What does it really mean to Go Big?
For Brendan McCord, it started far beneath the surface—literally. Long before he was helping shape the future of artificial intelligence or leading conversations on human flourishing, he was submerged in a nuclear submarine, deep under the ocean, far from the spotlight. Over 600 days of his life were spent below the waterline, navigating darkness, silence, and the unseen edge of national defense. While others were watching the world from above, Brendan was learning to see it from below—learning what it means to lead, to focus, and to think without noise.
That experience didn’t just shape his discipline. It shaped his view of what matters. In an environment where distractions are stripped away, you’re left with a kind of clarity that can’t be taught in a classroom. And Brendan took that clarity with him—first into the halls of MIT and Harvard, and then into one of the fastest-growing forces in human history: artificial intelligence.
But here’s where the story breaks the mold. Brendan didn’t enter the AI world to chase buzzwords. He wasn’t following hype. He saw that AI was fast becoming the unseen operating system of human life—and he believed that someone needed to ask better questions about what that meant. With that sense of purpose, he helped craft the first-ever AI strategy for the U.S. Department of Defense and worked to translate theory into action in some of the country’s most important military innovations.
He could have stopped there. But going big rarely ends at what’s expected.
Instead of staying on the inside, Brendan stepped out. He launched two companies rooted in artificial intelligence—innovating in spaces many others overlooked. Both companies were acquired for a combined value of over $400 million. But even with that level of success, Brendan wasn’t satisfied with just building and selling. He wanted to ask deeper questions: not just “what’s next in tech?” but “what’s next for people?”
That question led him into philosophy—not in the abstract sense, but in the practical, human-centered sense. He began to explore ideas that had shaped civilizations: What does it mean to live a good life? How should power be distributed? What is truth, and who gets to define it?
The result of that exploration wasn’t a retreat from innovation—it was a new kind of innovation. Brendan founded the Cosmos Institute, a nonprofit designed to ensure that as AI grows more powerful, it also becomes more human-centered. Cosmos isn’t about slowing down progress—it’s about steering it toward something worthy.
At the heart of Cosmos is a vision built on three pillars: autonomy, truth-seeking, and decentralization. It’s a response to two dangerous extremes. On one side are those who believe AI must be controlled, paused, even feared. On the other are those who want to accelerate at all costs, chasing speed without reflection. Brendan offers a third path—a human one. A path where AI is a tool for self-discovery, not self-erasure. A path where people remain the protagonists of their own story.
Brendan’s journey is a powerful reminder that going big doesn’t mean choosing one identity. He’s a submariner, a technologist, an entrepreneur, a philosopher, a father. He’s someone who believes that depth is not the opposite of scale—it’s the foundation of it.
To go big in today’s world isn’t just about how far you can scale—it’s about how deeply you’re willing to think. It’s about doing hard things with a clear sense of why. Brendan shows us that the boldest builders aren’t just chasing capital—they’re chasing meaning. They’re creating systems that protect freedom, nurture curiosity, and honor the complexity of the human experience.
That’s the kind of going big the world needs more of.
So if you’re standing at a crossroads—wondering if you should stay the course or take a leap—remember Brendan’s story. You don’t have to pick one path. You just have to be bold enough to choose purpose over comfort and truth over convenience.
The horizon is wide open. Go deep. Then go big.
