Founder Letter No. 003 The Algorithm

THE ALGORITHM

I got a theory.

The algorithm is the new prison.

Not because it locks you in...

Because it decides what you see.

See, I grew up different.

Every night my grandmother had the news on.

Dan Rather.

The local news.

The newspaper on the kitchen table.

If you're from Syracuse, you remember the Post-Standard.

The Herald-Journal.

Looking back...

I realize I was one of the only kids my age paying attention to what was happening outside my neighborhood.

Then somewhere along the line...

People started bragging about not paying attention.

"I don't watch the news."

"I don't care what's going on."

Back then...

I thought it was normal.

Now?

I think that shit was engineered.

Not because you need to watch the news all day.

Because if you don't know what's changing...

Somebody else does.

Here's what I believe.

The internet didn't create an information problem.

It created an attention problem.

They don't have to hide the knowledge anymore.

They just have to make sure you never look at it.

Flood your feed with celebrity drama.

Relationship debates.

Politics.

Rage bait.

Memes.

Arguments you'll forget tomorrow.

Then let the algorithm convince you that's all the world has to offer.

Meanwhile...

Somebody else's feed is teaching them how to buy businesses.

Read financial statements.

Build wealth.

Use AI.

Negotiate deals.

Understand taxes.

Raise capital.

Create assets.

Same phone.

Same internet.

Different reality.

People keep asking why the rich keep getting richer.

Maybe they're watching different things.

Think about it.

Your feed knows exactly what keeps your attention.

Every second you spend scrolling...

You're voting.

You're telling the algorithm,

"Show me more of this."

Every swipe is training it.

Every like is programming it.

Every share is shaping your future.

Eventually...

Your algorithm knows who you're becoming before you do.

That's why I tell people...

Share information.

Not just memes.

Not just gossip.

Not just bullshit.

Send your people interviews.

Books.

Articles.

Ideas.

One video can completely change somebody's algorithm.

And changing someone's algorithm...

Might change their life.

I don't know.

Maybe I'm wrong.

But I don't think I am.

I think one day our kids are gonna look at us and ask...

"Y'all had the world's information in your pocket..."

"So why the fuck are we still broke?"

I refuse to be the one trying to answer that question.

Just my thoughts.