Strong Opinions, held Loosely

An artist is someone who can hold two opposing viewpoints and still remain fully functional.- F Scott Fitzgerald

hedging
fence sitting
low conviction
wishy-washy

or..
open
experimental
logical?

Inspired by Wes Kao’s “spiky points of view” and Greg Isenberg’s recent thread, here’s my own list of spicy opinions

1/We (as a broader society) shouldn’t underestimate the value of locally run AI. Running models on personal devices lowers costs, increases privacy, and reduces dependency on cloud infrastructure.

however…

I also believe in cloud infrastructure.

2/ ‘Community building’ is really hard and also full of bad actors Authentic communities take time and genuine investment, not just Slack channels, emojis and a membership fee.

although

Communities are often a catalyst for change and growth and can be literally life changing.

3/The AI hype train is full of grifters

but

4/Web3’s potential is being overshadowed by speculation. There’s real promise for decentralisation, ownership, and new economic models. We need more focus on the builders creating real-world use cases, and less on the get-rich-quick crowd.

5/Deepfakes are the 21st century’s weapon of mass deception. We’re shockingly unprepared for the havoc deepfakes will wreak on politics, social discourse, and personal lives.

but I still agree that

6/“big tech’s” tight grip on AI models is stifling innovation. Open-source models and local AI will democratise access and allow for more experimentation outside of corporate control.

7/Joan Westenberg hit the nail on the head about the creator economy. The reliance on platforms like Patreon creates a power imbalance and limits true ownership.

I also believe that..

8/That whole “social currency” mindset needs to change.

We all know about unspoken social hierarchies, but fixating on titles and networks is outdated. Fortunes and positions can change quickly — what matters is how you treat people regardless of perceived status.

which leads me to

9/The ‘always-on’ culture is the mental health crisis we don’t talk about enough. Burnout is epidemic, boundaries are erased, and the pressure for constant productivity is crushing.

10/ I also belive that tech isn’t always scalable in terms of human well-being. Algorithms optimising for attention and engagement can fuel addiction, anxiety, and social isolation.