weblog

  • Faster Isn’t the Same as More Productive

    Faster Isn’t the Same as More Productive

    The Productivity Clock In 1987, economist Robert Solow made an observation that became one of the most quoted lines in technology economics: “You can see the computer age everywhere except in the productivity statistics.” It took roughly a decade for that to change. Computers had arrived. Organizations were using them.…

  • The Workers Who Were Never Hired

    The Workers Who Were Never Hired

    Part 2 of 2: The Labor Clock This is Part 2 of a two-part piece on the labor restructuring underway in the AI economy. Part 1 covered the bifurcation already visible in current data and the historical pattern of who captures productivity surpluses. This piece goes underneath that, to a…

  • Still Flying: Voyager 1 at the Edge of Everything

    Still Flying: Voyager 1 at the Edge of Everything

    Voyager 1 is more than 15 billion miles from Earth. It launched in 1977, before the personal computer, before the internet, before we decided anything older than eighteen months was legacy debt. It was built by people using slide rules. It is still on. Late last week, NASA turned off…

  • The Moat and the Mindset: Why You Must Watch Jensen Huang’s Latest Interview

    The Moat and the Mindset: Why You Must Watch Jensen Huang’s Latest Interview

    If you spend your days analyzing how Agentic AI is poised to upend traditional enterprise software, you get used to a lot of polished, carefully manicured CEO talking points. That’s exactly why Dwarkesh Patel’s recent interview with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is required viewing. It is a rare, unvarnished look…

  • Who Gets Paid When the Machine Does the Work?

    Who Gets Paid When the Machine Does the Work?

    Part 1 of 2: The Labor Clock This is a two-part piece. The labor restructuring is the most layered of the four clocks in the AI economic reconfiguration, so I’m breaking this up into two parts. Part 1 covers what the data already shows: who is capturing the productivity surplus,…

  • The roadtrip

    Tyler Cowen has one of his regular, random posts over at Marginal Revolution (excellent blog that is worth following): I have driven cross-country four times, at least if you count a 3/4 trip as valid.  I also have driving experience in virtually all states, including Hawaii and Alaska, neither of which…

  • Front-Loaded: The Economic Cost of AI’s Capital Concentration

    Front-Loaded: The Economic Cost of AI’s Capital Concentration

    The AI infrastructure industry faces a significant financial challenge, needing approximately $800 billion annually to cover interest on investments. As capital concentrates in this sector, it affects broader economic stability, with potential underfunding of critical areas like healthcare and climate resilience. Two paths lie ahead: successful returns or fiscal strain.

  • The Line That Changed Everything

    The Line That Changed Everything

    The more you learn, the more you realize how many “obvious” things were actually invented recently, and usually by accident. Take the idea that time moves in a straight line. Past on the left, future on the right, you’re somewhere in the middle. So obvious it barely registers as an…

  • How Apple Redefined Human-Machine Interaction Over 50 Years

    How Apple Redefined Human-Machine Interaction Over 50 Years

    The mid-1970s marked a transformative era for children interacting with technology, transitioning from gaming consoles to early computers. Apple played a pivotal role in making technology accessible and relevant, emphasizing human creativity and intent. This ongoing interaction established Apple as a cultural operating system, shaping modern understanding of technology’s role…