It also could not be a better time for a paradigm shift. AGI and likely soon after superintelligence will force us to rethink human role in society. In the new world, the value of the human brain is increasingly defined on how creative it can be. Cosmic optimism helps us navigate this transformation by emphasizing focus on the very human qualities ... See more

Cosmic optimism changes this by encouraging truly interdisciplinary approaches that blend hard sciences with philosophy, arts, and contemplative practices. It grows its deeply felt optimism about human potential and technological progress, but redefines the current understanding of what is ‘progress’. Rather than limiting progress to mean the accum... See more

Not taking things so seriously too re: advice. Think of all the times you were serious when you could have just been silly with your kids. How great is it when it occurs to you to just start laughing. You always have that choice! And I think it’s a good one to make because you set the mood at home for your kids.

The best mom advice I’d give? Take time with your partner. Take care of yourself. Kids’ happiness is highly correlated with the happiness of their mother. Resist the urge to be a martyr. My mom was happy and I think it’s why I’m happy. Even with her steadfastly conservative, religious identity, she encouraged my fun. She never pushed me to be anoth... See more

Average loss ratio. Some sectors are higher risk than others. For the past couple of decades, for example, social media has been particularly challenging, with Meta acquiring or suffocating insurgents. If the sector you operate in has a high loss ratio, you may want greater diversification.

But the window doesn’t last long. As Paik thinks of it, “each time a new shift occurs, it is analogous to the formation of an unstable radioactive isotope. The radioactivity throws off a huge amount of energy in the form of capturable enterprise value, but is subject to half-life decay. Over time, the isotope decays and eventually becomes lead, at ... See more

So why quit? Three reasons. First, I’ve felt for a few years now that the startups I’m seeing don’t seem so much like progress as just shopkeeping. This isn’t a dig: there’s money to be made razoring a thin slice off a huge market, and there’s certainly less risk in that than there is building a market from scratch. But it’s just not that interesti... See more

The more you see, the more skeptical you become. Optimize for skepticism and curiosity. Having been a VC and invested as an angel in well over 100 companies, my inbox flows with ideas of all kinds from aspiring and repeat entrepreneurs. In the earlier days, I’d get excited by ideas especially the first time I saw them. But over time, I soon realize... See more

What are the big questions you’re wrestling with right now? What topics are you wanting to dig deeper into? What project is top of mind? What’s the last word that popped into your head? 

Any and all of the answers to these questions are great buckets to create collections around. Or it could be as simple as a word - “Rest.”