast at Noodle Seed: https://www.youtube.com/@NoodleSeedStudioAre we in an AI financial bubble, or is this the biggest technological revolution in human history? In this special crossover episode of Thought Behind Things and…
Is AI actually destroying the job market for fresh graduates? In this episode, Ghalib Hasam returns to the podcast to break down the harsh reality of the post-AI job market, why the traditional "Apply Now" button is dead, and exactly how to use cold outreach to land high-paying remote US jobs from Pakistan. Join the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and being early to what's coming: https://muzamilhasan.com/inner-circle... Read the thesis, the one idea behind everything I'm building: https://muzamilhasan.com/thesis My website: https://muzamilhasan.com On the TBT Podcast, we…
Join the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and being early to what's coming: https://muzamilhasan.com/inner-circle... Read the thesis, the one idea behind everything I'm building: https://muzamilhasan.com/thesis My website: https://muzamilhasan.com How do you move past the AI hype cycle and actually build something real? In this update, I break down exactly how I used Claude Code, Google Gemini, and autonomous AI agents to build a "Second Brain" that runs my business 24/7. From automating my YouTube comment replies to having a team of AI agents code an entire operating system…
Kanit Khalilullah explains why Pakistan's debt-based banking system is a bigger trap than cryptocurrency, and how full reserve banking could eliminate domestic debt. Join the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and being early to what's coming: https://muzamilhasan.com/inner-circle Read the thesis, the one idea behind everything I'm building: https://muzamilhasan.com/thesis My website: https://muzamilhasan.com Kanit Khalilullah returns to explain the real crisis behind Pakistan's economy: fractional reserve banking. While Mufti Taqi Usmani's recent fatwa against cryptocurrency…
Hafiz Ahmed shares his journey from a UK warehouse packer to building a million-dollar Amazon FBA business, then losing it overnight and rebuilding in Pakistan. Join the Inner Circle, my weekly letter on AI, building, and being early to what's coming: https://muzamilhasan.com/inner-circle Read the thesis, the one idea behind everything I'm building: https://muzamilhasan.com/thesis My website: https://muzamilhasan.com You can reach out to Hafiz Ahmed here: https://tinyurl.com/mvs6tnrr Hafiz Ahmed Facebook: https://facebook.com/hafizahmedofficial Hafiz Ahmed Instagram:…
Ahmad's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrahmadawais/ Connect with me: https://muzamilhasan.com Personal Branding Audit: https://muzamilhasan.com/audit My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muzamilhasan/ The world of software engineering is changing faster than we realize, and the AI tools we are building might be leading us into a massive financial bubble. In this episode of Thought Behind Things, Muzamil sits down with Ahmad Awais, the founder and CEO of Command Code, to uncover the reality of the global AI race. Ahmad shares his incredible journey from an electrical engineering…
Checkout the website and give me your feedback: https://muzamilhasan.com Follow me on Instagram for the new series: https://www.instagram.com/muzamilhasan I spent the last 8 years entirely away from coding, dealing with imposter syndrome and fearing that software engineers were going to leave the rest of us behind in the AI era. But over the last two weeks, my mind has been completely blown. In just 5 days, working alone, I built a fully functional platform that would have easily cost me $30,000 to $40,000 and taken months of back-and-forth with a traditional software house. And I did it all…
Connect with me: https://muzamilhasan.com Personal Branding Audit: https://muzamilhasan.com/audit The Hidden System Controlling the World (And How It Ends) | Simon Dixon on Thought Behind Things The world is changing faster than we can comprehend, and the narratives we're being fed by the media are just theatrics. In this explosive episode of Thought Behind Things, Muzamil sits down with geopolitical and financial analyst Simon Dixon to uncover the hidden power dynamics shaping our future. Simon breaks down how the world is truly run by transnational capital and the Financial Industrial…
Sign Up for Personal Brand: https://www.muzamilhasan.com/ 👇 DOWNLOAD THE FREE 50 STARTUPS REPORT 👇 As promised, here is the complete research report featuring 50+ funded Space Tech startups (including major players from India and Europe) that you need to study right now: 🔗 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AkttzuBdhuNcK4gtsjzFrMm-LFDkBYhnl3Pkx0DkRiY/edit?usp=sharing AI is disrupting the job market, but the biggest wealth transfer of our generation isn't just happening on Earth - it’s happening in Space. 🚀 For decades, we thought the Space industry was just for government agencies like NASA…
Sign Up for Personal Brand: https://www.muzamilhasan.com/ My Instagram: https://instagram.com/muzamilhasan My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muzamilhasan/ Elon Musk just became the world's first trillionaire, and SpaceX’s IPO shattered records with a $2 Trillion valuation. But is this the dawn of a new space economy, or the most elaborate financial trap in history? In this video, we unpack the harsh reality behind the SpaceX IPO that Wall Street doesn't want you to see. While the headlines scream about innovation, the numbers tell a different story: SpaceX is currently sitting on a…
Sign Up for Personal Brand: https://www.muzamilhasan.com/ Sarmaya Tax Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lFbZVY2XUo Sarmaya Tax Calculator: https://sarmaaya.pk/calculator/salary-tax My Instagram: https://instagram.com/muzamilhasan My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muzamilhasan/ Most hardworking people in Pakistan are trapped in a cycle of paying heavy, unoptimized taxes while watching the country's wealthiest elites drive luxury cars and legally report almost zero taxable income. The truth is, the rich aren't necessarily cheating the system - they just understand how corporate…
Build Your Personal Brand: https://www.muzamilhasan.com/ Leverage Framework by Asaad: https://app.notion.com/p/The-Leverage-Framework-379c0dfdeba180a9b1aafbf5e300ce53?source=copy_link Asaad's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asaadmahmood/ Asaad's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AMDesignAndDev/ My Instagram: https://instagram.com/muzamilhasan My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muzamilhasan/ The Service Industry is Dying: What Pakistani Freelancers Must Do Next | Asaad MahmoodThe global services industry is going through a massive, undeniable shift. Old models of selling basic…
The upcoming national budget is scheduled to be announced on June 10, and the writing is on the wall: an extremely tough year dictated by IMF pressure is ahead. In this breakdown, we strip away the political narratives to examine the brutal first principles of Pakistan's macroeconomics and tax structures. This isn't just about the necessity of raising the tax-to-GDP ratio; it’s about the massive inequity in who pays. We are looking at a system designed to endlessly squeeze the salaried class while entirely shielding rent-seekers, the sugar mafia, and massive undocumented retail sectors. We…
As part of our continuous exploration into the future of work, we dive deep into the ultimate final frontier: the space economy. What does a real 25-year roadmap look like for sustainable space stations, asteroid mining, and human settlement? Build Your Personal Brand: https://www.muzamilhasan.com/ Taqwa Observatory: https://www.taqwaspaceobservatory.com/ Hasaan's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hasaan_mohsin_/ My Instagram: https://instagram.com/muzamilhasan My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muzamilhasan/ Welcome back to a brand-new episode of Thought Behind Things. As part of…
Build Your Personal Brand: https://www.muzamilhasan.com/ My Instagram: https://instagram.com/muzamilhasan My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muzamilhasan/ Read the a16z essay on the YouTubification of Software: https://www.a16z.news/p/softwares-youtube-moment-is-happening Try Replit to build your first prototype: https://replit.com/refer/one8nine In 2010, the media industry was heavily gatekept, requiring massive capital, large teams, and industry connections just to produce a single video. Then, tools like DSLRs and YouTube drove the cost of production down, democratizing content…
About Thought Behind Things
TBT is Pakistan's fastest-growing podcast show covering conversations around Art, Culture & Technology. Tune in thrice a week to be a part of our community!
We upload every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Thought Behind Things is a English society & culture podcast from Syed Muzamil Hasan Zaidi. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.
The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.
