Economy & Markets
Cypherpunks wanted to kill the Fed. Instead, they built the infrastructure for the ultimate surveillance state. Inspiration: Realizing that “freedom money” (Tether) is actually the most trackable asset in human history. Ten years ago, crypto was a rebellion. It was run by cypherpunks and libertarians. The goal was simple: Separate
Economy & Markets
I used to read balance sheets. Now, I read the guest lists of private dinners. Inspiration: A throwaway line on the Prof G Podcast about “following the capital, not the earnings,” and realizing that valuations are just feelings with math. Disclaimer: None of this is financial advice. I am a
Geopolitics & Defence
In 2003, we thought it was just a game. In 2025, it looks like a documentary. Inspiration: Watching a news clip about drone swarms and realizing I played this exact scenario 20 years ago as the USA faction. Command & Conquer: Generals was released in 2003. Unlike its predecessors (Red
Economy & Markets
We talk about climate change, AI safety, and pandemics. But we ignore the only risk that can end civilization in 30 minutes. Inspiration: Reading H.R. McMaster’s At War with Ourselves and realizing that “Strategic Ambiguity” is just a fancy word for gambling. We have a blind spot. We
Leadership
In a world of geopolitical noise, these two voices cut through the propaganda with something rare: actual insight. Inspiration: Realizing that 99% of “China Analysis” I read is either Washington hawks selling fear or Beijing bureaucrats selling fantasy. Trying to understand China today is like trying to watch a movie
Artificial Intelligence
It looks like a partnership. It acts like a dependency. In reality, it is a slow-motion acquisition. Inspiration: Satya Nadella’s calm demeanor during the OpenAI coup, and the old Microsoft playbook: “Embrace, Extend, Extinguish.” November 2023. The Board fires Sam Altman. Chaos ensues. Satya Nadella didn’t panic.
Economy & Markets
In 1975, Vietnam was one of the poorest nations on earth. Today, it is the new factory of the world. Here is how they used free trade and math scores to beat their neighbors.
Artificial Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is good at privacy, but bad at thinking. To save the iPhone upgrade cycle, Apple just outsourced its brain to Google. (This post, like many others, was originally posted in 2025, before I migrated this site from WordPress to Ghost infrastructure). Inspiration: Realizing that “Siri” is still dumb
Affinity
Canva just made professional design free. Adobe is buying SEO tools to survive. The king is dead. Inspiration: The growth of Figma in the recent years. How easy it was to transition from Photoshop to Affinity. The acquisition of SEMRush. For decades, Adobe wasn’t just a software company. It
Artificial Intelligence
We finally have a tool that can simulate the planet faster than the planet can change. This isn't just a weather forecast; it's a survival engine. Inspiration: Watching the Google WeatherNext 2 announcement and realizing it was tagged “Climate Change” for a reason. We usually talk
Artificial Intelligence
The cookie is dead. Long live the conversation. Why the next generation of ads won't just know what you clicked—they'll know who you are. Inspiration: Realizing that AI assistant knows more about your son’s development milestones than his pediatrician does. For the last 20
Artificial Intelligence
You can buy Nvidia H100s, but you can't buy a culture of innovation. The "Giga-Projects" are beautiful, expensive distractions from the real work. Inspiration: The news that NEOM is being scaled back (after burning billions) and the realization that “Humain” is a venture capital firm