02/13/2026    David Laurino, DPM

Podiatry’s Future with AI as the New Market Force (Bryce Karulak, DPM)

The largest merger in history just happened.
And it has everything to do with how you'll run
your medical practice in 2026. Two days ago,
SpaceX acquired xAI for $1.25 trillion. Most
people see a valuation story. I see a playbook:

? Vertical integration (own the infrastructure,
don't rent it)
? Cost collapse (do it cheaper than everyone else)
? Market dominance (move faster than regulators
can respond)

Here's what just combined:
• SpaceX (90% of global payload to orbit)
• xAI (200K+ GPUs, largest AI cluster on Earth)
• Starlink (9M subscribers, global satellite
coverage)
• X (billions of data points training Grok AI)

Now connect the dots for healthcare:
When Starlink's direct-to-cell V3 satellites
deploy, Grok will be accessible on every
smartphone globally...no app required.
When Tesla's Optimus robots scale, they'll handle
front desk, vitals, supply chain, post-op care, at
a fraction of human labor costs.

When Neuralink advances, real-time patient
monitoring becomes standard. The question isn't IF
this disrupts healthcare delivery. It's whether
YOUR practice will adapt before your competitors
do. I'm watching five indicators:

1. Practices experimenting with AI scribes and
automation
2. Ownership of patient data (not hospital
systems)
3. Multi-channel patient acquisition (not Google
ad dependence)
4. Vertical integration of scheduling, telehealth,
payments
5. Early adoption of robotics in non-clinical +
clinical tasks

The practices that survive the next five years
won't be the ones with the best doctors. They'll
be the ones that mastered AI and automation FIRST.

What's your move?

David Laurino, DPM, Gilbert+Chandler, AZ

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02/13/2026    David Laurino, DPM

Podiatry’s Future with AI as the New Market Force (Bryce Karulak, DPM)

The largest merger in history just happened.
And it has everything to do with how you'll run
your medical practice in 2026. Two days ago,
SpaceX acquired xAI for $1.25 trillion. Most
people see a valuation story. I see a playbook:

? Vertical integration (own the infrastructure,
don't rent it)
? Cost collapse (do it cheaper than everyone else)
? Market dominance (move faster than regulators
can respond)

Here's what just combined:
• SpaceX (90% of global payload to orbit)
• xAI (200K+ GPUs, largest AI cluster on Earth)
• Starlink (9M subscribers, global satellite
coverage)
• X (billions of data points training Grok AI)

Now connect the dots for healthcare:
When Starlink's direct-to-cell V3 satellites
deploy, Grok will be accessible on every
smartphone globally...no app required.
When Tesla's Optimus robots scale, they'll handle
front desk, vitals, supply chain, post-op care, at
a fraction of human labor costs.

When Neuralink advances, real-time patient
monitoring becomes standard. The question isn't IF
this disrupts healthcare delivery. It's whether
YOUR practice will adapt before your competitors
do. I'm watching five indicators:

1. Practices experimenting with AI scribes and
automation
2. Ownership of patient data (not hospital
systems)
3. Multi-channel patient acquisition (not Google
ad dependence)
4. Vertical integration of scheduling, telehealth,
payments
5. Early adoption of robotics in non-clinical +
clinical tasks

The practices that survive the next five years
won't be the ones with the best doctors. They'll
be the ones that mastered AI and automation FIRST.

What's your move?

David Laurino, DPM, Gilbert+Chandler, AZ