The latest Latent Space episode catches up with Alex Zhang, an MIT PhD and first author of RLM. The conversation centers on why academia can be the right setting for ambitious research, touching on the idea of "PhD maxxing" and the broader trajectory of Zhang's work.
Alongside that theme, the episode discusses Jev and the future of harnesses, pointing to growing interest in the tools and frameworks that shape how models are built and controlled. The conversation ties these threads together through the lens of RLM and the research choices behind it.
With a single source, there is no competing viewpoint to compare; the episode presents Zhang's perspective directly. Listeners looking for a research-focused discussion of academic ambition and model development will find the full context in the original interview.