harry a

Who wants a birthday cake made with aspartame? Who would rather have a tanning bed than a sunny day? Who prefers to watch bots play chess? You can view high-res images of the Mona Lisa anytime you want, and yet people will still pay to fly to Paris and shove through crowds just to get a glimpse of the real thing.

I think there is a deep truth here:... See more

But a16z is doing something different, bigger, less... understated. It doesn’t feel like venture capital is supposed to, in part, I think, because I don’t think a16z cares if it’s doing “venture capital.” It just wants to BUILD the future and eat the world.

I think podcasts are a pretty terrible medium for ideas .

They’re great for getting to know people. They’re great for stories. They’re certainly great for putting on wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.

But quick: name the best idea you’ve heard on a podcast recently.

The delusion is: commitment is a thing that you feel. The truth is: commitment is a thing that you make.

“But I’ve always thought that the people who did incredible things and inspired me never talked about them. It’s more interesting to do whatever you want, and if you inspire people, great, if you don’t, that’s great too because you just had fun”

Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu (Elle Canada, December 2025)

the philosopher kierkegaard called anxiety the dizziness of freedom , that strange, spinning vertigo we feel when we suddenly realise how many futures might be waiting for us, all at once.

but gratitude and desire? they’re not opposites, they don’t cancel each other out. gratitude means being here, fully grounded in what is. desire is the pull toward what isn’t here yet. one keeps you rooted, the other pulls you forward.

this is why it can feel almost painful when things become too known. why restlessness creeps in when life stops expanding. your brain was built to grow, not to settle. this drive to keep moving outward also shapes how our sense of self expands.