Weekend Briefing No. 539
AI Is a False God -- Post-Achievement -- The Meaning of Life
Welcome to the weekend.
The second story below is about the “past-achievement” lifestyle. It features my friend Khe Hy. If you haven’t signed up to receive his newsletter Rad Reads, you should check it out. While I’m on the topic, what are some of your favorite newsletters and why? Send me a note. I’m looking to expand my reading horizons.
Prime Numbers
80 — Thursday was the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
60 — The Hunts Point Produce Market is an invisible but crucial link in the supply chain for New York City’s food business, handling 60% of the city’s fresh groceries and $2 billion of fruits and vegetables per year.
38 — In 2023, audiobook sales experienced a 9% growth, reaching $2 billion, as the format's popularity soared, with 38% of adults having listened to an audiobook throughout the year.
AI Is a False God
Artificial Intelligence (AI) may streamline our daily lives and make certain processes more efficient. However, the tech utopianism promoted by Silicon Valley, which suggests that AI will provide answers to life's ultimate questions, is misguided. AI, despite its impressive capabilities in processing data and performing complex tasks, lacks the essential qualities that define human intelligence, such as subjectivity, desire and moral reasoning. The belief that AI is a benevolent, omniscient, almost god-like entity that should be revered fails to recognize the fundamental differences between machine learning and human cognition. Rather than seeking answers or meaning from AI, we must acknowledge its limitations and focus on the irreducible aspects of our own humanity. The Walrus (16 minutes)
Post-Achievement
How many of us have dreamed about quitting their job and just going surfing or rock climbing for the rest of our lives? Well, some successful professionals are actually doing it, embracing a "post-achievement" lifestyle, prioritizing family, health and passion projects over further career advancement. Khe Hy, a former hedge fund managing director, helped popularize the term "post-achievement" and now runs RadReads, which provides coaching for professionals seeking to rebalance their lives. These individuals have realized that additional achievements won't significantly improve their happiness and are instead focusing on pursuing fulfilling interests and embracing the "white space" in their lives. The concept resonates with many who have climbed the corporate ladder but feel there's more to life than work. Wall Street Journal (7 minutes)
The Real Estate "CD"
If you are getting used to high-yielding savings accounts and ever-increasing treasury yields, it is time to seek out alternatives. Fixed income rates are falling, but OneWall Communities is offering immediately available, liquid, fixed-rate Notes at 8% for 1 year with monthly interest payments. This return is more than 13x the average savings account and more than 300 bps above 1-year treasury yields. In a time when the stock market is frothy and inflation is still elevated, adding high-yield fixed income with zero correlation to the stock market and no reliance on day-to-day property performance for repayment can provide diversification and stable monthly income to your portfolio. Weekend Briefing readers are getting priority access to the remaining current offering plus first look at future opportunistic multifamily deals before the wave of institutional dry powder crashes in. More than $300B is available for commercial real estate investment. OneWall (Sponsored)
Help Wanted
IKEA is opening a store in the popular online game platform Roblox, and the company is looking to hire UK-based players aged 18 or older to work in the virtual store. The selected employees will be paid real money, around $16 per hour, to immerse themselves in the virtual working world of IKEA through "The Co-Worker Game," set to open on June 24. The move has generated buzz on social media platforms, with content creators sharing their application experiences and speculating about how the real retailer's presence might impact existing IKEA-inspired games and communities on Roblox. IKEA's goal with this initiative is to showcase the potential for growth and flexibility within the company, both in the virtual game and in the real world. WIRED (6 minutes)
I Would Run 500 Miles
Blake, a competitive runner, entered a month-long running challenge sponsored by Chipotle, where the person who ran a two-block route the most in Washington D.C. would win free Chipotle for a year. Blake found himself in a fierce rivalry with another runner named Joshua, with the two constantly pushing each other to run further and faster. The competition consumed both men, leading them to run incredible distances and put immense strain on their bodies, all in pursuit of victory. In the final days of the challenge, Blake and Joshua's rivalry reached a fever pitch, with both men determined to prove themselves and emerge as the winner. Check out the second act in this podcast episode to hear the full story. This American Life (65 minutes)
Imposter Syndrome
John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, once wrote in his diary about his feelings of inadequacy upon being elected president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, despite his admiration for these disciplines throughout his life. "Honours [sic] like these produce in my mind humiliation as well as pride," Adams confessed, expressing his mortification at being raised to the head of a learned society with qualifications he deemed inadequate. Despite his impressive credentials and merits, Adams struggled with impostor syndrome, a prevalent existential epidemic that affects even the most accomplished individuals. Remarkably, just five years after expressing his self-doubt and lack of confidence in his own authority, Adams was elected president not only of the nation's cultural pantheon but of the United States itself, becoming America's most science-literate and science-passionate leader to date. The Marginalia (5 minutes)
The Meaning of Life
Otto Paul Kretzmann, a professor and pastor of the mid-20th century, articulated a concise and profound formula for a fulfilled life, stating that man must have "something to live by, to live on, and to live for." Having "something to live on" refers to the essential foundation of a good life, where a paycheck above subsistence-level income provides a springboard to exciting and joyful pursuits. "Something to live by" emphasizes the importance of having a set of non-negotiable principles and convictions to guide one's decisions and generate momentum. Finally, "something to live for" underscores the necessity of having a purpose larger than oneself, ideals to strive toward, and people to love and live with, without which life can become an empty slog. The Art of Manliness (4 minutes)
Should We Work Together?
Hi! I’m Kyle. This newsletter is my passion project. When I’m not writing, I run a law firm that helps startups move fast without breaking things. Most founders want a trusted legal partner, but they hate surprise legal bills. At Westaway, we take care of your startup’s legal needs for a flat, monthly fee so you can control your costs and focus on scaling your business. If you’re interested, let’s jump on a call to see if you’re a good fit for the firm. Click here to schedule a one-on-one call with me.
Founder Fridays
Check out my other email Founder Fridays — a Friday morning briefing helping startup founders and operators scale smarter.
Weekend Wisdom
If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering. -Victor Frankl
Great letter this week Kyle. Can’t wait to check out the referenced items.