The tools will no doubt get better at pulling relevant quotes. But I’m less confident they’ll ever solve the perennial mysteries of taste and discernment. Many great artists have put out what they thought was their best work, only to see it flop. And vice versa—what they thought was average ended up going viral. Every time you release a work of art

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People who are good at solving poorly defined problems don't get the same kind of kudos. They don’t get any special titles or clubs. There is no test they can take that will spit out a big, honking number that will make everybody respect them.

And that’s a shame. My grandma does not know how to use the “input” button on her TV’s remote control, but ... See more

All of this is to say that you can’t predict what might work in advance: often, the only information you can trust when doing something new is what you learn when you poke at reality.

On some level it makes sense that entrepreneurs think effectually. When you can’t know what happens next, or what shapes your idea will take, you will, quite naturally... See more