I've been working on this essay for a while, and it is mainly about AI and about the future. But given the horror we're seeing in Minnesota, its emphasis on the importance of preserving democratic values and rights at home is particularly relevant.

Terence Tao says AI can lower mental effort so much that the brain may stop “lifting its own weights.” Early studies suggest reduced cognitive load can come with real harms, not just convenience. Math is especially vulnerable because it’s easy to outsource every step to a tool.

AI can make work faster, but a fear is that relying on it may make it harder to learn new skills on the job. We ran an experiment with software engineers to learn more. Coding with AI led to a decrease in mastery—but this depended on how people used it. anthropic.com/research/AI-as…

This is a bigger risk to saas than AGI.

Four types of people at every company now yes, people get 10x better when the go from bottom right to top right but also, people get 10x worse when they go from bottom left to top left

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This one stings.

As promised, here's the short film Jia Zhangke produced using Seedance 2.0 for Chinese New Year and his take on AI filmmaking

Every student needs to read "You Are NOT Dumb, You Just Lack the Prerequisites" by Lelouch 👾. "It’s like walking into a movie halfway through—you can’t understand the plot because you missed the beginning." Unfortunately, those who need to hear it most, seldom do.

Kids don’t want things to be easier. They want structure, clear routines, clear expectations, and consistent follow-through. But, structure without relationship is just control. High standards only work when we pair them with high support. Demand more. Teach more. Care more.

I really want people to see the story above the story here, which is that whether you're reading Citrini, or listening to Jamie Dimon at a cocktial party, the conversation about AI is a marketplace of competing science fiction narratives. That's not to say I think the

You only need to prepare for one of these paths.

Grady is a good follow if AI hype got you feeling bewildered.

Same.

LSBot keeps getting better and better. We’re approaching 1on1 tutoring territory.

Some of our best hires were totally unqualified on paper. They always had the same qualities: entrepreneurial, high agency, smart, mission aligned, and they got shit done. If you’re hiring, especially in early stages, seek out & bet on these people. Don’t over-index on resumes.

Success requires slow, long term mindset.

Steve Nash shares the truth about the journey to greatness. "You don't have to be the chosen one." "The secret is to build the resolve and spirit to enjoy the plateaus - the times when it doesn't feel like you're improving and you question why you're doing this." Most people

Either way, whatever jobs remain high paying will be threatened by AI. The safest jobs will be productizing and operating AI systems + domain expertise.

Students who took notes by hand scored ~28% higher on conceptual questions than laptop note-takers. Writing forces your brain to process and compress ideas instead of copying them.