Joey DeBruin

A genuine interest in something is a very powerful motivator — for some people, the most powerful motivator of all. [3] Which is why it's what Jessica and I look for in founders.

Entrepreneurs often describe building a company as a harrowing experience and doing this alongside a peer group serves as an emotionally powerful initiation for many founders, similar in some ways to the initiation and bonding rituals for groups ranging from college fraternities to military recruits. Graham has said that bringing cohorts of... See more

As we see base models continue to proliferate, and fine-tuned models begin to sit on top of them, our hypothesis is that these “thin layer” products should focus on having a clear opinion of how they form the output or how they shape the human to AI interaction layer. Put simply, the maximally viable product in AI is likely not where the vast... See more

I expect that effective altruism will always be an example of what I’ve called “club” communities elsewhere: high retention of existing members, but limited acquisition of new members, like a hobbyist club. EA will continue to grow, but it will never become the dominant narrative because it’s so morally opinionated. I don’t think that’s a problem,... See more

To search is to know that which you seek. The very notion of search requires you to accurately label what you are looking for. Unfortunately, in unknown territory, we don't always know what we are looking for. Navigating unknown territory is an exercise in discovery, not recall.